Vascular Cell has launched a new series on macrophages and angiogenesis, a quickly evolving field critical to blood and lymphatic vessels during development, inflammation and tumorigenesis

Kitajewski, Jan K.

Vascular Cell

PubMed

Jan Kitajewski

Springer - Publisher Connector

"Large eaters" meet blood vessels: a new thematic series on macrophages and angiogenesis

VASCULAR CELL
Kitajewski Vascular Cell 2012, 4:17
http://www.vascularcell.com/content/4/1/17EDITORIAL Open Access“Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a new
thematic series on macrophages and
angiogenesis
Jan Kitajewski*Abstract
Vascular Cell has launched a new series on macrophages and angiogenesis, a quickly evolving field critical to blood
and lymphatic vessels during development, inflammation and tumorigenesis.Editorial
The term “macrophage” comes from the Greek for “large
eaters”, a name that reflects the prominent phagocytic
activity. Arising from the embryo, yolk sac, or the bone
marrow, macrophages are most widely appreciated as
critical members of the inflammatory response to patho-
gens; however, their close physical association with
blood vessels has earned them increased attention from
angiogenic researchers. Recent studies have established
that macrophages influence blood vessel development
during growth, tissue repair, and tumorigenesis, and
their widespread contributions to angiogenesis are only
beginning to be understood.
Vascular Cell presents a new thematic series entitled
“Macrophages and Angiogenesis”, that provides reviews
and analyses from experts in this emerging field. The
functions of macrophages are as numerous as the names
given to these myeloid-derived cells, and while the gen-
eral focus here is on macrophages, the individual reviews
range far and wide in their consideration of myeloid-
derived cells involved in angiogenesis. The three initial
articles of the series review the potential angiogenic ac-
tivities of inflammatory macrophages, resident macro-
phages, microglia, retinal myeloid cells, dendritic cells,
myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and more. A range of
blood vessel types are considered, with discussion of de-
velopmental vessels, adult tissue vessels, tumor vessels
and lymphatic vessels.* Correspondence: jkk9@columbia.edu
Pathology, OB/GYN, and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Columbia University Medical Center, 1130 St. Nicholas Ave, NY, NY 10032,
USA
© 2012 Kitajewski; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Commons Attribution License (http://creativec
reproduction in any medium, provided the orNatasha Harvey and Emma Gordon consider the
interface between macrophages and lymphangiogenesis
in their review entitled, “Deciphering the roles of
macrophages in developmental and inflammation sti-
mulated lymphangiogenesis” [1]. The authors consider
the developmental origins of macrophages in relation
to the development of the lymphatic vascular system,
and discuss the intimate relationship between macro-
phages and lymphatic endothelial cells. They provide
an excellent description of how macrophages guide
and grow the lymphatic vasculature, and the mechan-
isms involved in this interaction. Both lymphatics and
macrophages are key to the inflammatory response,
and the authors describe the ways in which they work
together to mediate both host responses during inflam-
mation and lymphatic vessel growth. They extend their
analysis to a discussion of tumor lymphangiogenesis,
which highlights the key roles for macrophages during
this pathological process. In closing, the authors
synthesize an elegant model to highlight and consider
the diverse roles of macrophages in developmental, in-
flammatory, and tumor lymphangiogenesis.
The article by Andrew Newman and Christopher
Hughes, entitled, “Macrophages and angiogenesis: a
role for Wnt signaling” [2], explores the roles for Wnt
signaling molecules in macrophage biology, with a
focus on angiogenic regulation. Wnts are key morpho-
gens and mitogens, and among their diverse functions
are the abilities to both promote blood vessel growth
and to drive their regression. A thorough introduction
to Wnt function in angiogenesis is followed by an out-
line of the evidence that macrophages are critical. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
ommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
iginal work is properly cited.
Kitajewski Vascular Cell 2012, 4:17 Page 2 of 2
http://www.vascularcell.com/content/4/1/17angiogenic agents. This focus on pro-angiogenic activ-
ities highlights Wnt-5a, which regulates angiogenesis by
both direct and indirect mechanisms. They next discuss
Wnt signaling effector proteins that mediate the angio-
genic response to macrophages, including matrix
metallo-proteinases (MMPs) and the endothelial receptor
tyrosine kinase, Tie-2. The authors highlight recent ele-
gant studies of macrophages in the eye, where they are
critical for both regressing hyaloid vessels and for pat-
terning retinal vasculature. The article closes with a
model that considers how Wnts integrate these diverse
angiogenic activities, with special attention paid to
chemotactic cytokines released by macrophages.
The tumor microenvironment is full of myeloid-
derived cells, and this is the topic covered by Michael
Schmid and Judith Varner in their contribution entitled,
“Myeloid cells in tumor inflammation” [3]. The concept
of a tumor as a “wound that never heals”, posited by
Harold Dvorak [4], highlights the intense inflammatory
response that arises during tumorigenesis. Schmid and
Varner describe the myeloid lineage cells involved in
tumor inflammation and angiogenesis, and provide a
guide to the surface markers that distinguish the key cell
types. They pay special attention to myeloid-derived
suppressor cells, which are the immunosuppressive cells
that inhibit innate and adaptive immunity to promote
tumor immune escape. Tumor cells secrete a diverse
array of cytokines, and the authors discuss the cytokines
that are involved in recruitment of tumor-associated
macrophages. They additionally describe the mechan-
isms by which integrins function to recruit myeloid cells
to the tumor microenvironment, and review the studies
that have demonstrated this link. How macrophages may
promote tumor angiogenesis and metastasis is a key
element of this comprehensive analysis, and of particular
interest is a discussion of how myeloid cells function in
relapse or resistance to anti-tumor therapies. These
authors synthesize several complex processes, involving
diversity of myeloid cells and the tumor environment,
into a series of well-crafted descriptions of the players,
the processes, and implications for therapy.
More contributions are on their way, and we encourage
experts in the field to contribute their analyses to this
series. To submit your manuscript, please use the online
submission system for Vascular Cell and indicate in your
cover letter that you would like it to be considered for
this thematic series. Or, please send a pre-submission en-
quiry to jkk9@columbia.edu and join this venue to teach
and learn about macrophages in angiogenesis.
Received: 17 October 2012 Accepted: 17 October 2012
Published: 22 October 2012References
1. Harvey NL, Gordon EJ: Deciphering the roles of macrophages in
developmental and inflammation stimulated lymphangiogenesis.
Vascular cell 2012, 4(1):15.
2. Newman AC, Hughes CC: Macrophages and angiogenesis: a role for Wnt
signaling. Vascular cell 2012, 4(1):13.
3. Schmid MC, Varner JA: Myeloid cells in tumor inflammation. Vascular cell
2012, 4(1):14.
4. Dvorak HF: Tumors: wounds that do not heal. Similarities between
tumor stroma generation and wound healing. N Engl J Med 1986,
315(26):1650–1659.
doi:10.1186/2045-824X-4-17
Cite this article as: Kitajewski: “Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a new
thematic series on macrophages and angiogenesis. Vascular Cell 2012
4:17.Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central
and take full advantage of: 
• Convenient online submission
• Thorough peer review
• No space constraints or color ﬁgure charges
• Immediate publication on acceptance
• Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar
• Research which is freely available for redistribution
Submit your manuscript at 
www.biomedcentral.com/submit


