title: VEGF-directed blood vessel patterning: from cells to organism.
abstract: VEGF-A signaling is required for almost every aspect of vascular development, and it is a major regulator of vessel morphogenesis and patterning. VEGF-A perturbations are associated with severe vascular defects and lethality, and the pathway is coopted in pathological scenarios, including tumor angiogenesis. This review focuses on the roles of VEGF-A signaling during vessel development and patterning. I review the impact of VEGF-A signaling on endothelial cells in developing vessels, with emphasis on the importance of spatial regulation of several pathway components. I also discuss VEGF-A signaling patterns at the level of the vessel, with a focus on how polarity is set up and maintained in several vessel axes. The role of VEGF-A in patterning vessels relative to tissues and organs is also reviewed, with emphasis on neurovascular patterning and patterning at the embryonic midline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, McAllister Heart Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. bautch@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Bautch
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A