1. Tetraspanin CD151 maintains vascular stability by balancing the forces of cell adhesion and cytoskeletal tension
- Author
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Norman Sachs, Hayden Huang, Jarett Michaelson, Yao Sun, Feng Zhang, Xin Zhang, Wenyuan Zhao, Jill M. Lahti, Arnoud Sonnenberg, and Simon Moshiach
- Subjects
rac1 GTP-Binding Protein ,rho GTP-Binding Proteins ,RHOA ,Immunology ,Vascular permeability ,Cell Communication ,Tetraspanin 24 ,Biology ,Biochemistry ,Mice ,Cell-matrix adhesion ,Vascular Biology ,Cell Adhesion ,Animals ,Humans ,Cytoskeleton ,Cell adhesion ,Cells, Cultured ,Neuropeptides ,Endothelial Cells ,Cell Biology ,Hematology ,Actins ,Mice, Mutant Strains ,Extracellular Matrix ,rac GTP-Binding Proteins ,Cell biology ,Endothelial stem cell ,Rac GTP-Binding Proteins ,Vascular endothelial growth factor A ,Gene Expression Regulation ,biology.protein ,Blood Vessels ,rhoA GTP-Binding Protein - Abstract
Tetraspanin CD151 is highly expressed in endothelial cells and regulates pathologic angiogenesis. However, the mechanism by which CD151 promotes vascular morphogenesis and whether CD151 engages other vascular functions are unclear. Here we report that CD151 is required for maintaining endothelial capillary-like structures formed in vitro and the integrity of endothelial cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts in vivo. In addition, vascular permeability is markedly enhanced in the absence of CD151. As a global regulator of endothelial cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions, CD151 is needed for the optimal functions of various cell adhesion proteins. The loss of CD151 elevates actin cytoskeletal traction by up-regulating RhoA signaling and diminishes actin cortical meshwork by down-regulating Rac1 activity. The inhibition of RhoA or activation of cAMP signaling stabilizes CD151-silenced or -null endothelial structure in vascular morphogenesis. Together, our data demonstrate that CD151 maintains vascular stability by promoting endothelial cell adhesions, especially cell-cell adhesion, and confining cytoskeletal tension.
- Published
- 2011