Olivia Rezek MSc AMRSB, a Laboratory Scientist at WideCells, reviews the latest research into blood vessel cells, known as vascular endothelial cells (VECs), a subset of which are stem cells (VESCs):
CD157 Marks Tissue-Resident Endothelial Stem Cells with Homeostatic and Regenerative Properties. Wakabayashi et al., 2018
Blood vessels transport blood through the tissues, organs and heart, and are an essential component of the circulatory system. Defects occurring in these vessels can lead to various health complications that are sometimes fatal.
The cells that line the inner surface of blood vessels are called vascular endothelial cells (VECs).
A subset of VECs are essential for a physiological process which occurs though development and adulthood, known as angiogenesis — the growth of new blood vessels from existing vasculature.
Angiogenesis is necessary for the growth and repair of organs and tissues. However, it has also been implicated in disease mechanisms, such as cancer – where angiogenesis becomes excessive.
The VECs at the forefront of angiogenesis, appear to have proliferative potential, indicating that they may possess stem cell-like properties.
Emerging evidence has suggested that this small subset of VECs are indeed stem cells (VESCs) and has allowed a distinction to be made between VESCs, and regular VECs that have a very limited proliferative capacity.
The characterisation of VESCs has many implications in the field of experimental medicine, as this could lead to the development of cell-based therapies for cardiovascular repair, as well as, a novel therapeutic target for the inhibition of pathological angiogenesis.
Recent research has identified a particular protein, termed CD157, that is specifically found on the surface of VESCs. The CD157+ cells were found to be present in most organs and tissues of mice.
This finding led to experiments where CD157-specific VESCs were isolated and transplanted into mice who were subjected to induced liver injury. One month later, the CD157+ VESCs were found to have constructed various types of fully functional blood vessels, such as, portal veins, portal venules, sinusoids, hepatic venules, and arteries.
