Abstract
The goals of this presentation are two-fold: (1) to briefly sketch the field of vascular rarefaction as a key component of various fibrotic diseases and (2) to illustrate it with four vignettes depicting diverse mechanisms of microvascular rarefaction. Specifically, I shall describe migratory and angiogenic incompetence of endothelial cells under conditions of reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide, role of endothelial-to-mesenchymal cell and mesenchymal stem cell-to-endothelial reprogramming and potential role of antiangiogenic peptides in the development of graft vascular disease as exemplified by chronic allograft nephropathy.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Goligorsky’s studies were supported in part by NIH grants DK54602, DK052783 and DK45462 and Westchester Artificial Kidney Foundation. Organogenesis Forum Conferences are supported by the Washington University George M. O’Brien Center DK079333 and participated in by Washington University Faculty.