Cooperative ETS transcription factors enforce adult endothelial cell fate and cardiovascular homeostasis.
File(s)Erg-Fli1_NCR_Gomez-Salinero_2022.pdf (15.52 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Current dogma dictates that, during adulthood, endothelial cells (ECs) are locked in an immutable stable homeostatic state. By contrast, herein we show that maintenance of EC fate and function are linked and active processes, which depend on the constitutive cooperativity of only two ETS transcription factors (TFs), ERG and Fli1. Although deletion of either ERG or Fli1 manifests subtle vascular dysfunction, their combined genetic deletion in adult ECs results in acute vasculopathy and multi-organ failure, due to loss of EC fate and integrity, hyperinflammation and spontaneous thrombosis, leading to death. ERG and Fli1 co-deficiency causes rapid transcriptional silencing of pan and organotypic vascular core genes, with dysregulation of inflammation and coagulation pathways. Vascular hyperinflammation leads to impaired hematopoiesis with myeloid skewing. Accordingly, enforced ERG and FLI1 expression in adult human mesenchymal stromal cells activates vascular programs and functionality, enabling in vivo engraftment of a perfusable vascular network. Genome-wide association study analysis identified vascular diseases that are associated with FLI1/ERG mutations. Constitutive expression of ERG and Fli1 upholds EC fate, physiological function and resilience in adult vasculature, whereas their functional loss can contribute to systemic human diseases.
Date Issued
2022-10-06
Date Acceptance
2022-08-04
Citation
Nature Cardiovascular Research, 2022, 1, pp.882-899
ISSN
2731-0590
Publisher
Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com]
Start Page
882
End Page
899
Journal / Book Title
Nature Cardiovascular Research
Volume
1
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2022 Springer-Verlag. This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44161-022-00128-3
Identifier
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44161-022-00128-3
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-10-06