Applying Stem Cell Biology to Vascular Structures

The vasculature, an organ that penetrates every other organ, is ideally poised to be the site where pools of stem cells are placed, to be deployed and committed in response to feedback regulation, and to respond to demands for new vascular structures. These pools of multipotent cells are often under the regulation of various members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, including the bone morphogenetic proteins and their antagonists. Regulation of stem cell populations affects their recruitment, differentiation, spatial organization, and their coordination with host tissue. Loss and dysregulation of feedback control cause a variety of diseases that involve ectopic tissue formation, including atherosclerotic lesion formation and calcification, diabetic vasculopathies, and arteriovenous malformations. STEM CELLS 2012;30:386-391