PUBLICATION

High-throughput identification of small molecules that affect human embryonic vascular development

Authors
Vazão, H., Rosa, S., Barata, T., Costa, R., Pitrez, P.R., Honório, I., de Vries, M.R., Papatsenko, D., Benedito, R., Saris, D., Khademhosseini, A., Quax, P.H., Pereira, C.F., Mercader, N., Fernandes, H., Ferreira, L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-170330-19
Date
2017
Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   114(15): E3022-E3031 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Mercader Huber, Nadia
Keywords
embryonic endothelial markers, endothelial cells, high-throughput screening, pluripotent stem cells, vascular toxicity
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation/drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Embryo, Mammalian/cytology
  • Embryo, Mammalian/drug effects
  • Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells/drug effects
  • Embryonic Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Endothelial Cells/cytology*
  • Endothelial Cells/drug effects
  • Endothelial Cells/metabolism
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods*
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology*
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/drug effects
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Mice
  • Neovascularization, Physiologic/drug effects*
  • Small Molecule Libraries/pharmacology*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/growth & development*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
PubMed
28348206 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Abstract
Birth defects, which are in part caused by exposure to environmental chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs, affect 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States each year. The current standard to screen drugs that affect embryonic development is based on prenatal animal testing; however, this approach yields low-throughput and limited mechanistic information regarding the biological pathways and potential adverse consequences in humans. To develop a screening platform for molecules that affect human embryonic development based on endothelial cells (ECs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells, we differentiated human pluripotent stem cells into embryonic ECs and induced their maturation under arterial flow conditions. These cells were then used to screen compounds that specifically affect embryonic vasculature. Using this platform, we have identified two compounds that have higher inhibitory effect in embryonic than postnatal ECs. One of them was fluphenazine (an antipsychotic), which inhibits calmodulin kinase II. The other compound was pyrrolopyrimidine (an antiinflammatory agent), which inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), decreases EC viability, induces an inflammatory response, and disrupts preformed vascular networks. The vascular effect of the pyrrolopyrimidine was further validated in prenatal vs. adult mouse ECs and in embryonic and adult zebrafish. We developed a platform based on human pluripotent stem cell-derived ECs for drug screening, which may open new avenues of research for the study and modulation of embryonic vasculature.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping