Endothelial cells are progenitors of cardiac pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells

Qi Chen, Hui Zhang, Yang Liu, Susanne Adams, Hanna Eilken, Martin Stehling, Monica Corada, Elisabetta Dejana, Bin Zhou and Ralf H. Adams ()
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Qi Chen: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster
Hui Zhang: Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang Liu: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster
Susanne Adams: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster
Hanna Eilken: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster
Martin Stehling: Electron Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Units, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
Monica Corada: IFOM Fondazione, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology
Elisabetta Dejana: IFOM Fondazione, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology
Bin Zhou: Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ralf H. Adams: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Mural cells of the vessel wall, namely pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells, are essential for vascular integrity. The developmental sources of these cells and molecular mechanisms controlling their progenitors in the heart are only partially understood. Here we show that endocardial endothelial cells are progenitors of pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells in the murine embryonic heart. Endocardial cells undergo endothelial–mesenchymal transition and convert into primitive mesenchymal progenitors expressing the platelet-derived growth factor receptors, PDGFRα and PDGFRβ. These progenitors migrate into the myocardium, differentiate and assemble the wall of coronary vessels, which requires canonical Wnt signalling involving Frizzled4, β-catenin and endothelial cell-derived Wnt ligands. Our findings identify a novel and unexpected population of progenitors for coronary mural cells with potential relevance for heart function and disease conditions.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12422

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