Expression of VEGFA, VEGFC, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and their receptors on yolk sac blood island, aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region of human embryo / 中国实验血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

The study was to investigate the expression of VEGFA, VEGFC, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and their receptors on yolk sac blood island, AGM region during gestation of 3th-12th weeks of human embryo. Human embryo contingently aborted at 3 - 12 weeks of gestation were collected with signed agreements of the pregnant women suffered from accidental abortions. The specimens were fixed by 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded by paraffin. 5 micro m serial sections were made. HE and immunohistochemistry method (SABC) and light-microscope were employed. The results showed that VEGFA and its receptors flt1/flk-1, VEGFC and its receptor flt-4, angiopoietin-2 and its receptor tie-2 proteins were expressed strongly and angiopoietin-1 was weakly expressed by hematopoietic cells and vascular endothelial cells of blood island at 21 and 25 days of gestation. In the 4th week of gestation, immuno-positive reaction of these factors and their receptors appeared in the aorta and mesonephros deposited in larger, rounded and nucleated cells which represented hematopoietic cells. Up to 7th week, positive hematopoietic cells in the regions were much abundant. The number of positive cells decreased at 8th week. Up to 12th week, almost all blood cells were immuno-negative. VEGFA, flt-1, flt-4, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and Tie-2 protein were expressed mainly by gonad at 6 - 8 weeks, but it did not express VEGFC and flk-1. The immuno-reaction of the factors and their receptors could not detected in vascular endothelial cells during 3-12th weeks of gestation. It is concluded that hematopoietic cells and endothelial cells in blood island of yolk sac, mesonephros and dorsal aorta co-expressed some factors and their receptors in relation to vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis. Intraembryonic hematopoiesis began in the 4th week of gestation.