The biomechanical properties of an epithelial tissue determine the location of its vasculature

Martin Kragl, Rajib Schubert, Haiko Karsjens, Silke Otter, Barbara Bartosinska, Kay Jeruschke, Jürgen Weiss, Chunguang Chen, David Alsteens, Oliver Kuss, Stephan Speier, Daniel Eberhard, Daniel J. Müller and Eckhard Lammert ()
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Martin Kragl: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University
Rajib Schubert: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Haiko Karsjens: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University
Silke Otter: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University
Barbara Bartosinska: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University
Kay Jeruschke: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.)
Jürgen Weiss: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.)
Chunguang Chen: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.)
David Alsteens: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Oliver Kuss: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.)
Stephan Speier: German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.)
Daniel Eberhard: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University
Daniel J. Müller: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Eckhard Lammert: Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Heinrich Heine University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract An important question is how growing tissues establish a blood vessel network. Here we study vascular network formation in pancreatic islets, endocrine tissues derived from pancreatic epithelium. We find that depletion of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in the pancreatic epithelial cells of mice results in glucose intolerance due to a loss of the intra-islet vasculature. In turn, blood vessels accumulate at the islet periphery. Neither alterations in endothelial cell proliferation, apoptosis, morphology, Vegfa expression and VEGF-A secretion nor ‘empty sleeves’ of vascular basement membrane are found. Instead, biophysical experiments reveal that the biomechanical properties of pancreatic islet cells, such as their actomyosin-mediated cortex tension and adhesive forces to endothelial cells, are significantly changed. These results suggest that a sorting event is driving the segregation of endothelial and epithelial cells and indicate that the epithelial biomechanical properties determine whether the blood vasculature invades or envelops a growing epithelial tissue.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13560

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