Lymphangiogenesis in post-natal tissue remodeling: Lymphatic

22 The main physiological function of the lymphatic vasculature is to maintain tissue fluid 23 homeostasis. Lymphangiogenesis or de novo lymphatic formation is closely associated with 24 tissue inflammation in adults (i.e. wound healing, allograft rejection, tumor metastasis). 25 Until recently, research on lymphangiogenesis focused mainly on growth factor/growth 26 factor-receptor pathways governing this process. One of the lymphatic vessel features is 27 the incomplete or absence of basement membrane. This close association of endothelial 28 cells with the underlying interstitial matrix suggests that cell–matrix interactions play 29 an important role in lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic functions. However, the explora30 tion of interaction between extracellular matrix (ECM) components and lymphatic endo31 thelial cells is in its infancy. Herein, we describe ECM–cell and cell–cell interactions on 32 lymphatic system function and their modification occurring in pathologies including can33 cer metastasis. 34 ! 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.