Phosphatidylserine (PS) asymmetry in the eukaryotic cell membrane is maintained by a group of proteins belonging to the P4-ATPase family, namely, PS flippases. The folding and transporting of P4-ATPases to their cellular destination requires a β-subunit member of the TMEM30 protein family. Loss of Tmem30a has been shown to cause multiple disease conditions. However, its roles in vascular development have not been elucidated. Here, we show that TMEM30A plays critical roles in retinal vascular angiogenesis, which is a fundamental process in vascular development. Our data indicate that knockdown of TMEM30A in primary human retinal endothelial cells led to reduced tube formation. In mice, endothelial cell (EC)-specific deletion of Tmem30a led to retarded retinal vascular development with a hyperpruned vascular network as well as blunted-end, aneurysm-like tip ECs with fewer filopodia at the vascular front and a reduced number of tip cells. Deletion of Tmem30a also impaired vessel barrier integrity. Mechanistically, deletion of TMEM30A caused reduced EC proliferation by inhibiting VEGF-induced signaling. Our findings reveal essential roles of TMEM30A in angiogenesis, providing a potential therapeutic target.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; Cell proliferation; Phosphatidylserine flippase; TMEM30A.
© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.