Somatic Gain of KRAS Function in the Endothelium Is Sufficient to Cause Vascular Malformations That Require MEK but Not PI3K Signaling

Autor: Meng Cui, Emilie Boudreau, Alexander M. Herman, Dakota Gustafson, Ivan Radovanovic, Jason E. Fish, Karen Berman de Ruiz, Zhiqi Chen, Joshua D. Wythe, Taylor S Schexnayder, Peter V. DiStefano, Manuel Cantu Gutierrez, Carlos Perfecto Flores-Suarez, Christopher S. Ward
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations
Male
0301 basic medicine
Endothelium
Physiology
Angiogenesis
Somatic cell
MAP Kinase Kinase 1
Viral Oncogene
Mice
Transgenic

Biology
medicine.disease_cause
Permeability
Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Germline mutation
Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
medicine
Animals
Humans
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Gene
Cells
Cultured

Zebrafish
Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
Vascular disease
Endothelial Cells
Zebrafish Proteins
medicine.disease
3. Good health
Disease Models
Animal

Phenotype
030104 developmental biology
medicine.anatomical_structure
Gain of Function Mutation
Cancer research
Female
KRAS
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Intracranial Hemorrhages
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Signal Transduction
Zdroj: Circulation Research. 127:727-743
ISSN: 1524-4571
0009-7330
DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.119.316500
Popis: Rationale: We previously identified somatic activating mutations in the KRAS ( Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue ) gene in the endothelium of the majority of human sporadic brain arteriovenous malformations; a disorder characterized by direct connections between arteries and veins. However, whether this genetic abnormality alone is sufficient for lesion formation, as well as how active KRAS signaling contributes to arteriovenous malformations, remains unknown. Objective: To establish the first in vivo models of somatic KRAS gain of function in the endothelium in both mice and zebrafish to directly observe the phenotypic consequences of constitutive KRAS activity at a cellular level in vivo, and to test potential therapeutic interventions for arteriovenous malformations. Methods and Results: Using both postnatal and adult mice, as well as embryonic zebrafish, we demonstrate that endothelial-specific gain of function mutations in Kras (G12D or G12V) are sufficient to induce brain arteriovenous malformations. Active KRAS signaling leads to altered endothelial cell morphogenesis and increased cell size, ectopic sprouting, expanded vessel lumen diameter, and direct connections between arteries and veins. Furthermore, we show that these lesions are not associated with altered endothelial growth dynamics or a lack of proper arteriovenous identity but instead seem to feature exuberant angiogenic signaling. Finally, we demonstrate that KRAS-dependent arteriovenous malformations in zebrafish are refractory to inhibition of the downstream effector PI3K but instead require active MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1) signaling. Conclusions: We demonstrate that active KRAS expression in the endothelium is sufficient for brain arteriovenous malformations, even in the setting of uninjured adult vasculature. Furthermore, the finding that KRAS-dependent lesions are reversible in zebrafish suggests that MEK inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic treatment for arteriovenous malformation patients. Graphical Abstract: A graphical abstract is available for this article.
Databáze: OpenAIRE