Abstract
Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) contribute to postnatal neovascularization. We identified the cytochrome P450 4A/F–20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (CYP4A/F–20-HETE) system as a novel regulator of EPC functions associated with angiogenesis in vitro. Here, we explored cellular mechanisms by which 20-HETE regulates EPC angiogenic functions and assessed its contribution to EPC-mediated angiogenesis in vivo. Results showed that both hypoxia and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induce CYP4A11 gene and protein expression (the predominant 20-HETE synthases in human EPC), and this is accompanied by an increase in 20-HETE production by ∼1.4- and 1.8-fold, respectively, compared with the control levels. Additional studies demonstrated that 20-HETE and VEGF have a synergistic effect on EPC proliferation, whereas 20-HETE antagonist 20-HEDGE or VEGF-neutralizing antibody negated 20-HETE- or VEGF-induced proliferation, respectively. These findings are consistent with the presence of a positive feedback regulation on EPC proliferation between the 20-HETE and the VEGF pathways. Furthermore, we found that 20-HETE induced EPC adhesion to fibronectin and endothelial cell monolayer by 40 ± 5.6 and 67 ± 10%, respectively, which was accompanied by a rapid induction of very late antigen-4 and chemokine receptor type 4 mRNA and protein expression. Basal and 20-HETE-stimulated increases in adhesion were negated by the inhibition of the CYP4A–20-HETE system. Lastly, EPC increased angiogenesis in vivo by 3.6 ± 0.2-fold using the Matrigel plug angiogenesis assay, and these increases were markedly reduced by the local inhibition of 20-HETE system. These results strengthened the notion that 20-HETE regulates the angiogenic functions of EPC in vitro and EPC-mediated angiogenesis in vivo.
Footnotes
- Received October 1, 2013.
- Accepted January 6, 2014.
A.M.G. and J.Y. contributed equally to this article.
This study was supported by the American Heart Association [Grant 11SDG6870004] (to A.M.G.); the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute [Grant 1R01-CA160216] (to A.S.A.); the National Institutes of Health [Grants HL34300 (to M.L.S.), DK38226 (to J.R.F.)]; the Robert A. Welch Foundation [Grant GL625910] (to J.R.F.); and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 30973552, 81173089) (to J.Y.).
- Copyright © 2014 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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