A common precursor for hematopoietic and endothelial cells

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Choi ◽  
M. Kennedy ◽  
A. Kazarov ◽  
J.C. Papadimitriou ◽  
G. Keller

Embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies contain a unique precursor population which, in response to vascular endothelial growth factor, gives rise to blast colonies in semi-solid medium. Upon transfer to liquid culture with appropriate cytokines, these blast colonies generate both hematopoietic and adherent, stromal-type cells. Cells within the adherent population display characteristics of endothelial lineage including the expression of CD31, flk-1, flt-1, tie-2, the capacity to take up acetylated LDL and the presence of cytoplasmic Weibel-Palade bodies. Mixing studies demonstrated that the hematopoietic and endothelial precursors within the blast colonies develop from the same cell, the blast colony-forming cell. Kinetic analysis showed that the blast colony-forming cell represents a transient cell population that develops early and is lost quickly during embryoid body development. These findings provide strong evidence that the blast colony-forming cell represents the long-hypothesized hemangioblast, the common precursor of the hematopoietic and endothelial lineages.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (11) ◽  
pp. 4290-4297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas R. D. Paling ◽  
Melanie J. Welham

Abstract Mice lacking SHP-1 exhibit a plethora of perturbations in their hematopoietic and immune systems. To reveal the primary effects resulting from SHP-1 deficiency, we used embryonic stem (ES) cells to study the role of SHP-1 in developmental hematopoiesis. We expressed wild-type (WT) and dominant-negative (R459M) forms of SHP-1 in ES cells and used ES/OP-9 coculture and embryoid body development followed by hematopoietic colony assays to demonstrate that SHP-1 acts at multiple stages of hematopoietic differentiation to alter lineage balance. Expression of WT SHP-1 reduced myeloid colony numbers while increasing the numbers of secondary embryoid bodies and mixed hematopoietic colonies obtained. Conversely, expression of R459M SHP-1 resulted in a significant increase in the numbers and sizes of myeloid colonies observed while reducing the numbers of colonies derived from undifferentiated cells or hematopoietic precursor cells. Confining the expression of WT or R459M SHP-1 to the early phases of differentiation decreased and increased progenitor cell numbers, respectively, and influenced colony formation. Overall, our results are consistent with SHP-1 acting during multiple stages of hematopoietic development, and they suggest that the increases in granulocytes and macrophages observed in motheaten mice arise as the result of a cell autonomous effect early during development.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 3638-3649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harukiyo Kawamura ◽  
Xiujuan Li ◽  
Katsutoshi Goishi ◽  
Laurens A. van Meeteren ◽  
Lars Jakobsson ◽  
...  

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–A regulates vascular development and angiogenesis. VEGF isoforms differ in ability to bind coreceptors heparan sulfate (HS) and neuropilin-1 (NRP1). We used VEGF-A165 (which binds HS and NRP1), VEGF-A121 (binds neither HS nor NRP1), and parapoxvirus VEGF-E-NZ2 (binds NRP1 but not HS) to investigate the role of NRP1 in organization of endothelial cells into vascular structures. All 3 ligands induced similar level of VEGFR-2 tyrosine phosphorylation in the presence of NRP1. In contrast, sprouting angiogenesis in differentiating embryonic stem cells (embryoid bodies), formation of branching pericyte-embedded vessels in subcutaneous matrigel plugs, and sprouting of intersegmental vessels in developing zebrafish were induced by VEGF-A165 and VEGF-E-NZ2 but not by VEGF-A121. Analyses of recombinant factors with NRP1-binding gain- and loss-of-function properties supported the conclusion that NRP1 is critical for VEGF-induced sprouting and branching of endothelial cells. Signal transduction antibody arrays implicated NRP1 in VEGF-induced activation of p38MAPK. Inclusion of the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 in VEGF-A165–containing matrigel plugs led to attenuated angiogenesis and poor association with pericytes. Our data strongly indicate that the ability of VEGF ligands to bind NRP1 influences p38MAPK activation, and formation of functional, pericyte-associated vessels.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (7) ◽  
pp. 2504-2512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Cerdan ◽  
Anne Rouleau ◽  
Mickie Bhatia

Abstract Combinations of hematopoietic cytokines and the ventral mesoderm inducer BMP-4 have recently been shown to augment hematopoietic cell fate of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) during embryoid body (EB) development. However, factors capable of regulating lineage commitment of hESC-derived hematopoiesis have yet to be reported. Here we show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A165) selectively promotes erythropoietic development from hESCs. Effects of VEGF-A165 were dependent on the presence of hematopoietic cytokines and BMP-4, and could be augmented by addition of erythropoietin (EPO). Treatment of human EBs with VEGF-A165 increased the frequency of cells coexpressing CD34 and the VEGF-A165 receptor KDR, as well as cells expressing erythroid markers. Although fetal/adult globins were unaffected, VEGF-A165 induced the expression of embryonic zeta (ζ) and epsilon (ϵ) globins, and was accompanied by expression of the hematopoietic transcription factor SCL/Tal-1. In addition to promoting erythropoietic differentiation from hESCs, the presence of VEGF-A165 enhanced the in vitro self-renewal potential of primitive hematopoietic cells capable of erythroid progenitor capacity. Our study demonstrates a role for VEGF-A165 during erythropoiesis of differentiating hESCs, thereby providing the first evidence for a factor capable of regulating hematopoietic lineage development of hESCs.


2007 ◽  
Vol 176 (7) ◽  
pp. 1035-1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Primo ◽  
Laura di Blasio ◽  
Cristina Roca ◽  
Sara Droetto ◽  
Roberto Piva ◽  
...  

