VEGFR-1 mediates endothelial differentiation and formation of blood vessels in a murine model of infantile hemangioma

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) is a member of the VEGFR family, and binds to VEGF-A, VEGF-B, and placental growth factor. VEGFR-1 contributes to tumor growth and metastasis, but its role in the pathological formation of blood vessels is still poorly understood. Herein, we used infantile hemangioma (IH), the most common tumor of infancy, as a means to study VEGFR-1 activation in pathological vasculogenesis. IH arises from stem cells (HemSCs) that can form the three most prominent cell types in the tumor: endothelial cells, pericytes, and adipocytes. HemSCs can recapitulate the IH life cycle when injected in immuncompromised mice, and are targeted by corticosteroids, the traditional treatment for IH. We report here that VEGF-A or VEGF-B induces VEGFR-1-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation in HemSCs and promotes differentiation of HemSCs to endothelial cells. Studies of VEGFR-2 phosphorylation status and down-regulation of neuropilin-1 in the HemSCs demonstrate that VEGFR-2 and NRP1 are not needed for VEGF-A- or VEGF-B-induced ERK1/2 activation. U0216-mediated blockade of ERK1/2 phosphorylation or shRNA-mediated suppression of VEGFR-1 prevents HemSC-to-EC differentiation. Furthermore, the down-regulation of VEGFR-1 in the HemSCs results in decreased formation of blood vessels in vivo and reduced ERK1/2 activation. Thus, our study reveals a critical role for VEGFR-1 in the HemSC-to-EC differentiation that underpins pathological vasculogenesis in IH.     

Production of soluble ICAM-1 from human endothelial cells induced by IL-1β and TNF-α

The present study was designed to establish the effects of cytokines on soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) production by human endothelial cells (EC) and ICAM-1 expression on these cells and the effects of purified sICAM-1 on lympho-cyte-EC adhesion. Expression of ICAM-1 and production of sICAM-1 were measured by a specific ELISA method. ICAM-1 expression was enhanced by IL-1β, TNF-α, and most effectively by IFN-γ. IL-4, IL-6, M-CSF, or GM-CSF showed no effects on ICAM-1 expression. IL-4 (100 units/ml) or IL-6(100 units/ml) abolished the enhancing effect of IL-1β, while TNF-α (1, 10, 100 units/ml) synergized with IL-1β to promote ICAM-1 expression in EC. In contrast with the transient increase of cell-associated ICAM-1 expression after activiation by IL-1β, which peaked 40 h poststimulation and declined thereafter, sICAM-1 continued to accumulate in culture supernatants even after 48 h poststimulation in IL-1β-stimulated EC. IL-1β treatment resulted in an increase in adhesion. sICAM-1, purified from cell-free supernatants obtained after a 48-h culture of EC in IL-1β by affinity chromatography using monoclonal ICAM-1 antibody coupled to Sepharose beads, significantly inhibited lymphocyte EC adhesion. Preincubation of lymphocytes with conditioned medium of EC cultured with 100 units/ml IL-1β for 48 h, which contained a considerable amount of sICAM-1, resulted in a significant inhibition of lymphocyte adhesion to IL-1β-stimulated EC. These results suggest that there is a cumulative increase in sICAM-1 concentration in the vicinity of cytokine-stimulated EC and that this sICAM-1 modulates ICAM-1-mediated cell to cell interaction.     

Release from alginate enhances the biological activity of vascular endothelial growth factor

A primary factor which limits engineering tissues of substantial size is the lack of nutrients readily available to transplanted cells. One potential solution to this nutrient limitation is to encourage the rapid development of a vascular network within three-dimensional tissue engineering matrices. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as a potent stimulator of angiogenesis in vivo. Though effective at stimulating endothelial cells to form blood vessels VEGF degrades rapidly. Spherical alginate beads (3.3±0.1 mm diameter) were examined as a means of delivering biologically functional VEGF at a controlled rate over extended times. The alginate beads demonstrated the ability to incorporate VEGF with an efficiency between 30 and 67%, depending on the processing conditions, and release it at a constant rate (5%/day) for up to 14 days in vitro. The released VEGF, when assayed for its ability to stimulate endothelial cells in culture, was found not only to be functional but more potent (three to five times) than the same mass of VEGF added directly to the culture medium. The release kinetics of freeze dried VEGF containing alginate beads were also examined and found to be comparable to non-freeze dried samples.     

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor Flt-1 (VEGFR-1) modulates Flk-1 (VEGFR-2) signaling during blood vessel formation

Mice lacking the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor flt-1 (VEGFR-1) die from vascular overgrowth, caused primarily by aberrant endothelial cell division (Kearney JB, Ambler CA, Monaco KA, Johnson N, Rapoport RG, Bautch VL: Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor Flt-1 negatively regulates developmental blood vessel formation by modulating endothelial cell division. Blood 2002, 99:2397-2407). Because a second high-affinity VEGF receptor, flk-1, produces a positive endothelial proliferation signal, it was logical to ask whether flt-1 affects developmental blood vessel formation by modulating signaling through flk-1. Differentiated embryonic stem cell cultures lacking flt-1 (flt-1-/-) had increased flk-1 tyrosine phosphorylation, indicating that flk-1 signaling is up-regulated in the mutant background. The selective flk-1 inhibitor SU5416 partially rescued the flt-1-/- mutant phenotype, and this rescue was accompanied by a decrease in the relative amount of flk-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. Thus reduced flk-1 signal transduction can partially compensate for the lack of flt-1. The flt-1-/- mutant phenotype was also partially rescued by Flt-1/Fc, a truncated flt-1 that binds and sequesters the VEGF ligand. Taken together, these data show that down-regulation of flk-1 signaling by two different strategies partially rescues the developmental vascular overgrowth seen in the absence of flt-1, and they support a model whereby flt-1 modulates the flk-1 signal at an early point in the pathway.     

Development of an ELISA to measure soluble CD163 in biological fluids

CD163 is a monocyte/macrophage restricted transmembrane glycoprotein and a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) family of proteins. SRCR proteins are typically associated with the immune system. The regulation of CD163 by cytokines and glucocorticoids suggests that it plays a role in inflammatory processes. While CD163 is expressed as a membrane-bound protein, it has been shown to be actively shed from the surface of monocytes in a protease-dependent fashion when cells are stimulated with a phorbol ester. To better elucidate the function and biological importance of CD163, we have developed a solid-phase sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) for the detection of soluble CD163 in biological fluids. This assay has good repeatability both within and between runs (coefficients of variation (CVs) of 3.2% and 7.1% or better, respectively). While detection of CD163 was inhibited by ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), CD163 immunoreactivity was not altered by the addition of heparin or hemoglobin. This report details the development of this novel assay for soluble CD163 and provides the first evidence of CD163 immunoreactivity in normal plasma and serum samples.     

Serum MASP-1 in complex with MBL activates endothelial cells

The complement system plays an important role in the induction of inflammation. In this study we demonstrate that the initiation complexes of the lectin pathway, consisting of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and associated serine proteases (MASPs) elicit Ca²⁺ signaling in cultured endothelial cells (HUVECs). This is in agreement with our previous results showing that the recombinant catalytic fragment of MASP-1 activates endothelial cells by cleaving protease activated receptor 4. Two other proteases, MASP-2 and MASP-3 are also associated with MBL. Earlier we showed that recombinant catalytic fragment of MASP-2 cannot activate HUVECs, and in this study we demonstrate that the same fragment of MASP-3 has also no effect. We find the same to be the case if we use recombinant forms of the N-terminal parts of MASP-1 and MASP-2 which only contain non-enzymatic domains. Moreover, stable zymogen mutant form of MASP-1 was also ineffective to stimulate endothelial cells, which suggests that in vivo MASP-1 have the ability to activate endothelial cells directly as well as to activate the lectin pathway simultaneously. We show that among the components of the MBL–MASPs complexes only MASP-1 is able to trigger response in HUVECs and the proteolytic activity of MASP-1 is essential. Our results strengthen the view that MASP-1 plays a central role in the early innate immune response.     

Release of vasoactive substances from endothelial cells by shear stress and purinergic mechanosensory transduction

The evidence for release of vasoactive substances from endothelial cells in response to shear stress caused by the viscous drag of passing fluids is reviewed and, in particular, its physiological significance both in short-term regulation of blood vessel tone and in long-term regulation of cell growth, differentiation, proliferation, and cell death in pathophysiological conditions is discussed. A new concept of purinergic mechanosensory transduction, particularly in relation to nociception, is introduced. It is proposed that distension of tubes (including ureter, vagina, salivary and bile ducts, gut) and sacs (including urinary and gall bladders, and lung) leads to release of ATP from the lining epithelium, which then acts on P2X_2/3 receptors on subepithelial sensory nerves to convey information to the CNS.     

