The development of the vascular system begins with the formation of hemangioblastic cells, hemangioblasts, which organize\nin blood islands in the yolk sac. The hemangioblasts differentiate into hematopoietic and angioblastic cells. Subsequently, the\nhematopoietic line will generate blood cells, whereas the angioblastic cells will give rise to vascular endothelial cells (ECs). In\nresponse to specific molecular and hemodynamic stimuli, ECs will acquire either arterial or venous identity. Recruitment towards\nthe endothelial tubes and subsequent differentiation of pericyte and/or vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) takes place and\nthe mature vessel is formed. The Notch signaling pathway is required for determining the arterial program of both endothelial\nand smooth muscle cells; however, it is simultaneously involved in the generation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which will\ngive rise to hematopoietic cells. Notch signaling also regulates the function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are bonemarrow-\nderived cells able to differentiate into ECs and which could be considered the adult correlate of the angioblast. In addition,\nNotch signaling has been reported to control sprouting angiogenesis during blood vessels formation in the adult. In this paper we\ndiscuss the physiological role of Notch in vascular development, providing an overview on the involvement of Notch in vascular\nbiology from hematopoietic stem cell to adaptive neovascularization in the adult.
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