Endothelial Dab1 signaling orchestrates neuro-glia-vessel communication in the central nervous system

The architecture of the neurovascular unit (NVU) is controlled by the communication of neurons, glia, and vascular cells. We found that the neuronal guidance cue reelin possesses proangiogenic activities that ensure the communication of endothelial cells (ECs) with the glia to control neuronal migration and the establishment of the blood-brain barrier in the mouse brain. Apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2) and Disabled1 (Dab1) expressed in ECs are required for vascularization of the retina and the cerebral cortex. Deletion of Dab1 in ECs leads to a reduced secretion of laminin-α4 and decreased activation of integrin-β1 in glial cells, which in turn control neuronal migration and barrier properties of the NVU. Thus, reelin signaling in the endothelium is an instructive and integrative cue essential for neuro-glia-vascular communication.