@phdthesis{Upcin2022,
  author    = {Upcin, Berin},
  title     = {Contribution of vascular adventitia-resident progenitor cells to new vessel formation in \(ex\) \(vivo\) 3D models},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-25507},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255070},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Ongoing research to fight cancer, one of the dominant diseases of the 21st century has led to big progress especially when it comes to understanding the tumor growth and metastasis. This includes the discovery of the molecular mechanisms of tumor vascularization, which is critically required for establishment of tumor metastasis. Formation of new blood vessels is the first step in tumor vascularization. Therefore, understanding the molecular and cellular basis of tumor vascularization attracted a significant effort studying in biomedical research. The blood vessels for supplying tumor can be formed by sprouting from pre-existing vessels, a process called angiogenesis, or by vasculogenesis, that is de novo formation of blood vessels from not fully differentiated progenitor cell populations. Vasculogenic endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can either be activated from populations in the bone marrow reaching the pathological region via the circulation or they can be recruited from local reservoirs. Neovessel formation influences tumor progression, hence therapeutic response model systems of angiogenesis/vasculogenesis are necessary to study the underlying mechanisms. Although, initially the research in this area focused more on angiogenesis, it is now well understood that both angiogenesis and postnatal vasculogenesis contribute to neovessel formation in adult under both most pathological as well as physiological conditions. Studies in the last two decades demonstrate that in addition to the intimal layer of fully differentiated mature endothelial cells (ECs) and various smaller supplying vessels (vasa vasorum) that can serve as a source for new vessels by angiogenesis, especially the adventitia of large and medium size blood vessels harbors various vascular wall-resident stem and progenitor cells (VW-SPCs) populations that serve as a source for new vessels by postnatal vasculogenesis. However, little is known about the potential role of VW-SPCs in tumor vascularization. To this end, the present work started first to establish a modified aortic ring assay (ARA) using mouse aorta in order to study the contribution of vascular adventitia-resident VW-SPCs to neovascularization in general and in presence of tumor cells. ARA is already established an ex vivo model for neovascularization allows to study the morphogenetic events of complex new vessel formation that includes all layers of mature blood vessels, a significant advantage over the assays that employ monolayer endothelial cell cultures. Moreover, in contrast to assays employing endothelial cells monocultures, both angiogenic and vasculogenic events take place during new vessel formation in ARA although the exact contribution of these two processes to new vessel formation cannot be easily distinguished in conventional ARA. Thus, in this study, a modified protocol for the ARA (mdARA) was established by either removing or keeping the aortic adventitia in place. The mdARA allows to distinguish the role of VW-SPCs from those of other aortic layers. The present data show that angiogenic sprouting from mature aortic endothelium was markedly delayed when the adventitial layer was removed. Furthermore, the network between the capillary-like sprouts was significantly reduced in absence of aortic adventitia. Moreover, the stabilization of new sprouts by assembling the NG2+ pericyte-like cells that enwrapped the endothelial sprouts from the outside was improved when the adventitial layer remained in place. Next, mimicking the tumor-vessel adventitia-interaction, multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) and aortic rings (ARs) with or without adventitia of C57BL/6-Tg (UBC-GFP) mice were confronted within the collagen gel and cultured ex vivo. This 3D model enabled analysis of the mobilization, migration and capillary-like sprouts formation by VW-SPCs within tumor-vessel wall-interface in comparison to tumor-free side of the ARs. Interestingly, while MCTS preferred the uptake of single vascular adventitia-derived cells, neural spheroids were directly penetrated by capillary-like structures that were sprouted from the aortic adventitia. In summary, the model established in this work allows to study new vessel formation by both postnatal vasculogenesis and angiogenesis under same conditions. It can be applied in various mouse models including reporter mouse models, e.g. Cxcr1 CreER+/mTmG+/- mice, in which GFP-marked macrophages of the vessel wall were directly observed as they mobilized from their niche and migrated into collagen gel. Another benefit of the model is that it can be used for testing different factors such as small molecules, growth factors, cytokines, and drugs with both pro- and anti-angiogenic/vasculogenic effects.