Determination of Endothelial Heterogeneity by the Recruitment of Bone Marrow Derived Endothelial Progenitors

Adult bone marrow (BM) is a rich reservoir for stem cells capable of generating an array of lineage-specific cell types, including hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) (1) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) (2-7). Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that incorporation of mobilized stem and progenitor cells in end organs contributes to the formation of functional vasculature and sets the stage for tissue regeneration or tumor growth.