Summary
The tumour suppressor phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), mutated or lost in
many human cancers, is a major regulator of angiogenesis. However, the cellular mechanism
of PTEN regulation in endothelial cells so far remains elusive. Here, we characterise
the urokinase receptor (uPAR, CD87) and its tumour-derived soluble form, suPAR, as
a key molecule of regulating PTEN in endothelial cells. We observed uPAR-deficient
endothelial cells to express enhanced PTEN mRNA- and protein levels. Consistently,
uPAR expression in endogenous negative uPAR cells, down-regulated PTEN and activated
the PI3K/Akt pathway. Additionally, we found that integrin adhesion receptors act
as trans-membrane signaling partners for uPAR to repress PTEN transcription in a NF-κB-dependent
manner. Functional in vitro assays with endothelial cells, derived from uPAR-deficient and PTEN heterozygous
crossbred mice, demonstrated the impact of uPAR- dependent PTEN regulation on cell
motility and survival. In an in vivo murine angiogenesis model uPAR-deficient PTEN heterozygous animals increased the
impaired angiogenic phenotype of uPAR knockout mice and were able to reverse the high
invasive potential of PTEN heterozygots. Our data provide first evidence that endogenous
as well as exogenous soluble uPAR down-regulated PTEN in endothelial cells to support
angiogenesis. The uPAR-induced PTEN regulation might represent a novel target for
drug interference, and may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies in
anti-angiogenic treatment.
Keywords
Angiogenesis - endothelial cell behaviour - PTEN - urokinase receptor