Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 modulates endothelial cell motility through the small G-protein Rho

FASEB J. 2003 Aug;17(11):1458-69. doi: 10.1096/fj.02-1040com.

Abstract

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), an immunoglobulin family vascular adhesion molecule, is involved in endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis (1, 2). We found that endothelial cells lacking PECAM-1 exhibit increased single cell motility and extension formation but poor wound healing migration, reminiscent of cells in which Rho activity has been suppressed by overexpressing a GTPase-activating protein (3). The ability of PECAM-1 to restore wound healing migration to PECAM-1-deficient cells was independent of its extracellular domain or signaling via its immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif. PECAM-1-deficient endothelial cells had a selective defect in RhoGTP loading, and inhibition of Rho activity mimicked the PECAM-1-deficient phenotype of increased chemokinetic single cell motility at the expense of coordinated wound healing migration. The wound healing advantage of PECAM-1-positive endothelial cells was not only Rho mediated but pertussis toxin inhibitable, characteristic of migration mediated by heterotrimeric G-protein-linked seven-transmembrane receptor signaling such as signaling in response to the serum sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) (4, 5). Indeed, we found that the wound healing defect of PECAM-1 null endothelial cells is minimized in sphingolipid-depleted media; moreover, PECAM-1 null endothelial cells fail to increase their migration in response to S1P. We have also found that PECAM-1 localizes to rafts and that in its absence heterotrimeric G-protein components are differentially recruited to rafts, providing a potential mechanism for PECAM-1-mediated coordination of S1P signaling. PECAM-1 may thus support the effective S1P/RhoGTP signaling required for wound healing endothelial migration by allowing for the spatially directed, coordinated activation of Galpha signaling pathways.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chemotaxis*
  • Endothelium / cytology
  • Endothelium / physiology*
  • Gene Deletion
  • Lysophospholipids*
  • Membrane Microdomains / chemistry
  • Mice
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / analysis
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / genetics
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Sphingosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Sphingosine / pharmacology
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Wound Healing
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Lysophospholipids
  • Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
  • sphingosine 1-phosphate
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins
  • Sphingosine