Lung microvascular endothelial functional and structural integrity is essential for maintenance of tissue‐fluid homeostasis and normal function of the respiratory system. Disruption of the pulmonary endothelial barrier leads to pulmonary edema, acute lung injury, and respiratory failure. Adherens junction (AJ) proteins, actin cytoskeleton, and microtubules are major components required for maintenance of barrier integrity. Post‐translational protein modifications of AJ constituents, such as phosphorylation, nitration, and nitrosylation, have been well known to regulate endothelial barrier function. More recently, lysine acetylation/deacetylation has emerged as an important and physiologically significant posttranslational protein modification in physiological and pathological conditions. However, its role in endothelial barrier function remains largely unknown. Sirtuins (SIRTs) are NAD + ‐dependent deacetylases, and critical regulators of energy metabolism and oxidative stress response in different cell types. We studied the function of SIRT2, the only cytosolic sirtuin family member, in regulating pulmonary endothelial barrier function during inflammatory response. We showed that SIRT2 is the most abundant sirtuin in human lung endothelial cells. Importantly, SIRT2 protein level is significantly increased in lung endothelial cells upon challenging mice with a sublethal dose of lipopolysaccharides, a gram‐negative bacteria endotoxin which causes systemic inflammatory responses resulting in acute lung injury. Increase in SIRT2 protein level was also observed in human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) upon challenge with permeability‐increasing agents such as human α‐thrombin and TNF‐α, further emphasizing the potentially important role of SIRT2 in regulating adaptation of endothelial cells to inflammatory responses. To determine the role of SIRT2 activity in the maintenance of lung endothelial barrier function, we knocked down SIRT2 in HLMVECs and assessed changes in endothelial permeability upon challenge with α‐thrombin. We found that SIRT2 knock down significantly augmented α‐thrombin‐induced permeability increases as compared to control siRNA‐treated cells, suggesting that SIRT2 activity may play a critical role in regulating endothelial barrier integrity. Furthermore, treatment of endothelial cells with AGK2, a SIRT2‐selective inhibitor, significantly decreased assembly of endothelial junctions due to increased accumulation of VE‐cadherin in the cytoplasm. Our data suggest that SIRT2 plays a critical role in the maintenance of endothelial barrier function under basal conditions and upon inflammatory response. Support or Funding Information Xiaoyan Yang : T32HL007829‐23, AHA 17SDG33410608. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .
In HeLa, PK, 3T3, PtK1 cells and rat embryo fibroblasts (REF), antibodies against acetylated tubulin stained centrioles, primary cilia, some cytoplasmic microtubules and microtubule bundles of the mid-body. The primary cilia were stained more intensively than cytoplasmic microtubules and could easily be distinguished. This makes it possible to detect the primary cilia in cultured cells and to estimate their number by light microscopy. The four cultures studied had 1/4 to 1/3 of interphase cells with detectable primary cilia, and only in HeLa cells the primary cilia were very rare. Comparison of electron microscopic and immunofluorescence data showed that the frequencies of occurrence of the primary cilia in four tissue cultures determined by these two methods were the same. Therefore, antibodies against acetylated tubulin can be used to study the primary cilia. In synchronized mitotic fibroblasts (3T3 and REF) the primary cilia appeared first 2 h after the cells had been plated on coverslips, which is 1 h after the cells had entered the interphase. Four hours after plating the number of ciliated cells reached the average level for nonsynchronous population. This model can be used for further studies of the expression of primary cilia.
Cell surface G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), upon agonist binding, undergo serine–threonine phosphorylation, leading to either receptor recycling or degradation. Here, we show a new fate of GPCRs, exemplified by ER retention of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1). We show that S1P phosphorylates S1PR1 on tyrosine residue Y143, which is associated with recruitment of activated BiP from the ER into the cytosol. BiP then interacts with endocytosed Y143-S1PR1 and delivers it into the ER. In contrast to WT-S1PR1, which is recycled and stabilizes the endothelial barrier, phosphomimicking S1PR1 (Y143D-S1PR1) is retained by BiP in the ER and increases cytosolic Ca2+ and disrupts barrier function. Intriguingly, a proinflammatory, but non-GPCR agonist, TNF-α, also triggered barrier-disruptive signaling by promoting S1PR1 phosphorylation on Y143 and its import into ER via BiP. BiP depletion restored Y143D-S1PR1 expression on the endothelial cell surface and rescued canonical receptor functions. Findings identify Y143-phosphorylated S1PR1 as a potential target for prevention of endothelial barrier breakdown under inflammatory conditions.
PECAM‐1, also known as CD31, is a 150kDA transmembrane glycoprotein comprised of six extracellular Ig repeats that form trans ‐interactions with PECAM‐1 on the cell surface of endothelial cells. Neutrophil trans‐endothelial migration (TEM) is critically dependent on these interactions. While the role of PECAM‐1‐mediated signaling in endothelial cells is well‐studied, and linked to activation of calcium flux, and re‐organization of actin cytoskeleton, the role of PECAM‐1 in neutrophils remains unclear. Hence, we investigated this question using PECAM‐1 coated biomimetic surfaces. We report here that PECAM‐1 homophillic ligation induces prompt nucleation of actin cytoskeleton and neutrophil polarization without the presence of a chemoattactant (fMLF). This was not seen when neutrophils were seated on biomimetic glass coated with fibronectin. We also observed an increase in SHP2 and RhoGTPase activity at the sites of PECAM‐1 homophilic interaction. We propose that PECAM‐1 induces SHP2/RhoA signaling and the resultant polymerization of actin cytoskeleton through the mDia2 pathway. Hence, our data suggests a novel role of PECAM‐1 in neutrophil TEM.
End-binding proteins (EBs) associate with the growing microtubule plus ends to regulate microtubule dynamics as well as the interaction with intracellular structures. EB3 contributes to pathological vascular leakage through interacting with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor 3 (IP3R3), a calcium channel located at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. The C-terminal domain of EB3 (residues 200–281) is functionally important for this interaction because it contains the effector binding sites, a prerequisite for EB3 activity and specificity. Structural data for this domain is limited. Here, we report the backbone chemical shift assignments for the human EB3 C-terminal domain and computationally explore its EB3 conformations. Backbone assignments, along with computational models, will allow future investigation of EB3 structural dynamics, interactions with effectors, and will facilitate the development of novel EB3 inhibitors.
Vascular endothelial (VE)–cadherin forms homotypic adherens junctions (AJs) in the endothelium, whereas N-cadherin forms heterotypic adhesion between endothelial cells and surrounding vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes. Here we addressed the question whether both cadherin adhesion complexes communicate through intracellular signaling and contribute to the integrity of the endothelial barrier. We demonstrated that deletion of N-cadherin (Cdh2) in either endothelial cells or pericytes increases junctional endothelial permeability in lung and brain secondary to reduced accumulation of VE-cadherin at AJs. N-cadherin functions by increasing the rate of VE-cadherin recruitment to AJs and induces the assembly of VE-cadherin junctions. We identified the dual Rac1/RhoA Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Trio as a critical component of the N-cadherin adhesion complex, which activates both Rac1 and RhoA signaling pathways at AJs. Trio GEF1-mediated Rac1 activation induces the recruitment of VE-cadherin to AJs, whereas Trio GEF2-mediated RhoA activation increases intracellular tension and reinforces Rac1 activation to promote assembly of VE-cadherin junctions and thereby establish the characteristic restrictive endothelial barrier.