Columbia University Academic Commons

VASCULAR CELLKitajewski Vascular Cell 2012, 4:17http://www.vascularcell.com/content/4/1/17EDITORIAL Open Access“Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a newthematic series on macrophages andangiogenesisJan Kitajewski*AbstractVascular Cell has launched a new series on macrophages and angiogenesis, a quickly evolving field critical to bloodand lymphatic vessels during development, inflammation and tumorigenesis.EditorialThe term “macrophage” comes from the Greek for “largeeaters”, a name that reflects the prominent phagocyticactivity. Arising from the embryo, yolk sac, or the bonemarrow, macrophages are most widely appreciated ascritical members of the inflammatory response to patho-gens; however, their close physical association withblood vessels has earned them increased attention fromangiogenic researchers. Recent studies have establishedthat macrophages influence blood vessel developmentduring growth, tissue repair, and tumorigenesis, andtheir widespread contributions to angiogenesis are onlybeginning to be understood.Vascular Cell presents a new thematic series entitled“Macrophages and Angiogenesis”, that provides reviewsand analyses from experts in this emerging field. Thefunctions of macrophages are as numerous as the namesgiven to these myeloid-derived cells, and while the gen-eral focus here is on macrophages, the individual reviewsrange far and wide in their consideration of myeloid-derived cells involved in angiogenesis. The three initialarticles of the series review the potential angiogenic ac-tivities of inflammatory macrophages, resident macro-phages, microglia, retinal myeloid cells, dendritic cells,myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and more. A range ofblood vessel types are considered, with discussion of de-velopmental vessels, adult tissue vessels, tumor vesselsand lymphatic vessels.* Correspondence: jkk9@columbia.eduPathology, OB/GYN, and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center,Columbia University Medical Center, 1130 St. Nicholas Ave, NY, NY 10032,USA© 2012 Kitajewski; licensee BioMed Central LtdCommons Attribution License (http://creativecreproduction in any medium, provided the orNatasha Harvey and Emma Gordon consider theinterface between macrophages and lymphangiogenesisin their review entitled, “Deciphering the roles ofmacrophages in developmental and inflammation sti-mulated lymphangiogenesis” [1]. The authors considerthe developmental origins of macrophages in relationto the development of the lymphatic vascular system,and discuss the intimate relationship between macro-phages and lymphatic endothelial cells. They providean excellent description of how macrophages guideand grow the lymphatic vasculature, and the mechan-isms involved in this interaction. Both lymphatics andmacrophages are key to the inflammatory response,and the authors describe the ways in which they worktogether to mediate both host responses during inflam-mation and lymphatic vessel growth. They extend theiranalysis to a discussion of tumor lymphangiogenesis,which highlights the key roles for macrophages duringthis pathological process. In closing, the authorssynthesize an elegant model to highlight and considerthe diverse roles of macrophages in developmental, in-flammatory, and tumor lymphangiogenesis.The article by Andrew Newman and ChristopherHughes, entitled, “Macrophages and angiogenesis: arole for Wnt signaling” [2], explores the roles for Wntsignaling molecules in macrophage biology, with afocus on angiogenic regulation. Wnts are key morpho-gens and mitogens, and among their diverse functionsare the abilities to both promote blood vessel growthand to drive their regression. A thorough introductionto Wnt function in angiogenesis is followed by an out-line of the evidence that macrophages are critical. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creativeommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, andiginal work is properly cited.Kitajewski Vascular Cell 2012, 4:17 Page 2 of 2http://www.vascularcell.com/content/4/1/17angiogenic agents. This focus on pro-angiogenic activ-ities highlights Wnt-5a, which regulates angiogenesis byboth direct and indirect mechanisms. They next discussWnt signaling effector proteins that mediate the angio-genic response to macrophages, including matrixmetallo-proteinases (MMPs) and the endothelial receptortyrosine kinase, Tie-2. The authors highlight recent ele-gant studies of macrophages in the eye, where they arecritical for both regressing hyaloid vessels and for pat-terning retinal vasculature. The article closes with amodel that considers how Wnts integrate these diverseangiogenic activities, with special attention paid tochemotactic cytokines released by macrophages.The tumor microenvironment is full of myeloid-derived cells, and this is the topic covered by MichaelSchmid and Judith Varner in their contribution entitled,“Myeloid cells in tumor inflammation” [3]. The conceptof a tumor as a “wound that never heals”, posited byHarold Dvorak [4], highlights the intense inflammatoryresponse that arises during tumorigenesis. Schmid andVarner describe the myeloid lineage cells involved intumor inflammation and angiogenesis, and provide aguide to the surface markers that distinguish the key celltypes. They pay special attention to myeloid-derivedsuppressor cells, which are the immunosuppressive cellsthat inhibit innate and adaptive immunity to promotetumor immune escape. Tumor cells secrete a diversearray of cytokines, and the authors discuss the cytokinesthat are involved in recruitment of tumor-associatedmacrophages. They additionally describe the mechan-isms by which integrins function to recruit myeloid cellsto the tumor microenvironment, and review the studiesthat have demonstrated this link. How macrophages maypromote tumor angiogenesis and metastasis is a keyelement of this comprehensive analysis, and of particularinterest is a discussion of how myeloid cells function inrelapse or resistance to anti-tumor therapies. Theseauthors synthesize several complex processes, involvingdiversity of myeloid cells and the tumor environment,into a series of well-crafted descriptions of the players,the processes, and implications for therapy.More contributions are on their way, and we encourageexperts in the field to contribute their analyses to thisseries. To submit your manuscript, please use the onlinesubmission system for Vascular Cell and indicate in yourcover letter that you would like it to be considered forthis thematic series. Or, please send a pre-submission en-quiry to jkk9@columbia.edu and join this venue to teachand learn about macrophages in angiogenesis.Received: 17 October 2012 Accepted: 17 October 2012Published: 22 October 2012References1. Harvey NL, Gordon EJ: Deciphering the roles of macrophages indevelopmental and inflammation stimulated lymphangiogenesis.Vascular cell 2012, 4(1):15.2. Newman AC, Hughes CC: Macrophages and angiogenesis: a role for Wntsignaling. Vascular cell 2012, 4(1):13.3. Schmid MC, Varner JA: Myeloid cells in tumor inflammation. Vascular cell2012, 4(1):14.4. Dvorak HF: Tumors: wounds that do not heal. Similarities betweentumor stroma generation and wound healing. N Engl J Med 1986,315(26):1650–1659.doi:10.1186/2045-824X-4-17Cite this article as: Kitajewski: “Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a newthematic series on macrophages and angiogenesis. Vascular Cell 20124:17.Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Centraland take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission• Thorough peer review• No space constraints or color figure charges• Immediate publication on acceptance• Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar• Research which is freely available for redistributionSubmit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit

“Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a new thematic series on macrophages and angiogenesis

CC: Macrophages and angiogenesis: a role for Wnt signaling. Vascular cell

EJ: Deciphering the roles of macrophages in developmental and inflammation stimulated lymphangiogenesis. Vascular cell

HF: Tumors: wounds that do not heal. Similarities between tumor stroma generation and wound healing.

JA: Myeloid cells in tumor inflammation. Vascular cell

Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color ﬁgure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance

“Large eaters” meet blood vessels: a new thematic series on macrophages and angiogenesis

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Springer - Publisher Connector

Springer - Publisher Connector

Columbia University Academic Commons