| 1. |
- Bhattacharya, Resham, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct role of PLC{beta}3 in VEGF-mediated directional migration and vascular sprouting
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Cell Science. - : The Company of Biologists. - 0021-9533 .- 1477-9137. ; 122:7, s. 1025-1034
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Endothelial cell proliferation and migration is essential to angiogenesis. Typically, proliferation and chemotaxis of endothelial cells is driven by growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). VEGF activates phospholipases (PLCs) - specifically PLCgamma1 - that are important for tubulogenesis, differentiation and DNA synthesis. However, we show here that VEGF, specifically through VEGFR2, induces phosphorylation of two serine residues on PLCbeta3, and this was confirmed in an ex vivo embryoid body model. Knockdown of PLCbeta3 in HUVEC cells affects IP3 production, actin reorganization, migration and proliferation; whereas migration is inhibited, proliferation is enhanced. Our data suggest that enhanced proliferation is precipitated by an accelerated cell cycle, and decreased migration by an inability to activate CDC42. Given that PLCbeta3 is typically known as an effector of heterotrimeric G-proteins, our data demonstrate a unique crosstalk between the G-protein and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) axes and reveal a novel molecular mechanism of VEGF signaling and, thus, angiogenesis.
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| 2. |
- Cébe-Suarez, Stéphanie, et al.
(författare)
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Orf virus VEGF-E NZ2 promotes paracellular NRP-1/VEGFR-2 coreceptor assembly via the peptide RPPR
- 2008
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Ingår i: The FASEB Journal. - : Wiley. - 0892-6638 .- 1530-6860. ; 22:8, s. 3078-3086
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) interact with the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) VEGFR-1, -2, and -3; neuropilins (NRPs); and heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans. VEGF RTKs signal to downstream targets upon ligand-induced tyrosine phosphorylation, while NRPs and HS act as coreceptors that lack enzymatic activity yet modulate signal output by VEGF RTKs. VEGFs exist in various isoforms with distinct receptor specificity and biological activity. Here, a series of mammalian VEGF-A splice variants and orf virus VEGF-Es, as well as chimeric and mutant VEGF variants, were characterized to determine the motifs required for binding to NRP-1 in the absence (VEGF-E) or presence (VEGF-A(165)) of an HS-binding sequence. We identified the carboxyterminal peptides RPPR and DKPRR as the NRP-1 binding motifs of VEGF-E and VEGF-A, respectively. RPPR had significantly higher affinity for NRP-1 than DKPRR. VEGFs containing an RPPR motif promoted HS-independent coreceptor complex assembly between VEGFR-2 and NRP-1, independent of whether these receptors were expressed on the same or separate cells grown in cocultures. Functional studies showed that stable coreceptor assembly by VEGF correlated with its ability to promote vessel formation in an embryoid body angiogenesis assay.
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| 3. |
- Edholm, Dan, 1972-
(författare)
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VEGFR-2 in Endothelial Differentiation and Vascular Organization
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The cardiovascular system is the first functional organ to develop during embryogenesis. As the embryo reaches above a certain size, passive diffusion of gases and nutrients is no longer compatible with efficient growth. During embryogenesis, endothelial progenitor cells (angioblasts) are recruited from the primitive streak mesoderm and instructed to express vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). This thesis examines the roles played by VEGFR-2 in the events through which a subpopulation of embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate into endothelial cells and form the vasculature. We show that ES cells gene targeted for VEGFR-2 (flk1-/-) develop immature endothelial cells (ECs), precursors, when differentiated in vitro as embryoid bodies (EBs). The flk1-/- ECs are unresponsive to VEGF-stimulation and consistently fail to form vessels. However, when co-cultured with wild type ES cells in chimeric EBs, flk1-/- endothelial precursors are guided by wild type ECs to form transient, chimeric vascular structures. Use of lentivirus in an add-back approach allowed reconstitution of VEGFR-2 expression in flk1-/- ES cells, and rescue of vasculogenesis and sprouting angiogenesis. We propose that recruitment to the endothelial lineage is not dependent on VEGFR-2, although this receptor tyrosine kinase appears indispensible for EC integrity, survival and for differentation of endothelial precursors into mature ECs formating a stable vasculature. Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) function as co-receptors for VEGFs. The co-receptors influence, qualitatively and quantitatively, the intracellular signal relayed by VEGFR-2 but it is unclear how. We examined the contribution of NRP1 to VEGFR-2 signaling in EB cultures, in zebrafish and in mice. Only NRP1-binding VEGFs were able to promote sprouting angiogenesis and formation of properly branched vascular tubes, supported by pericytes. Downstream of VEGFR-2/NRP1 activation, we identified recruitment of p38MAPK in signal transduction regulating sprouting angiogenesis.
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| 4. |
- Kawamura, Harukiyo, et al.
(författare)
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Neuropilin-1 in regulation of VEGF-induced activation of p38MAPK and endothelial cell organization
- 2008
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 112:9, s. 3638-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A regulates vascular development and angiogenesis. VEGF isoforms differ in ability to bind coreceptors heparan sulfate (HS) and neuropilin-1 (NRP1). We used VEGF-A165 (which binds HS and NRP1), VEGF-A121 (binds neither HS nor NRP1), and parapoxvirus VEGF-E-NZ2 (binds NRP1 but not HS) to investigate the role of NRP1 in organization of endothelial cells into vascular structures. All 3 ligands induced similar level of VEGFR-2 tyrosine phosphorylation in the presence of NRP1. In contrast, sprouting angiogenesis in differentiating embryonic stem cells (embryoid bodies), formation of branching pericyte-embedded vessels in subcutaneous matrigel plugs, and sprouting of intersegmental vessels in developing zebrafish were induced by VEGF-A165 and VEGF-E-NZ2 but not by VEGF-A121. Analyses of recombinant factors with NRP1-binding gain- and loss-of-function properties supported the conclusion that NRP1 is critical for VEGF-induced sprouting and branching of endothelial cells. Signal transduction antibody arrays implicated NRP1 in VEGF-induced activation of p38MAPK. Inclusion of the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 in VEGF-A165-containing matrigel plugs led to attenuated angiogenesis and poor association with pericytes. Our data strongly indicate that the ability of VEGF ligands to bind NRP1 influences p38MAPK activation, and formation of functional, pericyte-associated vessels.
