Okamoto, T.; Usuda, H.; Tanaka, T.; Wada, K.; Shimaoka, M. The Functional Implications of Endothelial Gap Junctions and Cellular Mechanics in Vascular Angiogenesis. Cancers2019, 11, 237.
Okamoto, T.; Usuda, H.; Tanaka, T.; Wada, K.; Shimaoka, M. The Functional Implications of Endothelial Gap Junctions and Cellular Mechanics in Vascular Angiogenesis. Cancers 2019, 11, 237.
Okamoto, T.; Usuda, H.; Tanaka, T.; Wada, K.; Shimaoka, M. The Functional Implications of Endothelial Gap Junctions and Cellular Mechanics in Vascular Angiogenesis. Cancers2019, 11, 237.
Okamoto, T.; Usuda, H.; Tanaka, T.; Wada, K.; Shimaoka, M. The Functional Implications of Endothelial Gap Junctions and Cellular Mechanics in Vascular Angiogenesis. Cancers 2019, 11, 237.
Abstract
Angiogenesis, the sprout and growth of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, is an important process of tumor development for the supply of oxygen and nutrition to cancer cells. Endothelial cell is a critical player in angiogenic process by modulating cell proliferation, cell motility, and cell morphology in the response to pro-angiogenic factors and environments provided by tumor and cancer cells. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have revealed that gap junction of endothelial cells also participates in the promotion of angiogenesis. Pro-angiogenic factors modulate gap junction function and connexins expression in endothelial cells, whereas endothelial connexins involve in angiogenic tube formation and cell migration of endothelial cells via both gap junction channel function dependent or independent mechanisms. In particular, connexin might have the potential to regulate cell mechanics such as cell morphology, cell migration, and cellular stiffness that are dynamically changed during angiogenic processes. Here, we review the implication for endothelial gap junction and cellular mechanics in vascular angiogenesis.
Keywords
gap junction; connexin; angiogenesis; cell mechanics; cell migration; cellular stiffness
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Pathology and Pathobiology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
