School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
2cureX A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Methods Mol Biol. 2021;2206:39-46. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0916-3_4.
During angiogenesis, endothelial cells must undergo a coordinated set of morphological changes in order to form a new vessel. There is a need for endothelial cells to communicate with each other in order to take up different identities in the sprout and to migrate collectively as a connected chord. Endothelial cells must also interact with a wide range of other cells that contribute to vessel formation. In ischemic disease, hypoxic cells in tissue will generate proangiogenic signals that promote and guide angiogenesis. In solid tumors, this function is co-opted by tumor cells, which make a complex range of interactions with endothelial cells, even integrating into the walls of vessels. In vessel repair, cells from the immune system contribute to the promotion and remodeling of new vessels. The coculture angiogenesis assay is a long-term in vitro protocol that uses fibroblasts to secrete and condition an artificial stromal matrix for tubules to grow through. We show here how the assay can be easily adapted to include additional cell types, facilitating the study of cellular interactions during neovascularization.
在血管生成过程中，内皮细胞必须经历一系列协调的形态变化，才能形成新的血管。为了在芽中获得不同的身份并作为一个连续的弦线集体迁移，内皮细胞之间需要相互沟通。内皮细胞还必须与广泛的其他有助于血管形成的细胞相互作用。在缺血性疾病中，组织中的缺氧细胞会产生促血管生成信号，促进和指导血管生成。在实体瘤中，这种功能被肿瘤细胞所采用，肿瘤细胞与内皮细胞进行复杂的相互作用，甚至整合到血管壁中。在血管修复中，免疫系统的细胞有助于促进和重塑新血管。共培养血管生成测定法是一种长期的体外实验方案，它利用成纤维细胞分泌和调节人工基质，以促进管状结构生长。我们在这里展示了如何轻松地适应该测定法，以包括其他细胞类型，从而促进在新血管生成过程中对细胞相互作用的研究。
