Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 Jan 7;404(1):103-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.11.075. Epub 2010 Nov 21.
Clec14a is a member of the thrombomodulin (TM) family, but its function has not yet been determined. Here, we report that Clec14a is a plasma membrane protein of endothelial cells (ECs) expressed specifically in the vasculature of mice. Deletion mutant analysis revealed that Clec14a mediates cell-cell adhesion through its C-type lectin-like domain. Knockdown of Clec14a in ECs suppressed cell migratory activity and filopodial protrusion, and delayed formation of tube-like structures. These findings demonstrate that Clec14a is a novel EC-specific protein that appears to play a role in cell-cell adhesion and angiogenesis.
Clec14a 是血栓调节蛋白 (TM) 家族的成员，但它的功能尚未确定。在这里，我们报告 Clec14a 是一种内皮细胞 (ECs) 的质膜蛋白，特异性表达于小鼠的脉管系统中。缺失突变分析表明，Clec14a 通过其 C 型凝集素样结构域介导细胞-细胞黏附。在内皮细胞中敲低 Clec14a 抑制了细胞迁移活性和丝状伪足的伸出，并延迟了管状结构的形成。这些发现表明 Clec14a 是一种新型的内皮细胞特异性蛋白，似乎在细胞-细胞黏附和血管生成中发挥作用。
