title: Vegf regulates embryonic erythroid development through Gata1 modulation.
abstract: To determine the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (Vegf) in embryonic erythroid development we have deleted or overexpressed Vegf specifically in the erythroid lineage using the EpoR-iCre transgenic line in combination with Cre/loxP conditional gain and loss of function Vegf alleles. ROSA26 promoter-based expression of the Vegf(164) isoform in the early erythroid lineage resulted in a differentiation block of primitive erythroid progenitor (EryP) development and a partial block in definitive erythropoiesis between the erythroid burst-forming unit and erythroid colony-forming unit stages. Decreased mRNA expression levels of the key erythroid transcription factor Gata1 were causally linked to this phenotype. Conditional deletion of Vegf within the erythroid lineage was associated with increased Gata1 levels and increased erythroid differentiation. Expression of a ROSA26-based GATA2 transgene rescued Gata1 mRNA levels and target genes and restored erythroid differentiation in our Vegf gain of function model. These results demonstrate that Vegf modulates Gata1 expression levels in vivo and provides new molecular insight into Vegf's ability to modulate erythropoiesis.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Cell Biology Unit, Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drogat
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalucka
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Hamida
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hammad
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.forename: Morvarid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farhang Ghahremani
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bartunkova
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haigh
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deswarte
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nyabi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naessens
authors.forename: Napoleone
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Klingmüller
authors.forename: Bart N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Lambrecht
authors.forename: Andras
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Sjaak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Philipsen
authors.forename: Jody J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Haigh
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D019070:Cell Lineage; D015536:Down-Regulation; D041905:Erythroid Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004920:Erythropoiesis; D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D019076:Transgenes; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor; C494688:GATA1 protein, human; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A