Two different laminin domains mediate the differentiation of human endothelial cells into capillary-like structures in vitro.
Endothelial cells, both microvascular as well as large vessel, undergo differentiation slowly in culture under most conditions. When endothelial cells are cultured on Matrigel, a solid gel of basement membrane proteins, they rapidly align and form hollow tube-like structures. We show here that tube formation is a multi-step process induced by laminin. An RGD-containing sequence in the A chain of laminin through an integrin receptor on the endothelial cell induces their attachment to the protein while a YIGSR site in the B1 chain induces cell-cell interactions and the resulting tube formation. We also show that the laminin-derived synthetic peptide YIGSR contains sufficient information to induce single endothelial cells to form ring-like structures surrounding a hollow lumen, the basic putative unit in the formation of capillaries.
Grant
D S
DS
Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Anomalies, National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Tashiro
K
K
Segui-Real
B
B
Yamada
Y
Y
Martin
G R
GR
Kleinman
H K
HK
D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007797:Laminin / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000502:physiology; D017474:Receptors, Laminin
D007797:Laminin; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D017474:Receptors, Laminin