Mechanisms of vascular Wnt signaling during liver homeostasis and tumorigenesis (A02)

• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 331351713

Wnt signaling controls growth, maturation and remodeling of blood vessels. Moreover, vascular cell-derived Wnt signals exert regulatory functions on their microenvironment in a paracrine (angiocrine) manner. The liver has become a model organ for the study of angiocrine signaling mechanisms. Recently, a high-resolution map of liver endothelial cell signaling was established and the Tie receptor was identified as a specific and selective regulator of liver vascular Wnt ligand production and signaling. Based on this work, the role of vascular Wnt signaling in regulating the crosstalk between endothelial cells and hepatocytes will be analyzed, during homeostasis and pathological challenges, including tumor growth.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1324: Mechanisms and functions of Wnt signaling
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Hellmut G. Augustin