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Development of the aorta in the chick embryo: structural and ultrastructural study
E Arciniegas1, M Servin, C Argüello
1Instituto de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas.
Atherosclerosis
|April 1, 1989
Summary
During chick embryonic development, endothelial cells transform into mesenchymal cells, forming smooth muscle layers in the aortic wall. This crucial process of endothelial activation occurs between embryonic days 7 and 18.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Vascular biology
Background:
- The development of the aortic wall involves complex cellular processes.
- Understanding the transition of endothelial cells to mesenchyme is key to vascular development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze cellular events in the chick embryo aortic wall from day 7 to day 21.
- To investigate the process of endothelial activation and its role in forming smooth muscle cells.
Main Methods:
- Structural and ultrastructural analysis of the chick embryo aorta.
- Correlation analysis of aortic growth parameters (diameter, wall thickness, cell layers) with developmental time.
Main Results:
- Aortic wall growth is correlated with cell layer increase from days 7-18, and lumen diameter increase from days 18-21.
- Mesenchymal cells, forming smooth muscle layers, originate from an endothelial activation process.
- Endothelial activation, involving specific cellular events, occurs between days 7-18.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial activation is a multiphasic process essential for endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
- This transition is critical for the development of smooth muscle cells in the aortic wall during embryogenesis.