No abstract

Spred/Sprouty family proteins negatively regulate growth factor-induced ERK activation. Although the individual physiological roles of Spred-1 and Spred-2 have been investigated using gene-disrupted mice, the overlapping functions of Spred-1 and Spred-2 have not been clarified. Here, we demonstrate that the deletion of both Spred-1 and Spred-2 resulted in embryonic lethality at embryonic days 12.5 to 15.5 with marked subcutaneous hemorrhage, edema, and dilated lymphatic vessels filled with erythrocytes. This phenotype resembled that of Syk ؊/؊ and SLP-76 ؊/؊ mice with defects in the separation of lymphatic vessels from blood vessels. The number of LYVE-1-positive lymphatic vessels and lymphatic endothelial cells increased markedly in Spred-1/2-deficient embryos compared with WT embryos, while the number of blood vessels was not different. Ex vivo colony assay revealed that Spred-1/2 suppressed lymphatic endothelial cell proliferation and/or differentiation. In cultured cells, the overexpression of Spred-1 or Spred-2 strongly suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C)/VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-3-mediated ERK activation, while Spred-1/2-deficient cells were extremely sensitive to VEGFR-3 signaling. These data suggest that Spreds play an important role in lymphatic vessel development by negatively regulating VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling.

Photoreceptor apoptosis is a critical process of retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a group of retinal degenerative diseases that result from rod and cone photoreceptor cell death and represent a major cause of adult blindness. We previously demonstrated the efficient prevention of photoreceptor apoptosis by intraocular gene transfer of pigment epitheliumderived factor (PEDF) in animal models of RP; however, the underlying mechanism of the neuroprotective activity of PEDF remains elusive. In this study, we show that an apoptosis-inducing factor ( Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of retinal degenerative diseases resulting from rod and cone photoreceptor cell death, and a major cause of blindness in adults. RP is caused by mutation in various genes expressed in photoreceptors, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choriocapillaris of the eye 1,2 ; on the other hand, photoreceptors undergo a common mode of cell death, apoptosis.3,4 Despite extensive efforts to better understand and treat RP, the mechanisms underlying the photoreceptor apoptosis are still unclear and these diseases remain intractable.

Abstract-Diabetic foot is caused by microangiopathy and is suggested to be a result of impaired angiogenesis. Using a severe hindlimb ischemia model of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice (STZ-DM), we show that diabetic foot is a disease solely of the disturbance of platelet-derived growth factor B-chain homodimer (PDGF-BB) expression but not responses of angiogenic factors. STZ-DM mice frequently lost their hindlimbs after induced ischemia, whereas non-DM mice did not. Screening of angiogenesis-related factors revealed that only the expression of PDGF-BB was impaired in the STZ-DM mice on baseline, as well as over a time course after limb ischemia. Supplementation of the PDGF-B gene resulted in the prevention of autoamputation, and, furthermore, a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor restored the PDGF-BB expression and also resulted in complete rescue of the limbs of the STZ-DM mice. Inhibition of overproduction of advanced-glycation end product resulted in dephosphorylation of PKC-␣ and restored expression of PDGF-BB irrespective of blood sugar and HbA1c, indicating that advanced-glycation end product is an essential regulator for PKC/PDGF-BB in diabetic state.