We have used an embryonic endothelial cell line (IEM cells) as an experimental system for identifying and characterizing new molecules which are regulated during blood vessel development. A novel gene isolated from IEM cells, tubedown-1 (tbdn-1), is expressed at high levels in unstimulated IEM cells and is downregulated during formation of capillary tube structures by the IEM cells induced by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in vitro. Tbdn-1 is also downregulated in M1 myeloid leukemia cells after differentiation in response to LIF in vitro. Tbdn-1 is homologous to the yeast NAT-1 N-terminal acetyltransferases and encodes a novel protein of approximately 69 kDa associated with an acetyltransferase activity. Levels and distribution of tbdn-1 expression are regulated in both endothelial and hematopoietic cells during development in tissues such as the yolk sac blood islands, heart, and liver blood vessels. In the adult, tbdn-1 expression is low or undetected in most organs examined with the exception of the atrial endocardium, the endothelial and myeloid compartments of bone marrow, and the remodeling vascular bed of atretic ovarian follicles. The distribution and regulation of expression of tbdn-1 suggest that this novel acetyltransferase may be involved in regulating vascular and hematopoietic development and physiologic angiogenesis.
Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.