Sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis

Figure 1 Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor signaling. The figure shows salient aspects of the signaling cascades that are mediated by three members of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor family, S1P1-3. Given the focus of this review, the cascades depicted emphasize the effects of S1P signaling on modulation of cadherin and actin cytoskeletal protein rearrangements, as well as integrin-extracellular matrix interactions that collectively mediate S1P-dependent adhesive and motility responses that are important for vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. FAK: Focal adhesion kinase; PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase; GPCRs: G-protein-coupled receptors; PLC: phospholipase C; ECM: Extracellular matrix; MEK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase.