Gicerin/Cd146 is involved in zebrafish cardiovascular development and tumor angiogenesis.

Abstract

Angiogenesis plays an important role in vertebrate development and tumor growth. In this process, gicerin, which is known as a kind of cell adhesion molecule, has recently been reported to play an important role but its in vivo function is still unclear in developing vasculature. To address this issue, we used gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses of gicerin in zebrafish. In the gain of function experiments using enforced expression of various domains of gicerin constructs, extracellular domain induced angiogenic sprouting defects, most notably in the intersegmental vessels, whereas the cytoplasmic domain of gicerin did not affect angiogenic sprouting. Moreover, morpholino-mediated knockdown of gicerin in embryos resulted in angiogenic sprouting defects in intersegmental vessels. Mechanistically, the angiogenic function of gicerin was found to be genetically linked to VEGF signaling in the knock-down experiments using vegf-a mRNA, VEGFR inhibitor and gicerin morpholino. In addition to the physiological angiogenesis during development, gicerin morphants efficiently blocked the tumor angiogenesis in zebrafish. Thus, knock-down of gicerin might have an important implication in controlling tumor angiogenesis.

• Authors: Ju-Hoon So, Sung-Kook Hong, Hyun-Taek Kim, Seung-Hyun Jung, Mi-Sun Lee, Jung-Hwa Choi, Young-Ki Bae, Tetsuhiro Kudoh, Ji-Hun Kim, Cheol-Hee Kim
• Journal: Genes to cells : devoted to molecular & cellular mechanisms (Genes Cells) Vol. 15 Issue 11 Pg. 1099-110 (Nov 2010) ISSN: 1365-2443 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20977546 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Chemical References

• CD146 Antigen
• Oligonucleotides, Antisense
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

Topics

• Animals
• Animals, Genetically Modified
• Blood Vessels (embryology, metabolism)
• CD146 Antigen (physiology)
• Embryo, Nonmammalian (metabolism)
• Gene Knockdown Techniques
• In Situ Hybridization
• Microinjections
• Neoplasms (blood supply, metabolism)
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (metabolism)
• Neovascularization, Physiologic (physiology)
• Oligonucleotides, Antisense (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Signal Transduction
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (metabolism)
• Zebrafish