Plasma membrane-derived microvesicles released from tip endothelial cells during vascular sprouting

Daniela Virgintino,Francesco Girolamo,Mariella Errede,Mirella Bertossi,Luisa Roncali,Maurizio Strippoli,Marco Rizzi

doi:10.1007/s10456-012-9292-y

Abstract

During human foetal brain vascularization, activated CD31+/CD105+ endothelial cells are characterized by the emission of filopodial processes which also decorate the advancing tip of the vascular sprout. Together with filopodia, both the markers also reveal a number of plasma membrane-derived microvesicles (MVs) which are concentrated around the tip cell tuft of processes. At this site, MVs appear in tight contact with endothelial filopodia and follow these long processes, advancing into the surrounding neuropil to a possible cell target. These observations suggest that, like shedding vesicles of many other cell types that deliver signalling molecules and play a role in cell-to-cell communication, MVs sent out from endothelial tip cells could be involved in tip cell guidance and/or act on target cells, regulating cell-to-cell mutual recognition during vessel sprouting and final anastomosis. The results also suggest a new role for tip cell filopodia as conveyor processes for transporting MVs far from the cell of origin in a controlled microenvironment. Additional studies focused on the identification of MV content are needed to ultimately clarify the significance of tip cell MVs during human brain vascularization.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10456-012-9292-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Exosomes and other plasma membrane-derived vesicles, known as ectosomes, shed vesicles, or microvesicles (MV), are secreted by many different cell types and are thought to play important roles in cell–cell communication by releasing various active molecules including signalling molecules, mRNAs, and miRNAs, in both physiological and pathological processes
The results suggest a new role for tip cell filopodia as conveyor processes for transporting MVs far from the cell of origin in a controlled microenvironment
At 9–10 weeks of gestation, when the cerebral cortex is formed by only few rows of neuroblasts, branches of the earliest penetrated telencephalic microvessels lie at the border between the ventricular zone (VZ) and the subventricular zone (SVZ), forming a primary periventricular plexus

Summary

Introduction

Exosomes and other plasma membrane-derived vesicles, known as ectosomes, shed vesicles, or microvesicles (MV), are secreted by many different cell types and are thought to play important roles in cell–cell communication by releasing various active molecules including signalling molecules, mRNAs, and miRNAs, in both physiological and pathological processes. Both the markers reveal a number of plasma membrane-derived microvesicles (MVs) which are concentrated around the tip cell tuft of processes. MVs appear in tight contact with endothelial filopodia and follow these long processes, advancing into the surrounding neuropil to a possible cell target.

Results

Conclusion