Insulin-like growth factor signaling regulates zebrafish lymphatic-vessel development

  • Cell Rep. 2026 Feb 24;45(2):116971. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.116971.
Wenxuan Chen  1 ,  June P Misa  1 ,  Caitlin D Herbert  1 ,  Ben Watkin  2 ,  Taylor J Stevenson  2 ,  Samuel J C McCullough  2 ,  Kate L Lee  1 ,  Stefan K Bohlander  3 ,  Diego J Hoyle  4 ,  Philip S Crosier  1 ,  Thomas F Schilling  4 ,  Justin Rustenhoven  2 ,  Christopher J Hall  1 ,  Jonathan W Astin  5
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
  • 2. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
  • 3. Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • 4. Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
  • 5. Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41691624 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.116971
Abstract

The coordinated migration of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) is essential for the development of the lymphatic network. Here, we uncover the role of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway in zebrafish lymphatic vessel development. We demonstrate that the medial facial lymphatic (MFL) vessel requires cartilage of the hyoid arch for development and identify pregnancy-associated plasma protein A2 (pappa2) as a possible candidate for mediating the cartilage-lymphatic interaction. Pappa2 encodes a secreted metalloprotease that cleaves IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs; Igfbp3 and Igfbp5b) also expressed near the hyoid cartilage. Overexpression of IGFs and inhibition of IGFBPs enhance MFL growth, while pappa2 knockdown, overexpression of Igfbp3/Igfbp5b, or inhibition of IGF1R inhibit MFL growth. We show that Igf signaling has a cell-autonomous role in zebrafish lymphatic development and that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human LECs express IGF1R and migrate in response to IGF2. Our data highlight the importance of the IGF signaling pathway in lymphatic-vessel development.

Keywords
CP: developmental biology; IGF; cartilage; lymphangiogenesis; lymphatic; zebrafish.
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