Abstract 17171: Kruppel-Like Factor 4 Deletion Regulates Lymphatic Endothelial Cell Homeostasis

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Mastej ◽  
Cassondra Axen ◽  
Kishore Wary

Introduction and Hypothesis: Lymphatic vasculature exquisitely controls the clearance of metabolic end products, removal of bacterial endotoxins, and trafficking of immune cells. Signaling pathways that converge into endothelial cell kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) provide an atheroprotective role; however, the role of lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC)-KLF4 in these processes has not been clarified. Thus, we examined whether LEC-specific deletion of Klf4 alleles LECs. Methods and Results: After several generations of breeding, we transferred ROSA mT/mG (dual-fluorescent reporter allele mT/mG) to Prox1 CreERT2 (tamoxifen, TAM) inducible mice in C57 background to generate ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 mice. In the next breeding scheme, ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 female mice were crossed with male Klf4 fl/wt (Klf4 floxed allele) mice to generate heterozygous ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 ::Klf4 fl/wt offspring (50%). Thereafter, we bred male ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 ::Klf4 fl/wt with female ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 ::Klf4 fl/wt to produce ROSA mT/mG ::Prox1 CreERT2 ::Klf4 fl/fl genotype (25%). These mice (12-14 weeks old) received TAM for five consecutive days, and on 21 st or 28 th day all mice were sacrificed. To confirm LEC Cre activation after TAM administration, we prepared cryosections of lung and the heart tissues. Mice receiving TAM showed lively and clear separation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and tomato-Red colors, showing LEC specificity of Prox1 CreERT2 transgenic methodology. Cryosectioning combined with low- and high-resolution microscopy, and morphometric analyses of H&E sections showed disruption of LEC function and integrity in these mice. Biochemical experiments underway will address the role of KLF4 in lymphatic vessels homeostasis. Conclusion: These results indicate a key role for Klf4 in the regulation of lymphatic vessels.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249068
Author(s):  
Elena C. Sigmund ◽  
Lilian Baur ◽  
Philipp Schineis ◽  
Jorge Arasa ◽  
Victor Collado-Diaz ◽  
...  

Atypical chemokine receptor ACKR3 (formerly CXCR7) is a scavenging receptor that has recently been implicated in murine lymphatic development. Specifically, ACKR3-deficiency was shown to result in lymphatic hyperplasia and lymphedema, in addition to cardiac hyperplasia and cardiac valve defects leading to embryonic lethality. The lymphatic phenotype was attributed to a lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC)-intrinsic scavenging function of ACKR3 for the vascular peptide hormone adrenomedullin (AM), which is also important during postnatal lymphangiogenesis. In this study, we investigated the expression of ACKR3 in the lymphatic vasculature of adult mice and its function in postnatal lymphatic development and function. We show that ACKR3 is widely expressed in mature lymphatics and that it exerts chemokine-scavenging activity in cultured murine skin-derived LECs. To investigate the role of LEC-expressed ACKR3 in postnatal lymphangiogenesis and function during adulthood, we generated and validated a lymphatic-specific, inducible ACKR3 knockout mouse. Surprisingly, in contrast to the reported involvement of ACKR3 in lymphatic development, our analyses revealed no contribution of LEC-expressed ACKR3 to postnatal lymphangiogenesis, lymphatic morphology and drainage function.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (1) ◽  
pp. H193-H203 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Avraamides ◽  
M. E. Bromberg ◽  
J. P. Gaughan ◽  
S. M. Thomas ◽  
A. Y. Tsygankov ◽  
...  

Endothelial cell migration is critical for proper blood vessel development. Signals from growth factors and matrix proteins are integrated through focal adhesion proteins to alter cell migration. Hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone 5 (Hic-5), a paxillin family member, is enriched in the focal adhesions in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells, which migrate to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on denatured collagen. In this study, we investigate the role of Hic-5 in LPA-stimulated endothelial cell migration. LPA recruits Hic-5 to the focal adhesions and to the pseudopodia in BPAE cells plated on collagen, suggesting that recruitment of Hic-5 to focal adhesions is associated with endothelial cell migration. Knockdown of endogenous Hic-5 significantly decreases migration toward LPA, confirming involvement of Hic-5 in migration. To address the role of Hic-5 in endothelial cell migration, we exogenously expressed wild-type (WT) Hic-5 and green fluorescent protein Hic-5 C369A/C372A (LIM3 mutant) constructs in BPAE cells. WT Hic-5 expression increases chemotaxis of BPAE cells to LPA, whereas migration toward LPA of the green fluorescent protein Hic-5 C369A/C372A-expressing cells is similar to that shown in vector control cells. Additionally, ERK phosphorylation is enhanced in the presence of LPA in WT Hic-5 cells. A pharmacological inhibitor of MEK activity inhibits LPA-stimulated WT Hic-5 cell migration and ERK phosphorylation, suggesting Hic-5 enhances migration via MEK activation of ERK. Together, these studies indicate that Hic-5, a focal adhesion protein in endothelial cells, is recruited to the pseudopodia in the presence of LPA and enhances migration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (50) ◽  
pp. eabc2697
Author(s):  
Kim Pin Yeo ◽  
Hwee Ying Lim ◽  
Chung Hwee Thiam ◽  
Syaza Hazwany Azhar ◽  
Caris Tan ◽  
...  

