Global mapping of VEGF-A driven changes in the RNA bound phospho-proteome reveals a molecular switch to coordinate angiogenesis in endothelial cells

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) serve as upstream master regulators of cellular fate transitions at the post-transcriptional level. RBP-RNA interactions are dynamically regulated by post-translational modifications to coordinate cellular responses. We hypothesised that changes in RBP phosphorylation will play a key role in coordinating angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, in endothelial cells (ECs). Therefore, we used phospho-proteomic analysis of the mRNA bound proteome to identify global phosphorylation changes in mouse cardiac ECs during acute and prolonged VEGF-A stimulation. Of the differentially phosphorylated RBPs, we found that the phosphorylation of serine 199 within mRNA bound Phf6 (PHD finger protein 6) was consistently increased following VEGF-A stimulation. Phf6 phosphorylation at this specific site was sufficient and required to induce a pro-angiogenic phenotype, facilitating a change in Phf6 conformation promoting interaction with distinct RNAs. We show here that Phf6 phosphorylation at serine 199, downstream of VEGF-A, acts as a molecular switch to differentially coordinate a decrease of anti-angiogenic RNAs (i.e. extracellular matrix genes) and an increase in pro-angiogenesis related RNAs, in part by differentially regulating their stability, to promote angiogenesis.