TY  - JOUR
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis in development and cancer
AU  - Albrecht, Imke
AU  - Christofori, Gerhard
T2  - The International Journal of Developmental Biology
AB  - The lymphatic system, also named the second vascular system, plays a critical role in tissue homeostasis and immunosurveillance. The past two decades of intensive research have led to the identification and detailed understanding of many molecular players and mechanisms regulating the formation of the lymphatic vasculature during embryonic development. Furthermore, clinical and experimental data clearly demonstrate that the formation of new lymphatic vessels by sprouting lymphangiogenesis from pre-existing lymphatic vessels, or by the de novo formation of lymphatic capillaries also occurs in various pathological conditions, such as cancer and organ transplant rejection, while lymphangiogenesis is non-functional in primary edema. In cancer, lymphatic vessels are one major gateway for invasive tumor cells to leave the primary tumor site and to establish distant organ metastasis. Therefore, the specific targeting of the lymphatic vasculature at the tumor site could be a promising approach to prevent metastasis formation.
PY  - 2011
DO  - 10.1387/ijdb.103226ia
VL  - 55
IS  - 4-5
SP  - 483
EP  - 494
J2  - Int. J. Dev. Biol.
LA  - en
SN  - 0214-6282
SN  - 1696-3547
UR  - https://ijdb.ehu.eus/article/103226ia
Y2  - 2024/04/29/07:24:00
ER  -