Impaired vascular development in the yolk sac and allantois in mice lacking RA-GEF-1

RA-GEF-1 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Rap1. RA-GEF-1 knockout mice show defects in vascular development starting around 7.5 days post coitum and die by 9.5 days post coitum. Here, we employed in vitro culture systems for allantois explants and endothelial cells to gain insights into the mechanism for RA-GEF-1-mediated regulation of embryonic vascular network formation. The development of the vascular plexus and the accumulation of VE-cadherin at cell-cell junctions were significantly impaired in the RA-GEF-1 knockout allantois and yolk sac. Rap1 activation as visualized by an activation-specific probe was also diminished by RA-GEF-1 knockout. Reduced accumulation of VE-cadherin at cell-cell junctions and defects in blood vessel formation in vitro due to the lack of RA-GEF-1 were suppressed by ectopic expression of constitutively activated Rap1. Overall, these results suggest the involvement of Rap1 downstream of RA-GEF-1 in the regulation of vascular network formation in mouse embryos.     

Deficiency of zonula occludens-1 causes embryonic lethal phenotype associated with defected yolk sac angiogenesis and apoptosis of embryonic cells

Zonula occludens (ZO)-1/2/3 are the members of the TJ-MAGUK family of membrane-associated guanylate kinases associated with tight junctions. To investigate the role of ZO-1 (encoded by Tjp1) in vivo, ZO-1 knockout (Tjp1(-/-)) mice were generated by gene targeting. Although heterozygous mice showed normal development and fertility, delayed growth and development were evident from E8.5 onward in Tjp1(-/-) embryos, and no viable Tjp1(-/-) embryos were observed beyond E11.5. Tjp1(-/-) embryos exhibited massive apoptosis in the notochord, neural tube area, and allantois at embryonic day (E)9.5. In the yolk sac, the ZO-1 deficiency induced defects in vascular development, with impaired formation of vascular trees, along with defective chorioallantoic fusion. Immunostaining of wild-type embryos at E8.5 for ZO-1/2/3 revealed that ZO-1/2 were expressed in almost all embryonic cells, showing tight junction-localizing patterns, with or without ZO-3, which was confined to the epithelial cells. ZO-1 deficiency depleted ZO-1-expression without influence on ZO-2/3 expression. In Tjp1(+/+) yolk sac extraembryonic mesoderm, ZO-1 was dominant without ZO-2/3 expression. Thus, ZO-1 deficiency resulted in mesoderms with no ZO-1/2/3, associated with mislocalization of endothelial junctional adhesion molecules. As a result, angiogenesis was defected in Tjp1(-/-) yolk sac, although differentiation of endothelial cells seemed to be normal. In conclusion, ZO-1 may be functionally important for cell remodeling and tissue organization in both the embryonic and extraembryonic regions, thus playing an essential role in embryonic development.     

Defective vascular development in connexin 45-deficient mice

In order to reveal the biological function(s) of the gap-junction protein connexin 45 (Cx45), we generated Cx45-deficient mice with targeted replacement of the Cx45-coding region with the lacZ reporter gene. Heterozygous Cx45(+/)(-) mice showed strong expression of the reporter gene in vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells. Cx45-deficient embryos exhibited striking abnormalities in vascular development and died between embryonic day (E) 9.5 and 10.5. Differentiation and positioning of endothelial cells appeared to be normal, but subsequent development of blood vessels revealed impaired formation of vascular trees in the yolk sac, impaired allantoic mesenchymal ingrowth and capillary formation in the labyrinthine part of the placenta, and arrest of arterial growth, including a failure to develop a smooth muscle layer surrounding the major arteries of the embryo proper. As a consequence, the hearts of most Cx45-deficient embryos were dilated. The abnormal development of the vasculature in the yolk sac of Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryos could be caused by defective TGFbeta signalling, as the amount of TGF beta1 protein in the epithelial layer of the yolk sac was largely decreased in the E9.5 Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryo, compared with the wild-type embryo. The defective vascular development was accompanied by massive apoptosis, which began in some embryos at E8.5 and was abundant in virtually all tissues of the embryos at E9.5. We conclude that in Cx45(-)(/)(-) embryos, vasculogenesis was normal, but subsequent transformation into mature vessels was interrupted. Development of different types of vessels was impaired to a varying extent, which possibly reflects the complementation by other connexin(s).     

Abnormal angiogenesis but intact hematopoietic potential in TGF-beta type I receptor-deficient mice

Deletion of the transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) gene in mice has previously suggested that it regulates both hematopoiesis and angiogenesis. To define the function of TGF-beta more precisely, we inactivated the TGF-beta type I receptor (TbetaRI) gene by gene targeting. Mice lacking TbetaRI die at midgestation, exhibiting severe defects in vascular development of the yolk sac and placenta, and an absence of circulating red blood cells. However, despite obvious anemia in the TbetaRI(-/-) yolk sacs, clonogenic assays on yolk sac-derived hematopoietic precursors in vitro revealed that TbetaRI(-/-) mice exhibit normal hematopoietic potential compared with wild-type and heterozygous siblings. Endothelial cells derived from TbetaRI-deficient embryos show enhanced cell proliferation, improper migratory behavior and impaired fibronectin production in vitro, defects that are associated with the vascular defects seen in vivo. We thus demonstrate here that, while TbetaRI is crucial for the function of TGF-beta during vascular development and can not be compensated for by the activin receptor-like kinase-1 (ALK-1), functional hematopoiesis and development of hematopoietic progenitors is not dependent on TGF-beta signaling via TbetaRI.     

Hedgehog is required for murine yolk sac angiogenesis.

Blood islands, the precursors of yolk sac blood vessels, contain primitive erythrocytes surrounded by a layer of endothelial cells. These structures differentiate from extra-embryonic mesodermal cells that underlie the visceral endoderm. Our previous studies have shown that Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is expressed in the visceral endoderm both in the visceral yolk sac in vivo and in embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived embryoid bodies. Differentiating embryoid bodies form blood islands, providing an in vitro model for studying vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis. A role for Ihh in yolk sac function is suggested by the observation that roughly 50% of Ihh(-/-) mice die at mid-gestation, potentially owing to vascular defects in the yolk sac. To address the nature of the possible vascular defects, we have examined the ability of ES cells deficient for Ihh or smoothened (Smo), which encodes a receptor component essential for all hedgehog signaling, to form blood islands in vitro. Embryoid bodies derived from these cell lines are unable to form blood islands, and express reduced levels of both PECAM1, an endothelial cell marker, and alpha-SMA, a vascular smooth muscle marker. RT-PCR analysis in the Ihh(-/-) lines shows a substantial decrease in the expression of Flk1 and Tal1, markers for the hemangioblast, the precursor of both blood and endothelial cells, as well as Flt1, an angiogenesis marker. To extend these observations, we have examined the phenotypes of embryo yolk sacs deficient for Ihh or SMO: Whereas Ihh(-/-) yolk sacs can form blood vessels, the vessels are fewer in number and smaller, perhaps owing to their inability to undergo vascular remodeling. Smo(-/-) yolk sacs arrest at an earlier stage: the endothelial tubes are packed with hematopoietic cells, and fail to undergo even the limited vascular remodeling observed in the Ihh(-/-) yolk sacs. Our study supports a role for hedgehog signaling in yolk sac angiogenesis.     

