PP2A regulatory subunit Bα controls endothelial contractility and vessel lumen integrity via regulation of HDAC7

To supply tissues with nutrients and oxygen, the cardiovascular system forms a seamless, hierarchically branched, network of lumenized tubes. Here, we show that maintenance of patent vessel lumens requires the B alpha regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Deficiency of B alpha in zebrafish precludes vascular lumen stabilization resulting in perfusion defects. Similarly, inactivation of PP2A-B alpha in cultured ECs induces tubulogenesis failure due to alteration of cytoskeleton dynamics, actomyosin contractility and maturation of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) contacts. Mechanistically, we show that PP2A-B alpha controls the activity of HDAC7, an essential transcriptional regulator of vascular stability. In the absence of PP2A-B alpha, transcriptional repression by HDAC7 is abrogated leading to enhanced expression of the cytoskeleton adaptor protein ArgBP2. ArgBP2 hyperactivates RhoA causing inadequate rearrangements of the EC actomyosin cytoskeleton. This study unravels the first specific role for a PP2A holoenzyme in development: the PP2A-B alpha/HDAC7/ArgBP2 axis maintains vascular lumens by balancing endothelial cytoskeletal dynamics and cell-matrix adhesion.