Inflammation induces lymphangiogenesis through up-regulation of VEGFR-3 mediated by NF-kappaB and Prox1. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The concept of inflammation-induced lymphangiogenesis (ie, formation of new lymphatic vessels) has long been recognized, but the molecular mechanisms remained largely unknown. The 2 primary mediators of lymphangiogenesis are vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) and Prox1. The key factors that regulate inflammation-induced transcription are members of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) family; however, the role of NF-kappaB in regulation of lymphatic-specific genes has not been defined. Here, we identified VEGFR-3 and Prox1 as downstream targets of the NF-kappaB pathway. In vivo time-course analysis of inflammation-induced lymphangiogenesis showed activation of NF-kappaB followed by sequential up-regulation of Prox1 and VEGFR-3 that preceded lymphangiogenesis by 4 and 2 days, respectively. Activation of NF-kappaB by inflammatory stimuli also elevated Prox1 and VEGFR-3 expression in cultured lymphatic endothelial cells, resulting in increased proliferation and migration. We also show that Prox1 synergizes with the p50 of NF-kappaB to control VEGFR-3 expression. Collectively, our findings suggest that induction of the NF-kappaB pathway by inflammatory stimuli activates Prox1, and both NF-kappaB and Prox1 activate the VEGFR-3 promoter leading to increased receptor expression in lymphatic endothelial cells. This, in turn, enhances the responsiveness of preexisting lymphatic endothelium to VEGFR-3 binding factors, VEGF-C and VEGF-D, ultimately resulting in robust lymphangiogenesis.

published proceedings

  • Blood

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • Flister, M. J., Wilber, A., Hall, K. L., Iwata, C., Miyazono, K., Nisato, R. E., ... Ran, S.

citation count

  • 156

complete list of authors

  • Flister, Michael J||Wilber, Andrew||Hall, Kelly L||Iwata, Caname||Miyazono, Kohei||Nisato, Riccardo E||Pepper, Michael S||Zawieja, David C||Ran, Sophia

publication date

  • January 2010

published in