title: Human endothelial progenitor cells.
abstract: Human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been generally defined as circulating cells that express a variety of cell surface markers similar to those expressed by vascular endothelial cells, adhere to endothelium at sites of hypoxia/ischemia, and participate in new vessel formation. Although no specific marker for an EPC has been identified, a panel of markers has been consistently used as a surrogate marker for cells displaying the vascular regenerative properties of the putative EPC. However, it is now clear that a host of hematopoietic and vascular endothelial subsets display the same panel of antigens and can only be discriminated by an extensive gene expression analysis or use of a variety of functional assays that are not often applied. This article reviews our current understanding of the many cell subsets that constitute the term EPC and provides a concluding perspective as to the various roles played by these circulating or resident cells in vessel repair and regeneration in human subjects.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatrics Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. myoder@iupui.edu
authors: Mervin C
authors: MC
authors: Yoder
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface