I-309 binds to and activates endothelial cell functions and acts as an angiogenic molecule in vivo

• DOI: 10.1182/blood.v96.13.4039
• Publication Date: 2019-10-14T05:13:26Z
• Authors: Giovanni Bernardini; Gaia Spinetti; Domenico Ribatti; Grazia Camarda; Lucia Morbidelli; Marina Ziche; Angela Santoni; Maurizio C. Capog...; Monica Napolitano
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Chick Embryo; Cornea; Chemokine CCL1; 03 medical and health sciences; Allantois; Animals; Humans; RNA, Messenger; Cells, Cultured; 0303 health sciences; Chemotaxis; Cell Differentiation; Chorion; 3. Good health; Drug Combinations; Gene Expression Regulation; Chemokines, CC; Proteoglycans; Collagen; Endothelium, Vascular; Laminin

AbstractSeveral chemokines have been shown to act as angiogenic molecules or to modulate the activity of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The detection of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 8 message in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by reverse transcription– polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RNase protection assay (RPA), prompted us to investigate the potential role exerted by the CC chemokine I-309, a known ligand of such receptor, in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays. We show here that I-309 binds to endothelial cells, stimulates chemotaxis and invasion of these cells, and enhances HUVEC differentiation into capillary-like structures in an in vitro Matrigel assay. Furthermore, I-309 is an inducer of angiogenesis in vivo in both the rabbit cornea and the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM).