Matrix composition, organization and soluble factors: modulators of microvascular cell differentiation in vitro.

Abstract

The microvasculature is comprised of vascular beds which exhibit a wide variety of transport, synthetic and metabolic functions as well as several distinct morphological organizations. The two major cell types that populate the microvasculature are the endothelial cell and the vascular smooth muscle cell (pericyte, mesangial cell). These cells types are known to respond to extracellular matrix components and soluble factors as well as to the direct interactions with neighboring cells during development, in response to injury and while maintaining normal structure/functions. The advent of modern cell isolation, characterization and culture techniques have allowed the use of tissue and organ culture models in the study of vascular cell behavior. This paper will focus on the roles of extracellular matrix in modulating the phenotype of microvascular endothelial cell and mesangial cell populations in culture.