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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
Analysis of the IKKbeta/NF-kappaB signaling pathway during embryonic angiogenesis
Yanjun Hou1, Fu Li, Michael Karin
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Abstract:
The nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway regulates cellular growth, survival, differentiation and development. In this study, the functions of IkappaB kinase (IKK)beta in angiogenesis during mouse development were examined. Conditional disruption of the Ikkbeta locus in endothelial cells using the well-characterized Tie2-Cre transgene resulted in embryonic lethality between embryonic day (E) 13.5 and E15.5. Examination of the mutant embryos revealed that while deletion of Ikkbeta occurred in endothelial cells throughout the embryo, only the vascular network in the fetal liver was affected. Disruption of the fetal liver vasculature was accompanied by decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis of hepatocytes, but hematopoiesis was not affected. Increased apoptosis was not observed outside of fetal liver in the mutant embryos. These results indicate that the IKKbeta/NF-kappaB pathway plays a previously unappreciated role in development of the sinusoidal vasculature in the fetal liver and additionally that this pathway is critical in the crosstalk between endothelial cells and hepatocytes during mouse development.
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