Lymphangiogenesis is the formation of lymphatic vessels from pre-existing lymphatic vessels, in a method believed to be similar to blood vessel development or
angiogenesisAngiogenesis is a physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over this, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for new blood vessel formation by...
.
Lymphangiogenesis plays an important physiological role in
homeostasisHomeostasis is the property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition...
,
metabolismMetabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter,...
and
immunityImmunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
. Lymphatic vessel formation has also been implicated in a number of pathological conditions including neoplasm
metastasisMetastasis , or metastatic disease, sometimes abbreviated mets, is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part...
, oedema,
rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints...
,
psoriasisPsoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease that affects the skin and joints. It commonly causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. The scaly patches caused by psoriasis, called psoriatic plaques, are areas of inflammation and excessive skin production. Skin rapidly...
and impaired wound healing.
The role of the
lymphatic systemThe lymphatic system in vertebrates is a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid called lymph. It also includes the lymphoid tissue through which the lymph travels. Lymphoid tissue is found in many organs, particularly the lymph nodes, and in the lymphoid follicles associated with the...
in these diseases has received renewed interest largely due to the recent discovery of specific lymphatic markers such as Podoplanin, LYVE-1, PROX-1,
desmoplakinDesmoplakin is a protein associated with desmosomes.Desmoplakin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DSP gene.-Interactions:Desmoplakin has been shown to interact with Plakoglobin, Vimentin, Keratin 1, Desmin, PKP1 and PKP2....
,
VEGF-CVascular endothelial growth factor is a chemical signal produced by cells that stimulates the growth of new blood vessels. It is part of the system that restores the oxygen supply to tissues when blood circulation is inadequate....
, VEGF-D and their receptor VEGFR-3.
Discussion
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Lymphangiogenesis is the formation of lymphatic vessels from pre-existing lymphatic vessels, in a method believed to be similar to blood vessel development or
angiogenesisAngiogenesis is a physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over this, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for new blood vessel formation by...
.
Lymphangiogenesis plays an important physiological role in
homeostasisHomeostasis is the property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition...
,
metabolismMetabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories. Catabolism breaks down organic matter,...
and
immunityImmunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
. Lymphatic vessel formation has also been implicated in a number of pathological conditions including neoplasm
metastasisMetastasis , or metastatic disease, sometimes abbreviated mets, is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part...
, oedema,
rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints...
,
psoriasisPsoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease that affects the skin and joints. It commonly causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. The scaly patches caused by psoriasis, called psoriatic plaques, are areas of inflammation and excessive skin production. Skin rapidly...
and impaired wound healing.
The role of the
lymphatic systemThe lymphatic system in vertebrates is a network of conduits that carry a clear fluid called lymph. It also includes the lymphoid tissue through which the lymph travels. Lymphoid tissue is found in many organs, particularly the lymph nodes, and in the lymphoid follicles associated with the...
in these diseases has received renewed interest largely due to the recent discovery of specific lymphatic markers such as Podoplanin, LYVE-1, PROX-1,
desmoplakinDesmoplakin is a protein associated with desmosomes.Desmoplakin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DSP gene.-Interactions:Desmoplakin has been shown to interact with Plakoglobin, Vimentin, Keratin 1, Desmin, PKP1 and PKP2....
,
VEGF-CVascular endothelial growth factor is a chemical signal produced by cells that stimulates the growth of new blood vessels. It is part of the system that restores the oxygen supply to tissues when blood circulation is inadequate....
, VEGF-D and their receptor VEGFR-3. These specific markers have enabled new insights into functional and molecular lymphatic biology.
Useful resources
Lymphangiogenesis and disease