Regulation of Angiogenesis by fibulin-5

人体皮肤是人体内最大、最复杂的器官系统之一，在外部环境和内部结构之间形成了一道功能屏障。在皮肤内部，细胞外基质(ECM)蛋白的微妙组成和组织平衡是正常功能所必需的。除了细胞外基质蛋白，皮肤血管对皮肤的发育和功能也是至关重要的，因为它提供了基本的氧气和营养供应。最近，我们发现缺乏纤毛蛋白-5的小鼠皮肤血管数量显著增加。这一观察结果使我们产生了这样的假设，即纤维蛋白-5可以以一种负面的方式影响血管形成(血管生成)。因此，我们研究计划的短期目标是了解纤溶蛋白-5在血管生成调控中的基本生物学机制。从长远来看，我们的研究计划集中在确定ECM蛋白如何指导和控制血管的发育和稳定性。

Human skin is one of the largest and most complex organ systems in the body forming a functional barrier between the external environment and the internal structures. Within the skin, a delicate compositional and organizational balance of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins is required for proper function. In addition to ECM proteins, cutaneous blood vessels are also critical for the development and function of skin by providing an essential supply of oxygen and nutrients. Recently, we have discovered that mice lacking the protein, fibulin-5, have a significant increase in the number of cutaneous blood vessels. This observation led us to the hypothesis that fibulin-5 can influence blood vessels formation (angiogenesis) in a negative manner. The short-term goal of our research program, therefore, is to understand the basic biological mechanism of fibulin-5 in the regulation of angiogenesis. In the long-term, our research program is focused on determining how ECM proteins direct and control blood vessel development and stability.