PURPOSE To determine a functional role for the carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell-adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) in retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). METHODS In a 21/75/21% OIR mouse model, retinal neovascularization was compared in wild-type and CEACAM1-deficient mice. Animals were housed under normoxic conditions until postnatal day 7, follow...

Neovascularization occurring in atherosclerotic plaque leads to acceleration of plaque growth through increased leukocyte infiltration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Sema4D (CD100), a class IV semaphorin, not only plays a crucial role in axon guidance but also functions in the neovascularization process of tumor growth. To clarify the roles of Sema4D in the progression of atheros...

PURPOSE Hypoxia driven ocular angiogenesis occurs in a range of ischemic retinopathies including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. These conditions are initiated and sustained by hypoxia dependent vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the eye. There are two families of VEGF isoforms formed by differential splicing, the pro-angiogenic VEGF famil...

The aim was to study the effects and action mechanism of endostatin (ES), low molecular weight heparin-endostatin (LMWH-ES) and polyethylene glycol-endostatin (PEG-ES) on endothelial cell proliferation, choroidal neovascularization and zebrafish angiogenesis. Three-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazoliumbromide was used to study the effects of ES and its derivatives on endothelial c...

Bcl-2 is an anti-apoptotic protein with important roles in vascular homeostasis and angiogenesis. Mice globally lacking Bcl-2 (Bcl-2 -/-) are small in stature and succumb to renal failure shortly after weaning as a result of renal hypoplasia/cystic dysplasia. We have shown that Bcl-2 -/- mice displayed attenuated retinal vascular development and neovascularization. In vitro studies indicated th...

Purpose Neovascularization is a major cause of blindness in various ocular diseases. Bioactive sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), synthesized by two sphingosine kinases (Sphk1, Sphk2), emerged as a key player in a multitude of cellular processes, including cell survival, proliferation, inflammation, migration, and angiogenesis. We investigated the role of Sphk2, S1P, and S1P receptors (S1PR) during...

OBJECTIVE Proper arterial and venous specification is a hallmark of functional vascular networks. While arterial-venous identity is genetically pre-determined during embryo development, it is unknown whether an analogous pre-specification occurs in adult neovascularization. Our goal is to determine whether vessel arterial-venous specification in adult neovascularization is pre-determined by the...

Proteins with a disintegrin and a metalloproteinase domain (ADAMs) are a family of membrane-bound proteinases that bind integrins through their disintegrin domain. In this study, we have found modest expression of ADAM15 in pericytes in normal retina and strong up-regulation of ADAM15 in retinal vascular endothelial cells in ischemic retina. Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth f...

PURPOSE The objective of the study was to determine the role of urokinase (uPA) and the urokinase receptor (uPAR) in retinal angiogenesis, and whether loss of uPAR or the inhibition of uPA/uPAR interactions could suppress the extent of retinal neovascularization in an animal model of ischemic retinopathy. METHODS Retinal neovascularization was induced by exposing newborn mice to 75% oxygen on...

PURPOSE Matrilysin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7, is upregulated in the corneal epithelium during wound healing after excimer keratectomy wounds. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of matrilysin in maintaining corneal avascularity during wound healing. METHODS Matrilysin-deficient mice (n = 17) and their age-matched wild-type littermates (n = 18) were treated with 193 nm ...