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C1q as a unique player in angiogenesis with therapeutic implication in wound healing

2014; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 111; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.1311968111

1091-6490

Fleur Bossi, Claudio Tripodo, Lucia Rizzi, Roberta Bulla, Chiara Agostinis, Carla Guarnotta, Carine Munaut, Gustavo Baldassarre, Giovanni Papa, Sonia Zorzet, Berhane Ghebrehiwet, Guang Sheng Ling, Marina Botto, Francesco Tedesco,

Platelet Disorders and Treatments

Significance C1q is a well-known initiator of the complement classical pathway and interacts with several immune and nonimmune cells inducing complement activation-independent functions. Endothelial cells represent one of the potential targets of C1q that binds to cell surface-expressed receptors and stimulates inflammation. Here we report a unique and hitherto unrecognized function of C1q to promote angiogenesis acting through the globular heads. The angiogenic activity of C1q was supported by its ability to induce new vessel formation in in vitro and in vivo models of wound healing. These findings have important implications for the treatment of clinical diseases associated with impaired angiogenesis such as chronic skin ulcers in diabetic patients.