Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine nanofibers regulate endothelial cell movement and angiogenesis: dependency on integrin activation of Ets1.

Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine (pGlcNAc) nanofiber-derived materials effectively achieve hemostasis during surgical procedures. Treatment of cutaneous wounds with pGlcNAc in a diabetic mouse animal model causes marked increases in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. We sought to understand the effect of the pGlcNAc fibers on primary endothelial cells (EC) in culture and found that pGlcNAc induces EC motility. Cell motility induced by pGlcNAc fibers is blocked by antibodies directed against alphaVbeta3 and alpha5beta1 integrins, both known to play important roles in the regulation of EC motility, in vitroand in vivo. pGlcNAc treatment activates mitogen-activated protein kinase and increases Ets1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) expression. pGlcNAc activity is not secondary to its induction of VEGF; inhibition of the VEGF receptor does not inhibit the pGlcNAc-induced expression of Ets1 nor does pGlcNAc cause the activation of VEGF receptor. Both dominant negative and RNA interference inhibition of Ets1 blocks pGlcNAc-induced EC motility. Antibody blockade of integrin results in the inhibition of pGlcNAc-induced Ets1 expression. These findings support the hypothesis that pGlcNAc fibers induce integrin activation which results in the regulation of EC motility and thus in angiogenesis via a pathway dependent on the Ets1 transcription factor and demonstrate that Ets1 is a downstream mediator of integrin activation.