title: ZFAT is essential for endothelial cell assembly and the branch point formation of capillary-like structures in an angiogenesis model.
abstract: ZFAT, originally identified as a susceptibility gene for autoimmune thyroid disease, encodes a transcriptional regulator with one AT-hook and 18 C(2)H(2)-type zinc-finger domains. It is highly conserved among species. Here, we demonstrate that ZFAT is clearly expressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, we show that endothelial cell assembly and the branch point formation of capillary-like structures in HUVECs is impaired by the reduction of ZFAT expression through the use of ZFAT-miRNAs, whereas differences in cell proliferation or apoptotic features were not observed after the reduction in ZFAT expression. These results suggest that ZFAT may have critical roles in the capillary-like network formation that is involved in vascular remodeling. Elucidating the ZFAT-mediated transcriptional network will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Fukuoka University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasazuki
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Senji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D002460:Cell Line; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors; C529572:ZFAT protein, human