Role of vascular endothelial-cadherin in vascular morphogenesis

Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is an adhesive transmembrane protein specifically expressed at interendothelial junctions. Its extracellular domain exhibits Ca2+-dependent homophilic reactivity, promoting cell-cell recognition. Mice deficient in VE-cadherin die at mid-gestation resulting from severe vascular defects. At the early phases of vascular development (E8.5) of VE-cadherin-deficient embryos, in situ differentiation of endothelial cells was delayed although their differentiation program appeared normal. Vascularization was defective in the anterior part of the embryo, while dorsal aortae and vitelline and umbilical arteries formed normally in the caudal part. At E9.25, organization of endothelial cells into large vessels was incomplete and angiogenesis was impaired in mutant embryos. Defects were more severe in extraembryonic vasculature. Blood islands of the yolk sac and clusters of angioblasts in allantois failed to establish a capillary plexus and remained isolated. This was not due to defective cell-cell recognition as endothelial cells formed intercellular junctions, as shown by electron microscopy. These data indicate that VE-cadherin is dispensable for endothelial homophilic adhesion but is required for vascular morphogenesis.     

Autotaxin, a secreted lysophospholipase D, is essential for blood vessel formation during development

Autotaxin (ATX), or nucleotide pyrophosphatase-phosphodiesterase 2, is a secreted lysophospholipase D that promotes cell migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis. ATX generates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a lipid mitogen and motility factor that acts on several G protein-coupled receptors. Here we report that ATX-deficient mice die at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) with profound vascular defects in yolk sac and embryo resembling the Galpha13 knockout phenotype. Furthermore, at E8.5, ATX-deficient embryos showed allantois malformation, neural tube defects, and asymmetric headfolds. The onset of these abnormalities coincided with increased expression of ATX and LPA receptors in normal embryos. ATX heterozygous mice appear healthy but show half-normal ATX activity and plasma LPA levels. Our results reveal a critical role for ATX in vascular development, indicate that ATX is the major LPA-producing enzyme in vivo, and suggest that the vascular defects in ATX-deficient embryos may be explained by loss of LPA signaling through Galpha13.     

Gastrulation and angiogenesis,not endothelial specification,is sensitive to partial deficiency in vascular endothelial growth factor-a in mice

Mouse embryogenesis is dose sensitive to vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and mouse embryos partially deficient in VEGF-A die in utero because of severe vascular defects. In this study, we investigate the possible causes that underlie this phenomenon. Although the development of vascular defects in VEGF-A-deficient embryos seems to suggest that endothelial differentiation depends on the presence of a sufficient level of VEGF-A, we were surprised to find that endothelial differentiation per se is insensitive to a significant loss of VEGF-A activity. Instead, the development of the multipotent mesenchymal cells, from which endothelial progenitors arise in the yolk sac, is most highly dependent on VEGF-A. As a result of VEGF-A deficiency, dramatically fewer multipotent mesenchymal cells are generated in the prospective yolk sac. However, among the small number of mesenchymal cells that do enter the prospective yolk sac, endothelial differentiation occurs at a normal frequency. In the embryo proper, vasculogenesis is initiated actively in spite of a significant VEGF-A deficiency, but the subsequent steps of vascular development are defective. We conclude that a full-level VEGF-A activity is not critical for endothelial specification but is important for two distinct processes before and after endothelial specification: the development of the yolk sac mesenchyme and angiogenic sprouting of blood vessels.     

Insufficient VEGFA activity in yolk sac endoderm compromises haematopoietic and endothelial differentiation

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) plays a pivotal role in the first steps of endothelial and haematopoietic development in the yolk sac, as well as in the establishment of the cardiovascular system of the embryo. At the onset of gastrulation, VEGFA is primarily expressed in the yolk sac visceral endoderm and in the yolk sac mesothelium. We report the generation and analysis of a Vegf hypomorphic allele, Vegf(lo). Animals heterozygous for the targeted mutation are viable. Homozygous embryos, however, die at 9.0 dpc because of severe abnormalities in the yolk sac vasculature and deficiencies in the development of the dorsal aortae. We find that providing 'Vegf wild-type' visceral endoderm to the hypomorphic embryos restores normal blood and endothelial differentiation in the yolk sac, but does not rescue the phenotype in the embryo proper. In the opposite situation, however, when Vegf hypomorphic visceral endoderm is provided to a wild-type embryo, the 'Vegf wild-type' yolk sac mesoderm is not sufficient to support proper vessel formation and haematopoietic differentiation in this extra-embryonic membrane. These findings demonstrate that VEGFA expression in the visceral endoderm is absolutely required for the normal expansion and organisation of both the endothelial and haematopoietic lineages in the early sites of vessel and blood formation. However, normal VEGFA expression in the yolk sac mesoderm alone is not sufficient for supporting the proper development of the early vascular and haematopoietic system.     

