Endothelial tip/stalk cell selection requires BMP9-induced β_IV-spectrin expression during sprouting angiogenesis.

ABSTRACT: β_IV-Spectrin is a membrane cytoskeletal protein with specialized roles in the nervous system and heart. Recent evidence also indicates a fundamental role for β_IV-spectrin in angiogenesis as its endothelial-specific gene deletion in mice enhances embryonic lethality due to hypervascularization and hemorrhagic defects. During early vascular sprouting, β_IV-spectrin is believed to inhibit tip cell sprouting in favor of the stalk cell phenotype by mediating VEGFR2 internalization and degradation. Despite these essential roles, mechanisms governing β_IV-spectrin expression remain unknown. Here we identify bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) as a major inducer of β_IV-spectrin gene expression in the vascular system. We show that BMP9 signals th

SUBMITTER: Ahmed T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10295478 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature