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Updated: May 10, 2026
08:56
Isolation of Murine Embryonic Hemogenic Endothelial Cells
Published on: June 17, 2016
Embryogenesis of the first circulating endothelial cells.
Cheng Cui1, Michael B Filla, Elizabeth A V Jones
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
Plos One
|June 6, 2013
Summary
Researchers discovered circulating endothelial cells appear at the start of blood flow in warm-blooded animals. These cells originate from both embryonic and extra-embryonic vessels, entering circulation commonly.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Hematology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The earliest appearance of circulating endothelial cells in warm-blooded animals was previously unknown.
- Understanding the origin and behavior of circulating endothelial cells is crucial for developmental biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the earliest appearance of circulating endothelial cells in warm-blooded animals.
- To investigate the origin and behavior of endothelial cells entering circulation during embryonic development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized time-lapse imaging of germ-line transformed Tie1-YFP reporter quail embryos.
- Employed the endothelial marker antibody QH1 for cell identification.
- Conducted blood-smear counts and electroporation-based time-lapse experiments.
- Performed transplantation of Tie1-YFP positive cells and tissues into wild-type host embryos.
Main Results:
- Provided definitive evidence for circulating endothelial cells from the very beginning of blood flow.
- Observed up to 30% of blood-borne cells in Tie1-YFP embryos were Tie1 positive.
- Demonstrated endothelial cells enter blood flow from both intra-embryonic and extra-embryonic vessels.
- Showed fluorescent cells emigrate from transplants, join host vessels, and are shed into circulation.
Conclusions:
- Entering circulation is a commonplace activity for embryonic vascular endothelial cells.
- In vertebrates closely related to mammals, primary vasculogenesis normally produces endothelial cells that enter circulation from all vessels.
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