R-Ras Deficiency in Pericytes Causes Frequent Microphthalmia and Perturbs Retinal Vascular Development

PURPOSE

The retinal vasculature is heavily invested by pericytes. Small GTPase R-Ras is highly expressed in endothelial cells and pericytes, suggesting importance of this Ras homolog for the regulation of the blood vessel wall. We investigated the specific contribution of pericyte-expressed R-Ras to the development of the retinal vasculature.

METHODS

The effect of R-Ras deficiency in pericytes was analyzed in pericyte-targeted conditional Rras knockout mice at birth and during the capillary plexus formation in the neonatal retina.

RESULTS

The offspring of these mice frequently exhibited unilateral microphthalmia. Analyses of the developing retinal vasculature in the eyes without microphthalmia revealed excessive endothelial cell proliferation, sprouting, and branching of the capillary plexus in these animals. These vessels were structurally defective with diminished pericyte coverage and basement membrane formation. Furthermore, these vessels showed reduced VE-cadherin staining and significantly elevated plasma leakage indicating the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier. This defect was associated with considerable macrophage infiltration in the retina.

CONCLUSIONS

The normal retinal vascular development is dependent on R-Ras expression in pericytes, and the absence of it leads to unattenuated angiogenesis and significantly weakens the blood-retinal barrier. Our findings underscore the importance of R-Ras for pericyte function during the normal eye development.

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta signaling is required for efficient epicardial cell migration and development of two distinct coronary vascular smooth muscle cell populations

The epicardium plays an essential role in coronary artery formation and myocardial development, but signals controlling the development and differentiation of this tissue are not well understood. To investigate the role of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)beta in development of epicardial-derived vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), we examined PDGFRbeta(-/-) and PDGFRbeta epicardial mutant hearts. We found that PDGFRbeta(-/-) hearts failed to form dominant coronary vessels on the ventral heart surface, had a thinned myocardium, and completely lacked coronary VSMCs (cVSMCs). This constellation of defects was consistent with a primary defect in the epicardium. To verify that these defects were specific to epicardial derivatives, we generated mice with an epicardial deletion of PDGFRbeta that resulted in reduced cVSMCs distal to the aorta. The regional absence of cVSMCs suggested that cVSMCs could arise from 2 sources, epicardial and nonepicardial, and that both were dependent on PDGFRbeta. In the absence of PDGFRbeta signaling, epicardial cells adopted an irregular actin cytoskeleton, leading to aberrant migration of epicardial cells into the myocardium in vivo. In addition, PDGF receptor stimulation promoted epicardial cell migration, and PDGFRbeta-driven phosphoinositide 3'-kinase signaling was critical for this process. Our data demonstrate that PDGFRbeta is required for the formation of 2 distinct cVSMC populations and that loss of PDGFRbeta-PI3K signaling disrupts epicardial cell migration.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB inhibits AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission via PDGF receptor-beta in murine nucleus tractus solitarius

Although platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB activates PDGF receptor-beta (PDGFR-beta) and, in turn, inhibits the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function, whether PDGF-BB modulates the CNS function mediated by another glutamate receptors, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors, remains poorly understood. Here we now report the inhibitory effect of PDGF-BB on the AMPA receptor function in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) by using slice patch-clamp techniques. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked by electrical stimulation of the tractus solitarius in mouse NTS second-order neurons. EPSCs were nearly completely eliminated by CNQX but not by MK-801, implying mediation through non-NMDA receptors. PDGF-BB significantly decreased the amplitude of EPSCs without affecting the mean decay time constant. This inhibitory effect was transient and reversible after removing PDGF-BB. Furthermore, PDGF-BB significantly reduced the amplitude of AMPA-induced currents in NTS neurons, which showed that PDGF-BB could suppress the AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory input via the postsynaptic mechanism. The inhibitory effect of PDGF-BB on EPSCs was not observed in mutant mice with conditional deletion of the PDGFR-beta gene in neurons. Together, these studies suggest that the PDGF-B/PDGFR-beta axis inhibits the AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission that comprises the major part of the primary afferent to the NTS second-order neuron. The detected inhibitory action may be involved in the CNS regulation of the respiratory response.

