Objective We previously showed that endothelial epsin deficiency causes elevated VEGFR2 and enhanced VEGF signaling, resulting in aberrant tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth in adult mice. However, direct evidence demonstrating that endothelial epsins regulate angiogenesis specifically through VEGFR2 downregulation is still lacking. In addition, whether the lack of epsins causes abnormal angiogenesis during embryonic development remains unclear. Approach and Results A novel strain of endothelial epsin-deleted mice that are heterozygous for VEGFR2 (Epn1fl/fl; Epn2−/−; Flkfl/+; iCDH5 Cre mice) was created. Analysis of embryos at different developmental stages shows that deletion of epsins causes defective embryonic angiogenesis and retards embryo development. In vitro angiogenesis assays using isolated primary endothelial cells (EC) from Epn1fl/fl; Epn2−/−; iCDH5 Cre (EC-iDKO) and Epn1fl/fl; Epn2−/−; Flkfl/+; iCDH5 Cre (EC-iDKO-Flkfl/+) mice demonstrated that VEGFR2 reduction in epsin depleted cells is sufficient to restore normal VEGF signaling, EC proliferation, EC migration and EC network formation. These findings were complemented by in vivo wound healing, inflammatory angiogenesis, and tumor angiogenesis assays in which reduction of VEGFR2 was sufficient to rescue abnormal angiogenesis in endothelial epsin-deleted mice. Conclusions Our results provide the first genetic demonstration that epsins function specifically to downregulate VEGFR2 by mediating activated VEGFR2 internalization and degradation and that genetic reduction of VEGFR2 level protects against excessive angiogenesis caused by epsin loss. Our findings indicate epsins may be a potential therapeutic target in conditions where tightly regulated angiogenesis is crucial, such as in diabetic wound healing and tumors.

Lymphatic valves prevent the backflow of the lymph fluid and ensure proper lymphatic drainage throughout the body. Local accumulation of lymphatic fluid in tissues, a condition called lymphedema, is common in individuals with malformed lymphatic valves. The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3) is required for the development of lymphatic vascular system. The abundance of VEGFR3 in collecting lymphatic trunks is high before valve formation and, except at valve regions, decreases after valve formation. We found that in mesenteric lymphatics, the abundance of epsin 1 and 2, which are ubiquitin-binding adaptor proteins involved in endocytosis, was low at early stages of development. After lymphatic valve formation, the initiation of steady shear flow was associated with an increase in the abundance of epsin 1 and 2 in collecting lymphatic trunks, but not in valve regions. Epsin 1 and 2 bound to VEGFR3 and mediated the internalization and degradation of VEGFR3, resulting in termination of VEGFR3 signaling. Mice with lymphatic endothelial cell-specific deficiency of epsin 1 and 2 had dilated lymphatic capillaries, abnormally high VEGFR3 abundance in collecting lymphatics, immature lymphatic valves, and defective lymph drainage. Deletion of a single Vegfr3 allele or pharmacological suppression of VEGFR3 signaling restored normal lymphatic valve development and lymph drainage in epsin-deficient mice. Our findings establish a critical role for epsins in the temporal and spatial regulation of VEGFR3 abundance and signaling in collecting lymphatic trunks during lymphatic valve formation.

A r t i c l e A m e n d m e n t sDuring the assembly of Figure 10B, incorrect flow cytometry panels were inadvertently included for the Tg sm/p22phox + tempol sample. In addition, a different replicate is now provided for the Tg sm/p22phox sample in Figure 10A. The correct figure panels are below.The authors regret the errors.

Rationale We previously reported that VEGF-induced binding of VEGFR2 to epsins 1 and 2 triggers VEGFR2 degradation and attenuates VEGF signaling. The epsin ubiquitin interacting motif (UIM) was shown to be required for the interaction with VEGFR2, however the molecular determinants that govern how epsin specifically interacts with and regulates VEGFR2 were unknown. Objective The goals for the present study were (1) to identify critical molecular determinants that drive the specificity of the epsin and VEGFR2 interaction and (2) to ascertain if such determinants were critical for physiological angiogenesis in vivo. Methods and Results Structural modeling uncovered two novel binding surfaces within VEGFR2 that mediate specific interactions with epsin UIM. Three glutamic acid residues in epsin UIM were found to interact with residues in VEGFR2. Further, we found that the VEGF-induced VEGFR2-epsin interaction promoted c-Cbl-mediated ubiquitination of epsin, and uncovered a previously unappreciated ubiquitin-binding surface within VEGFR2. Mutational analysis revealed that the VEGFR2-epsin interaction is supported by VEGFR2 interacting specifically with the UIM and with ubiquitinated epsin. An epsin UIM peptide, but not a mutant UIM peptide, potentiated endothelial cell proliferation, migration and angiogenic properties in vitro, increased postnatal retinal angiogenesis, and enhanced VEGF-induced physiological angiogenesis and wound healing. Conclusions Distinct residues in the epsin UIM and VEGFR2 mediate specific interactions between epsin and VEGFR2, in addition to UIM recognition of ubiquitin moieties on VEGFR2. These novel interactions are critical for pathophysiological angiogenesis, suggesting that these sites could be selectively targeted by therapeutics to modulate angiogenesis.

