Hydrogen sulphide triggers VEGF-induced intracellular Ca2+ signals in human endothelial cells but not in their immature progenitors

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a newly discovered gasotransmitter that regulates multiple steps in VEGF-induced angiogenesis. An increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) is central to endothelial proliferation and may be triggered by both VEGF and H2S. Albeit VEGFR-2 might serve as H2S receptor, the mechanistic relationship between VEGF- and H2S-induced Ca2+ signals in endothelial cells is unclear. The present study aimed at assessing whether and how NaHS, a widely employed H2S donor, stimulates pro-angiogenic Ca2+ signals in Ea.hy926 cells, a suitable surrogate for mature endothelial cells, and human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). We found that NaHS induced a dose-dependent increase in [Ca2+](i) in Ea.hy926 cells. NaHS-induced Ca2+ signals in Ea.hy926 cells did not require extracellular Ca2+ entry, while they were inhibited upon pharmacological blockade of the phospholipase C/inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) signalling pathway. Moreover, the Ca2+ response to NaHS was prevented by genistein, but not by SU5416, which selectively inhibits VEGFR-2. However, VEGF-induced Ca2+ signals were suppressed by DL-propargylglycine (PAG), which blocks the H2S-producing enzyme, cystathionine gamma-lyase. Consistent with these data, VEGF-induced proliferation and migration were inhibited by PAG in Ea.hy926 cells, albeit NaHS alone did not influence these processes. Conversely, NaHS elevated [Ca2+](i) only in a modest fraction of circulating EPCs, whereas neither VEGF-induced Ca2+ oscillations nor VEGF-dependent proliferation were affected by PAG. Therefore, H2S-evoked elevation in [Ca2+](i) is essential to trigger the pro-angiogenic Ca2+ response to VEGF in mature endothelial cells, but not in their immature progenitors. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.