NOTCH3 regulates stem-to-mural cell differentiation in infantile hemangioma

JCI Insight. 2017 Nov 2;2(21):e93764. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.93764.

Abstract

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is a vascular tumor that begins with rapid vascular proliferation shortly after birth, followed by vascular involution in early childhood. We have found that NOTCH3, a critical regulator of mural cell differentiation and maturation, is expressed in hemangioma stem cells (HemSCs), suggesting that NOTCH3 may function in HemSC-to-mural cell differentiation and pathological vessel stabilization. Here, we demonstrate that NOTCH3 is expressed in NG2+PDGFRβ+ perivascular HemSCs and CD31+GLUT1+ hemangioma endothelial cells (HemECs) in proliferating IHs and becomes mostly restricted to the αSMA+NG2loPDGFRβlo mural cells in involuting IHs. NOTCH3 knockdown in HemSCs inhibited in vitro mural cell differentiation and perturbed αSMA expression. In a mouse model of IH, NOTCH3 knockdown or systemic expression of the NOTCH3 inhibitor, NOTCH3 Decoy, significantly decreased IH blood flow, vessel caliber, and αSMA+ perivascular cell coverage. Thus, NOTCH3 is necessary for HemSC-to-mural cell differentiation, and adequate perivascular cell coverage of IH vessels is required for IH vessel stability.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens / metabolism
  • Blood Vessels / growth & development*
  • Blood Vessels / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Disease Progression
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Hemangioma / metabolism*
  • Hemangioma / pathology
  • Mice
  • Pericytes
  • Proteoglycans / metabolism
  • Receptor, Notch3 / drug effects
  • Receptor, Notch3 / genetics
  • Receptor, Notch3 / metabolism*
  • Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta / metabolism
  • Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Stem Cells / pathology*

Substances

  • Antigens
  • Notch3 protein, mouse
  • Proteoglycans
  • Receptor, Notch3
  • chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4
  • Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta