Vascular precursor cells.

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of human stem and progenitor cells is critically important for the development and optimization of regenerative medicine strategies. For vascular regeneration studies, specifically, a true "vascular stem cell" population has not yet been identified. However, a number of cell types that exist endogenously, or can be generated or propagated ex vivo, function as vascular precursor cells and can participate in and/or promote vascular regeneration. Herein, we provide an overview of what is known about the regulation of their differentiation specifically toward a vascular endothelial cell phenotype.