Department of Pathology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 92093-0651, USA.
Semin Thromb Hemost. 2010 Apr;36(3):236-45. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1253447. Epub 2010 May 20.
Vascular endothelium lines the entire cardiovascular system where it performs a series of vital functions by its control of microvascular permeability, vessel wall tone, coagulation and anticoagulation cascades, lipid homeostasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, and vasculogenesis. The vertebrate endothelial cells display a remarkable heterogeneity in terms of morphology, molecular makeup, and functional output. This heterogeneity was documented very early by electron microscopy studies that established morphologically recognizable endothelial phenotypes in vascular beds of different organs and, moreover, within the different vascular segments of each organ. This review discusses endothelial heterogeneity from a morphological standpoint and the latest developments in our understanding of the components, structure, and function of the endothelial specific organelles that form the hallmark of these phenotypes.
血管内皮细胞遍布整个心血管系统，通过控制微血管通透性、血管壁张力、凝血和抗凝级联反应、脂质平衡、炎症、血管生成和血管发生来发挥一系列重要功能。脊椎动物内皮细胞在形态、分子组成和功能输出方面表现出显著的异质性。这些异质性很早就被电子显微镜研究记录下来，该研究在不同器官的血管床中建立了形态上可识别的内皮表型，而且在每个器官的不同血管段中也是如此。这篇综述从形态学的角度讨论了内皮细胞的异质性，以及我们对形成这些表型特征的内皮细胞特有细胞器的组成、结构和功能的最新理解。
