Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 directly regulates murine neurogenesis.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are slowly dividing astrocytes that are intimately associated with capillary endothelial cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the brain. Functionally, members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family can stimulate neurogenesis as well as angiogenesis, but it has been unclear whether they act directly via VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) expressed by neural cells, or indirectly via the release of growth factors from angiogenic capillaries. Here, we show that VEGFR-3, a receptor required for lymphangiogenesis, is expressed by NSCs and is directly required for neurogenesis. Vegfr3:YFP reporter mice show VEGFR-3 expression in multipotent NSCs, which are capable of self-renewal and are activated by the VEGFR-3 ligand VEGF-C in vitro. Overexpression of VEGF-C stimulates VEGFR-3-expressing NSCs and neurogenesis in the SVZ without affecting angiogenesis. Conversely, conditional deletion of Vegfr3 in neural cells, inducible deletion in subventricular astrocytes, and blocking of VEGFR-3 signaling with antibodies reduce SVZ neurogenesis. Therefore, VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling acts directly on NSCs and regulates adult neurogenesis, opening potential approaches for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Therapeutic differentiation and maturation of lymphatic vessels after lymph node dissection and transplantation.

Surgery or radiation therapy of metastatic cancer often damages lymph nodes, leading to secondary lymphedema. Here we show, using a newly established mouse model, that collecting lymphatic vessels can be regenerated and fused to lymph node transplants after lymph node removal. Treatment of lymph node-excised mice with adenovirally delivered vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) or VEGF-D induced robust growth of the lymphatic capillaries, which gradually underwent intrinsic remodeling, differentiation and maturation into functional collecting lymphatic vessels, including the formation of uniform endothelial cell-cell junctions and intraluminal valves. The vessels also reacquired pericyte contacts, which downregulated lymphatic capillary markers during vessel maturation. Growth factor therapy improved the outcome of lymph node transplantation, including functional reconstitution of the immunological barrier against tumor metastasis. These results show that growth factor-induced maturation of lymphatic vessels is possible in adult mice and provide a basis for future therapy of lymphedema.

Distinct architecture of lymphatic vessels induced by chimeric vascular endothelial growth factor-C/vascular endothelial growth factor heparin-binding domain fusion proteins.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF-D are composed of the receptor-binding VEGF homology domain and a carboxy-terminal silk homology domain that requires proteolytic cleavage for growth factor activation. Here, we explored whether the C-terminal heparin-binding domain of the VEGF(165) or VEGF(189) isoform also containing neuropilin-binding sequences could substitute for the silk homology domain of VEGF-C. Such VEGF-C/VEGF-heparin-binding domain chimeras were produced and shown to activate VEGF-C receptors, and, when expressed in tissues via adenovirus or adeno-associated virus vectors, stimulated lymphangiogenesis in vivo. However, both chimeras induced a distinctly different pattern of lymphatic vessels when compared with VEGF-C. Whereas VEGF-C-induced vessels were initially a dense network of small diameter vessels, the lymphatic vessels induced by the chimeric growth factors tended to form directly along tissue borders, along basement membranes that are rich in heparan sulfate. For example, in skeletal muscle, the chimeras induced formation of lumenized lymphatic vessels more efficiently than wild-type VEGF-C. We conclude that the matrix-binding domain of VEGF can target VEGF-C activity to heparin-rich basement membrane structures. These properties may prove useful for tissue engineering and attempts to regenerate lymphatic vessels in lymphedema patients.

Enhanced capillary formation stimulated by a chimeric vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor-C silk domain fusion protein.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF-D require proteolytic cleavage of the carboxy terminal silk-homology domain for activation. To study the functions of the VEGF-C propeptides, we engineered a chimeric growth factor protein, VEGF-CAC, composed of the amino- and carboxy-terminal propeptides of VEGF-C fused to the receptor-activating core domain of VEGF. Like VEGF-C, VEGF-CAC underwent proteolytic cleavage, and like VEGF, it bound to and activated VEGF receptor-1 and VEGF receptor-2, but not the VEGF-C receptor VEGF receptor-3. VEGF-CAC also bound to neuropilins in a heparin-dependent manner. Strikingly, when VEGF-CAC was expressed via an adenovirus vector in the ear skin of immunodeficient mice, it proved to be a more potent inducer of capillary angiogenesis than VEGF. The VEGF-CAC-induced vessels differed greatly from those induced by VEGF, as they formed a very dense and fine network of pericyte and basement membrane-covered capillaries that were functional, as shown by lectin perfusion experiments. VEGF-CAC could prove useful in proangiogenic therapies in patients experiencing tissue ischemia.