How blood vessel cells change their shape and orientation

Mechanisms of neovascularisation: The role of DAAM2 in blood vessel outgrowth

After a heart attack or stroke, the body needs to make new blood vessels to replenish the oxygen supply to tissues. To form new blood vessels, cells called endothelial cells undergo profound changes in shape and organise themselves into a tube which will let blood flow. Getting this right is important, as poorly made, malformed blood vessels cause problems, but scientists still know little about the molecules that control these processes. Professor Mellor’s lab have previously studied members of a family of molecules called formins that play important roles in controlling cell shape and movement and identified a new member called DAAM2. This project will investigate the biological processes controlled by DAAM2 to understand how it helps endothelial cells to change their shape during blood vessel formation. The team will first study DAAM2 in human endothelial cells to identify its effects on the ‘skeleton’ of blood vessel cells. They will then see if these are linked to other processes known to be important in blood vessel growth. Finally, they will confirm their results by studying whether DAAM2 affects blood vessel formation in zebrafish. By understanding what controls the formation of healthy vessels, it is hoped that these insights can be used to improve the health of blood vessels in people with blood vessel diseases.