Research at Texas A&M uncovers new facets of blood vessel formation
Posted October 07, 2015
Drs. Sankar P. Chaki
(standing on left), Rola Barhoumi (standing on right), and Gonzalo
Rivera (seated)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Researchers at Texas A&M College of
Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) are a step
closer to understanding how blood vessels form. In a study
published in Molecular Biology of the Cell and highlighted
on the journal’s cover, Drs. Sankar P. Chaki, Rola Barhoumi, and
Gonzalo Rivera identified the contribution of Nck to morphological
changes involved in early steps of blood vessel formation. The
findings suggest Nck, a molecule that integrates key cues from the
tissue microenvironment, plays an important role in coordinating
the behavior of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels.
Although Nck was known to influence the development of the
vascular network, its specific role in the molecular and cellular
processes involved in blood vessel formation had remained
undetermined. This study showed that Nck promotes the organization
of endothelial cells into a well-connected network of tubes
resembling the vascular tree. Results from this investigation
highlight that Nck plays a critical role in the establishment of
cell-to-cell contacts and the polarized organization of endothelial
cells.
“Polarity in animal cells is evidenced by the asymmetrical
distribution of organelles and molecular components, and by virtue
of such polarity, cells can perform specialized functions. Not
surprisingly, loss of cell polarity is associated with various
disease states. Polarity of endothelial cells is critical for the
delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, and the removal of
metabolic waste,” explained Chaki, the lead author in this
publication. He added “Highlighting the molecular and cellular
processes underlying vascular formation is important not only from
a development standpoint–the complex body plan of an animal just
would not develop without a robust, functional vascular network–but
also to understand key processes in well-being, such as wound
healing and tissue repair.”
As expected, the analysis of important biological problems at
the cellular and molecular levels presents significant technical
challenges. “We combined a three-dimensional tissue culture system
that recreates key features of the tissue microenvironment with
state-of-the-art optical imaging techniques that enable the capture
of cellular and molecular processes with high spatial and temporal
resolution”, emphasized Dr. Rola Barhoumi, co-author in the study
and associate director of the Image Analysis Laboratory.
By understanding the fundamental processes involved in blood
vessel formation, researchers may also be able to develop safe and
effective treatments to regulate blood vessel formation in disease.
For example, this is very relevant to cancer therapy. “Once solid
tumors reach one to two millimeters in size, they begin secreting
factors that stimulate the development of infiltrating blood
vessels,” Rivera said. “The newly formed vasculature provides
nutrients and factors that, in turn, promote tumor growth.
Additionally, blood vessels in tumors are often dysfunctional and
leaky, which can allow cancer cells to spread to other parts of the
body. Therefore, effective treatments would work to repair existing
vessels as well as stop blood new blood vessels from reaching the
tumor.”
“The article and journal cover are a tribute to Drs. Rivera,
Chaki, and Barhoumi, who have combined sophisticated molecular
biology approaches and advanced imaging tools to investigate the
formation of endothelial tubes that mimic blood vessel formation,”
said Dr. Robert Burghardt, associate dean for research and graduate
studies. “This work is very significant because of its
translational potential, since these findings suggest that
targeting key molecular pathways regulating the cytoskeleton is an
emerging approach to therapies that require the control of blood
vessel formation.”
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Contact Information: Megan Palsa,
mpalsa@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216, 979-421-3121 (cell)
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