The serine/threonine protein kinase phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) plays a central role in cellular signaling by phosphorylating members of the AGC family of kinases, including PKB/Akt. We now present evidence showing that PDK1 is essential for the motility of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and that it is involved in the regulation of their chemotaxis. ECs differentiated from mouse embryonic stem cells lacking PDK1 completely lost their ability to migrate in vitro in response to vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). In addition, PDK1−/− embryoid bodies exhibit evident developmental and vascular defects that can be attributed to a reduced cell migration. Moreover, the overexpression of PDK1 increased the EC migration induced by VEGF-A. We propose a model of spatial distribution of PDK1 and Akt in which the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5 triphosphate at plasma membrane by activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase recruits both proteins at the leading edge of the polarized ECs and promotes cell chemotaxis. These findings establish a mechanism for the spatial localization of PDK1 and its substrate Akt to regulate directional migration.


2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Y Lu ◽  
Courtney K Domigan ◽  
Vaspour Antanesian ◽  
Yasuhiro Nakashima ◽  
Atsushi Nakano ◽  
...  

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the pivotal proangiogenic growth factors that has long contributed to our knowledge of blood vessel and circulatory maintenance as well as angiogenesis in both pathology and pathophysiology. However, the non-canonical functions of VEGF in cardiac morphogenesis have not been well characterized. Here, we examined how VEGF regulates cardiomyocyte cell fate. Using chimeric embryos harboring both wild type and VEGF-null embryonic stem cells, we observed that derivatives of VEGF null cells were preferentially recruited to the atrium of the heart in comparison to the ventricles. To further provide physiologic context of this finding, we used reporter-LacZ staining and RT-PCR and found that endogenous VEGF was indeed expressed at much lower levels in the atrium but highly expressed in the ventricle early in cardiac morphogenesis. These data lead to our hypothesis that cell-autonomous expression of VEGF is a determinant of atrial vs. ventricular cardiomyocyte cell fate. To test this hypothesis, we used a VEGF knock-in mouse model of Sm22Cre x Rosa 26 VEGF. VEGF overexpression in cardiomyocytes (and smooth muscle) at E8.5 resulted in lethality by P1 and thickened atrial and ventricular walls in mutant embryos as characterized by histology (H&E, IF). We further explored the molecular changes underlying this phenotype via microarray and RT-PCR and find disruptions in molecular markers necessary for wall development, specifically: Notch-1, BMP10, Nrg-1. Taken together, our data indicates that aberrant embryonic VEGF signaling disrupts several critical signaling pathways and that overexpression leads to disruption of cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac morphogenesis. These findings add to the foundation of better understanding heart development, laying the groundwork for future therapy of congenital and acquired cardiac disease.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1979-1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria L. Bautch ◽  
Sambra D. Redick ◽  
Aaron Scalia ◽  
Marco Harmaty ◽  
Peter Carmeliet ◽  
...  

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is required for both differentiation and proliferation of vascular endothelium. Analysis of differentiated embryonic stem cells with one or both VEGF-A alleles deleted showed that both the differentiation and the expansion of endothelial cells are blocked during vasculogenesis. Blood island formation was reduced by half in hemizygous mutant VEGF cultures and by 10-fold in homozygous mutant VEGF cultures. Homozygous mutant cultures could be partially rescued by the addition of exogenous VEGF. RNA levels for the endothelial adhesion receptors ICAM-2 and PECAM were reduced in homozygous mutant cultures, but ICAM-2 RNA levels decreased substantially, whereas PECAM RNA levels remained at hemizygous levels. The quantitative data correlated with the antibody staining patterns because cells that were not organized into vessels expressed PECAM but not ICAM-2. These PECAM+ cell clumps accumulated in mutant cultures as vessel density decreased, suggesting that they were endothelial cell precursors blocked from maturation. A subset of PECAM+ cells in clumps expressed stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 (SSEA-1), and all were ICAM-2(−) and CD34(−), whereas vascular endothelial cells incorporated into vessels were PECAM(+), ICAM-2(+), CD34(+), and SSEA-1(−). Analysis of flk-1 expression indicated that a subset of vascular precursor cells coexpressed PECAM and flk-1. These data suggest that VEGF signaling acts in a dose-dependent manner to affect both a specific differentiation step and the subsequent expansion of endothelial cells.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 2275-2283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Nakayama ◽  
Jae Lee ◽  
Laura Chiu

Abstract The totipotent mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell is known to differentiate into cells expressing the β-globin gene when stimulated with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4. Here, we demonstrate that BMP-4 is essential for generating both erythro-myeloid colony-forming cells (CFCs) and lymphoid (B and NK) progenitor cells from ES cells and that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) synergizes with BMP-4. The CD45+ myelomonocytic progenitors and Ter119+ erythroid cells began to be detected with 0.5 ng/mL BMP-4, and their levels plateaued at approximately 2 ng/mL. VEGF alone weakly elevated the CD34+ cell population though no lymphohematopoietic progenitors were induced. However, when combined with BMP-4, 2 to 20 ng/mL VEGF synergistically augmented the BMP-4-dependent generation of erythro-myeloid CFCs and lymphoid progenitors from ES cells, which were enriched in CD34+ CD31lo and CD34+CD45− cell populations, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, during the 7 days of in vitro differentiation, BMP-4 was required within the first 4 days, whereas VEGF was functional after the action of BMP-4 (in the last 3 days). Thus, VEGF is a synergistic enhancer for the BMP-4-dependent differentiation processes, and it seems to be achieved by the ordered action of the 2 factors.


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