image: When an activated form of the Notch receptor (Notch4*) is turned on through the endothelium, enlarged arteriovenous connections are formed, replacing the capillaries and allowing the direct shunting of blood. In the arteriovenous connections, arterial markers (EphrinB2, Dll4, Jag1, and Cx40) are upregulated and some venous markers (EphB4) are downregulated, though other venous markers are retained (Coup-TFII). This image relates to a paper that appeared in the Jan. 18, 2012, issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The paper, by Dr. P.A. Murphy of the University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, Calif., and colleagues, was titled, “Notch4 Normalization Reduces Blood Vessel Size in Arteriovenous Malformations.” view more
Credit: Image courtesy of <i>Science</i>/AAAS