title: The "self-similarity logic" applied to the development of the vascular system.
abstract: From a structural standpoint, living systems exhibit a hierarchical pattern of organization in which structures are nested within one another. From a temporal point of view, this type of organization is the outcome of a 'history' resulting from a set of developmental steps. Recently, it has been suggested that some auto similarity prevails at each nested level or time step and a principle of "self-similarity logic" has been proposed to convey the concept of a multi-level organization in which very similar rules (logic) apply at each level. In this study, the hypothesis is put forward that such a principle is particularly apparent in many morphological and developmental aspects of the vascular system. In fact, not only the morphology of the vascular system exhibits a high degree of geometrical self-similarity, but its remodelling processes also seem to be characterized by the application of almost the same rules, from the macroscopic to the endothelial cell to the sub-cellular levels, potentially allowing a unitary description of features such as sprouting and intussusceptive angiogenesis, and phenotypic differences of endothelial cells. The influence of the "self-similarity logic" shaping the vascular system on the organogenesis has been also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Anatomy Section, Via Gabelli 65, 35121 Padova, Italy. diego.guidolin@unipd.it
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guidolin
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crivellato
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ribatti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000196:embryology; D006801:Humans; D009024:Morphogenesis; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A