VEGF counteracts shear stress-determined arterial fate specification during capillary remodeling.

Abstract

Postnatal vascular morphogenesis is a dynamic process that initially involves angiogenesis to form the capillary bed, followed by its partial remodeling into arteries. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF hereafter), the primary inducer of angiogenesis, is also implicated in arterial specification in developmental contexts. However, it is unclear why arterial patterning is spatiotemporally segregated from angiogenesis, while postnatal arterial specification in animal models with blocked VEGF signaling remains unstudied. Here, we report that VEGF does not induce arterial fate in the capillaries, instead serving as a physiological brake to attenuate fluid shear stress (FSS)-driven capillary-to-arterial cell fate transition. Mouse models with disrupted VEGF signaling reveal impaired angiogenesis but intact and ectopic arterialization. Mechanistically, mechanosensitive transcription factor Sox17 determines the FSS-arterial program, while VEGF suppresses Sox17 transcription activity at arterial promoters and enhancers sites. Angiogenic signaling, while essential for the initial capillary morphogenesis, inhibits arterial specification, thereby protecting the capillary bed from premature arterialization driven by flow. These findings establish a new paradigm in which precise spatiotemporal coordination of environmental stimuli orchestrates angiogenesis, arterial patterning and capillary maintenance during vascular morphogenesis.