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Reeh2021,
  author    = {Reeh, Laurens},
  title     = {Immunmodulatorische Effekte CD44-positiver Gef{\"a}ßwand-residenter Stamm- und Vorl{\"a}uferzellen im myokardialen Gewebe},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-25102},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-251020},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Die Identifizierung endogener Stammzellen mit kardiogenem Potenzial und die M{\"o}glichkeit, deren Differenzierung zu steuern, w{\"u}rde einen Meilenstein in der kardioregenerativen Therapie darstellen. Innerhalb der Gef{\"a}ßwand konnten unterschiedliche Stamm- und Vorl{\"a}uferzellen identifiziert werden, die sog. Gef{\"a}ßwand-residenten Stammzellen (VW-SCs). Zuletzt konnten aus CD34(+) VW-SCs, ohne genetische Manipulation, Kardiomyozyten generiert werden. Zus{\"a}tzlich fungiert die Gef{\"a}ßwand als Quelle inflammatorischer Zellen, die essenziell f{\"u}r die kardiogene Differenzierung der VW-SCs zu sein scheinen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, das Verhalten von CD44(+) VW-SCs zu untersuchen, um herauszufinden, inwieweit dieser Stammzelltyp eine endogene Generierung von Kardiomyozyten unterst{\"u}tzen k{\"o}nnte. Dabei wurde mit infarzierten M{\"a}useherzen, dem Aortenringassay (ARA) und dem kardialen Angiogeneseassay (CAA) gearbeitet. Sowohl in vivo in isch{\"a}mischen Arealen infarzierter M{\"a}useherzen als auch ex vivo im CAA kam es zu einem signifikanten Anstieg von CD44(+) Zellen. Mittels F{\"a}rbungen auf CD44 und Ki-67 konnte die Teilungsf{\"a}higkeit dieser Zellen demonstriert werden. Ex vivo ließen sich aus CD44(+) Zellen F4/80(+) Makrophagen generieren. Die CD44(+) VW-SCs k{\"o}nnen sich dabei sowohl zu pro-inflammatorischen iNOS(+) M1- als auch zu anti-inflammatorischen IL-10(+) M2-Makrophagen differenzieren. Eine Modulation der kardialen Inflammation k{\"o}nnte einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Kardiomyogenese haben. Unter VEGF-A kam es im CAA zu einer deutlichen Zunahme von CD44(+) Zellen. Unter Lenvatinib blieb das kardiale Sprouting g{\"a}nzlich aus, die Anzahl der CD44(+) Zellen stagnierte und die VW-SCs verblieben in ihren physiologischen Nischen innerhalb der Gef{\"a}ßwand. Warum es nach einem MI kaum zu einer funktionellen Herzmuskelregeneration kommt, ist weiterhin unklar. Die therapeutische Beeinflussung koronaradventitieller CD44(+) VW-SCs und inflammatorischer Prozesse k{\"o}nnte dabei zuk{\"u}nftig eine wichtige therapeutische Option darstellen.},
  subject      = {Antigen CD44},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Eckner2020,
  author    = {Eckner, Georg Ludwig},
  title     = {Der Einfluss vaskul{\"a}r-adventitieller Makrophagen auf Gef{\"a}ßwand-residente Stammzellen},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-20608},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-206080},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {In dieser Dissertation wurden murine Aorta-Explantate im experimentellen Ansatz des "Aortic Ring Assay" {\"u}ber elf Tage kultiviert, erstmalig die Differenzierung zu F4/80(+)-Makrophagen gezeigt und eine nahezu vollst{\"a}ndige Depletion dieser Zellen durch Clodronat-Liposomen bewirkt. Diese Adventitia-generierten Makrophagen wurden als die Hauptquelle des lokal gebildeten VEGF nachgewiesen. Die daraus resultierende Depletion des parakrin wirkenden VEGF resultierte in einer teilweisen Konservierung der CD34(+) „Vaskulogenen Zone" der aortalen Adventitia. Zu der Best{\"a}tigung dieser Ergebnisse wurde experimentell {\"u}ber den VEGF-Rezeptor-Blocker E7080 in das VEGF-VEGFR-2 System eingegriffen. Die Versuchsans{\"a}tze mit diesem Rezeptorblocker resultierten in einem {\"a}hnlichen Ergebnis wie die Versuche unter Makrophagen-Depletion.},
  subject      = {Gef{\"a}ßwand},
  language  = {de}
}