CAVIN3 deficiency promotes vascular normalization in ocular neovascular disease via ERK/JAG1 signaling pathway

Multiple members of the caveolae-associated protein (Cavin) family are implicated in angiogenesis. However, the specific role of CAVIN3 in pathological angiogenesis within the eye remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that CAVIN3 knockdown in endothelial cells (ECs) promoted vascular normalization in ocular pathological neovascularization. Elevated CAVIN3 expression was observed in the ECs of retinal pigment epithelium/choroid complexes from patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and fibrovascular membranes from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, upregulated Cavin3 expression was detected in laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse models. In both OIR and CNV mice, Cavin3 knockdown inhibited pathological neovascularization. Cavin3 deficiency further disrupted EC proliferation and vascular sprouting, thereby promoting vascular normalization by partially restoring microenvironmental hypoxia and reestablishing pericyte-EC interactions. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) regulated CAVIN3 transcription in ECs under hypoxic conditions. CAVIN3 deficiency modulated pathological vascularization by inhibiting ERK phosphorylation, which downregulated jagged 1 (JAG1) expression. Conclusively, this study elucidated the protective role of endothelial CAVIN3 deficiency in pathological neovascularization models, addressing a gap in understanding the regulatory role of Cavins in angiogenesis. These findings suggested a therapeutic direction for ocular neovascular diseases.