Endothelial Cell News Volume 3.09 | Mar 19 2018

TOP STORY

TBX20 Regulates Angiogenesis through the PROK2-PROKR1 Pathway

Loss of TBX20 hindered endothelial cell migration and in vitro angiogenesis. In a murine angiogenesis model using subcutaneously implanted matrigel plugs, the authors observed that TBX20 deficiency markedly reduced PROK2 expression and restricted intra-plug angiogenesis. [Circulation] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Control of Endothelial Cell Polarity and Sprouting Angiogenesis by Non-Centrosomal Microtubules

Investigators showed that centrosome loss had no effect on the ability of endothelial cells to polarize and move in 2D and 3D environments. In contrast, non-centrosomal microtubules stabilized by the microtubule minus-end-binding protein CAMSAP2 were required for directional migration on 2D substrates and for the establishment of polarized cell morphology in soft 3D matrices. [Elife] Abstract

Regulation of RUNX1 Dosage Is Crucial for Efficient Blood Formation from Hemogenic Endothelium

Scientists used the mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation system to determine if and how RUNX1 dosage affects hemogenic endothelium differentiation. The use of inducible Runx1 expression combined with alterations in the expression of the RUNX1 co-factor CBFβ allowed them to evaluate a wide range of RUNX1 levels. [Development] Full Article

Extracellular Vesicle-Carried Jagged-1 Inhibits HUVEC Sprouting in a 3D Microenvironment

Jagged-1-extracellular vesicles inhibited VEGF-induced HUVEC proliferation and migration in 2D culture condition and suppressed sprouting in a 3D microfluidic microenvironment. [Angiogenesis] Abstract

TGF-β1 Promotes Cell Barrier Function upon Maturation of Corneal Endothelial Cells

Researchers compared the effects of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) on the phenotype of human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) during the proliferation and maturation phases. They showed that addition of TGF-β1 in maturation media containing few mitogens led to an endothelial phenotype and functional cell junctions as HCECs developed a high trans-endothelial resistance. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Helium Alters the Cytoskeleton and Decreases Permeability in Endothelial Cells Cultured In Vitro through a Pathway Involving Caveolin-1

Caveolin-1 was secreted after helium exposure in vitro, altering the cytoskeleton and increasing vascular endothelia-cadherin and connexin 43 expression resulting in decreased permeability in HUVECs. [Sci Rep] Full Article

miR-155 Targets PTCH1 to Mediate Endothelial Progenitor Cell Dysfunction Caused by High Glucose

Researchers found that miR-155 was overexpressed in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) from patients with diabetic foot ulcer and in high glucose-induced EPCs from healthy people. [Exp Cell Res] Abstract

Functional Heterogeneity of Endothelial Cells Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Culture of isolated subsets in arterial, venous and lymphatic conditions revealed that angiohematopoietic progenitors are skewed towards lymphatic, hemogenic endothelial progenitors (HEPs) towards arterial and non-HEPs towards venous differentiation in vitro. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

Effects of Platelet-Activating Factor on Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Scientists investigated the effect of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on rat brain microvascular endothelial cells (RBMVECs), a critical component of the blood-brain barrier. PAF produced a dose-dependent increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration; the effect was prevented by the PAF receptor antagonist, WEB2086. [Neuroscience] Abstract

In Situ Organ-Specific Vascularization in Tissue Engineering

Endothelial cells (ECs) play a central role in vascularization with two significant specificities: physical interfaces between vascular stroma and blood, and phenotypic organ-specificity. Biomaterial scaffolding technologies that address these unique properties of ECs have been developed to promote the vascularization of various engineered tissues, and these have advanced from mimicking vascular architectures ex situ towards promoting spontaneous angiogenic remodeling in situ. [Trends Biotechnol] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the endothelial cell research field.

Study Focuses on Understanding Corneal Endothelial Dystrophies

A team led by Mark D. Parker, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, has been awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health to study endothelial membrane transport proteins in the cornea. [University of Buffalo] Press Release

Metactive Medical Raises $1.2 Million of Additional Capital and Awarded $1.5 Million Grant from the National Institutes of Health

Metactive announced that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health recently awarded the company a $1.5 million Phase II SBIR grant to commercialize its over-the-wire Blockstent Microcatheter embolic device for the occlusion of peripheral arteries and veins. [Metactive Medical, Inc.] Press Release

EYLEA^® (Aflibercept) Injection Demonstrates Positive Topline Results in Phase III Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Trial

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Phase III PANORAMA trial evaluating EYLEA^® injection in moderately severe to severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy met its 24-week primary endpoint. [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release

Reporter’s Notebook: House Budget Hearing Shows Science Chairman’s Impact on NSF Peer Review

Representative Lamar Smith has repeatedly criticized the peer-review process at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Alexandria, Virginia, since becoming chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’s science committee in 2013. It was no surprise, then, that during a hearing on NSF’s 2019 budget request he railed against a handful of grants from NSF’s $6 billion research portfolio as a waste of taxpayer dollars. [Science Insider] Editorial

Scientists Beware: The Price Is High, the Payoff Uncertain at Glossy Publications Aimed at Europe’s Decision-Makers

Van der Heyden isn’t the only European researcher to get a hard sell from Pan European Networks, a six-year-old publishing company with offices in Congleton, U.K., and Brussels that promises to provide opportunities for “leading figures from across Europe” to get attention for their work or ideas. Many other scientists had similar experiences, Van der Heyden discovered when he started poking around on blogs and Twitter, including the promise of attention from decision-makers and the warning about the imminent board meeting. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

‘Right-to-Try’ Bill Rejected by House, in Major Blow to GOP Efforts

In a major blow to the effort to pass a federal “right-to-try” law, House Republicans failed to muster the votes to pass a key compromise measure. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW Gordon Research Conferences: Tissue Niches and Resident Stem Cells in Adult Epithelia
August 19-24, 2018
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Research Assistant – Stem Cell Biology in Critical Limb Ischemia (NUI Galway)

Postgraduate Research Assistant – Cardiovascular Medicine (University of Oxford)

Director – Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute (Boston University)

Postdoctoral/Research Associate – Renal and Cardiovascular Research (University of Virginia)

Research Associate – Vascular Biology (Case Western Reserve University)

Postdoctoral Fellow & Assistant Research Scientist Positions – Cardiovascular Physiology (University of Arizona College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Associate – Bioengineering (University of Pittsburgh)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Vascular Inflammation (University of Illinois)

PhD Studentship – Tumor Biology (University College London)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Vascular Biology (Weill Cornell Medicine)

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