Unsuspected role for the T-cell leukemia protein SCL/tal-1 in vascular development
Abstract
The transcription factor SCL/tal-1 is essential for blood cell development. Though it is also expressed in vascular endothelium, SCL has been considered dispensable for vessel formation. Through transgenic rescue of hematopoietic defects of SCL−/− embryos and analysis of chimeras generated with SCL−/− ES cells tagged with a transgene expressed in vascular endothelial cells, we show that SCL is essential for angiogenic remodeling of the yolk sac capillary network into complex vitelline vessels. These findings establish a role for SCL in embryonic angiogenesis and argue for critical functions in both embryonic blood and vascular cells, the descendents of the presumptive hemangioblast.
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Footnotes
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↵These authors contributed equally to this work.
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↵Present address: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.
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↵Corresponding author.
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E-MAIL orkin{at}rascal.med.harvard.edu; FAX (617) 355-7262.
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- Received October 24, 1997.
- Accepted December 12, 1997.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
