FGF-2 promotes angiogenesis through a SRSF1/SRSF3/SRPK1-dependent axis that controls VEGFR1 splicing in endothelial cells

• Published in: BMC biology Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 173
• Main Authors: Jia, Tao, Jacquet, Thibault, Dalonneau, Fabien, Coudert, Pauline, Vaganay, Elisabeth, Exbrayat-Héritier, Chloé, Vollaire, Julien, Josserand, Véronique, Ruggiero, Florence, Coll, Jean-Luc, Eymin, Béatrice
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 25.08.2021; BMC
• Subjects: Alternative splicing; Angiogenesis; Angiogenesis/endothelial cells/fibroblast growth factor/VEGFR1/SR proteins; Animals; Blood vessels; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; Cellulose; Collagen; Endothelial Cells; Experiments; Fibroblast growth factor 2; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 - genetics; Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1; Fibroblasts; Growth factors; Heparin; Homeostasis; Humans; Kinases; Life Sciences; Lung cancer; Lung carcinoma; Lung Neoplasms; Lungs; Medical prognosis; Mice; mRNA; Neovascularization, Pathologic - genetics; Phosphorylation; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proteins; RNA Precursors; Serine; Serine-Arginine Splicing Factors - genetics; Signal transduction; Splicing factors; Threonine; Two dimensional models; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Wound healing; Zebrafish; Zebrafish - genetics; Angiogenesis/endothelial cells/fibroblast growth factor/VEGFR1/SR proteins; Angiogenesis; SR proteins; endothelial cells; fibroblast growth factor; VEGFR1
• ISSN: 1741-7007; 1741-7007
• DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01103-3

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels arise from pre-existing ones. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), a leading member of the FGF family of heparin-binding growth factors, contributes to normal as well as pathological angiogenesis. Pre-mRNA alternative splicing plays a key role in the regulation of cellular and tissular homeostasis and is highly controlled by splicing factors, including SRSFs. SRSFs belong to the SR protein family and are regulated by serine/threonine kinases such as SRPK1. Up to now, the role of SR proteins and their regulators in the biology of endothelial cells remains elusive, in particular upstream signals that control their expression. By combining 2D endothelial cells cultures, 3D collagen sprouting assay, a model of angiogenesis in cellulose sponges in mice and a model of angiogenesis in zebrafish, we collectively show that FGF-2 promotes proliferation, survival, and sprouting of endothelial cells by activating a SRSF1/SRSF3/SRPK1-dependent axis. In vitro, we further demonstrate that this FGF-2-dependent signaling pathway controls VEGFR1 pre-mRNA splicing and leads to the generation of soluble VEGFR1 splice variants, in particular a sVEGFR1-ex12 which retains an alternative last exon, that contribute to FGF-2-mediated angiogenic functions. Finally, we show that sVEGFR1-ex12 mRNA level correlates with that of FGF-2/FGFR1 in squamous lung carcinoma patients and that sVEGFR1-ex12 is a poor prognosis marker in these patients. We demonstrate that FGF-2 promotes angiogenesis by activating a SRSF1/SRSF3/SRPK1 network that regulates VEGFR1 alternative splicing in endothelial cells, a process that could also contribute to lung tumor progression.