| First Author | Anghelina M | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Am J Pathol | Volume | 168 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 529-41 |
| PubMed ID | 16436667 | Mgi Jnum | J:106289 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3618002 | Doi | 10.2353/ajpath.2006.050255 |
| Citation | Anghelina M, et al. (2006) Monocytes/macrophages cooperate with progenitor cells during neovascularization and tissue repair: conversion of cell columns into fibrovascular bundles. Am J Pathol 168(2):529-41 |
| abstractText | The potential of monocytes/macrophages (MC/Mph) to contribute to neovascularization has recently become a topic of intense scrutiny. Here, we characterized the behavior of MC/Mph in cellular infiltrates, with emphasis on their spatial organization and localization in newly formed microvessels. To this end, we studied MC/Mph migration and assembly in basic fibroblast growth factor-supplemented Matrigel plugs placed in transgenic Tie2-beta-galactosidase mice for up to 4 weeks. In these plugs, along with Nile Red-positive adipocytes, we found MC/Mph distributed in cell cords, also containing various mature and progenitor tissue cells; and functional Tie2-positive or -negative microvessels embedded in bundles of fibrillar collagen surrounded by F4/80-positive MC/Mph. At earlier stages of infiltration, we found tubular destruction of the matrix (tunnels) and MC/Mph-lined capillary-like structures occasionally containing erythrocytes, indicating their propensity for endothelial trans-differentiation. We also analyzed in vitro the MCP-1-induced chemotactic migration of fluorescently labeled peritoneal MC/Mph incorporated in Matrigel-containing fluorescent protease substrates. Many of these MC/Mph produced MMP-12- and TIMP-1-dependent tunnels coupled with acquisition of a lumen. In conclusion, long-term implantation of Matrigel plugs qualifies as a novel experimental model of tissue regeneration, in which neovascularization intimately couples with fibrosis and organogenesis and in which cells of MC/Mph phenotype play a key structural role. |
