Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/67345

KEYWORDS : vascular formation;vascular endothelial cells;VEGF;ES cells

During early vascular development, vascular endothelial cells (ECs) differentiate, proliferate, migrate, and change morphologically, forming tube-like vascular structures. The ECs are then surrounded by vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), leading to the formation of stable vascular structures, or vascular maturation. The stages of cell or tissue development can be monitored and analyzed using in vitro differentiation systems of pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we present the molecular mechanisms that regulate the developmental processes of vasculature.