Mouse brains deficient in neuronal PDGF receptor-beta develop normally but are vulnerable to injury

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) and PDGF receptors (PDGFRs) are widely expressed in the mammalian CNS, though their functional significance remains unclear. The corresponding null-knockout mutations are lethal. Here, we developed novel mutant mice in which the gene encoding the beta subunit of PDGFR (PDGFR-beta) was genetically deleted in CNS neurons to elucidate the role of PDGFR-beta, particularly in the post-natal stage. Our mutant mice reached adulthood without apparent anatomical defects. In the mutant brain, immunohistochemical analyses showed that PDGFR-beta detected in neurons and in the cells in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle in wild-type mice was depleted, but PDGFR-beta detected in blood vessels remained unaffected. The cerebral damage after cryogenic injury was severely exacerbated in the mutants compared with controls. Furthermore, TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive neuronal cell death and lesion formation in the cerebral hemisphere were extensively exacerbated in our mutant mice after direct injection of NMDA without altered NMDA receptor expression. Our results clearly demonstrate that PDGFR-beta expressed in neurons protects them from cryogenic injury and NMDA-induced excitotoxicity.

Microarray analysis of blood microvessels from PDGF-B and PDGF-Rbeta mutant mice identifies novel markers for brain pericytes

Normal blood microvessels are lined by pericytes, which contribute to microvessel development and stability through mechanisms that are poorly understood. Pericyte deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of microvascular abnormalities associated with diabetes and tumors. However, the unambiguous identification of pericytes is still a problem because of cellular heterogeneity and few available molecular markers. Here we describe an approach to identify pericyte markers based on transcription profiling of pericyte-deficient brain microvessels isolated from platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-B)-/- and PDGF beta receptor (PDGFRbeta)-/- mouse mutants. The approach was validated by the identification of known pericyte markers among the most down-regulated genes in PDGF-B-/- and PDGFRbeta-/- microvessels. Of candidates for novel pericyte markers, we selected ATP-sensitive potassium-channel Kir6.1 (also known as Kcnj8) and sulfonylurea receptor 2, (SUR2, also known as Abcc9), both part of the same channel complex, as well as delta homologue 1 (DLK1) for in situ hybridization, which demonstrated their specific expression in brain pericytes of mouse embryos. We also show that Kir6.1 is highly expressed in pericytes in brain but undetectable in pericytes in skin and heart. The three new brain pericyte markers are signaling molecules implicated in ion transport and intercellular signaling, potentially opening new windows on pericyte function in brain microvessels.

Deletion of the PDGFR-beta gene affects key fibroblast functions important for wound healing

This study provides new perspectives of the unique aspects of platelet-derived growth factor beta-receptor (PDGFR-beta) signaling and biological responses through the establishment of a mutant mouse strain in which two loxP sequences were inserted into the introns of PDGFR-beta genome sequences. Isolation of skin fibroblasts from the mutant mice and Cre recombinase transfection in vitro induced PDGFR-beta gene deletion (PDGFR-betaDelta/Delta). The resultant depletion of the PDGFR-beta protein significantly attenuated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced cell migration, proliferation, and protection from H2O2-induced apoptosis of the cultured PDGFR-betaDelta/Delta dermal fibroblasts. PDGF-AA and fetal bovine serum were mitogenic and anti-apoptotic but were unable to induce the migration in PDGFR-beta Delta/Delta fibroblasts. Concerning the PDGF signaling, PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of Akt, ERK1/2, and JNK, but not p38, decreased in PDGFR-betaDelta/Delta fibroblasts, but PDGF-AA-induced signaling was not altered. Overexpression of the phospholipid phosphatases, SHIP2 and/or PTEN, inhibited PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2 in PDGFR-betaDelta/Delta fibroblasts but did not affect that of JNK and p38. These results indicate that disruption of distinct PDGFR-beta signaling pathways in PDGFR-betaDelta/Delta dermal fibroblasts impaired their proliferation and survival, but completely inhibits migratory response, and that PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2 possibly mediated by PDGFR-alpha is regulated, at least in part, by the lipid phosphatases SHIP2 and/or PTEN. Thus, the PDGFR-beta function on dermal fibroblasts appears to be critical in PDGF-BB action for skin wound healing and is clearly distinctive from that of PDGFR-alpha in the ligand-induced biological responses and the underlying properties of cellular signaling.

