Intussusceptive angiogenesis: a biologically relevant form of angiogenesis.
Angiogenesis, i.e. the development and growth of blood vessels, is a major topic of research as it plays an important role in normal development and in various pathologies. Recent evidence revealed the existence of different mechanisms of blood vessel growth, including sprouting and intussusceptive angiogenesis, vascular mimicry, and blood vessel cooption. The latter two have only been observed in tumor growth, but sprouting and intussusceptive angiogenesis also occur in healthy, physiologically growing tissues. Despite this variety of angiogenic mechanisms, most of the current research is focused on the mechanism of sprouting angiogenesis because this mechanism was first described and because most existing experimental models are related to sprouting angiogenesis. Consequently, the mechanism of intussusceptive angiogenesis is often overlooked in angiogenesis research. Here, the mechanism of intussusceptive angiogenesis is reviewed and the current techniques and models for investigating intussusceptive angiogenesis are summarized. In addition, other mechanisms of vascular growth are briefly reviewed.
Department of General Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Psychosomatic Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. Ward.DeSpiegelaere@UGent.be
Ward
W
De Spiegelaere
Christophe
C
Casteleyn
Wim
W
Van den Broeck
Johanna
J
Plendl
Mahtab
M
Bahramsoltani
Paul
P
Simoens
Valentin
V
Djonov
Pieter
P
Cornillie
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A