Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Regulates the Migration of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells
- 20 July 2011
- journal article
- Published by Society for Neuroscience in Journal of Neuroscience
- Vol. 31 (29), 10666-10670
- https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1944-11.2011
Abstract
Originally identified as an angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) is now known to play multiple roles in the CNS, including the direct regulation of neuronal and astrocytic functions. Here, we ask whether VEGF-A can also have a novel role in white matter by modulating oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). OPCs were cultured from rat neonatal cortex. Expression of VEGF-receptor2/KDR/Flk-1 was confirmed with Western blot and immunostaining. VEGF-A did not affect proliferation or differentiation in OPC cultures, but VEGF-A promoted OPC migration in a concentration-dependent manner. Consistent with this migration phenotype, VEGF-A-treated OPCs showed reorganization of actin cytoskeleton in leading-edge processes. VEGF-A-induced migration and actin reorganization were inhibited by an anti-Flk-1 receptor-blocking antibody. Mechanistically, VEGF-A induced binding of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) with paxillin. The FAK inhibitor PF573228 reduced VEGF-A-induced OPC migration. VEGF-A signaling also evoked a transient rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS), and OPC migration was increased when antioxidants were removed from the culture media. Our findings demonstrate that VEGF-A can induce OPC migration via an ROS- and FAK-dependent mechanism, and suggest a novel role for VEGF-A in white-matter maintenance and homeostasis.This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
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