可溶性syndecan-1 对人多发性骨髓瘤细胞体外的生物学作用

目的：研究可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１（ＣＤ１３８）分子对人多发性骨髓瘤（ＭＭ）细胞生长行为的影响及其机制。方法：用亲和层析法分离可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１;借助＾３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ掺入、间接免疫荧光、ＡＮＮＥＸＩＮ－Ｖ及ＰＩ标记分析ＭＭ细胞增殖、凋亡周期变化。结果：（１）从ＸＧ－２细胞培养上清中分离纯化得到分子量为６０ｋＤ左右的可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１分子;（２）可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１分子在体外能抑制ＸＧ－１增殖,阻滞细胞增殖停留在Ｇ２／Ｍ期。并介导其凋亡;ＦＧＦ、５％小牛血清、肝素酶Ⅲ可逆转一定浓度可溶性ｓｙｎ－ｄｅｃａｎ－１的作用,ＨＧＦ、ＶＥＧＦ和ＩＧＦ－１可部分逆转可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１分子对细胞的生长抑制作用;（３）ＩＬ－６及激发型抗ＩＬ－６Ｒ１３０（ｇｐ１３０）单抗对可溶性ｓｙｎｄｅｃａｎ－１ｗ     

Magnetic separation of micro-spheres from viscous biological fluids

A magnetically based detoxification system is being developed as a therapeutic tool for selective and rapid removal of biohazards, i.e. chemicals and radioactive substances, from human blood. One of the key components of this system is a portable magnetic separator capable of separating polymer-based magnetic nano/micro-spheres from arterial blood flow in an ex vivo unit. The magnetic separator consists of an array of alternating and parallel capillary tubing and magnetizable wires, which is exposed to an applied magnetic field created by two parallel permanent magnets such that the magnetic field is perpendicular to both the wires and the fluid flow. In this paper, the performance of this separator was evaluated via preliminary in vitro flow experiments using a separator unit consisting of single capillary glass tubing and two metal wires. Pure water, ethylene glycol-water solution (v:v=39:61 and v:v=49:51) and human whole blood were used as the fluids. The results showed that when the viscosity increased from 1.0 cp to 3.0 cp, the capture efficiency (CE) decreased from 90% to 56%. However, it is still feasible to obtain >90% CE in blood flow if the separator design is optimized to create higher magnetic gradients and magnetic fields in the separation area.     

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells promote lymphohematopoietic differentiation from murine embryonic stem cells: Role of soluble factors

Liver sinusoid endothelial cells (LSEC) constitute an in vitro and in vivo microenvironment for the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Previously, we have shown that LSEC support the survival and growth of murine embryonic stem cells (ESC). In this study, we investigated the capacity of LSEC to promote hematopoietic differentiation from the murine ESC cell line, CGR8. Undifferentiated ESC were cultured on LSEC monolayers in the absence of exogenous cytokines. After 10 and 20 days, cells were harvested and examined by their morphology, phenotype and capacity of hematopoietic colony formation. Microscopic observation of LSEC/ESC cocultures showed the presence of cobblestone areas formation, which indicates active hematopoiesis. Morphological analysis of cell from these foci showed the presence of hematopoietic cells at different stages of differentiation. Cells expressing B lymphoid markers (B220 and CD19) were detected by flow cytometry, and clonogenic assays showed the formation of CFU-pre B colonies. Similar results were observed when ESC were cultured with LSEC conditioned media. Myeloid precursors were also detected by the presence of CFU-GM colonies and cells expressing myeloid markers. These results indicate that LSEC provided an in vitro microenvironment mainly for B cell development, but also myeloid differentiation from ESC. Coculture of ESC with LSEC may constitute a very powerful tool to study the mechanisms involved in B cell generation from ESC.     

