TABLE 1.
Functions of adhesion molecules at endothelial cell contacts.
| Adhesion molecule | Angiogenesis | Baseline junction integrity | Control of vascular permeability induction | Lymph-angiogenesis |
| PECAM-1 | In vitro tube formation and in vivo matrigel plug assay (Cao et al., 2009) | No defect in endothelial junction integrity in KO mice (Duong et al., 2020) | Enhanced effects of inflammation inducing agents upon blocking or depletion (Ferrero et al., 1995; Graesser et al., 2002; Carrithers et al., 2005; Maas et al., 2005; Liao et al., 2018) | |
| JAM-A | Matrigel plug assays (Cooke et al., 2006); angiogenesis in corneal wound healing assays (Chatterjee et al., 2013) | No defect in endothelial junction integrity in KO mice (Duong et al., 2020) | Enhanced effects of inflammation inducing agents upon blocking or depletion (Mandell et al., 2006; Mitchell et al., 2015) | |
| JAM-C | Antibodies and soluble JAM-C interfere with neovascularization in the retina (Lamagna et al., 2005; Hou et al., 2012; Economopoulou et al., 2015) | Reduced effects of inflammation inducing agents upon blocking or depletion (Orlova et al., 2006; Li et al., 2009) | ||
| ESAM | Support of VE-cadherin function in anastomosis in zebrafish embryo (Sauteur et al., 2017); no role in mouse embryonic angiogenesis (Wegmann et al., 2006; Ueda et al., 2019), but tumor angiogenesis and matrigel plug assay (Ishida et al., 2003) | Plasma leaks in lung, but not heart, skin and brain in KO mice (Duong et al., 2020); rupture of endothelial junctions in lung upon simultaneous block of ESAM and VE-cadherin (Duong et al., 2020) | Reduced effects of inflammation inducing agents upon gene inactivation (Wegmann et al., 2006) | |
| Cldn5 | Increased leaks for small molecular weight tracers across BBB, yet no defect in tight junction ultrastructure (Nitta et al., 2003) | |||
| DSG-2 | In vitro tube formation from endothelial progenitors and in vivo matrigel plug assay (Ebert et al., 2016) | |||
| Nectin-2 | In vitro tube formation (Son et al., 2016) | |||
| VE-cadherin | Embryonic lethality due to defects in vascular remodeling in gene inactivated mice (Carmeliet et al., 1999; Gory-Faure et al., 1999) | Organ specific plasma leaks upon blocking or gene inactivation(Corada et al., 1999; Frye et al., 2015; Duong et al., 2020); rupture of endothelial junctions in lung upon simultaneous block of ESAM and VE-cadherin (Duong et al., 2020) | Relevance of tyrosine phosphorylation for junction regulation (Orsenigo et al., 2012; Wessel et al., 2014) | Organ specific defects upon gene inactivation (Hägerling et al., 2018) |