title: Fusion of uniluminal vascular spheroids: a model for assembly of blood vessels.
abstract: We evaluated the self-assembly properties of uniluminal vascular spheroids having outer layers of vascular smooth muscle cells and a contiguous inner layer of endothelial cells lining a central lumen. We showed that while pairs of uniluminal vascular spheroids suspended in culture medium fused to form a larger diameter spheroidal structure, spheroids in collagen hydrogels formed elongated structures. These findings highlight the potential use of uniluminal vascular spheroids as modules to engineer blood vessels. We also demonstrate that uniluminal vascular spheroid fusion conforms to models describing the coalescence of liquid drops. Furthermore, the fusion of uniluminal vascular spheroids in vitro closely resembled the in vivo process by which the descending aorta forms from the fusion of the paired dorsal aortae during embryonic development. Together, the findings indicate that tissue liquidity underlies uniluminal vascular spheroid fusion and that in vivo anastomosis of blood vessels may involve a similar mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: W Scott
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Argraves
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neagu
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forgacs
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Drake
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000196:embryology; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000196:embryology*; D002459:Cell Fusion; D003094:Collagen; D005260:Female; D020100:Hydrogels; D051379:Mice; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D011247:Pregnancy; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D003094:Collagen