Developmental endothelial locus-1 (Del-1) is an endothelial cell-derived secreted protein circulating in blood and associated with the cell surface and the extracellular matrix. As we previously demonstrated, Del-1 restricts leukocyte recruitment by inhibiting the β2-integrin, LFA-1. Leukocytes and progenitor cells (PC) may contribute to angiogenesis. The role of endogenous Del-1 in angiogenesis is elusive. We found, that physiological angiogenesis of the developing retina was not affected in the Del-1-/- mice compared to the wildtype (WT) mice. Surprisingly, Del-1-/- mice displayed a significantly increased angiogenic response compared to WT mice after induction of hind limb ischemia (144 ± 6 % increase of capillary density) and retinal ischemia (retinopathy of prematurity model) suggesting that endogenous Del-1 is an inhibitor of ischemia-induced neovascularization. Silencing of Del-1 with siRNA did not affect the angiogenic sprouting of endothelial cell (EC) spheroids, indicating that Del-1 blocks angiogenesis in a non-endothelial cell autonomous pathway. Soluble Del-1 blocked the adhesion of inflammatory cells on EC monolayers. In line with these results, ischemic muscles and ischemic retinae from Del-1-/- mice displayed an enhanced infiltration with inflammatory cells compared to the WT mice. Since Del-1 blocks inflammatory cell homing by inhibiting the leukocytic LFA-1-integrin, we addressed the role of the Del-1/LFA-1-integrin interaction on the inhibitory function of endogenous Del-1 on angiogenesis. Indeed, Del-1/LFA-1-double deficiency reversed the pro-angiogenic phenotype of the Del-1-/- mice to the level of WT mice in the model of hind limb ischemia. Thus, the inhibitory role of Del-1 on neovascularization is mediated by the interaction of Del-1 with the LFA-1-integrin. Moreover, Del-1-deficiency led to an increased homing of intravenously injected murine fluorescence-labeled WT Lin- BM PC in ischemic muscles in comparison to WT mice after the induction of hind limb ischemia. Taken together, Del-1 acts as a negative regulator of ischemia-induced angiogenesis by interacting with the LFA-1-integrin expressed in hematopoietic cells, thereby inhibiting the homing of hematopoietic cells to ischemic tissues.
FACS-purified myoblasts producing controlled VEGF levels induce safe and stable angiogenesis in chronic hind limb ischemia
