Chapter One
Endothelial cell biology
Femke Hillen, Veerle Melotte, Judy R. van Beijnum and Arjan W. Griffioen

Abstract
Vascular endothelial cells are organized as a thin layer on the interior surface of all vessels and are known to function in a variety of important physiological processes. The interactions of endothelial cells with other cells and with the extracellular matrix are crucial in endothelial cell functions such as the initiation of coagulation, leukocyte adhesion and the selection of a leukocyte infiltrate, the angiogenesis cascade, and transport of molecules through the vessel wall by active or passive mechanisms. This chapter highlights these processes and describes endothelial cells, their heterogeneity, various isolation techniques and their use in in vitro mod ... read full excerpt from Angiogenesis Assays: A Critical Appraisal of Current Techniques ebook