敲减FGFR1基因表达对婴幼儿血管瘤内皮细胞生物学特性的影响

目的:研究敲减成纤维细胞生长因子受体1(FGFR1)基因的表达对婴幼儿血管瘤内皮细胞(HemECs)活力、凋亡、侵袭和迁移的影响。方法:经转染FGFR1小干扰RNA(si-FGFR1)下调FGFR1表达,研究FGFR1对HemECs生物学特性的影响,以CCK-8法检测细胞活力的变化,流式细胞术检测细胞的凋亡水平, Transwell实验检测细胞侵袭和迁移能力的改变;Western blot法检测磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶(PI3K)、蛋白激酶B(AKT)和磷酸化AKT(p-AKT)的蛋白水平。结果:转染si-FGFR1进入HemECs能够显著抑制细胞的活力(P0.05),促进其凋亡(P0.05),降低细胞的侵袭和迁移能力(P0.05);Western blot结果显示,下调细胞中FGFR1基因的表达可降低PI3K和p-AKT的蛋白水平(P0.05),但对AKT蛋白水平无显著影响。结论:敲减HemECs细胞内FGFR1的表达可通过影响PI3K/AKT信号通路调节婴幼儿血管瘤内皮细胞的生物学特性。     

Associations between insulin-like growth factor I,vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptor 1 in umbilical serum and endothelial cells obtained from normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its soluble receptor 1 (sFlt-1) in umbilical serum and to study the effects of IGF-I upon sFlt-1 synthesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in normotensive (NT) and preeclamptic (PE) pregnancies. As compared with the NT group, umbilical serum IGF-I and VEGF levels were lower in the PE group, while sFlt-1 concentrations were higher. Levels of sFlt-1 correlated with IGF-I in the NT group and with VEGF in the PE group. Basal concentration of sFlt-1 in HUVEC culture media was higher in the PE group. IGF-I stimulated sFlt-1 synthesis only in the NT group. In summary, umbilical serum sFlt-1 is associated with IGF-I in normotensive pregnancy and with VEGF in preeclampsia. IGF-I stimulates sFlt-1 synthesis in endothelial cells in normotensive but not in PE pregnancies.     

Biochemical analysis of plasma-soluble invariant chains and their complex formation with soluble HLA-DR

The invariant chain (CD74) is preferentially localized in the cytoplasm and regulates the loading of exogenous derived peptides into HLA class II heterodimers. In addition, a small proportion of CD74:class II complexes is also expressed on the cell surface. We identified and quantified soluble CD74 (sCD74) molecules in the plasma and sCD74:sHLA-DR complexes by ELISA. EDTA plasma samples from 86 healthy probands were analyzed. sCD74 could be detected in all samples with a mean concentration of 1.14 relative units±1.04 SD (range 0.17-4.31). Approximately 10% of the samples had increased amounts of sCD74 (3.0 relative units). Complexes of sCD74 and sHLA-DR were detected in all samples and their quantities were positively correlated (r=0.83, p0.001) with the sCD74 concentrations. SDS-PAGE analysis of plasma samples with high sCD74 concentrations (3.0 relative units) revealed four isoforms of sCD74 with molecular weights of 45, 43, 35, 31 kDa corresponding to known sizes of intracellular CD74. However, only molecular weights of the 45 and 43 kDa isoforms of sCD74 are found complexed with sHLA-DR. Our data demonstrate, that CD74 molecules are present in their soluble form in the plasma of healthy probands and form complexes with soluble HLA-DR molecules.     

High levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors (VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, neuropilin-1) are associated with worse outcome in breast cancer

Vascular endothelial growth factor has been shown to be up-regulated in breast cancers. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, are the principal mediators of its effects. Together with VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, neuropilin-1 may act as a coreceptor for vascular endothelial growth factor. Although vascular endothelial growth factor exerts important effects on endothelial cells, VEGFRs are likely present on tumor cells as well. We used AQUA to analyze tumor-specific expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and neuropilin-1 on a large cohort of breast cancer tissue microarray. Two-fold redundant arrays were constructed from 642 cases of primary breast adenocarcinomas. Automated image analysis with AQUA (Automated Quantitative Analysis) was then performed to determine a quantitative expression score. Scores from redundant arrays were normalized and averaged. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and neuropilin-1 were all significantly associated with survival (Miller Siegmeund corrected P = .0020, .0160, and .0320, respectively). In addition, vascular endothelial growth factor and neuropilin-1 retained a significant association with survival independent of other standard prognostic factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGFR-1 and -2, and neuropilin-1 are expressed to varying degrees in primary breast cancers and have prognostic significance. Further study of the functional significance of this finding is warranted as well as the prognostic value of these biomarkers in other tumor microenvironment-specific compartments (eg, vessels).