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Trophoblast pseudo-vasculogenesis: faking it with endothelial adhesion receptors
1Department of Stomatology, University of California San Francisco 94143-0512, USA. damsky@cgl.ucsf.edu
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|November 18, 1998
Abstract:
During early development, a subset of fetal (placental) cytotrophoblasts exhibits tumor-like behavior and invades the uterus. To access a supply of maternal blood, they invade arterioles and form heterotypic interactions with, and replace, resident maternal endothelium, creating a hybrid uterine vasculature. Recently, it has become clear that invading cytotrophoblasts transform their adhesion receptor phenotype to resemble the endothelial cells they replace. Furthermore, they express vasculogenic factors and receptors. Is this a form of vasculogenesis?