Vascular endothelial cells migrate centripetally within embryonic arteries.

Migration of vascular endothelial cells was traced in quail-chick chimeras. After heterospecific transplantations of quail limb bud pieces, or other tissues containing blood vessels, into the limbs or the coelomic cavity, the immunohistochemically stained endothelial cells of the quail were found to invade the chick host vessels, favouring the arteries. Within these vessels the endothelial cells regularly reach the host aorta, where they contribute to the endothelium on the ipsilateral side. It is concluded that the endothelial cells activity migrate, because microinjections of a synthetic peptide which contains the RGD-sequence and mimics fibronectin, stop the invasion of endothelial cells.