| First Author | Yamamoto H | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 6 |
| Pages | 6429 | PubMed ID | 25752958 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:221893 | Mgi Id | MGI:5641805 |
| Doi | 10.1038/ncomms7429 | Citation | Yamamoto H, et al. (2015) Integrin beta1 controls VE-cadherin localization and blood vessel stability. Nat Commun 6:6429 |
| abstractText | Angiogenic blood vessel growth requires several distinct but integrated cellular activities. Endothelial cell sprouting and proliferation lead to the expansion of the vasculature and give rise to a highly branched, immature plexus, which is subsequently reorganized into a mature and stable network. Although it is known that integrin-mediated cell-matrix interactions are indispensable for embryonic angiogenesis, little is known about the function of integrins in different steps of vascular morphogenesis. Here, by investigating the integrin beta1-subunit with inducible and endothelial-specific gene targeting in the postnatal mouse retina, we show that beta1 integrin promotes endothelial sprouting but is a negative regulator of proliferation. In maturing vessels, integrin beta1 is indispensable for proper localization of VE-cadherin and thereby cell-cell junction integrity. The sum of our findings establishes that integrin beta1 has critical functions in the growing and maturing vasculature, and is required for the formation of stable, non-leaky blood vessels. |
