Project description:Endothelin signaling is required for neural crest migration and homeostatic regulation of blood pressure. Here we report that constitutive over-expression of Endothelin-2 (Edn2) in the mouse retina perturbs vascular development by inhibiting endothelial cell (EC) migration across the retinal surface and subsequent EC invasion into the retina. Developing endothelial cells exist in one of two states: tip cells at the growing front, and stalk cells in the vascular plexus behind the front. This division of endothelial cell states is one of the central organizing principle of angiogenesis. In the developing retina, Edn2 over-expression leads to over-production of endothelial tip cells by both morphologic and molecular criteria. Spatially localized over-expression of Edn2 produces a correspondingly localized endothelial response. Edn2 over-expression in the early embryo inhibits vascular development at mid-gestation, but Edn2 over-expression in developing skin and brain has no discernable effect on vascular structure. Inhibition of retinal angiogenesis by Edn2 requires expression of Endothelin receptor A (Ednra) but not Ednrb in the neural retina. Taken together, these observations imply that the neural retina responds to Edn2 by synthesizing one or more factors that promote the endothelial tip cell state and inhibit angiogenesis. The response to Edn2 is sufficiently potent that it over-rides the activities of other homeostatic regulators of angiogenesis, such as vascular endothelial growth factor. Z/Edn2 females were crossed to Six3-Cre; Six3-Cre males. Postnatal P8 pups were genotyped for the Z/Edn2 allele by detection of Laz-Z activity in tail clips. Retinas from 2 - 3 pups were pooled for each data point.
Project description:Endothelin signaling is required for neural crest migration and homeostatic regulation of blood pressure. Here we report that constitutive over-expression of Endothelin-2 (Edn2) in the mouse retina perturbs vascular development by inhibiting endothelial cell (EC) migration across the retinal surface and subsequent EC invasion into the retina. Developing endothelial cells exist in one of two states: tip cells at the growing front, and stalk cells in the vascular plexus behind the front. This division of endothelial cell states is one of the central organizing principle of angiogenesis. In the developing retina, Edn2 over-expression leads to over-production of endothelial tip cells by both morphologic and molecular criteria. Spatially localized over-expression of Edn2 produces a correspondingly localized endothelial response. Edn2 over-expression in the early embryo inhibits vascular development at mid-gestation, but Edn2 over-expression in developing skin and brain has no discernable effect on vascular structure. Inhibition of retinal angiogenesis by Edn2 requires expression of Endothelin receptor A (Ednra) but not Ednrb in the neural retina. Taken together, these observations imply that the neural retina responds to Edn2 by synthesizing one or more factors that promote the endothelial tip cell state and inhibit angiogenesis. The response to Edn2 is sufficiently potent that it over-rides the activities of other homeostatic regulators of angiogenesis, such as vascular endothelial growth factor.
Project description:<p>The retina is a notable tissue with high metabolic needs which relies on specialized vascular networks to protect the neural retina while maintaining constant supplies of oxygen, nutrients and dietary essential fatty acids. Here we analyzed the lipidome of the mouse retina under healthy and pathological angiogenesis using the oxygen-induced retinopathy model. By matching lipid profiles to changes in mRNA transcriptome, we identified a lipid signature showing that pathological angiogenesis leads to intense lipid remodeling favoring pathways for neutral lipid synthesis, cholesterol import/export and lipid droplet formation. Noteworthy, it also shows profound changes in pathways for long-chain fatty acid production, vital for retina homeostasis. The net result is accumulation of large quantities of mead acid, a marker of essential fatty acid deficiency, and a potential marker for retinopathy severity. Thus, our lipid signature might contribute to better understand diseases of the retina that lead to vision impairment or blindness.</p>
Project description:Deregulated retinal angiogenesis directly cause vision loss in many ocular diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. To identify endothelial-specific genes expressed in angiogenic retinal vessels, we purified genetically labeled endothelial cells from Tie2-GFP transgenic mice and performed gene expression profiling using DNA microarray. To find out genes associated with angiogenesis, comparisons of microarray data were carried out between GFP-negative non-endothelial retinal cells and GFP-positive retinal endothelial cells in angiogenic P8 retina. Eighteen arrays are included. Utilizing fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), we isolated endothelial cells as GFP-positive cells from P8 retina in homozygous Tie2-GFP transgenic mice. GFP-negative cells were served as non-endothelial control. RNA extracts from sorted cells were amplified and then hybridized to Affymetrix MGU74v2 series arrays in triplicate.
Project description:Defective angiogenesis underlies over 50 malignant, ischemic and inflammatory disorders yet long-term therapeutic applications inevitably fail, thus highlighting the need for greater understanding of the vast crosstalk and compensatory mechanisms. Based on proteomic profiling of angiogenic endothelial components, here we report βIV-spectrin, a non-erythrocytic cytoskeletal protein, as a critical regulator of sprouting angiogenesis. Early loss of endothelial specific βIV-spectrin promotes embryonic lethality in mice due to hypervascularization and hemorrhagic defects whereas neonatal depletion yields higher vascular density and tip cell populations in developing retina. During sprouting, βIV-spectrin expresses in stalk cells to inhibit their tip cell potential by enhancing VEGFR2 turnover in a manner independent of most cell-fate determining mechanisms. Rather, βIV-spectrin recruits CaMKII to the plasma membrane to directly phosphorylate VEGFR2 at Ser984, a previously undefined phosphoregulatory site that strongly induces VEGFR2 internalization and degradation. These findings support a distinct spectrin-based mechanism of tip-stalk cell specification during vascular development.
