• Yuxi Feng, Shalini Gross, Nadine M Wolf, Vicki M Butenschön, Yi Qiu, Kavi Devraj, Stefan Liebner, Jens Kroll, Edward Y Skolnik, Hans-Peter Hammes, and Thomas Wieland.
• From the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (Y.F., S.G., N.M.W., V.M.B., Y.Q., T.W.), Department of Vascular Biology and Tumor Angiogenesis (J.K.), and the Fifth Medical Clinic (H.-P.H.), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Institute of Neurology (Edinger-Institute), Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany (K.D., S.L.); and Division of Nephrology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York (E.Y.S.).
• Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2014 Oct 1; 34 (10): 2292-300.

ObjectiveNucleoside diphosphate kinase B (NDPKB) participates in the activation of heterotrimeric and monomeric G proteins, which are pivotal mediators in angiogenic signaling. The role of NDPKB in angiogenesis has to date not been defined. Therefore, we analyzed the contribution of NDPKB to angiogenesis and its underlying mechanisms in well-characterized in vivo and in vitro models.Approach And ResultsZebrafish embryos were depleted of NDPKB by morpholino-mediated knockdown. These larvae displayed severe malformations specifically in vessels formed by angiogenesis. NDPKB-deficient (NDPKB(-/-)) mice were subjected to oxygen-induced retinopathy. In this model, the number of preretinal neovascularizations in NDPKB(-/-) mice was strongly reduced in comparison with wild-type littermates. In accordance, a delayed blood flow recovery was detected in the NDPKB(-/-) mice after hindlimb ligation. In in vitro studies, a small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of NDPKB was performed in human umbilical endothelial cells. NDPKB depletion impaired vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced sprouting and hampered the VEGF-induced spatial redistributions of the VEGF receptor type 2 and VE-cadherin at the plasma membrane. Concomitantly, NDPKB depletion increased the permeability of the human umbilical endothelial cell monolayer.ConclusionsThis is the first report to show that NDPKB is required for VEGF-induced angiogenesis and contributes to the correct localization of VEGF receptor type 2 and VE-cadherin at the endothelial adherens junctions. Therefore, our data identify NDPKB as a novel molecular target to modulate VEGF-dependent angiogenesis.© 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

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