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Agent-based computational model of retinal angiogenesis simulates microvascular network morphology as a function of pericyte coverage.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Define a role for perivascular cells during developmental retinal angiogenesis in the context of EC Notch1-DLL4 signaling at the multicellular network level. METHODS:The retinal vasculature is highly sensitive to growth factor-mediated intercellular signaling. Although EC signaling has been explored in detail, it remains unclear how PC function to modulate these signals that lead to a diverse set of vascular network patterns in health and disease. We have developed an ABM of retinal angiogenesis that incorporates both ECs and PCs to investigate the formation of vascular network patterns as a function of pericyte coverage. We use our model to test the hypothesis that PC modulate Notch1-DLL4 signaling in endothelial cell-endothelial cell interactions. RESULTS:Agent-based model (ABM) simulations that include PCs more accurately predict experimentally observed vascular network morphologies than simulations that lack PCs, suggesting that PCs may influence sprouting behaviors through physical blockade of endothelial intercellular connections. CONCLUSIONS:This study supports a role for PCs as a physical buffer to signal propagation during vascular network formation-a barrier that may be important for generating healthy microvascular network patterns.

SUBMITTER: Walpole J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5673505 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Agent-based computational model of retinal angiogenesis simulates microvascular network morphology as a function of pericyte coverage.

Walpole Joseph J Mac Gabhann Feilim F Peirce Shayn M SM Chappell John C JC

Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994) 20171101 8

<h4>Objective</h4>Define a role for perivascular cells during developmental retinal angiogenesis in the context of EC Notch1-DLL4 signaling at the multicellular network level.<h4>Methods</h4>The retinal vasculature is highly sensitive to growth factor-mediated intercellular signaling. Although EC signaling has been explored in detail, it remains unclear how PC function to modulate these signals that lead to a diverse set of vascular network patterns in health and disease. We have developed an AB ...[more]

PMID: 28791758

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Project description:PurposeTo investigate the changes of the retinal microvascular network and microcirculation in high myopia.DesignA cross-sectional, matched, comparative clinical study.ParticipantsTwenty eyes of 20 subjects with nonpathological high myopia (28 ± 5 years of age) with a refractive error of -6.31 ± 1.23 D (mean ± SD) and 20 eyes of 20 age- and sex-matched control subjects (30 ± 6 years of age) with a refractive error of -1.40 ± 1.00 D were recruited.MethodsOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to image the retinal microvascular network, which was later quantified by fractal analysis (box counting [Dbox], representing vessel density) in both superficial and deep vascular plexuses. The Retinal Function Imager was used to image the retinal microvessel blood flow velocity (BFV). The BFV and microvascular density in the myopia group were corrected for ocular magnification using Bennett's formula.ResultsThe density of both superficial and deep microvascular plexuses was significantly decreased in the myopia group in comparison to the controls (P < .05). The decrease of the microvessel density of the annular zone (0.6-2.5 mm), measured as Dbox, was 2.1% and 2.9% in the superficial and deep vascular plexuses, respectively. Microvessel density reached a plateau from 0.5 mm to 1.25 mm from the fovea in both groups, but that in the myopic group was about 3% lower than the control group. No significant differences were detected between the groups in retinal microvascular BFV in either arterioles or venules (P > .05). Microvascular densities in both superficial (r = -0.45, P = .047) and deep (r = -0.54, P = .01) vascular plexuses were negatively correlated with the axial lengths in the myopic eye. No correlations were observed between BFV and vessel density (P > .05).ConclusionsRetinal microvascular decrease was observed in the high myopia subjects, whereas the retinal microvessel BFV remained unchanged. The retinal microvascular network alteration may be attributed to ocular elongation that occurs with the progression of myopia. The novel quantitative analyses of the retinal microvasculature may help to characterize the underlying pathophysiology of myopia and enable early detection and prevention of myopic retinopathy.

Project description:BackgroundTNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α) induces HUVEC (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells) to proliferate and form new blood vessels. This TNF-induced angiogenesis plays a key role in cancer and rheumatic disease. However, the molecular system that underlies TNF-induced angiogenesis is largely unknown.MethodsWe analyzed the gene expression changes stimulated by TNF in HUVEC over a time course using microarrays to reveal the molecular system underlying TNF-induced angiogenesis. Traditional k-means clustering analysis was performed to identify informative temporal gene expression patterns buried in the time course data. Functional enrichment analysis using DAVID was then performed for each cluster. The genes that belonged to informative clusters were then used as the input for gene network analysis using a Bayesian network and nonparametric regression method. Based on this TNF-induced gene network, we searched for sub-networks related to angiogenesis by integrating existing biological knowledge.Resultsk-means clustering of the TNF stimulated time course microarray gene expression data, followed by functional enrichment analysis identified three biologically informative clusters related to apoptosis, cellular proliferation and angiogenesis. These three clusters included 648 genes in total, which were used to estimate dynamic Bayesian networks. Based on the estimated TNF-induced gene networks, we hypothesized that a sub-network including IL6 and IL8 inhibits apoptosis and promotes TNF-induced angiogenesis. More particularly, IL6 promotes TNF-induced angiogenesis by inducing NF-κB and IL8, which are strong cell growth factors.ConclusionsComputational gene network analysis revealed a novel molecular system that may play an important role in the TNF-induced angiogenesis seen in cancer and rheumatic disease. This analysis suggests that Bayesian network analysis linked to functional annotation may be a powerful tool to provide insight into disease.

Dataset Information

Agent-based computational model of retinal angiogenesis simulates microvascular network morphology as a function of pericyte coverage.

Publications

Agent-based computational model of retinal angiogenesis simulates microvascular network morphology as a function of pericyte coverage.

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