Project description:Endothelial tip cells guiding tissue vascularization are primary targets for angiogenic therapies. Whether tip cells require differential signals to develop their complex branching patterns remained unknown. Here we show that diving tip cells invading the neuroretina (D-tip cells) are distinct from tip cells guiding the superficial retinal vascular plexus (S-tip cells). D-tip cells have a unique transcriptional signature, including high TGFβ signaling, and acquire blood-retina barrier properties. Endothelial deletion of TGFβ receptor I (Alk5) inhibits D-tip cell identity acquisition and deep vascular plexus formation. Loss of endothelial ALK5, but not of the canonical SMAD effectors, leads to aberrant contractile pericyte differentiation, and hemorrhagic vascular malformations. Our data reveal stage-specific tip cell heterogeneity as a requirement for retinal vascular development and suggest that noncanonical-TGFβ signaling could improve retinal revascularization and neural function in ischemic retinopathy.
Project description:Formation of organ-specific vasculatures requires cross-talk between developing tissue and specialized endothelial cells. Here we show how developing zebrafish spinal cord neurons coordinate vessel growth through balancing of neuron-derived Vegfaa, with neuronal sFlt1 restricting Vegfaa-Kdrl mediated angiogenesis at the neurovascular interface. Neuron-specific loss of flt1 or increased neuronal vegfaa expression promotes angiogenesis and peri-neural tube vascular network formation. Combining loss of neuronal flt1 with gain of vegfaa promotes sprout invasion into the neural tube. Upon loss of neuronal flt1, ectopic sprouts emanate from veins involving special angiogenic cell behaviors including nuclear positioning and a molecular signature distinct from primary artery or secondary venous sprouting. Manipulation of AV identity or Notch signaling established that ectopic sprouting in flt1 mutants requires venous endothelium. Conceptually our data suggest that spinal cord vascularization proceeds from veins involving two-tiered regulation of neuronal sFlt1 and Vegfaa via a novel sprouting mode.
Project description:Neurotrophins (NTs) promotes angiogenesis and EC survival, via tropomyosin kinase trkA and trkB receptors. A different p75NTR receptor of NTs, which belongs to the TNF-alfa receptor superfamily, is not or scarcely expressed by endothelial cells (EC) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) under basal conditions. Both diabetes and muscular ischemia induce p75NTR in capillary EC. In this study, by gene transfer, we forced the expression of p75NTR in EC and EPC to study the effect on cell survival, proliferation, adhesion, migration, and capillary-like tubes formation on matrigel, which all resulted impaired by p75NTR. We identified that p75NTR inhibits the VEGF-A/Akt/eNOS/NO pro-angiogenesis/pro-EC survival pathway and reduces the mRNA contents of survivin and securin in EC. By Illumina technology and real-time PCR, we found that p75-NTR alters the expression of VEGF-A and beta-1 integrin, which are implicated in angiogenesis and cell survival. p75NTR transfer to ischemic murine limb muscles impaired neoangiogenesis and blood flow recovery and induced apoptosis of bone marrow Sca-1+/Lin- progenitor cells. Diabetes induced p75NTR in bone marrow Sca-1+/Lin- cells and this correlated with apoptosis. Finally, inhibition of p75NTR signaling in diabetic ischemic limb muscles restored proper muscular neovascularization and blood flow recovery. Keywords: Response to ectopic receptor expression on angiogenesis Two series of 4 mice each were treated with either control adenovirus (AdNull) or adenovirus expressing neurotrophin p75 receptor (AdP75). Anaesthetized mice received 3 adenovirus injections (for a total of 109 p.f.u. virus in 20 micro L) into 3 equidistant sites of the normoperfused or ischemic left adductor muscles, as described (2. Emanueli C, Graiani G, Salis MB, Gadau S, Desortes E, Madeddu P. Prophylactic gene therapy with human tissue kallikrein ameliorates limb ischemia recovery in type 1 diabetic mice. Diabetes. 2004 Apr;53(4):1096-103. )
Project description:Objective: To determine the effects of age and topographic location on gene expression in human neural retina. Methods: Macular and peripheral neural retina RNA were isolated from human donor eyes for DNA microarray and quantitative RTPCR analyses. Results: Total RNA from human donor retina preserved integrity. Hierarchic clustering analysis demonstrates the gene expression profiles of young, old, macula and peripheral retina cluster into four distinct groups. Genes which are highly expressed in macular, peripheral, young or old retina are identified, including inhibitors of Wnt Signaling Pathway (DKK1, FZD10 and SFRP2) shown preferably expressed in the periphery. Conclusions: The transcriptome of the human retina is affected by age and topographic location. Wnt pathway inhibitors in the periphery may maintain peripheral retinal cells in an undifferentiated state. Understanding the effects of age and topographic location on gene expression may lead to the development of new therapeutic interventions for age-related eye diseases. Twleve youang and older retinal macular or prepheral RNA samples are used for DNA microarray study to compare the effects of aging and anatomic location on gene expression in human retina.