Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro

Published on: December 10, 2021

Macrophages and angiogenesis: a role for Wnt signaling

Andrew C Newman1, Christopher C W Hughes

  • 1The Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. cchughes@uci.edu.

Vascular Cell
|September 4, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Macrophages and Wnt signaling are key regulators of blood vessel formation (angiogenesis). This review highlights how macrophage-derived Wnt ligands influence both normal and abnormal angiogenesis, impacting tissue repair and tumor growth.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Macrophages are crucial immune cells involved in tissue development and pathology.
  • Recent research highlights the significant role of macrophages in angiogenesis.
  • Wnt signaling is essential for tissue development and vascularization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in macrophage-regulated angiogenesis.
  • To focus on the specific role of Wnt ligands secreted by macrophages.
  • To explore the involvement of macrophage-derived Wnt in physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of current research on macrophages, Wnt signaling, and angiogenesis.
  • Analysis of studies providing direct and indirect evidence.
  • Synthesis of findings to propose a central role for Wnt signaling.

Main Results:

  • Macrophages significantly influence angiogenesis through various mechanisms.
  • Macrophage-derived Wnt ligands are key mediators in this process.
  • Evidence supports the role of these Wnt ligands in both normal and aberrant blood vessel formation.

Conclusions:

  • Wnt signaling is central to the differentiation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and wound-infiltrating macrophages (WIMs).
  • These macrophages adopt a proangiogenic phenotype, driven by Wnt signaling.
  • Understanding this crosstalk is vital for therapeutic strategies targeting angiogenesis.

More Related Videos

Rat Mesentery Exteriorization: A Model for Investigating the Cellular Dynamics Involved in Angiogenesis12:29

Rat Mesentery Exteriorization: A Model for Investigating the Cellular Dynamics Involved in Angiogenesis

Published on: May 20, 2012

Assessing Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis Doorway-Mediated Vascular Permeability Associated with Cancer Cell Dissemination using Intravital Imaging and Fixed Tissue Analysis09:42

Assessing Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis Doorway-Mediated Vascular Permeability Associated with Cancer Cell Dissemination using Intravital Imaging and Fixed Tissue Analysis

Published on: June 26, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply01:24

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits.  Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
Mechanism of Angiogenesis01:10

Mechanism of Angiogenesis

Blood vessel formation starts early during embryonic development, around day 7. In the extraembryonic yolk sac, mesodermal precursor cells called hemangioblast proliferate and differentiate into angioblast. Angioblasts express vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 or VEGFR2, which binds VEGF-A, a proangiogenic factor, guiding blood vessel formation. VEGF signaling promotes angioblasts to form a blood island in the developing embryo. Angioblasts further differentiate, giving rise to...