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| 5. |
- Kawamura, Harukiyo, et al.
(författare)
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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A165b is a weak in vitro agonist for VEGF receptor-2 due to lack of coreceptor binding and deficient regulation of kinase activity
- 2008
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 68:12, s. 4683-4692
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A165b is a COOH-terminal splice variant of VEGF-A that has been implicated in negative regulation of angiogenesis. We compared the properties of VEGF-A165b with those of VEGF-A121, VEGF-A145, and VEGF-A165. Induction of tyrosine phosphorylation sites in VEGFR-2 differed between the VEGF ligands as determined by tryptic phosphopeptide mapping and by use of phosphosite-specific antibodies. VEGF-A165b was considerably poorer in inducing phosphorylation of the positive regulatory site Y1052 in VEGFR-2. Whereas this did not affect activation of VEGFR-2 in vitro, we show that VEGF-A165b failed to induce vasculogenesis and sprouting angiogenesis in differentiating embryonic stem cells and vascularization of s.c. Matrigel plugs. In addition, the ability of the different VEGF ligands to induce angiogenesis correlated with their abilities to bind the VEGF coreceptor neuropilin 1 (NRP1). Our data indicate that loss of VEGFR-2/NRP1 complex formation and Y1052 phosphorylation contribute to the lack of angingenic properties of VEGF-A165b.
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| 6. |
- Li, Xiujuan, et al.
(författare)
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Embryonic stem cell models in vascular biology
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - : Elsevier BV. - 1538-7933 .- 1538-7836. ; 7:Suppl. 1, s. 53-56
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Embryonic stem cells have become an established tool in vascular biology to study the details of vasculogenesis as well as angiogenesis. There is also a future potential in using embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells for therapeutic purposes. It is important to evaluate this model by comparing features of endothelial cells derived from differentiating stem cells and their responsiveness to external stimuli to those of primary endothelial cells and to in vivo models. Through culture of mouse embryonic stem cell we discovered that differentiating stem cells are highly amenable to analyzing biochemical and cell biologic processes that are independent of flow. Endothelial cell function can be studied in the context of mutations or deletions that are embryonically lethal in vivo. Many, if not all, of the features of sprouting angiogenesis in differentiating stem cells closely mimic the in vivo process.
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| 7. |
- Li, Xiujuan, et al.
(författare)
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Lentiviral rescue of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 expression in flk1-/- embryonic stem cells shows early priming of endothelial precursors
- 2007
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Ingår i: Stem Cells. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1066-5099 .- 1549-4918. ; 25:12, s. 2987-2995
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) family and its receptors are important for vascular development and maintenance of blood vessels, as well as for angiogenesis, the formation of new vessels. Loss of VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2; designated Flk-1 in mouse) results in arrest of vascular and hematopoietic development in vivo. We used lentiviral transduction to reconstitute VEGFR-2 expression in flk1-/- embryonic stem (ES) cells. VEGF-induced vasculogenesis and sprouting angiogenesis were rescued in transduced ES cultures differentiating in vitro as EBs. Although the transgene was expressed in the pluripotent stem cells and lacked linage restriction during differentiation, the extent of endothelial recruitment was similar to that in wild-type EBs. Reconstitution of VEGFR-2 in flk1-/- ES cells allowed only precommitted precursors to differentiate into functional endothelial cells able to organize into vascular structures. Chimeric EB cultures composed of wild-type ES cells mixed with flk1-/- ES cells or reconstituted VEGFR-2expressing ES cells were created. In the chimeric cultures, flk1-/- endothelial precursors were excluded from wild-type vessel structures, whereas reconstituted VEGFR-2-expressing precursors became integrated together with wild-type endothelial cells to form chimeric vessels. We conclude that maturation of endothelial precursors, as well as organization into vascular structures, requires expression of VEGFR-2.
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| 8. |
- Li, Xiujuan, et al.
(författare)
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VEGF receptor signal transduction
- 2008
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Ingår i: Angiogenesis. - San Diego, USA : Elsevier. - 9780123743152 ; , s. 261-284
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Signal transduction by vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) through their cognate VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases follows the consensus scheme for receptor tyrosine kinases. Thus, binding of ligand induces receptor dimerization and activation of the tyrosine kinase through transphosphorylation between receptor molecules, leading to initiation of intracellular signal transduction pathways. Certain signal transduction pathways are shared with most, if not all, receptor tyrosine kinases, whereas some may be unique (e.g., transduced only by VEGF receptors). Indications that such unique signaling pathways may be discerned only when VEGF receptors are expressed in their proper context (i.e., in endothelial cells of microcapillary origin). In this chapter, we describe a number of methods for the study of signal transduction in endothelial cells. We describe how to isolate and examine endothelial cell lines. We also describe the embryoid body model representing vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, the procedure for subcutaneous Matrigel plugs, and, finally, how to construct gene-targeted mouse models. We emphasize the need for validation of in vitro data in more complex models, where endothelial cells reside in their proper three-dimensional context.
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