Transcription profiling of platelet-derived growth factor-B-deficient mouse embryos identifies RGS5 as a novel marker for pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells

All blood capillaries consist of endothelial tubes surrounded by mural cells referred to as pericytes. The origin, recruitment, and function of the pericytes is poorly understood, but the importance of these cells is underscored by the severe cardiovascular defects in mice genetically devoid of factors regulating pericyte recruitment to embryonic vessels, and by the association between pericyte loss and microangiopathy in diabetes mellitus. A general problem in the study of pericytes is the shortage of markers for these cells. To identify new markers for pericytes, we have taken advantage of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B knockout mouse model, in which developing blood vessels in the central nervous system are almost completely devoid of pericytes. Using cDNA microarrays, we analyzed the gene expression in PDGF-B null embryos in comparison with corresponding wild-type embryos and searched for down-regulated genes. The most down-regulated gene present on our microarray was RGS5, a member of the RGS family of GTPase-activating proteins for G proteins. In situ hybridization identified RGS5 expression in brain pericytes, and in pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells in certain other, but not all, locations. Absence of RGS5 expression in PDGF-B and PDGFR beta-null embryos correlated with pericyte loss in these mice. Residual RGS5 expression in rare pericytes suggested that RGS5 is a pericyte marker expressed independently of PDGF-B/R beta signaling. With RGS5 as a proof-of-principle, our data demonstrate the usefulness of microarray analysis of mouse models for abnormal pericyte development in the identification of new pericyte-specific markers.

PDGF receptor-alpha deficiency in glomerular mesangial cells of tenascin-C knockout mice

Tenascin-C (TNC) knockout (TNKO) mice showed reduced proliferation of mesangial cells and abnormal restoration after habu-snake venom (HSV)-induced glomerulonephritis. In this study, we examined the relationship of TNC and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) in glomerular mesangial cells. TNC and PDGFR-alpha and -beta transcriptions were up-regulated in wild type (WT) mice after HSV injection, but in TNKO mice PDGFR-alpha transcription was not up-regulated. Immunohistochemistry showed that PDGFR-alpha was found in mesangial areas of colocalized alpha-smooth muscle actin, but in TNKO mice it was not detectable. In vitro studies showed that the expressions of PDGFR-alpha and -beta mRNA and protein in cultured glomerular mesangial cells (GMC) of TNKO mice were lower than those in WT GMC. These results suggest that failures of both TNC and PDGFR-alpha are a candidate for abnormal restoration of TNKO mice.

Basis of hematopoietic defects in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B and PDGF beta-receptor null mice

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B and PDGF beta-receptor (PDGFR beta) deficiency in mice is embryonic lethal and results in cardiovascular, renal, placental, and hematologic disorders. The hematologic disorders are described, and a correlation with hepatic hypocellularity is demonstrated. To explore possible causes, the colony-forming activity of fetal liver cells in vitro was assessed, and hematopoietic chimeras were demonstrated by the transplantation of mutant fetal liver cells into lethally irradiated recipients. It was found that mutant colony formation is equivalent to that of wild-type controls. Hematopoietic chimeras reconstituted with PDGF-B(-/-), PDGFR beta(-/-), or wild-type fetal liver cells show complete engraftment (greater than 98%) with donor granulocytes, monocytes, B cells, and T cells and display none of the cardiovascular or hematologic abnormalities seen in mutants. In mouse embryos, PDGF-B is expressed by vascular endothelial cells and megakaryocytes. After birth, expression is seen in macrophages and neurons. This study demonstrates that hematopoietic PDGF-B or PDGFR beta expression is not required for hematopoiesis or integrity of the cardiovascular system. It is argued that metabolic stress arising from mutant defects in the placenta, heart, or blood vessels may lead to impaired liver growth and decreased production of blood cells. The chimera models in this study will serve as valuable tools to test the role of PDGF in inflammatory and immune responses. (Blood. 2001;97:1990-1998)