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Review
. 2018 May 4;12(3):204-214.
doi: 10.1080/19336918.2017.1372878. Epub 2017 Nov 2.

VEGF-A121a binding to Neuropilins - A concept revisited

Affiliations
Review

VEGF-A121a binding to Neuropilins - A concept revisited

Sarvenaz Sarabipour et al. Cell Adh Migr. .

Abstract

All known splice isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) can bind to the receptor tyrosine kinases VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. We focus here on VEGF-A121a and VEGF-A165a, two of the most abundant VEGF-A splice isoforms in human tissue 1 , and their ability to bind the Neuropilin co-receptors NRP1 and NRP2. The Neuropilins are key vascular, immune, and nervous system receptors on endothelial cells, neuronal axons, and regulatory T cells respectively. They serve as co-receptors for the Plexins in Semaphorin binding on neuronal and vascular endothelial cells, and for the VEGFRs in VEGF binding on vascular and lymphatic endothelial cells, and thus regulate the initiation and coordination of cell signaling by Semaphorins and VEGFs. 2 There is conflicting evidence in the literature as to whether only heparin-binding VEGF-A isoforms - that is, isoforms with domains encoded by exons 6 and/or 7 plus 8a - bind to Neuropilins on endothelial cells. While it is clear that VEGF-A165a binds to both NRP1 and NRP2, published studies do not all agree on the ability of VEGF-A121a to bind NRPs. Here, we review and attempt to reconcile evidence for and against VEGF-A121a binding to Neuropilins. This evidence suggests that, in vitro, VEGF-A121a can bind to both NRP1 and NRP2 via domains encoded by exons 5 and 8a; in the case of NRP1, VEGF-A121a binds with lower affinity than VEGF-A165a. In in vitro cell culture experiments, both NRP1 and NRP2 can enhance VEGF-A121a-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and downstream signaling including proliferation. However, unlike VEGFA-165a, experiments have shown that VEGF-A121a does not 'bridge' VEGFR2 and NRP1, i.e. it does not bind both receptors simultaneously at their extracellular domain. Thus, the mechanism by which Neuropilins potentiate VEGF-A121a-mediated VEGFR2 signaling may be different from that for VEGF-A165a. We suggest such an alternate mechanism: interactions between NRP1 and VEGFR2 transmembrane (TM) and intracellular (IC) domains.

Keywords: HSPG; Neuropilin; VEGF; VEGFR2; activation; binding; transmembrane domain.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic of human VEGF-A splice isoforms. A, The VEGF gene contains multiple exons that can be alternately spliced to make over a dozen isoforms. One of exon 8a or exon 8b is present in most isoforms, and these isoforms are thus denoted xxxa or xxxb, where xxx is the number of amino acids. Exon 1 plus 4 amino acids of exon 2 encodes the 26-residue signal peptide, cleaved during secretion. B, The final form of VEGF is a dimer, containing two of the above sequences covalently linked in an antiparallel orientation by cysteine-cysteine bonds; this makes VEGF bivalent, and VEGF receptors (VEGFR1, R2) bind in the regions encoded by exons 3 and 461. Neuropilins (NRPs) and heparan sulfate (HS) chains bind VEGF in the region encoded by exons 6, 7 and 8a; thus isoforms have different receptor-binding characteristics depending on the encoding exons included. VEGF-A121a lacks a heparin binding domain (HBD: exons 6 and 7). The absence of this domain in VEGF-A121a (left) may also make the NRP-binding domain less flexible in terms of orientation and distance from the main body of the protein, compared to the presence of exon 7-encoded domain in VEGF-A165a (right).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Schematic diagram of structure and binding characteristics of Neuropilins. NRPs are ∼ 920 residue, 130 kDa glycoproteins of the plasma membrane. The receptors consist of an extracellular domain (EC, including the ligand binding site), transmembrane domain (TM), and a short intracellular (IC) domain. The EC domain consists of two CUB calcium-binding homology domains (a1 and a2), two coagulation factor V and VII homology domains (b1 and b2) and a MAM (meprin) domain (c) critical for receptor dimerization. The b1/b2 and a1/a2 domains mediate the high-affinity binding of NRPs to their ligands – the VEGFs and the class 3 semaphorins62. The NRP cytoplasmic domain has 40 residues and allows binding of the PDZ domain-containing protein GIPC1 (or synectin)49. NRP1 can form ligand-independent homodimers29, and heterodimers with NRP263-65 and with VEGFR248,49 in the cellular plasma membrane. NRP1 (but not NRP2) has one covalent GAG (HS/CS) attachment in the EC domain at Serine 61230 (conserved across species66); The GAG modification of NRP1 enhances VEGFR2 signaling in endothelial cells by multiple mechanisms, including enhancement of VEGF-A165a binding and delayed degradation of VEGFR2 bound to VEGF30.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Models of VEGF-VEGFR2-NRP signaling. A complete picture of differential VEGFR2 phosphorylation and signaling induced by VEGF-A121a and VEGF-A165a is yet to be elucidated, and is complicated by the inclusion of HSPGs and NRPs in the signal initiation macrocomplex. The old model proposed that: (A) receptors exist only as monomers in the absence of ligands; (B) upon VEGF-A165a binding, two VEGFR2 monomers and two NRP1 monomers are bridged by the ligand, which results in formation of a macrocomplex6 efficient in VEGFR2 transphosphorylation; and (C) VEGF-A121a binds only to two VEGFR2 monomers to form dimers and to activate the receptor's tyrosine kinase domain. Since VEGF-A121a does not bind to NRPs to bridge VEGFR2 and NRP1 extracellular domains in this model, it does not explain the observed modulation of VEGF-A121a signaling by NRP1. The new model explains these downstream effects by proposing two key concepts: 1) binding of VEGF-A121a to NRP1; and 2) stabilization of both VEGFR2-NRP1-VEGF-A121a (and VEGFR2-NRP1-VEGF-A165a) complexes by transmembrane and intracellular domain contacts between VEGFR2 and NRP1. In this new model: (D) VEGFR2 and NRP1 form complexes (low activity homo- and hetero-dimers) in the absence of VEGFs15,29,48,50,59. These dimers are stabilized by specific ECD, TMD and ICD contacts in the absence of VEGFs. VEGFR2/NRP1 interactions are not necessary for VEGFR2 kinase activation50. Furthermore, ligand-induced bridging of NRP and VEGFR2 is not necessary as contacts occur at the transmembrane and intracellular domains50,67. (E) VEGF-A165a binding results in two VEGFR2 and two NRP1 monomers to form a stable, active complex. HS chains on endothelial HSPGs stabilize this complex by binding to NRP1, VEGFR2 domain 6–7 and VEGF-A165a. (F) Binding (at lower affinity18,27) of VEGF-A121a to NRP1 and VEGFR2 may form a weak extracellular bridge that can not be captured by immunoprecipitaion and cross-linking or (G) VEGF-A121a may alternatively only bind to VEGFR2 and activate the receptor dimer, (H) VEGF-A121a may predominantly bind to abundant NRP1 species on endothelial cell surface to activate the VEGFR2 receptor dimer. Upon binding to the receptors, VEGF-A121a and VEGF-A165a each may induce a conformationally distinct VEGFR/NRP/VEGF signaling complex (comparing E with F, G and H). The different conformations permit different signaling, but NRP can modulate both15,27. Alternatively, VEGF-A121a and VEGF-A165a each may induce a VEGFR/NRP/VEGF signaling complex with similar conformation, but with different stability. The different stability would cause different levels or durations of signaling, resulting in distinct downstream cell behavior. NRP can still modulate both signaling complexes.

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