Eph receptors and ephrin ligands. essential mediators of vascular development.

The molecular and cellular mechanisms governing vascular development are still poorly understood. Prominent among the intercellular signals that control the initial establishment of the vascular network (termed vasculogenesis) and the subsequent remodeling process (called angiogenesis) are soluble ligands that signal through receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Recent reports have added cell-bound ephrin ligands and their cognate Eph RTKs to the list of key players in vascular development.