Key Points
Maturation of vascular endothelial growth factor–induced new vessels in cornea involves a PDGF-Shh axis. Shh promotes PDGF-BB–mediated SMC migration by inducing ERK1/2 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase γ activation and increased motility.
Rationale:
Blood vessel growth and patterning have been shown to be regulated by nerve-derived signals. Desert hedgehog (Dhh), one of the Hedgehog family members, is expressed by Schwann cells of peripheral nerves.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of Dhh to angiogenesis in the setting of ischemia.
Methods and Results:
We induced hindlimb ischemia in wild-type and Dhh
–/–
mice. First, we found that limb perfusion is significantly impaired in the absence of Dhh. This effect is associated with a significant decrease in capillary and artery density in Dhh
–/–
. By using mice in which the Hedgehog signaling pathway effector Smoothened was specifically invalidated in endothelial cells, we demonstrated that Dhh does not promote angiogenesis by a direct activation of endothelial cells. On the contrary, we found that Dhh promotes peripheral nerve survival in the ischemic muscle and, by doing so, maintains the pool of nerve-derived proangiogenic factors. Consistently, we found that denervation of the leg, immediately after the onset of ischemia, severely impairs ischemia-induced angiogenesis and decreases expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A, angiopoietin 1, and neurotrophin 3 in the ischemic muscle.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates the crucial roles of nerves and factors regulating nerve physiology in the setting of ischemia-induced angiogenesis.
The present work demonstrates the critical role of Dhh in maintaining blood nerve barrier integrity and demonstrates for the first time that endothelial dysfunction is sufficient to induce neuropathy.
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