Numerous studies have suggested a link between the angiogenic FGF and VEGF signaling pathways; however, the nature of this link has not been established. To evaluate this relationship, we investigated VEGF signaling in ECs with disrupted FGF signaling in vitro and in vivo. ECs lacking FGF signaling became unresponsive to VEGF, caused by downregulation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression after reduced Vegfr2 enhancer activation. FGF mediated VEGFR2 expression via activation of Erk1/2. Transcriptional analysis revealed that Ets transcription factors controlled VEGFR2 expression in an FGF-and Erk1/2-dependent manner. Mice with defective FGF signaling exhibited loss of vascular integrity and reduced vascular morphogenesis. Thus, basal FGF stimulation of the endothelium is required for maintenance of VEGFR2 expression and the ability to respond to VEGF stimulation and accounts for the hierarchic control of vascular formation by FGFs and VEGF.
IntroductionNew vessel formation is a multistep process requiring integrated actions of a number of angiogenic growth factors. Among them, the FGF and VEGF families are the most potent promoters of angiogenesis. Although synergistic action of FGF and VEGF has been observed and the crosstalk of the 2 families has been suggested as an essential regulatory step in vascular formation, the key details of this mechanism, which have long been a fundamental question in vascular biology, are not understood (1).The FGF family is one of the largest and evolutionarily preserved growth factor families; FGFs are capable of acting on a variety of cell types. They are critical in early embryonic development and precede the appearance of VEGF signaling. In adults, FGFs play key roles in neovascularization, wound healing, and cancer (2-4). One of the characteristic features of FGF signaling is the context specificity of action, producing divergent biological effects depending on the effector cell type and the dose, duration, or timing of action (5). This complex biology of FGFs suggests that they play a regulatory role in many biological settings by influencing multiple cellular components (4).Studies of the biological role of the FGF system have been complicated by the great redundancy among FGFs and by indispensable roles played by FGFR1 and FGFR2 in embryonic development (6). A noteworthy recent discovery has been the demonstration of an essential role played by endothelial FGF signaling in the maintenance of blood vessels (7). At the same time, VEGF and its receptors, VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and VEGFR2, play a key role in vascular development and maintenance of the adult vasculature.These observations suggest a tight integration of FGF and VEGF signaling in the endothelium. To study this interaction, we used several complementary approaches to block FGF signaling in ECs in vitro and in vivo and observed the effect of this inhibition on VEGF signaling and VEGF-induced biological responses. Suppression of endothelial FGF signaling, either by depletion of exogenous