Molecular Regulation of Vascular Sprout Formation

项目总结/摘要 萌芽血管生成，即血管萌芽的形成，对于构建复合体和 维持生命所需的高度分枝的血管树。这一过程在伤口愈合中也起着关键作用 和器官再生此外，太多、太少或以其他方式异常的芽形成是相关的 有很多疾病。因此，有很多兴趣在治疗操作的萌芽血管生成。 然而，为了实现这一目标，我们必须首先剖析调节这一重要过程的分子机制。这 正是这一开创性提案的首要目标，第一个解决血管内皮细胞如何 生长因子（VEGF）和脑信号蛋白-丛蛋白D1（Sema-PlxnD 1）通路通过三个共享的 分子组成，并决定芽形成的基本方面，如丰度， 血管分支的位置和形状。这里描述的实验利用了互补的 斑马鱼和培养的内皮细胞作为萌芽血管生成的模型系统的优点， 采用创新的转录后基因表达的荧光报告基因， 这三个共享的途径组件中的每一个。通过阐明VEGF和Sema-PlxnD 1如何相互作用， 目前的研究将提供关键的见解的分子机制，内皮细胞用于整合 在芽形成过程中的相反输入，并提出了新的分子靶点，用于治疗操作， 这个过程这种新的疗法可以帮助那些由于以下原因而有失明风险的人保持视力。 过度的角膜血管化（渗出性黄斑变性），恢复适当的血液供应， 在许多癌症患者中，通过使其正常化来限制肿瘤的生长和扩散。 肿瘤脉管系统

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Sprouting angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessel sprouts, is essential for building the complex and highly branched vascular tree required to sustain life. This process also plays pivotal roles in wound healing and organ regeneration. In addition, too much, too little or otherwise abnormal sprout formation is associated with many diseases. Thus, there is much interest in the therapeutic manipulation of sprouting angiogenesis. However, to achieve this we must first dissect the molecular mechanisms that regulate this vital process. This is precisely the overarching goal of this pioneering proposal, the first to address how the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Semaphorin-PlexinD1 (Sema-PlxnD1) pathways interact via three shared molecular components and determine fundamental aspects of sprout formation, such as the abundance, positioning and shape of vascular branches. The experiments described here exploit the complementary advantages of the zebrafish and cultured endothelial cells as model systems for sprouting angiogenesis, employ innovative fluorescent reporters of post-transcriptional gene expression and novel zebrafish mutants of each of the three shared pathway components. By elucidating how VEGF and Sema-PlxnD1 interact the present study will provide key insights into the molecular mechanisms that endothelial cells use to integrate opposing inputs during sprout formation and suggest novel molecular targets for therapeutic manipulation of this process. Such new therapies could help to preserve the sight of people at risk for blindness due to excessive corneal vascularization (exudative macular degeneration), restore proper blood supply to those suffering from ischemia and limit the growth and spread of tumors in many cancer patients by normalizing their tumor vasculature.