Vinculin controls endothelial cell junction dynamics during vascular lumen formation

Area of Science:

• Vascular Biology
• Cellular Mechanics
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Blood vessel morphogenesis relies on endothelial cell coordination.
• Remodeling of cell-cell junctions is crucial for vascular plasticity and integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze endothelial adherens junction dynamics during in vivo lumen formation in angiogenic sprouts.
• To investigate the role of blood pressure and vinculin in junctional remodeling during angiogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Live imaging of zebrafish angiogenic sprouts.
• Analysis of junctional morphology and vinculin localization using fluorescent reporters.
• Genetic manipulation (vinculin deletion and rescue) to assess functional impact.

Main Results:

• Lumen expansion is associated with transient, finger-shaped endothelial junctions.
• Junctional finger formation is positively regulated by blood pressure and inhibited by flow disruption.
• Vinculin is recruited to these junctional fingers, and its absence prevents their formation.

Conclusions:

• Lumen expansion increases junctional tension, recruiting vinculin to form force-dependent junctional fingers.
• Endothelial cells utilize force-dependent junctional remodeling to maintain vascular integrity against external forces during sprouting angiogenesis.