# Mitochondrial respiration as a regulator of lymphatic cell fate and therapeutic lymphangiogenesis

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $771,042

## Abstract

Summary
Endothelial cell (EC) metabolism has emerged as an essential driver and regulator of blood and lymphatic
vessel development, as well as an alternative approach in anti-angiogenic therapy. It has been shown that
metabolism is not only vital to EC function, but also to controlling different steps of the (lymph)-angiogenic
process. Lymphatic vessels show remarkable plasticity and heterogeneity, reflecting their functional
specialization to control the tissue microenvironment. Our recent findings revealed that by sensing the lymphatic
endothelial cell (LEC) differentiation status and microenvironmental metabolic conditions, mitochondrial
complex III regulates LEC fate specification and maintenance during embryonic development. Similar to what
was shown for blood endothelial cells, most likely in different pathological conditions, mitochondrial respiration
is also required for the growth and expansion (lymphangiogenesis) of lymphatics. We argue that mitochondrial
respiration sensing and regulation of the metabolic status of LECs is a critical step during developmental and
disease-promoted lymphangiogenesis, and we will evaluate this proposal in mouse models of cardiac injury and
induced acute and chronic pancreatitis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10640152
- **Project number:** 5R01HL162800-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** GUILLERMO C OLIVER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $771,042
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10640152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10640152, Mitochondrial respiration as a regulator of lymphatic cell fate and therapeutic lymphangiogenesis (5R01HL162800-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10640152. Licensed CC0.

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