Mitochondria in endothelial cells: Sensors and integrators of environmental cues

Abstract

The involvement of angiogenesis in disease and its potential as a therapeutic target have been firmly established over recent decades. Endothelial cells (ECs) are central elements in vessel homeostasis and regulate the passage of material and cells into and out of the bloodstream. EC proliferation and migration are modified by alterations to mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics resulting from several signals and environmental cues, such as oxygen, hemodynamics, and nutrients. As intermediary signals, mitochondrial ROS are released as important downstream modulators of the expression of angiogenesis-related genes. In this review, we discuss the physiological actions of these signals and aberrant responses during vascular disorders.

Keywords: Biogenesis; Dynamics; Endothelial cells; Mitochondria; ROS.

Fig. 1

A blood vessel delimited by ECs and some of the signals which affect angiogenic behavior via mitochondria. The cells at the top represent the effect on mitochondria of nutrients, oxygen, and shear stress (LSS, laminar shear stress; PSS, pulsatile shear stress; OSS, oscillatory shear stress) and how some of the signals released affect the expression of angiogenic genes. The cells at the bottom represent mitochondrial biogenesis, distribution, and dynamics and the consequences of these processes on EC proliferation and vessel sprouting.