Journal
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
Volume 127, Issue 8, Pages 1056-1073Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.120.316742
Keywords
claudin-5; endothelium; junctional adhesion molecule A; tight junctions; vascular permeability
Funding
- Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) [18683, 21320]
- AIRC 5x1000 call Metastatic disease: the key unmet need in oncology of the MYNERVA project [21267]
- European Research Council [742922]
- Initial Training Networks BtRAIN [675619]
- CARIPLO (Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde) Foundation [2014-1038, 2016-0461]
- Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Finalizzata) [PE-2016-02362551]
- Telethon Foundation [GGP19202]
- IEO-CCM (Istituto Europeo di Oncologia-Centro Cardiologico Monzino) Foundation
- Umberto Veronesi Foundation
- Swedish Science Council
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- European Research Council (ERC) [742922] Funding Source: European Research Council (ERC)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Rationale: Intercellular tight junctions are crucial for correct regulation of the endothelial barrier. Their composition and integrity are affected in pathological contexts, such as inflammation and tumor growth. JAM-A (junctional adhesion molecule A) is a transmembrane component of tight junctions with a role in maintenance of endothelial barrier function, although how this is accomplished remains elusive. Objective: We aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms through which JAM-A expression regulates tight junction organization to control endothelial permeability, with potential implications under pathological conditions. Methods and Results: Genetic deletion of JAM-A in mice significantly increased vascular permeability. This was associated with significantly decreased expression of claudin-5 in the vasculature of various tissues, including brain and lung. We observed that C/EBP-alpha (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-alpha) can act as a transcription factor to trigger the expression of claudin-5 downstream of JAM-A, to thus enhance vascular barrier function. Accordingly, gain-of-function for C/EBP-alpha increased claudin-5 expression and decreased endothelial permeability, as measured by the passage of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran through endothelial monolayers. Conversely, C/EBP-alpha loss-of-function showed the opposite effects of decreased claudin-5 levels and increased endothelial permeability. Mechanistically, JAM-A promoted C/EBP-alpha expression through suppression of beta-catenin transcriptional activity, and also through activation of EPAC (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP). C/EBP-alpha then directly binds the promoter of claudin-5 to thereby promote its transcription. Finally, JAM-A-C/EBP-alpha-mediated regulation of claudin-5 was lost in blood vessels from tissue biopsies from patients with glioblastoma and ovarian cancer. Conclusions: We describe here a novel role for the transcription factor C/EBP-alpha that is positively modulated by JAM-A, a component of tight junctions that acts through EPAC to up-regulate the expression of claudin-5, to thus decrease endothelial permeability. Overall, these data unravel a regulatory molecular pathway through which tight junctions limit vascular permeability. This will help in the identification of further therapeutic targets for diseases associated with endothelial barrier dysfunction.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available