Genetic variants can confer risk to complex genetic diseases by modulating gene expression through changes to the epigenome. To assess the degree to which genetic variants influence epigenome activity, we integrate epigenetic and genotypic data from lupus patient lymphoblastoid cell lines to identify variants that induce allelic imbalance in the magnitude of histone post-translational modifications, referred to herein as histone quantitative trait loci (hQTLs). We demonstrate that enhancer hQTLs are enriched on autoimmune disease risk haplotypes and disproportionately influence gene expression variability compared with non-hQTL variants in strong linkage disequilibrium. We show that the epigenome regulates HLA class II genes differently in individuals who carry HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR15 haplotypes, resulting in differential 3D chromatin conformation and gene expression. Finally, we identify significant expression QTL (eQTL) x hQTL interactions that reveal substructure within eQTL gene expression, suggesting potential implications for functional genomic studies that leverage eQTL data for subject selection and stratification.

Uncontrolled canonical Wnt signaling supports colon epithelial tumor expansion and malignant transformation. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms involved is crucial for elucidating the pathogenesis of and will provide new therapeutic targets for colon cancer. Epsins are ubiquitin-binding adaptor proteins upregulated in several human cancers; however, epsins’ involvement in colon cancer is unknown. Here we show that loss of intestinal epithelial epsins protects against colon cancer by significantly reducing the stability of the crucial Wnt signaling effector, dishevelled (Dvl2), and impairing Wnt signaling. Consistently, epsins and Dvl2 are correspondingly upregulated in colon cancer. Mechanistically, epsin binds Dvl2 via its epsin N-terminal homology domain and ubiquitin-interacting motifs and prohibits Dvl2 polyubiquitination and degradation. Our findings reveal an unconventional role for epsins in stabilizing Dvl2 and potentiating Wnt signaling in colon cancer cells to ensure robust colon cancer progression. Epsins’ pro-carcinogenic role suggests they are potential therapeutic targets to combat colon cancer.

Sjögren’s disease is a complex autoimmune disease with twelve established susceptibility loci. This genome-wide association study (GWAS) identifies ten novel genome-wide significant (GWS) regions in Sjögren’s cases of European ancestry: CD247, NAB1, PTTG1-MIR146A, PRDM1-ATG5, TNFAIP3, XKR6, MAPT-CRHR1, RPTOR-CHMP6-BAIAP6, TYK2, SYNGR1. Polygenic risk scores yield predictability (AUROC = 0.71) and relative risk of 12.08. Interrogation of bioinformatics databases refine the associations, define local regulatory networks of GWS SNPs from the 95% credible set, and expand the implicated gene list to >40. Many GWS SNPs are eQTLs for genes within topologically associated domains in immune cells and/or eQTLs in the main target tissue, salivary glands.

Linkage disequilibrium poses a major challenge to the functional characterization of specific disease-associated susceptibility variants. Precision genome editing technologies have provided new opportunities to address this challenge. As proof-of-concept, we employed TALEN-mediated genome editing to specifically disrupt the TT>A enhancer region to mimic candidate causal variants identified in the systemic lupus erythematosus-associated susceptibility gene, TNFAIP3, in an isogenic HEK293T cell line devoid of other linkage disequilibrium-associated variants. Targeted disruption of the TT>A enhancer impaired its interaction with the TNFAIP3 promoter by long-range DNA looping, thereby reducing TNFAIP3 gene expression. Loss of TNFAIP3 mRNA and its encoded protein, A20, impaired TNFα-induced receptor-mediated downregulation of NF-κB signaling; a hallmark of autoimmunity. Results demonstrate that the TT>A enhancer variants contribute to causality and function independently of other variants to disrupt TNFAIP3 expression. Further, we believe this approach can be implemented to independently examine other candidate casual variants in the future.