title: Unique aspects of the developing lung circulation: structural development and regulation of vasomotor tone.
abstract: This review summarizes our current knowledge on lung vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during normal lung development and the regulation of fetal and postnatal pulmonary vascular tone. In comparison to that of the adult, the pulmonary circulation of the fetus and newborn displays many unique characteristics. Moreover, altered development of pulmonary vasculature plays a more prominent role in compromised pulmonary vasoreactivity than in the adult. Clinically, a better understanding of the developmental changes in pulmonary vasculature and vasomotor tone and the mechanisms that are disrupted in disease states can lead to the development of new therapies for lung diseases characterized by impaired alveolar structure and pulmonary hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Yuangsheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Cornfield
authors.affiliation: Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Kurt R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Stenmark
authors.affiliation: Sinclair Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thébaud
authors.affiliation: Section of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Abman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: J Usha
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Raj
keywords: endothelial; fetal; newborn; pulmonary circulation; smooth muscle