Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Ena/Vasp Is Required For Endothelial Barrier Function In Vivo, Craig Furman, Alisha L. Sieminski, Adam V. Kwiatkowski, Douglas A. Rubinson, Eliza Vasile, Roderick T. Bronson, Reinhard Fassler

Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski

Enabled/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ena/VASP) proteins are key actin regulators that localize at regions of dynamic actin remodeling, including cellular protrusions and cell-cell and cell-matrix junctions. Several studies have suggested that Ena/VASP proteins are involved in the formation and function of cellular junctions. Here, we establish the importance of Ena/VASP in endothelial junctions in vivo by analysis of Ena/VASP-deficient animals. In the absence of Ena/VASP, the vasculature exhibits patterning defects and lacks structural integrity, leading to edema, hemorrhaging, and late stage embryonic lethality. In endothelial cells, we find that Ena/VASP activity is required for normal F-actin content, actomyosin contractility, and proper response …