Micro-computed tomography data for: Resolving the design principles that control postnatal vascular growth and scaling

After birth, tissues grow until they reach adult size, with each organ
exhibiting unique cellular dynamics, growth patterns, and stem or non-stem
cell sources. Using multiscale experimental and computational approaches,
we found that aortic enlargement follows distinct growth principles,
scaling with the vertebral column. Expansion proceeds via two temporally
coordinated, spatially stochastic waves of proliferation aligned with
blood flow, each with unique cell-cycle kinetics, with the first wave
featuring cycles as short as 6 h. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed
increased fatty acid metabolism accompanying cell enlargement.
Mathematical modeling and experiments showed that endothelial cell
extrusion is essential for maintaining homeostatic aortic size as it
adjusts for proliferation excess. Using a genetic model of achondroplasia,
we mechanistically demonstrated that the aorta preserves proper scaling by
increasing cell extrusion while keeping proliferation rates intact. These
findings provide a blueprint of the principles orchestrating aortic
growth, which relies entirely on the proliferation of resident
differentiated cells.