Emerging Concepts in Organ-Specific Lymphatic Vessels and Metabolic Regulation of Lymphatic Development

Abstract

The lymphatic system has been less well characterized than the blood vascular system; however, work in recent years has uncovered novel regulators and non-venous lineages that contribute to lymphatic formation in various organs. Further, the identification of organ-specific lymphatic beds underscores their potential interaction with organ development and function, and highlights the possibility of targeting these organ-specific lymphatics beds in disease. This review focuses on newly described metabolic and epigenetic regulators of lymphangiogenesis and the interplay between lymphatic development and function in a number of major organ systems.

Keywords: epigenetics; lymphatic endothelial cells; lymphatic vessels; metabolism; organ-specific lymphatics.