Fig. 7

Proposed molecular mechanism of Thsd7a on tip and stalk. Our data suggest that Thsd7a could down-regulate notch expression to affect tip and stalk cell communication. Moreover, the down-regulation of vegfr2/3 on tip cell results in the loss of guidance cues and growth path disorientation and the down-regulation of nrarp leads to decreased endothelial cell proliferation and irregular vessel patterning. Taken together, this model might explain why Thsd7a knockdown results in the hyper-branching of angiogenic sprout