Mixing lymph and blood in the vascular system can have dramatic effects on health, but how these two systems remain separate has been unclear. Now, it seems that two signaling molecules expressed mainly in hematopoietic cells segregate lymphatic and blood vessels during development and tissue revascularization.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Reprinted with permission from AAAS
References
Witte, M.H., Way, D.L., Witte, C.L. & Bernas, M. Lymphangiogenesis: mechanisms, significance and clinical implications. EXS 79, 65–112 (1997).
Alitalo, K. & Carmeliet, P. Molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis in health and disease. Cancer Cell 1, 219–227 (2002).
Abtahian, F. et al. Regulation of blood and lymphatic vascular separation by signaling proteins SLP-76 and Syk. Science 299, 247–251 (2002).
Clements, J.L. et al. Fetal hemorrhage and platelet dysfunction in SLP-76-deficient mice. J. Clin. Invest. 103, 19–25 (1999).
Myung, P.S. et al. Differential requirement for SLP-76 domains in T cell development and function. Immunity 15, 1011–1026 (2001).
Turner, M., Schweighoffer, E., Colucci, F., Di Santo, J.P. & Tybulewicz, V.L. Tyrosine kinase SYK: essential functions for immunoreceptor signalling. Immunol. Today 21, 148–154 (2000).
Sabin, F. On the origin of the lymphatic system from the veins and the development of the lymph hearts and thoracic duct in the pig. Am. J. Anat. 4, 367–389 (1901).
Oliver, G. & Detmar, M. The rediscovery of the lymphatic system: old and new insights into the development and biological function of the lymphatic vasculature. Genes Dev. 16, 773–783 (2002).
Wigle, J.T. & Oliver, G. Prox1 function is required for the development of the murine lymphatic system. Cell 98, 769–778 (1999).
Yanagi, S. et al. Syk expression in endothelial cells and their morphologic defects in embryonic Syk-deficient mice. Blood 98, 2869–2871 (2001).
Rafii, S., Lyden, D., Benezra, R., Hattori, K. & Heissig, B. Vascular and haematopoietic stem cells: novel targets for anti-angiogenesis therapy? Nat. Rev. Cancer 2, 826–835 (2002).
Takakura, N. et al. A role for hematopoietic stem cells in promoting angiogenesis. Cell 102, 199–209 (2000).
Lyden, D. et al. Impaired recruitment of bone-marrow-derived endothelial and hematopoietic precursor cells blocks tumor angiogenesis and growth. Nat. Med. 7, 1194–1201 (2001).
Swartz, M.A. & Skobe, M. Lymphatic function, lymphangiogenesis, and cancer metastasis. Microsc. Res. Techniq. 55, 92–99 (2001).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rafii, S., Skobe, M. Splitting vessels: Keeping lymph apart from blood. Nat Med 9, 166–168 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0203-166
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0203-166
