TY  - JOUR
A1  - Benz, Fabienne
A1  - Wichitnaowarat, Viraya
A1  - Lehmann, Martin
A1  - Germano, Raoul F. V.
A1  - Mihova, Diana
A1  - Macas, Jadranka
A1  - Adams, Ralf Heinrich
A1  - Taketo, Makoto Mark
A1  - Guerit, Sylvaine
A1  - Plate, Karl
A1  - Vanhollebeke, Benoit
A1  - Liebner, Stefan
T1  - Low Wnt/β-catenin signaling determines leaky vessels in the subfornical organ and affects water homeostasis in mice
T2  - eLife
N2  - The circumventricular organs (CVOs) in the central nervous system (CNS) lack a vascular blood-brain barrier (BBB), creating communication sites for sensory or secretory neurons, involved in body homeostasis. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for BBB development and maintenance in endothelial cells (ECs) in most CNS vessels. Here we show that in mouse development, as well as in adult mouse and zebrafish, CVO ECs rendered Wnt-reporter negative, suggesting low level pathway activity. Characterization of the subfornical organ (SFO) vasculature revealed heterogenous claudin-5 (Cldn5) and Plvap/Meca32 expression indicative for tight and leaky vessels, respectively. Dominant, EC-specific β-catenin transcription in mice, converted phenotypically leaky into BBB-like vessels, by augmenting Cldn5+ vessels, stabilizing junctions and by reducing Plvap/Meca32+ and fenestrated vessels, resulting in decreased tracer permeability. Endothelial tightening augmented neuronal activity in the SFO of water restricted mice. Hence, regulating the SFO vessel barrier may influence neuronal function in the context of water homeostasis.
KW  - Research article
KW  - Developmental biology
KW  - Mouse
KW  - Zebrafish
Y1  - 2019
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/50162
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-501628
SN  - 2050-084X
N1  - Copyright Benz et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
VL  - 8
IS  - e43818
SP  - 1
EP  - 29
PB  - eLife Sciences Publications
CY  - Cambridge
ER  -