Endothelial Cells Require CD98 for Efficient Angiogenesis-Brief Report.

OBJECTIVE: CD98 regulates integrin signaling and is critical for tumor cell proliferation. It is also expressed on endothelial cells (EC), but its role in angiogenesis is unclear.

APPROACH AND RESULTS: We used specific genetic targeting and antibody blockade approaches to examine the function of CD98 in EC proliferation, blood vessel growth, and tumor angiogenesis. It is upregulated on angiogenic ECs, and EC-specific deletion of CD98 in mice inhibited tumor growth, retinal angiogenesis, and EC proliferation. Reconstitution with CD98 mutants showed that integrin and CD98 interaction is necessary for EC survival and growth. Moreover, anti-CD98 treatment inhibited vessel formation and reversed EC-assisted tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate a requirement for CD98 in EC growth and suggest that CD98-specific reagents could have a dual anticancer effect: directly by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and indirectly by preventing tumor angiogenesis.