Thesis Stijn Groten

Abstract

 All the blood vessels in our body are lined with a single thin layer of specialized cells called endothelial cells. Sitting right between the blood and the surrounding tissue, they control all sorts of essential processes. Some examples include letting immune cells through to areas of infection, or initiating blood clotting so wounds can heal.

These processes are triggered by signals coming from both the blood and the tissue. An endothelial cell has to juggle all these different signals and make sure the right response is executed in a controlled, balanced fashion. To do this, each endothelial cell has an immensely complex network of internal processes. However, when that balance is lost, and processes are running amok, this can lead to endothelial dysfunction. This dysfunction is at the root of many vascular disease, causing problems like excessive inflammation or an increased tendency for blood clots.

In our research, we looked at how endothelial cells react to different signals in disease settings, and how certain protein defects in specific patients throw the finetuned regulation out of balance. This gave us new insights into how the inner workings of endothelial cells can contribute to inflammatory or bleeding disorders and revealed potential ways to restore a healthy balance.