RESUMO
Angiogenesis is a highly organized process under the control of guidance cues that direct endothelial cell (EC) migration. Recently, many molecules that were initially described as regulators of neural guidance were subsequently shown to also direct EC migration. Here, we report a novel protein, thrombospondin type I domain containing 7A (Thsd7a), that is a neural molecule required for directed EC migration during embryonic angiogenesis in zebrafish. Thsd7a is a vertebrate conserved protein. Zebrafish thsd7a transcript was detected along the ventral edge of the neural tube in the developing zebrafish embryos, correlating with the growth path of angiogenic intersegmental vessels (ISVs). Morpholino-knockdown of Thsd7a caused a lateral deviation of angiogenic ECs below the thsd7a-expressing sites, resulting in aberrant ISV patterning. Collectively, our study shows that zebrafish Thsd7a is a neural protein required for ISV angiogenesis, and suggests an important role of Thsd7a in the neurovascular interaction during zebrafish development.
Assuntos
Vasos Sanguíneos/embriologia , Padronização Corporal/genética , Neovascularização Fisiológica/genética , Trombospondinas/fisiologia , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/fisiologia , Peixe-Zebra/embriologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Vasos Sanguíneos/metabolismo , Sistema Nervoso Central/embriologia , Sistema Nervoso Central/metabolismo , Embrião não Mamífero , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Neovascularização Fisiológica/fisiologia , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/genética , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismo , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/fisiologia , Filogenia , Homologia de Sequência de Aminoácidos , Trombospondinas/genética , Trombospondinas/metabolismo , Peixe-Zebra/genética , Peixe-Zebra/metabolismo , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/genética , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/metabolismoRESUMO
Angiogenesis is a highly organized process controlled by a series of molecular events. While much effort has been devoted to identifying angiogenic factors and their reciprocal receptors, far less information is available on the molecular mechanisms underlying directed endothelial cell migration. To search for novel proteins that participate in this process, we used the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) transcript profiling approach to identify genes that are selectively expressed in endothelial cells (ECs). Two EC SAGE libraries were constructed from human umbilical vein and artery ECs to enable data-mining against other non-ECs. A novel endothelial protein, Thrombospondin Type I Domain Containing 7A (THSD7A), with preferential expression in placenta vasculature and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was identified and targeted for further characterization. Overexpression of a THSD7A carboxyl-terminal fragment in HUVECs inhibited cell migration and disrupted tube formation, while suppression of THSD7A expression enhanced HUVEC migration and tube formation. Immunohistological analysis revealed that THSD7A was expressed at the leading edge of migrating HUVECs, and it co-localized with alpha(V)beta(3) integrin and paxillin. This distribution was dispersed from focal adhesions after disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, suggesting the involvement of THSD7A in cytoskeletal organization. Our results show that THSD7A is a novel placenta endothelial protein that mediates EC migration and tube formation, and they highlight its potential as a new target for anti-angiogenic therapy.