Quaking is essential for blood vessel development

For nearly 40 years functional studies of the mouse quaking gene (qkI) have focused on its role in the postnatal central nervous system during myelination. However, the homozygous lethality of a number of ENU-induced alleles reveals that quaking has a critical role in embryonic development prior to the start of myelination. In this article, we show that quaking has a previously unsuspected and essential role in blood vessel development. Interestingly, we found that quaking, a nonsecreted protein, is expressed in the yolk sac endoderm, adjacent to the mesodermal site of developing blood islands, where the differentiation of blood and endothelial cells first occurs. Antibodies against PE-CAM-1, TIE-2 and SM-alpha-actin reveal that embryos homozygous for the qk(k2) allele have defective yolk sac vascular remodeling and abnormal vessels in the embryo proper at midgestation, coinciding with the timing of embryonic death. However, these mutants exhibit normal expression of Nkx2.5 and alpha-sarcomeric actin, indicating that cardiac muscle differentiation was normal. Further, they had normal embryonic heart rates in culture, suggesting that cardiac function was not compromised at this stage of embryonic development. Together, these results suggest that quaking plays an essential role in vascular development and that the blood vessel defects are the cause of embryonic death.     

Separating genetic and hemodynamic defects in neuropilin 1 knockout embryos

Targeted inactivation of genes involved in murine cardiovascular development frequently leads to abnormalities in blood flow. As blood fluid dynamics play a crucial role in shaping vessel morphology, the presence of flow defects generally prohibits the precise assignment of the role of the mutated gene product in the vasculature. In this study, we show how to distinguish between genetic defects caused by targeted inactivation of the neuropilin 1 (Nrp1) receptor and hemodynamic defects occurring in homozygous knockout embryos. Our analysis of a Nrp1 null allele bred onto a C57BL/6 background shows that vessel remodeling defects occur concomitantly with the onset of blood flow and cause death of homozygous mutants at E10.5. Using mouse embryo culture, we establish that hemodynamic defects are already present at E8.5 and continuous circulation is never established in homozygous mutants. The geometry of yolk sac blood vessels is altered and remodeling into yolk sac arteries and veins does not occur. To separate flow-induced deficiencies from those caused by the Nrp1 mutation, we arrested blood flow in cultured wild-type and mutant embryos and followed their vascular development. We find that loss of Nrp1 function rather than flow induces the altered geometry of the capillary plexus. Endothelial cell migration, but not replication, is altered in Nrp1 mutants. Gene expression analysis of endothelial cells isolated from freshly dissected wild-type and mutants and after culture in no-flow conditions showed down-regulation of the arterial marker genes connexin 40 and ephrin B2 related to the loss of Nrp1 function. This method allows genetic defects caused by loss-of-function of a gene important for cardiovascular development to be isolated even in the presence of hemodynamic defects.     

