Every organ must be properly vascularised in order to receive nutrients and signals, and to remove waste. Although it is clear that some blood vessels show features specific to their organ of origin, it is not yet understood how organ-specific vessels arise during embryonic development, nor what the molecular mechanisms are that regulate their formation. In this issue (p. 4266), Karina Yaniv and colleagues use the zebrafish subintestinal plexus, a vascular bed that gives rise to the vessels of the gut, liver and pancreas, to dissect the early cellular and molecular events of organ-specific vascularisation. The authors show a common origin for all cells within the subintestinal plexus: a pool of specialised angioblasts located in the floor of the posterior cardinal vein. The authors demonstrate that these specialised angioblasts undergo two rounds of migration and differentiation, which are regulated by BMP and VEGF, respectively. Interestingly, Notch is required only during later stages of subintestinal plexus development, and not earlier. These results provide new insights into the origins of organ-specific blood vessels and showcase the zebrafish subintestinal plexus as a powerful model for characterising this phenomenon.
On the origins of organ-specific vessel formation
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On the origins of organ-specific vessel formation. Development 15 December 2015; 142 (24): e2405. doi:
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