TFEB controls integrin-mediated endothelial cell adhesion by the regulation of cholesterol metabolism
AbstractThe dynamic integrin-mediated adhesion of endothelial cells (ECs) to the surrounding ECM is fundamental for angiogenesis both in physiological and pathological conditions, such as embryonic development and cancer progression. The dynamics of EC-to-ECM adhesions relies on the regulation of the conformational activation and trafficking of integrins. Here, we reveal that oncogenic transcription factor EB (TFEB), a known regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and metabolism, also controls a transcriptional program that influences the turnover of ECM adhesions in ECs by regulating cholesterol metabolism. We show that TFEB fa...
Source: Angiogenesis - May 11, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

Targeting SMYD2 inhibits angiogenesis and increases the efficiency of apatinib by suppressing EGFL7 in colorectal cancer
AbstractAngiogenesis is an essential factor affecting the occurrence and development of solid tumors. SET And MYND Domain Containing 2 (SMYD2) serves as an oncogene in various cancers. However, whether SMYD2 is involved in tumor angiogenesis remains unclear. Here, we report that SMYD2 expression is associated with microvessel density in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. SMYD2 promotes CRC angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SMYD2 physically interacts with HNRNPK and mediates lysine monomethylation at K422 of HNRNPK, which substantially increases RNA binding activity. HNRNPK acts by binding and stabilizing EG...
Source: Angiogenesis - May 3, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

Trafficking in blood vessel development
AbstractBlood vessels demonstrate a multitude of complex signaling programs that work in concert to produce functional vasculature networks during development. A known, but less widely studied, area of endothelial cell regulation is vesicular trafficking, also termed sorting. After moving through the Golgi apparatus, proteins are shuttled to organelles, plugged into membranes, recycled, or degraded depending on the internal and extrinsic cues. A snapshot of these protein-sorting systems can be viewed as a trafficking signature that is not only unique to endothelial tissue, but critically important for blood vessel form and...
Source: Angiogenesis - April 21, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

KIT is dispensable for physiological organ vascularisation in the embryo
AbstractBlood vessels form vast networks in all vertebrate organs to sustain tissue growth, repair and homeostatic metabolism, but they also contribute to a range of diseases with neovascularisation. It is, therefore, important to define the molecular mechanisms that underpin blood vessel growth. The receptor tyrosine kinase KIT is required for the normal expansion of hematopoietic progenitors that arise during embryogenesis from hemogenic endothelium in the yolk sac and dorsal aorta. Additionally, KIT has been reported to be expressed in endothelial cells during embryonic brain vascularisation and has been implicated in p...
Source: Angiogenesis - April 13, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

NRASQ61R mutation in human endothelial cells causes vascular malformations
AbstractSomatic mutations in NRAS drive the pathogenesis of melanoma and other cancers but their role in vascular anomalies and specifically human endothelial cells is unclear. The goals of this study were to determine whether the somatic-activating NRASQ61R mutation in human endothelial cells induces abnormal angiogenesis and to develop in vitro and in vivo models to identify disease-causing pathways and test inhibitors. Here, we used mutant NRASQ61R and wild-type NRAS (NRASWT) expressing human endothelial cells in in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis models. These studies demonstrated that expression of NRASQ61R in human en...
Source: Angiogenesis - April 7, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

In vivo dissection of Rhoa function in vascular development using zebrafish
In this study, we examine the in vivo functions of RHOA in regulating vascular development and integrity in zebrafish. We use zebrafish RHOA-ortholog (rhoaa) mutants, transgenic embryos expressing wild type, dominant negative, or constitutively active forms ofrhoaa in ECs, pharmacological inhibitors of RHOA and ROCK1/2, and Rock1 and Rock2a/b dgRNP-injected zebrafish embryos to study the in vivo consequences of RHOA gain- and loss-of-function in the vascular endothelium. Our findings document roles for RHOA in vascular integrity, developmental angiogenesis, and vascular morphogenesis in vivo, showing that either too much o...
Source: Angiogenesis - March 23, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

Molecular mechanisms of coronary microvascular endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus: focus on mitochondrial quality surveillance
AbstractCoronary microvascular endothelial dysfunction is both a culprit and a victim of diabetes, and can accelerate diabetes-related microvascular and macrovascular complications by promoting vasoconstrictive, pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic responses. Perturbed mitochondrial function induces oxidative stress, disrupts metabolism and activates apoptosis in endothelial cells, thus exacerbating the progression of coronary microvascular complications in diabetes. The mitochondrial quality surveillance (MQS) system responds to stress by altering mitochondrial metabolism, dynamics (fission and fusion), mitophagy and bioge...
Source: Angiogenesis - March 18, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research

Capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (CMG2) mediates growth factor-induced angiogenesis by regulating endothelial cell chemotaxis
AbstractAnthrax protective antigen (PA) is a potent inhibitor of pathological angiogenesis with an unknown mechanism. In anthrax intoxication, PA interacts with capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (CMG2) and tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8). Here, we show that CMG2 mediates the antiangiogenic effects of PA and is required for growth-factor-induced chemotaxis. Using specific inhibitors of CMG2 and TEM8 interaction with natural ligand, as well as mice with the CMG2 or TEM8 transmembrane and intracellular domains disrupted, we demonstrate that inhibiting CMG2, but not TEM8 reduces growth-factor-induced angiogenesis in the cornea....
Source: Angiogenesis - February 25, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research