Influence of Anti-VEGFA and dexamathasone treatments on the early phase of cornea angiogenesis
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we monitor gene expression profiles of the pre-sprouting phase of corneal angiogenesis in the rat model, as influenced by topically applied treatments. We used GeneChip Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array to monitor gene expression profies of several genes in the different treatment groups
Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:Angiogenesis in collagen gel cultures of rat aorta begins with neovessels sprouting from the aortic explant within the first three days of culture. We used microarrays to detail the pattern of gene expression underlying initial 24 hours of growth, prior to the sprouting of visible neovessles, and identified distinct classes of up-regulated genes during this process.
Project description:Angiogenesis in collagen gel cultures of rat aorta begins with neovessels sprouting from the aortic explant within the first three days of culture. We used microarrays to detail the pattern of gene expression underlying initial 24 hours of growth, prior to the sprouting of visible neovessles, and identified distinct classes of up-regulated genes during this process. Either freshly harvested aortic rings, representing day 0, or collagen gel cultures of rat aorta were grown in serum free medium and used to prepare total RNA.
Project description:Angiogenesis in cultures of rat aorta begins with neovessels sprouting from the aortic explant within the first three days of culture. We used microarrys to examine the effects of TNF-alpha on gene expression in both fibrin and collagen gels during the first 48 hours or culture.
Project description:Angiogenesis in cultures of rat aorta begins with neovessels sprouting from the aortic explant within the first three days of culture. We used microarrys to examine the effects of TNF-alpha on gene expression in both fibrin and collagen gels during the first 48 hours or culture. Rat aortic rings were cultured in either collagen or fibrin maticies. Half of the cultures from each matrix group were treated with 10ng/ml recombinant rat TNF-alpha, and half were left untreated. These cultures were used to prepare total RNA
Project description:Blood vessels are highly organized and form during development through a series of complex processes that include vasculogenesis, sprouting angiogenesis, and vessel remodeling. Several gap junction proteins (termed connexins, Cx) – including Cx40 (GJA5) – are expressed in vascular endothelium early during vessel development and are critical for establishment of a healthy vasculature. However, Cx40’s specific role in regulating vessel growth remains uncertain: while previous studies have shown that developmental and cancer-associated neovascularization is reduced in Cx40-knockout mice, Cx40 knockout in zebrafish embryos enhances intersegmental vessel growth. Thus, in the current study, our aim was to identify Cx40’s specific role in sprouting angiogenesis. First, we used a vessel-on-a-chip microphysiological model to confirm Cx40’s overall necessity for microvessel network development. Next, we used the fibrin gel bead assay – a three-dimensional in vitro model of sprouting angiogenesis – to assess Cx40’s necessity for this process. We found that Cx40 knockdown in endothelial cells drives more aggressive sprouting angiogenesis in association with increased endothelial cell proliferation. By contrast, using Electrical Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) we observed no effect of Cx40 knockdown on endothelial cell migration. Lastly, we found that Cx37 (GJA4) is reduced in Cx40- deficient endothelial cells, and that targeted silencing of Cx37 alone produces a more aggressive, hyper-sprouting phenotype compared to control or Cx40 knockdown endothelial cells. Taken together, our data argue that Cx40 plays multiple roles during vessel growth, including to specifically limit sprouting angiogenesis, and that this may occur (at least in part) through regulation of endothelial Cx37 levels.
Project description:Specific Aims To identify novel transcriptional events associated with angiogenesis in VEGF and Ang-1 stimulated rat aortic rings. Our studies take advantage of the capacity of rat aortic rings to generate new vessels in collagen gels. Rat aortic rings embedded in collagen gel immediately after excision from the animal produce a self-limited angiogenic response under serum-free conditions and in the absence of exogenous stimuli. This angiogenic response can be dose-dependently promoted by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), which are critical regulators of the angiogenic process during embryonal development and postnatal angiogenesis. Aortic rings lose their capacity to spontaneously generate new vessels if embedded in collagen gels 10-14 days after excision. VEGF has the capacity to turn back “on” these quiescent rings producing florid angiogenesis. Conversely, Ang-1 potentiates an existing angiogenic response, but is unable to turn the quiescent system “on”. Since VEGF-mediated induction of angiogenic sprouting occurs 1-2 days of treatment, we hypothesize that this process is regulated by a unique set of “angiogenesis inducer genes” that are activated by VEGF and not by Ang-1. Identification of the proteins encoded by these genes may advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the earliest stages of the angiogenic cascade. Keywords: Response to growth factors
Project description:Several environmental pollutants have been reported to exhibit either pro-angiogenic or anti-angiogenic effects, which may contribute to related vascular diseases. However, the specific mechanism by which pollutants induce sprouting angiogenesis is unclear, and there are few studies on the association between the site of hyperangiogenesis and vascular diseases. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to bisphenol S (BPS, 1~100 µg/L) and tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS, 0.1 and 10 µg/L) from the embryonic to the larval stage to investigate how pollutants interfere with the function of ectopic sprouting vessels. Results showed that BPS and TBBPS promoted ectopic sprouting angiogenesis in different types of vascular plexus at different developmental time points but inhibited vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) expression. The proteomic analyses on eGFP-positive endothelial cells isolated from Tg(flk1: eGFP) zebrafish indicated that both BPS and TBBPS induced ectopic angiogenesis through inhibiting VE-cadherin-mediated adherens junction and activating the downstream pro-angiogenic signaling. In ectopic sprouting vessels induced by BPS and TBBPS, an increased endothelial permeability resulted in white blood cells recruitment and erythrocyte retention. Human oxidized lipids were also prone to deposit in these ectopic vessels following BPS and TBBPS exposure. This suggests that ectopic angiogenesis is a cause of vascular dysfunction and related diseases.
Project description:We exploited a three-dimensional model of sprouting angiogenesis in which the phenotypic switch from quiescent ECs to tip cells was triggered by VEGF-A. The information obtained about modulated miRNAs and their related protein-coding gene targets was used to generate a co-expression network encompassing gene modules that are post-transcriptionally regulated and whose activity is required for sprouting.