Cell
Volume 95, Issue 4, 13 November 1998, Pages 507-519
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Article
Extensive Vasculogenesis, Angiogenesis, and Organogenesis Precede Lethality in Mice Lacking All αv Integrins

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Abstract

αv integrins have been implicated in many developmental processes and are therapeutic targets for inhibition of angiogenesis and osteoporosis. Surprisingly, ablation of the gene for the αv integrin subunit, eliminating all five αv integrins, although causing lethality, allows considerable development and organogenesis including, most notably, extensive vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Eighty percent of embryos die in midgestation, probably because of placental defects, but all embryos develop normally to E9.5, and 20% are born alive. These liveborn αv-null mice consistently exhibit intracerebral and intestinal hemorrhages and cleft palates. These results necessitate reevaluation of the primacy of αv integrins in many functions including vascular development, despite reports that blockade of these integrins with antibodies or peptides prevents angiogenesis.

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