Research
Notch regulates the angiogenic response via induction of VEGFR-1
1 Pathology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
2 Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Eisai Co, Ltd, Ibaraki, Japan
Journal of Angiogenesis Research 2010, 2:3 doi:10.1186/2040-2384-2-3
Published: 26 January 2010Abstract
Notch is a critical regulator of angiogenesis and arterial specification. We show that ectopic expression of activated Notch1 induces endothelial morphogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a VEGFR-1-dependent manner. Notch1-mediated upregulation of VEGFR-1 in HUVEC increased their responsiveness to the VEGFR-1 specific ligand, Placental Growth Factor (PlGF). In mice and human endothelial cells, inhibition of Notch signaling resulted in decreased VEGFR-1 expression during VEGF-A-induced neovascularization. In summary, we show that Notch1 plays a role in endothelial cells by regulating VEGFR-1, a function that may be important for physiological and pathological angiogenesis.
