Journal
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 65, Issue 4, Pages 329-335Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2007.01903.x
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Until recently, the only accepted mechanism of tumour vascularization was the sprouting of endothelial cells (EC) from pre-existing vessels, while recent studies suggest the contribution of stem cell-derived endothelial progenitors as well as cells from the myeloid lineage. Here, we show a new way of endothelial differentiation that involves the specific modulation of monocytes by the tumour environment. The tumour milieu is characterized by the presence of cytokines and lactate which induce the differentiation of tumour-invading monocytes into tumour-associated dendritic cells (DC). Additional incubation of tumour-associated DC with pro-angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and oncostatin M, led to transdifferentiation into endothelial-like cells. The cells showed strong expression of von Willebrand factor and VE-Cadherin, both classical EC markers, while leukocytic markers were reduced. In addition, they were able to form network-like structures on matrigel, which could be blocked by the DNA-based drug Defibrotide. This finding may be of great therapeutic relevance for tumour therapy.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available