Control of endothelial cell tube formation by Notch ligand intracellular domain interactions with activator protein 1 (AP-1)

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Notch signaling is a ubiquitous signal transduction pathway found in most if not all metazoan cell types characterized to date. It is indispensable for cell differentiation as well as tissue growth, tissue remodeling, and apoptosis. Although the canonical Notch signaling pathway is well characterized, accumulating evidence points to the existence of multiple, less well-defined layers of regulation. In this study, we investigated the function of the intracellular domain (ICD) of the Notch ligand Delta-like 4 (DLL4). We provide evidence that the DLL4 ICD is required for normal DLL4 subcellular localization. We further show that it is cleaved and interacts with the JUN proto-oncogene, which forms part of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor complex. Mechanistically, the DLL4 ICD inhibited JUN binding to DNA and thereby controlled the expression of JUN target genes, including DLL4 Our work further demonstrated that JUN strongly stimulates endothelial cell tube formation and that DLL4 constrains this process. These results raise the possibility that Notch/DLL4 signaling is bidirectional and suggest that the DLL4 ICD could represent a point of cross-talk between Notch and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume293
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)1229-1242
Number of pages14
ISSN0021-9258
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

    Research areas

  • Journal Article, Notch pathway, signaling, AP1 transcription factor (AP-1), gene regulation, angiogenesis

ID: 186868771