title: Epithelial VEGF signaling is required in the mouse liver for proper sinusoid endothelial cell identity and hepatocyte zonation in vivo.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is crucial for vascular development in several organs. However, the specific contribution of epithelial-VEGF signaling in the liver has not been tested. We used a mouse model to specifically delete Vegf from the liver epithelial lineages during midgestational development and assessed the cell identities and architectures of epithelial and endothelial tissues. We find that without epithelial-derived VEGF, the zonal endothelial and hepatocyte cell identities are altered. We also find decreased portal vein and hepatic artery branching coincident with an increase in hepatic hypoxia postnatally. Together, these data indicate that VEGF secreted from the hepatic epithelium is required for normal differentiation of cells and establishment of three-dimensional vascular branching and zonal architectures in both epithelial and endothelial hepatic tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; and Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Teagan J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Cast
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Kari A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Huppert
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio Stacey.Huppert@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Stacey S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Huppert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002222:Carbamoyl-Phosphate Synthase (Ammonia) / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004727:Endothelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000196:embryology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase; D002222:Carbamoyl-Phosphate Synthase (Ammonia)
keywords: liver sinusoidal endothelial cells; liver zonation; platelet endothelical cell adhesion molecule; vascular development; vascular endothelial growth factor