title: Study of normal and pathological blood vessel morphogenesis in Flt1-tdsRed BAC Tg mice.
abstract: Blood vessel development and network patterning are controlled by several signaling molecules, including VEGF, FGF, TGF-ß, and Ang-1,2. Among these, the role of VEGF-A signaling in vessel morphogenesis is best understood. The biological activity of VEGF-A depends on its reaction with specific receptors Flt1 and Flk1. Roles of VEGF-A signaling in endothelial cell proliferation, migration, survival, vascular permeability, and induction of tip cell filopodia have been reported. In this study, we have generated Flt1-tdsRed BAC transgenic (Tg) mice to monitor Flt1 gene expression during vascular development. We show that tdsRed fluorescence is observed within blood vessels of adult mice and embryos, indicative of retinal angiogenesis and tumor angiogenesis. Flt1 expression recapitulated by Flt1-tdsRed BAC Tg mice overlapped well with Flk1, while Flt1 was expressed more abundantly in endothelial cells of large blood vessels such as dorsal aorta and presumptive stalk cells in retina, providing a unique model to study blood vessel development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Azami
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otsu
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishitobi
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ema
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018703:Founder Effect; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C467480:vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse; C501163:Flt1 protein, mouse; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2