The histone acetyltransferase HBO1 (KAT7) promotes efficient tip cell sprouting during angiogenesis
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ABSTRACT: Blood vessel growth and remodelling are essential during embryonic development and disease pathogenesis. The diversity of endothelial cells (ECs) is transcriptionally evident and ECs undergo dynamic changes in gene expression during vessel growth and remodelling.Here, we investigated the role of the histone acetyltransferase HBO1 (KAT7), which is important for activating genes during development and histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac). Loss of HBO1 and H3K14ac impaired developmental sprouting angiogenesis and reduced pathological EC overgrowth in the retinal endothelium. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of retinal ECs revealed an increased abundance of tip cells in Hbo1 deleted retinas, which lead to EC overcrowding in the retinal sprouting front and prevented efficient tip cell migration. We found that H3K14ac was highly abundant in the endothelial genome in both intra- and intergenic regions suggesting that the role of HBO1 is as a genome organiser that promotes efficient tip cell behaviour necessary for sprouting angiogenesis.
Project description:Blood vessel growth and remodelling are essential during embryonic development and disease pathogenesis. The diversity of endothelial cells (ECs) is transcriptionally evident and ECs undergo dynamic changes in gene expression during vessel growth and remodelling.Here, we investigated the role of the histone acetyltransferase HBO1 (KAT7), which is important for activating genes during development and histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14ac). Loss of HBO1 and H3K14ac impaired developmental sprouting angiogenesis and reduced pathological EC overgrowth in the retinal endothelium. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of retinal ECs revealed an increased abundance of tip cells in Hbo1 deleted retinas, which lead to EC overcrowding in the retinal sprouting front and prevented efficient tip cell migration. We found that H3K14ac was highly abundant in the endothelial genome in both intra- and intergenic regions suggesting that the role of HBO1 is as a genome organiser that promotes efficient tip cell behaviour necessary for sprouting angiogenesis.
Project description:TDP-43 is a DNA/RNA-binding protein that regulates gene expression and its malfunction in neurons has been causally associated with multiple neurodegenerative disorders. Although progress has been made in understanding the functions of TDP-43 in neurons, little is known about its role in endothelial cells (ECs), angiogenesis and vascular function. Using inducible EC-specific TDP-43 knockout mice, we show that TDP-43 is required for sprouting angiogenesis, vascular barrier integrity and blood vessel stability. Postnatal EC-specific deletion of TDP-43 leads to retinal hypovascularization due to defects in vessel sprouting associated with reduced EC proliferation and migration. In mature blood vessels, loss of TDP-43 disrupts the blood-brain barrier and triggers vascular degeneration. These vascular defects are associated with an inflammatory response in the central-nervous system with activation of microglia and astrocytes. Mechanistically, deletion of TDP-43 disrupts fibronectin matrix around sprouting vessels and reduces -catenin signaling in ECs. Together, our results indicate that TDP-43 is essential for the formation of a stable and mature vasculature.
Project description:Although mitochondrial activity is critical for angiogenesis, its mechanism is not entirely clear. Here, we investigate the angiogenic functions of three separate nuclear genes that encode for mitochondrial proteins, including mitochondrial transcriptional factor (TFAM), respiratory complex IV component (COX10), and a mitochondrial redox protein thioredoxin 2 (TRX2), which are responsible for distinct mitochondrial functions. We aim to investigate if mitochondrial activities regulate common endothelial cell (EC) signaling pathways during angiogenesis. The silencing of Tfam, Cox10, or Trx2 in an in vitro 3D sprouting assay attenuates EC sprouting, which correlated with reduced EC proliferation but not with ROS generation or EC apoptosis. Mice with an inducible deletion of Tfam, Cox10, or Trx2 exhibit retarded retinal vessel growth without penetration into the deep plexi at early ages (P5-P12). The three mutant mice develop arteriovenous malformations (AVM) with microaneurysm formation in the microvessels at advanced ages (P12-P30); the hypovasculature and microaneurysm phenotypes resemble that of aged human retinas and human primitive retinal vascular abnormalities such as Coats’ disease, Leber’s military aneurysms and familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. Single-cell RNA-seq analyses of retinal ECs suggest that the three mutant mice have common EC clusters with reduced gene expressions in anion transporters, actin organization, extracellular matrix, and angiogenesis. These EC clusters also have increased gene expressions in endothelial-mesenchymal transition and arterial markers, correlating with enhanced TGFbR signaling in Tfam, Cox10, or Trx2-deficient mice. Importantly, pharmacological blockade by TGFbR inhibitors attenuated retinal vessel growth retardation and AVM formation in all three mutant mice. Our study demonstrates that mitochondrial dysfunction induces TGF-b receptor-mediated arteriovenous malformations and microaneurysm formation in mouse retinas, and provide a novel model and therapeutic intervention for human primitive retinal vascular abnormalities, which are characterized by retinal vascular malformations and are associated with many pathological complications such as diabetes and hypertension that can result in vision loss.
