Integrin-linked kinase controls retinal angiogenesis and is linked to Wnt signaling and exudative vitreoretinopathy.
Nat Commun
; 10(1): 5243, 2019 11 20.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31748531
ABSTRACT
Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) is a human disease characterized by defective retinal angiogenesis and associated complications that can result in vision loss. Defective Wnt/ß-catenin signaling is an established cause of FEVR, whereas other molecular alterations contributing to the disease remain insufficiently understood. Here, we show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK), a mediator of cell-matrix interactions, is indispensable for retinal angiogenesis. Inactivation of the murine Ilk gene in postnatal endothelial cells results in sprouting defects, reduced endothelial proliferation and disruption of the blood-retina barrier, resembling phenotypes seen in established mouse models of FEVR. Retinal vascularization defects are phenocopied by inducible inactivation of the gene for α-parvin (Parva), an interactor of ILK. Screening genomic DNA samples from exudative vitreoretinopathy patients identifies three distinct mutations in human ILK, which compromise the function of the gene product in vitro. Together, our data suggest that defective cell-matrix interactions are linked to Wnt signaling and FEVR.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Retinal Vessels
/
Blood-Retinal Barrier
/
Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
/
Neovascularization, Physiologic
/
Endothelial Cells
/
Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathies
Limits:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Commun
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Year:
2019
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Germany