Inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation by Notch1 signaling is mediated by repressing MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways and requires MAML1

FASEB J. 2006 May;20(7):1009-11. doi: 10.1096/fj.05-4880fje. Epub 2006 Mar 29.

Abstract

The requirement for Notch signaling in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis is well documented. In a previous study, we showed that activation of the Notch pathway in endothelial cells induces differentiation-associated growth arrest; however, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that activation of the Notch pathway by either stimulation of cell surface Notch receptors with crosslinked soluble delta-like 4 (sDll4)/Jagged1 (sJag1) or constitutive expression of the Notch1 intracellular domain (N(IC)) suppresses endothelial cell proliferation. This suppression is mediated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathways. Following Notch1 activation, both pathways were suppressed in endothelial cells, and alterations in MAPK or PI3K/Akt pathway activity reversed Notch1-induced growth inhibition. Furthermore, we found the effect of Notch1 on endothelial cells to require Mastermind-like (MAML). Overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of MAML1 antagonized the effects of activated Notch1 on the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. Ectopic expression of Hairy/Enhancer of Split 1 (HES1) consistently reproduced the inhibitory effect of N(IC) on endothelial cell proliferation. Together, our data demonstrate that the Notch/MAML-HES signaling cascade can regulate both MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways, which suggests a molecular mechanism for the inhibitory effect of Notch signaling on endothelial cell proliferation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Proliferation
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Endothelium, Vascular / cytology
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / genetics
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / metabolism*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / genetics
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*
  • Receptor, Notch1 / genetics
  • Receptor, Notch1 / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Trans-Activators
  • Transcription Factors

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • MAML1 protein, human
  • NOTCH1 protein, human
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Receptor, Notch1
  • Trans-Activators
  • Transcription Factors
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases