Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
Volume 235, Issue 11, Pages 3110-3120Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20939
Keywords
Wnt; angiogenesis; endothelial cells; beta-catenin; cell density
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
A growing body of evidence implicates Writ signaling in the control of angiogenesis. To better understand the role of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in endothelial cells (EC), we examined endogenous signaling activity and signaling component expression in vascular cells. We observed stabilization of cytosolic beta-catenin and activation of a T-cell factor (TCF) -luciferase promoter, hallmarks of canonical Writ signaling activity, in cultured EC. This activity was increased in subconfluent EC, which are known to display characteristics of angiogenic EC, compared with confluent EC, which have a more differentiated phenotype. Endogenous TCF activity was inhibited by transfection with a secreted inhibitor of canonical Wnt signaling. A systematic analysis of Wnt, Fzd, SFRP, and Dkk gene expression in human EC (cultured and freshly isolated), smooth muscle cells (cultured), and aorta demonstrated that numerous Wnt signaling components are expressed by vascular cells. We conclude that Wnt signaling components are expressed and active in cultured EC.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available