Project description:To determine the role of HBO1 in EC physiology, gene expression analysis was conducted on control and HBO1 siRNA-treated HUVECs. A total of 263 differentially regulated protein-coding transcripts were detected, many of which are key for growth and angiogenesis. Additionally, many genes involved in cell cycle, cell division, and DNA replication were dysregulated. HBO1-regulated genes were verified by qRT-PCR, including those with roles in vessel tone regulation (e.g. ACE1), vessel formation (e.g. CXCL16), EC activation (e.g. E-selectin), and cholesterol efflux (e.g. ABCG1).
Project description:Vessel co-option is an alternative mode of tumor vascularization, which contributes to resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy (AAT). In contrast to vessel sprouting (angiogenesis), knowledge about the mechanisms underlying vessel co-option is minimal, precluding therapeutic strategies. We therefore single-cell RNA-sequenced 31,964 cells from a murine lung metastasis model with vessel co-option, characterized by resistance to AAT. Unexpectedly, co-opted endothelial cells (ECs) were transcriptomically indistinguishable from healthy ECs and lacked an activation signature, while co-opted pericytes expressed a quiescence signature, in contrast to activated pericytes during angiogenesis. Compared with cancer cells during angiogenesis, co-opting cancer cells were phenotypically more diverse and enriched in invasive subpopulations. Together, these data reveal new insight into vessel co-option, with possible implications for the development of therapeutic targets.
Project description:The role of fatty acid synthesis (FAS) in endothelial cells (ECs) remains incompletely characterized. In this project, we found that silencing of fatty acid synthase (FASN) impedes vessel sprouting by reducing EC proliferation. Moreover, loss of FASN in ECs impaired angiogenesis in vivo, and FASN blockade reduced pathological ocular neovascularization. FASN silencing increased malonyl-CoA levels and immunoblotting of EC lysates for malonylated lysine residues (Kmal) revealed that this led to increased levels of protein malonylation. To identify the nature of some of the malonylated proteins we performed a proteomics screen using an anti-Kmal antibody to enrich Kmal peptides from a tryptic digest of EC lysates, and then analyzed Kmal peptides by LC-MS/MS. In proteomics analysis, we identified malonylation of mTOR at lysine 1218, a poorly characterized post-translational modification. Malonylation of mTOR did not compromise the mTORC1 complex stability or lysosomal membrane localization, but reduced the kinase activity of the complex.
Project description:Precise vascular patterning is critical for normal growth and development. The ERG transcription factor drives Delta like ligand 4 (DLL4)/Notch signalling and is thought to act as pivotal regulators of endothelial cell (EC) dynamics and developmental angiogenesis. However, molecular regulation of ERG activity remains obscure. Using a series of EC specific Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK)-knockout (KO) and point-mutant FAK-knockin mice, we show that loss of ECFAK, its kinase activity or phosphorylation at FAK-Y397, but not FAK-Y861, reduces ERG and DLL4 expression levels together with concomitant aberrations in vascular patterning. Rapid Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry of Endogenous Proteins identified that endothelial nuclear-FAK interacts with the de-ubiquitinase USP9x and the ubiquitin ligase TRIM25 enzymes. Further in silico analysis corroborates that ERG interacts with USP9x and TRIM25. Moreover, ERG levels are reduced in FAKKO ECs via a ubiquitin-mediated post-translational modification programme involving USP9x and TRIM25. Re-expression of ERG in vivo and in vitro rescues the aberrant vessel sprouting defects observed in the absence of ECFAK. Our findings identify ECFAK as a regulator of retinal vascular patterning by controlling ERG protein degradation via TRIM25/USP9x.