SFB 1366: Vascular Control of Organ Function

血压调节、凝血、炎症、动脉粥样硬化和血管生成的研究是血管研究的五大支柱。最近对驱动器官型血管分化和功能的分子机制的理解取得了进展，这反映了血管生物学的第六个分支的出现，为此我们创造了“血管科学”这个术语。血管科学的目标是：(1)在更大的机械细节上揭示血管壁器官分化细胞（不仅仅局限于内皮细胞）的分子库，一直到单细胞水平；(2)阐明血管壁细胞与其微环境中的细胞之间的多向分子相互作用，以及由器官型血管系统控制的系统效应；(3)解剖器官型血管系统的生态位功能。（iv）揭示健康和疾病中不同器官型血管的命运图。基于这些概念考虑，CRC 1366“器官功能的血管控制”于2019年成立，重点关注内皮细胞和周围壁细胞在器官特异性组织微环境（即所谓的血管壁龛）中控制生理和病理过程中的积极作用。器官型血管细胞，特别是器官特异性内皮细胞，在器官发育过程中以及在各种生理和病理生理条件下，通过分泌血管信号分子，即所谓的血管因子，以及通过产生和表达额外的血管分泌物质，如细胞外基质分子、粘附分子和其他表面受体，来控制血管生态位功能。因此，血管在疾病过程的发展中发挥着重要的调节和控制功能，是代谢性和炎症性疾病和癌症（血管靶向治疗）的新型和先进治疗方法的关键靶点。

The study of blood pressure regulation, coagulation, inflammation, atherosclerosis as well as angiogenesis marks the five major pillars of vascular research. The recent advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving organotypic vascular differentiation and function reflect the emergence of a sixth branch of vascular biology, for which we coined the term ’Angioscience’. Angioscience is aimed at (i) unraveling in much greater mechanistic detail the molecular repertoire of organotypically differentiated cells of the vessel wall (not just restricted to endothelial cells) all the way to the single cell level, (ii) elucidating the multidirectional molecular crosstalk of vessel wall cells with the cells of their microenvironment as well as systemic effects controlled by organotypic vasculatures, (iii) dissecting niche functions of organotypic vasculatures, and (iv) unraveling the fate maps of different organotypic vasculatures in health and disease. Based on these conceptual considerations, the CRC 1366 ’Vascular Control of Organ Function’ was inaugurated in 2019 to focus on the active roles of endothelial cells and surrounding mural cells in the control of physiological and pathological processes in organ-specific tissue microenvironments, the so-called vascular niches. Organotypic vascular cells, particularly organ-specific endothelial cells, control vascular niche functions during organ development as well as under diverse physiological and pathophysiological conditions by secreting vascular signaling molecules, the so-called angiokines, as well as by generating and expressing additional angiocrine substances, such as molecules of the extracellular matrix, adhesion molecules and other surface receptors. Therefore, blood vessels exert important regulatory and control functions for the development of disease processes, and they are key targets for novel and advanced therapies for metabolic and inflammatory diseases and cancer (angiotargeted therapies).