A functional lymphatic vasculature is essential for tissue fluid homeostasis, immunity, and lipid clearance. Although atherosclerosis has been linked to adventitial lymphangiogenesis, the functionality of aortic lymphatic vessels draining the diseased aorta has never been assessed and the role of lymphatic drainage in atherogenesis is not well understood. We develop a method to measure aortic lymphatic transport of macromolecules and show that it is impaired during atherosclerosis progression, whereas it is ameliorated during lesion regression induced by ezetimibe. Disruption of aortic lymph flow by lymphatic ligation promotes adventitial inflammation and development of atherosclerotic plaque in hypercholesterolemic mice and inhibits ezetimibe-induced atherosclerosis regression. Thus, progression of atherosclerotic plaques may result not only from increased entry of atherogenic factors into the arterial wall but also from reduced lymphatic clearance of these factors as a result of aortic lymph stasis. Our findings suggest that promoting lymphatic drainage might be effective for treating atherosclerosis.


Angiogenesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Marziano ◽  
Gael Genet ◽  
Karen K. Hirschi

AbstractThere are two vascular networks in mammals that coordinately function as the main supply and drainage systems of the body. The blood vasculature carries oxygen, nutrients, circulating cells, and soluble factors to and from every tissue. The lymphatic vasculature maintains interstitial fluid homeostasis, transports hematopoietic cells for immune surveillance, and absorbs fat from the gastrointestinal tract. These vascular systems consist of highly organized networks of specialized vessels including arteries, veins, capillaries, and lymphatic vessels that exhibit different structures and cellular composition enabling distinct functions. All vessels are composed of an inner layer of endothelial cells that are in direct contact with the circulating fluid; therefore, they are the first responders to circulating factors. However, endothelial cells are not homogenous; rather, they are a heterogenous population of specialized cells perfectly designed for the physiological demands of the vessel they constitute. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the specification of arterial, venous, capillary, and lymphatic endothelial cell identities during vascular development. We also discuss how the dysregulation of these processes can lead to vascular malformations, and therapeutic approaches that have been developed for their treatment.


2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (3) ◽  
pp. F562-F570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vani Nilakantan ◽  
Cheryl Maenpaa ◽  
Guangfu Jia ◽  
Richard J. Roman ◽  
Frank Park

20-HETE, a metabolite of arachidonic acid, has been implicated as a mediator of free radical formation and tissue death following ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the brain and heart. The present study examined the role of this pathway in a simulated IR renal injury model in vitro. Modified self-inactivating lentiviral vectors were generated to stably overexpress murine Cyp4a12 following transduction into LLC-PK1 cells (LLC-Cyp4a12). We compared the survival of control and transduced LLC-PK1 cells following 4 h of ATP depletion and 2 h of recovery in serum-free medium. ATP depletion-recovery of LLC-Cyp4a12 cells resulted in a significantly higher LDH release ( P < 0.05) compared with LLC-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) cells. Treatment with the SOD mimetic MnTMPyP (100 μM) resulted in decreased cytotoxicity in LLC-Cyp4a12 cells. The selective 20-HETE inhibitor HET-0016 (10 μM) also inhibited cytotoxicity significantly ( P < 0.05) in LLC-Cyp4a12 cells. Dihydroethidium fluorescence showed that superoxide levels were increased to the same degree in LLC-EGFP and LLC-Cyp4a12 cells after ATP depletion-recovery compared with control cells and that this increase was inhibited by MnTMPyP. There was a significant increase ( P < 0.05) of caspase-3 cleavage, an effector protease of the apoptotic pathway, in the LLC-Cyp4a12 vs. LLC-EGFP cells ( P < 0.05). This was abolished in the presence of HET-0016 ( P < 0.05) or MnTMPyP ( P < 0.01). These results demonstrate that 20-HETE overexpression can significantly exacerbate the cellular damage that is associated with renal IR injury and that the programmed cell death is mediated by activation of caspase-3 and is partially dependent on enhanced CYP4A generation of free radicals.


