PECAM-1 and caveolae form the mechanosensing complex necessary for NOX2 activation and angiogenic signaling with stopped flow in pulmonary endothelium

Noel J, Wang H, Hong N, Tao JQ, Yu K, Sorokina EM, DeBolt K, Heayn M, Rizzo V, Delisser H, Fisher AB, Chatterjee S. PECAM-1 and caveolae form the mechanosensing complex necessary for NOX2 activation and angiogenic signaling with stopped flow in pulmonary endothelium. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 305: L805-L818, 2013. First published September 27, 2013; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00123.2013.-We showed that stop of flow triggers a mechanosignaling cascade that leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS); however, a mechanosensor coupled to the cytoskeleton that could potentially transduce flow stimulus has not been identified. We showed a role for K-ATP channel, caveolae (caveolin-1), and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) in ROS production with stop of flow. Based on reports of a mechanosensory complex that includes platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) and initiates signaling with mechanical force, we hypothesized that PECAM-1 could serve as a mechanosensor in sensing disruption of flow. Using lungs in situ, we observed that ROS production with stop of flow was significantly reduced in PECAM-1(-/-) lungs compared with lungs from wild-type (WT) mice. Lack of PECAM-1 did not affect NOX2 activation machinery or the caveolin-1 expression or caveolae number in the pulmonary endothelium. Stop of flow in vitro triggered an increase in angiogenic potential of WT pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVEC) but not of PECAM-10(-/-) PMVEC. Obstruction of flow in lungs in vivo showed that the neutrophil infiltration as observed in WT mice was significantly lowered in PECAM-1(-/-) mice. With stop of flow, WT lungs showed higher expression of the angiogenic marker VEGF compared with untreated (sham) and PECAM-1(-/-) lungs. Thus PECAM-1 (and caveolae) are parts of the mechanosensing machinery that generates superoxide with loss of shear; the resultant ROS potentially drives neutrophil influx and acts as an angiogenic signal.