Dynamically regulated Focal adhesions coordinate endothelial cell remodelling in developing vasculature

The assembly of a mature vascular network involves the coordinated control of cell shape changes to regulate morphogenesis of a complex vascular network. Cellular changes include a process of endothelial cell (EC) elongation which is essential for establishing appropriately sized lumens during vessel maturation1-3. However how EC elongation is dynamically regulated in vivo is not fully understood since live monitoring of this event can be challenging in animal models. Here, we utilise the live imaging capacity of the zebrafish to explore how integrin adhesion complexes, known as Focal Adhesions (FAs), control EC dynamics in live flow pressured vasculature. To do this, we generated a zebrafish mutant, deficient for the integrin adaptor protein Talin1. Notably, unlike the severe cardiovascular defects that arise in Talin1 knockout mice4, vasculogenesis still occurs normally talin1 mutants and cardiac output remains sufficient up to two days post fertilisation (dpf). This allowed us to uncouple primary roles for FAs in ECs during subsequent morphogenesis events, including angiogenesis and vessel remodelling, without interference of secondary effects that might occur due to systemic vessel failure or loss of blood flow. We further established a FA marker line, expressing endothelial Vinculin-eGFP, and demonstrated that FAs are lost in our talin1 mutants. This Vinculin transgene represents the first in vivo model to monitor endothelial FA dynamics. Loss of FAs in talin1 mutants, leads to compromised F-actin rearrangements, which perturb EC elongation and cell-cell junction linearisation during vessel remodelling. Chemical induction of actin polymerisation can restore these cellular phenotypes, suggesting a recovery of actin rearrangements that are sufficient to allow cell and junction shape changes. Together, we have identified that FAs are essential for active guidance of EC elongation and junction linearisation in flow pressured vessels. These observations can explain the severely compromised vessel beds, haemorrhage and vascular leakage that has been observed in mouse models that lack integrin signalling4-8.