Biochemistry ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 44 (49) ◽  
pp. 16211-16220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy I. Wood ◽  
David P. Barondeau ◽  
Chiharu Hitomi ◽  
Carey J. Kassmann ◽  
John A. Tainer ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 979-988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Gelosa ◽  
Davide Lecca ◽  
Marta Fumagalli ◽  
Dorota Wypych ◽  
Alice Pignieri ◽  
...  

The ADP-responsive P2Y12 receptor is expressed on both platelets and microglia. Clinical data show that ticagrelor, a direct-acting, reversibly binding P2Y12-receptor antagonist, reduces total cardiovascular events, including stroke. In our present study, we investigated the expression of P2Y12 receptors and the effects of ticagrelor on brain injury in Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Rats were treated per os with ticagrelor 3 mg/kg or vehicle at 10 minutes, 22, and 36 hours after MCAo and killed after 48 hours. Immunofluorescence analysis showed an ischemia-related modulation of the P2Y12 receptor, which is constitutively expressed in Iba1+ resting microglia. After MCAo, activated microglia was mainly concentrated around the lesion, with fewer cells present inside the ischemic core. Ticagrelor significantly attenuated the evolution of ischemic damage—evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 2, 24, and 48 hours after MCAo—, the number of infiltrating cells expressing the microglia/monocyte marker ED-1, the cerebral expression of proinflammatory mediators (interleukin 1 (IL-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)) and the associated neurologic impairment. In transgenic fluorescent reporter CX3CR1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice, 72 hours after MCAo, ticagrelor markedly reduced GFP+ microglia and both early and late infiltrating blood-borne cells. Finally, in primary cultured microglia, ticagrelor fully inhibited ADP-induced Chemotaxis ( P<0.01). Our results show that ticagrelor is protective against ischemia-induced cerebral injury and this effect is mediated, at least partly, by inhibition of P2Y12-mediated microglia activation and Chemotaxis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 799-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keylon L. Cheeseman ◽  
Takehiko Ueyama ◽  
Tanya M. Michaud ◽  
Kaori Kashiwagi ◽  
Demin Wang ◽  
...  

Protein kinase C-ϵ (PKC-ϵ) translocates to phagosomes and promotes uptake of IgG-opsonized targets. To identify the regions responsible for this concentration, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-protein kinase C-ϵ mutants were tracked during phagocytosis and in response to exogenous lipids. Deletion of the diacylglycerol (DAG)-binding ϵC1 and ϵC1B domains, or the ϵC1B point mutant ϵC259G, decreased accumulation at phagosomes and membrane translocation in response to exogenous DAG. Quantitation of GFP revealed that ϵC259G, ϵC1, and ϵC1B accumulation at phagosomes was significantly less than that of intact PKC-ϵ. Also, the DAG antagonist 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl glycerol (EI-150) blocked PKC-ϵ translocation. Thus, DAG binding to ϵC1B is necessary for PKC-ϵ translocation. The role of phospholipase D (PLD), phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC)-γ1, and PI-PLC-γ2 in PKC-ϵ accumulation was assessed. Although GFP-PLD2 localized to phagosomes and enhanced phagocytosis, PLD inhibition did not alter target ingestion or PKC-ϵ localization. In contrast, the PI-PLC inhibitor U73122 decreased both phagocytosis and PKC-ϵ accumulation. Although expression of PI-PLC-γ2 is higher than that of PI-PLC-γ1, PI-PLC-γ1 but not PI-PLC-γ2 consistently concentrated at phagosomes. Macrophages from PI-PLC-γ2-/-mice were similar to wild-type macrophages in their rate and extent of phagocytosis, their accumulation of PKC-ϵ at the phagosome, and their sensitivity to U73122. This implicates PI-PLC-γ1 as the enzyme that supports PKC-ϵ localization and phagocytosis. That PI-PLC-γ1 was transiently tyrosine phosphorylated in nascent phagosomes is consistent with this conclusion. Together, these results support a model in which PI-PLC-γ1 provides DAG that binds to ϵC1B, facilitating PKC-ϵ localization to phagosomes for efficient IgG-mediated phagocytosis.


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