Alternatively Spliced Tissue Factor Is Not Sufficient for Embryonic Development

Tissue factor (TF) triggers blood coagulation and is translated from two mRNA splice isoforms, encoding membrane-anchored full-length TF (flTF) and soluble alternatively-spliced TF (asTF). The complete knockout of TF in mice causes embryonic lethality associated with failure of the yolk sac vasculature. Although asTF plays roles in postnatal angiogenesis, it is unknown whether it activates coagulation sufficiently or makes previously unrecognized contributions to sustaining integrity of embryonic yolk sac vessels. Using gene knock-in into the mouse TF locus, homozygous asTF knock-in (asTFKI) mice, which express murine asTF in the absence of flTF, exhibited embryonic lethality between day 9.5 and 10.5. Day 9.5 homozygous asTFKI embryos expressed asTF protein, but no procoagulant activity was detectable in a plasma clotting assay. Although the α-smooth-muscle-actin positive mesodermal layer as well as blood islands developed similarly in day 8.5 wild-type or homozygous asTFKI embryos, erythrocytes were progressively lost from disintegrating yolk sac vessels of asTFKI embryos by day 10.5. These data show that in the absence of flTF, asTF expressed during embryonic development has no measurable procoagulant activity, does not support embryonic vessel stability by non-coagulant mechanisms, and fails to maintain a functional vasculature and embryonic survival.     

Effects of copper deficiency on mouse yolk sac vasculature and expression of angiogenic mediators

BACKGROUND: Cu deficiency results in embryonic defects and yolk sac (YS) vasculature abnormalities. In diverse model systems, Cu treatment modulates angiogenesis, perhaps by influencing the activity of angiogenic mediators such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Conversely, Cu chelators can suppress angiogenesis. METHODS: Gestation day (GD) 8.5 embryos from mice fed Cu-adequate (Cu+) or Cu-deficient (Cu-) diets were cultured in Cu+ or Cu- medium for 48 hr. Growth and development were evaluated, and YS vessel diameters were measured. Using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, the mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF, Flt-1, Flk-1, Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), and Tie-2 were analyzed. RESULTS: Cu+/Cu+ embryos developed normally, whereas Cu-/Cu- embryos showed a high incidence of developmental anomalies. Cu-/Cu- YS had a high proportion of vessels that were large in diameter compared to the Cu+/Cu+ YS. The mRNA expression of angiogenic mediators in Cu-/Cu- YS was similar to that in Cu+/Cu+ YS. The protein expression of VEGF in the Cu-/Cu- YS without any vessel defects, and Tie-2 in the Cu-/Cu- YS with both vessel defects and blood islands was significantly lower than that in the Cu+/Cu+ YS. The protein expression of Flt-1, Flk-1 and Ang-1 was similar among groups regardless of the presence, or type, of vessel defects. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the current study support the concept that Cu is required for the normal development of YS vasculature. Our data suggest that the impaired vascularization of Cu-deficient YS cannot be explained fully by the altered protein expression of the angiogenic growth factors reported here.     

Vascular remodeling of the mouse yolk sac requires hemodynamic force

The embryonic heart and vessels are dynamic and form and remodel while functional. Much has been learned about the genetic mechanisms underlying the development of the cardiovascular system, but we are just beginning to understand how changes in heart and vessel structure are influenced by hemodynamic forces such as shear stress. Recent work has shown that vessel remodeling in the mouse yolk sac is secondarily effected when cardiac function is reduced or absent. These findings indicate that proper circulation is required for vessel remodeling, but have not defined whether the role of circulation is to provide mechanical cues, to deliver oxygen or to circulate signaling molecules. Here, we used time-lapse confocal microscopy to determine the role of fluid-derived forces in vessel remodeling in the developing murine yolk sac. Novel methods were used to characterize flows in normal embryos and in embryos with impaired contractility (Mlc2a(-/-)). We found abnormal plasma and erythroblast circulation in these embryos, which led us to hypothesize that the entry of erythroblasts into circulation is a key event in triggering vessel remodeling. We tested this by sequestering erythroblasts in the blood islands, thereby lowering the hematocrit and reducing shear stress, and found that vessel remodeling and the expression of eNOS (Nos3) depends on erythroblast flow. Further, we rescued remodeling defects and eNOS expression in low-hematocrit embryos by restoring the viscosity of the blood. These data show that hemodynamic force is necessary and sufficient to induce vessel remodeling in the mammalian yolk sac.