Kidney endothelial cell heterogeneity, angiocrine activity and paracrine regulatory mechanisms

The blood microvascular endothelium consists of a heterogeneous population of cells with regionally distinct morphologies and transcriptional signatures in different tissues and organs. In addition to providing an anti-thrombogenic surface for blood flow, endothelial cells perform a multitude of additional regulatory tasks involving organogenesis, metabolism, angiogenesis, inflammation, repair and organ homeostasis. To communicate with surrounding cells and accomplish their many functions, endothelial cells secrete angiocrine factors including growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, extracellular matrix components, and proteolytic enzymes. Nonendothelial parenchymal and stromal cells in turn regulate endothelial growth, differentiation and survival during embryonal development and in the adult by paracrine mechanisms. Driven by advances in molecular biology, animal genetics, single cell transcriptomics and microscopic imaging, knowledge of organotypic vasculatures has expanded rapidly in recent years. The kidney vasculature, in particular, has been the focus of intensive investigation and represents a primary example of how endothelial heterogeneity and crosstalk with nonendothelial cells contribute to the development and function of a vital organ. In this paper, we review the morphology, function, and development of the kidney vasculature, with an emphasis on blood microvascular endothelial heterogeneity, and provide examples of endothelial and nonendothelial-derived factors that are critically involved in kidney development, growth, response to injury, and homeostasis.