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The endothelial tyrosine kinase receptor Tie1 remains poorly characterized, largely owing to its orphan receptor status. Global Tie1 inactivation causes late embryonic lethality, thereby reflecting its importance during development. Tie1 also plays pivotal roles during pathologies such as atherosclerosis and tumorigenesis. In order to study the contribution of Tie1 to tumor progression and metastasis, we conditionally deleted Tie1 in endothelial cells at different stages of tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. Tie1 deletion during primary tumor growth in mice led to a decrease in microvessel density and an increase in mural cell coverage with improved vessel perfusion. Reduced angiogenesis and enhanced vascular normalization resulted in a progressive increase of intratumoral necrosis that caused a growth delay only at later stages of tumor progression. Concomitantly, surgical removal of the primary tumor decreased the number of circulating tumor cells, reduced metastasis, and prolonged overall survival. Additionally, Tie1 deletion in experimental murine metastasis models prevented extravasation of tumor cells into the lungs and reduced metastatic foci. Taken together, the data support Tie1 as a therapeutic target by defining its regulatory functions during angiogenesis and vascular abnormalization and identifying its role during metastasis., Introduction The high demand for oxygen and nutrients of growing tumors with substantial intratumoral hypoxia gradients stimulates the recruitment of blood vessels through the continuous production of proangiogenic molecules in [...]

Introduction: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency causes hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), a rare genetic disorder that impairs sexual reproduction. HH can be due to defective GnRH-secreting neuron development or function and may be associated with other clinical signs in overlapping genetic syndromes. With most of the cases being idiopathic, genetics underlying HH is still largely unknown. Objective: To assess the contribution of mutated Semaphorin 3G (SEMA3G) in the onset of a syndromic form of HH, characterized by intellectual disability and facial dysmorphic features. Method: By combining homozygosity mapping with exome sequencing, we identified a novel variant in the SEMA3G gene. We then applied mouse as a model organism to examine SEMA3Gexpression and its functional requirement in vivo. Further, we applied homology modelling in silico and cell culture assays in vitro to validate the pathogenicity of the identified gene variant. Results: We found that (i) SEMA3G is expressed along the migratory route of GnRH neurons and in the developing pituitary, (ii) SEMA3G affects GnRH neuron development, but is redundant in the adult hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and (iii) mutated SEMA3G alters binding properties in silico and in vitro to its PlexinA receptors and attenuates its effect on the migration of immortalized GnRH neurons. Conclusion: In silico, in vitro, and in vivo models revealed that SEMA3G regulates GnRH neuron migration and that its mutation affecting receptor selectivity may be responsible for the HH-related defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]