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New study explains blood vessel physical communication
An organized network of blood vessels is essential for life, and this organization is altered in many diseases, including cancer, retinopathy, and arteriovenous malformations. A key element in generating a functional vascular system is the collective migration of endothelial cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. However, the regulation mechanisms of this collective migration are not known. A new study led by Cláudio Franco, lead researcher at iMM, has found that a molecule called Wnt5a promotes endothelial cell coordination, enhancing physical communication between cells. The report recently published on the open access journal eLife*, demonstrates the importance of collective endothelial cell migration in the context of health and disease.
“We are keen on learning how chemical and physical signals interact and regulate themselves to guide endothelial cell migration in a particular direction,” says Cláudio Franco. Previous reports have shown that Wnt5a is important for endothelial cell orientation. “However, we still didn't know the exact mechanisms behind it. We have now found that this mechanism operates at specific cell sites, the cell junctions, which are structures that can be found in areas where cells are in physical contact with each other, ” explains Joana Carvalho, lead author of the article. The research team demonstrated that Wnt5a promotes efficient transmission of physical information between cells by reinforcing cell junctions.
These results help us understand how blood vessels develop and the origins of some malformations in vascular organisation. “We have found a new signalling pathway that regulates blood vessel growth. We now hope to use this information to modulate angiogenesis in pathological conditions,” states Cláudio Franco.
This work was developed at iMM, in collaboration with Nuno Santos' laboratory at iMM, and funded by the H2020 European Research Council (Starting grant), the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Foundation Leducq and the H2020 Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation.
*Joana R Carvalho, Isabela C Fortunato, Catarina G Fonseca, Anna Pezzarossa, Pedro Barbacena, Maria A Dominguez-Cejudo, Francisca F Vasconcelos, Nuno
C Santos, Filomena A Carvalho, Claudio A Franco. (2019) Non-canonical Wnt signalling regulates junctional mechanocoupling during angiogenic collective cell migration. eLife, 8: e45853.
An organized network of blood vessels is essential for life, and this organization is altered in many diseases, including cancer, retinopathy, and arteriovenous malformations. A key element in generating a functional vascular system is the collective migration of endothelial cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. However, the regulation mechanisms of this collective migration are not known. A new study led by Cláudio Franco, lead researcher at iMM, has found that a molecule called Wnt5a promotes endothelial cell coordination, enhancing physical communication between cells. The report recently published on the open access journal eLife*, demonstrates the importance of collective endothelial cell migration in the context of health and disease.
“We are keen on learning how chemical and physical signals interact and regulate themselves to guide endothelial cell migration in a particular direction,” says Cláudio Franco. Previous reports have shown that Wnt5a is important for endothelial cell orientation. “However, we still didn't know the exact mechanisms behind it. We have now found that this mechanism operates at specific cell sites, the cell junctions, which are structures that can be found in areas where cells are in physical contact with each other, ” explains Joana Carvalho, lead author of the article. The research team demonstrated that Wnt5a promotes efficient transmission of physical information between cells by reinforcing cell junctions.
These results help us understand how blood vessels develop and the origins of some malformations in vascular organisation. “We have found a new signalling pathway that regulates blood vessel growth. We now hope to use this information to modulate angiogenesis in pathological conditions,” states Cláudio Franco.
This work was developed at iMM, in collaboration with Nuno Santos' laboratory at iMM, and funded by the H2020 European Research Council (Starting grant), the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Foundation Leducq and the H2020 Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation.
*Joana R Carvalho, Isabela C Fortunato, Catarina G Fonseca, Anna Pezzarossa, Pedro Barbacena, Maria A Dominguez-Cejudo, Francisca F Vasconcelos, Nuno
C Santos, Filomena A Carvalho, Claudio A Franco. (2019) Non-canonical Wnt signalling regulates junctional mechanocoupling during angiogenic collective cell migration. eLife, 8: e45853.