Profibrotic VEGFR3-Dependent Lymphatic Vessel Growth in Autoimmune Valvular Carditis.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease is the major cause of valvular heart disease in developing nations. Endothelial cells (ECs) are considered crucial contributors to rheumatic heart disease, but greater insight into their roles in disease progression is needed.

Methods: We used a -driven EC lineage-tracing approach to identify and track ECs in the K/B.