title: C1q as a unique player in angiogenesis with therapeutic implication in wound healing.
abstract: We have previously shown that C1q is expressed on endothelial cells (ECs) of newly formed decidual tissue. Here we demonstrate that C1q is deposited in wound-healing skin in the absence of C4 and C3 and that C1q mRNA is locally expressed as revealed by real-time PCR and in situ hybridization. C1q was found to induce permeability of the EC monolayer, to stimulate EC proliferation and migration, and to promote tube formation and sprouting of new vessels in a rat aortic ring assay. Using a murine model of wound healing we observed that vessel formation was defective in C1qa(-/-) mice and was restored to normal after local application of C1q. The mean vessel density of wound-healing tissue and the healed wound area were significantly increased in C1q-treated rats. On the basis of these results we suggest that C1q may represent a valuable therapeutic agent that can be used to treat chronic ulcers or other pathological conditions in which angiogenesis is impaired, such as myocardial ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Fleur
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bossi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tripodo
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bulla
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agostinis
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guarnotta
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Munaut
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zorzet
authors.forename: Berhane
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ghebrehiwet
authors.forename: Guang Sheng
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Botto
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tedesco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D015922:Complement C1q / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D015922:Complement C1q
keywords: animal models; complement; vasculogenesis