title: Vegfa regulates perichondrial vascularity and osteoblast differentiation in bone development.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor A (Vegfa) has important roles in endochondral bone formation. Osteoblast precursors, endothelial cells and osteoclasts migrate from perichondrium into primary ossification centers of cartilage templates of future bones in response to Vegfa secreted by (pre)hypertrophic chondrocytes. Perichondrial osteolineage cells also produce Vegfa, but its function is not well understood. By deleting Vegfa in osteolineage cells in vivo, we demonstrate that progenitor-derived Vegfa is required for blood vessel recruitment in perichondrium and the differentiation of osteoblast precursors in mice. Conditional deletion of Vegfa receptors indicates that Vegfa-dependent effects on osteoblast differentiation are mediated by Vegf receptor 2 (Vegfr2). In addition, Vegfa/Vegfr2 signaling stimulates the expression and activity of Indian hedgehog, increases the expression of β-catenin and inhibits Notch2. Our findings identify Vegfa as a regulator of perichondrial vascularity and osteoblast differentiation at early stages of bone development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Xuchen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Yurie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Yanqiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolae
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Bjorn R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA Agnes_Berendsen@hsdm.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Agnes D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Berendsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001846:Bone Development; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010012:Osteogenesis; D051883:Receptor, Notch2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C498520:Gli1 protein, mouse; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; C497765:Notch2 protein, mouse; D051883:Receptor, Notch2; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1; D051176:beta Catenin; C514061:ihh protein, mouse; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
keywords: Bone development; Indian hedgehog; Mouse; Notch; Osteoblast differentiation; Osteoblast precursor; Osterix; Vascular endothelial growth factor A; β-catenin