A mesoangioblast is a

mesenchymal Mesenchyme () is a type of loosely organized animal embryonic connective tissue of undifferentiated cells that give rise to most tissues, such as skin, blood or bone. The interactions between mesenchyme and epithelium help to form nearly every o ...

-like cell, associated with the walls of the large

vessels Vessel(s) or The Vessel may refer to: Biology *Blood vessel, a part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body *Lymphatic vessel, a thin walled, valved structure that carries lymph *Vessel element, a narrow wat ...

. Mesoangioblasts exhibit many similarities to

pericytes Pericytes (previously known as Rouget cells) are multi-functional mural cells of the microcirculation that wrap around the Endothelium, endothelial cells that line the Capillary, capillaries throughout the body. Pericytes are embedded in the basem ...

found in the small vessels. Mesoangioblasts are relatively undifferentiated cells with the potential to progress down the

endothelial The endothelium is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vessel ...

mesoderm The mesoderm is the middle layer of the three germ layers that develops during gastrulation in the very early development of the embryo of most animals. The outer layer is the ectoderm, and the inner layer is the endoderm.Langman's Medical E ...

al lineages. Mesoangioblasts express the endothelial marker KDR (FLK1), but not haematopoietic markers such as

TAL1 __NOTOC__ T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia protein 1 (i.e. TAL1 but also termed stem cell leukemia/T-cell acute leukemia 1 .e. SCL/TAL1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TAL1'' gene. The protein encoded by TAL1 is a basic helix-lo ...

. Research has suggested their application for stem cell therapies for

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

. Experiments in alpha-

sarcoglycan The sarcoglycans are a family of transmembrane proteins (α, β, γ, δ or ε) involved in the protein complex responsible for connecting the muscle fibre cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, preventing damage to the muscle fibre sarcolemma t ...

deficient dystrophic mice have shown that mesoangioblast transplantation can restore muscle function. Cells are delivered intra-arterially, where they migrate to the muscles. In a 2006 study, mesoangioblast transplantion was used to ameliorate the effects of muscular dystrophy in

golden retriever The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of retriever dog of medium size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. It is commonly kept as a pet and is among the most frequently registered breeds ...

s with a congenital muscular dystrophy. The dogs given allogeneic cells survived; control animals died within 1 year.

References

External links

* Contractile cells Animal cells {{Cell-biology-stub

See also

References

External links