| 1. |
- Carmeliet, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Synergism between vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor contributes to angiogenesis and plasma extravasation in pathological conditions
- 2001
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Ingår i: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 7:5, s. 575-583
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates angiogenesis by activating VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). The role of its homolog, placental growth factor (PlGF), remains unknown. Both VEGF and PlGF bind to VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), but it is unknown whether VEGFR-1, which exists as a soluble or a membrane-bound type, is an inert decoy or a signaling receptor for PlGF during angiogenesis. Here, we report that embryonic angiogenesis in mice was not affected by deficiency of PlGF (Pgf-/-). VEGF-B, another ligand of VEGFR-1, did not rescue development in Pgf-/- mice. However, loss of PlGF impaired angiogenesis, plasma extravasation and collateral growth during ischemia, inflammation, wound healing and cancer. Transplantation of wild-type bone marrow rescued the impaired angiogenesis and collateral growth in Pgf-/- mice, indicating that PlGF might have contributed to vessel growth in the adult by mobilizing bone-marrow-derived cells. The synergism between PlGF and VEGF was specific, as PlGF deficiency impaired the response to VEGF, but not to bFGF or histamine. VEGFR-1 was activated by PlGF, given that anti-VEGFR-1 antibodies and a Src-kinase inhibitor blocked the endothelial response to PlGF or VEGF/PlGF. By upregulating PlGF and the signaling subtype of VEGFR-1, endothelial cells amplify their responsiveness to VEGF during the 'angiogenic switch' in many pathological disorders.
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| 2. |
- Schänzer, Anne, et al.
(författare)
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Direct stimulation of adult neural stem cells in vitro and neurogenesis in vivo by vascular endothelial growth factor.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland). - 1015-6305. ; 14:3, s. 237-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hypoxia as well as global and focal ischemia are strong activators of neurogenesis in the adult mammalian central nervous system. Here we show that the hypoxia-inducible vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR-2/Flk-1 are expressed in clonally-derived adult rat neural stem cells in vitro. VEGF stimulated the expansion of neural stem cells whereas blockade of VEGFR-2/Flk-1-kinase activity reduced neural stem cell expansion. VEGF was also infused into the lateral ventricle to study changes in neurogenesis in the ventricle wall, olfactory bulb and hippocampus. Using a low dose (2.4 ng/d) to avoid endothelial proliferation and changes in vascular permeability, VEGF stimulated adult neurogenesis in vivo. After VEGF infusion, we observed reduced apoptosis but unaltered proliferation suggesting a survival promoting effect of VEGF in neural progenitor cells. Strong expression of VEGFR-2/Flk-1 was detected in the ventricle wall adjacent to the choroid plexus, a site of significant VEGF production, which suggests a paracrine function of endogenous VEGF on neural stem cells in vivo. We propose that VEGF acts as a trophic factor for neural stem cells in vitro and for sustained neurogenesis in the adult nervous system.These findings may have implications for the pathogenesis and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.
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| 3. |
- Ziegler, Nicole, et al.
(författare)
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beta-Catenin Is Required for Endothelial Cyp1b1 Regulation Influencing Metabolic Barrier Function
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Neuroscience. - 0270-6474 .- 1529-2401. ; 36:34, s. 8921-8935
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is crucial for blood-brain barrier (BBB) formation in brain endothelial cells. Although glucose transporter 1, claudin-3, and plasmalemma vesicular-associated protein have been identified as Wnt/beta-catenin targets in brain endothelial cells, further downstream targets relevant to BBB formation and function are incompletely explored. By Affymetrix expression analysis, we show that the cytochrome P450 enzyme Cyp1b1 was significantly decreased in beta-catenin-deficient mouse endothelial cells, whereas its close homolog Cyp1a1 was upregulated in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor-dependent manner, hence indicating that beta-catenin is indispensable for Cyp1b1 but not for Cyp1a1 expression. Functionally, Cyp1b1 could generate retinoic acid from retinol leading to cell-autonomous induction of the barrier-related ATP-binding cassette transporter P-glycoprotein. Cyp1b1 could also generate 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid from arachidonic acid, decreasing endothelial barrier function in vitro. In mice in vivo pharmacological inhibition of Cyp1b1 increased BBB permeability for small molecular tracers, and Cyp1b1 was downregulated in glioma vessels in which BBB function is lost. Hence, we propose Cyp1b1 as a target of beta-catenin indirectly influencing BBB properties via its metabolic activity, and as a potential target for modulating barrier function in endothelial cells.
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