ECM435 Sigma-AldrichIntegrin Classics Kit

Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), an angiogenic factor that is generally considered an autocrine factor for endothelial cells was shown in a previous study to upregulate peripheral blood monocyte fibrinolysis in concert with platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). This upregulation of fibrinolysis was demonstrated to be due to upregulation of elements of the matrix metalloproteinase and serine protease fibrinolytic pathways. The manner in which Ang-2 interacts with monocytes was not elucidated though no expression of the angiopoietin receptor tyrosine kinase Tie-2 was found for monocytes. In this study Ang-2 was found to bind to integrin beta(2), and functional inhibition of integrin beta(2) eliminated Ang-2/PDGF-BB-mediated upregulation of monocyte fibrin invasion. Additionally, integrin beta(2) blockade significantly inhibited the Ang-2/PDGF-BB based increase in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and membrane type-1-MMP (MT1-MMP). Furthermore, Ang-2/PDGF-BB-upregulated urokinase plasminogen-activator receptor (uPAR) was shown to be associated in complexes with integrin beta(2). In addition, Ang-2 was shown to upregulate PDGFR-beta expression in monocytes. Therefore several components of the mechanism via which the novel interaction of Ang-2 and PDGF-BB with monocytes occurs have been identified.

TGFbeta-induced protein (TGFBI) is an extracellular protein that mediates cell adhesion to collagen, laminin and fibronectin through its interaction with different beta integrins. We had previously reported that hypoxia-induced TGFBI mRNA expression in lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC). Here, we demonstrate that TGFBI can contribute to hypoxia-induced increases in LEC adhesion to the ECM. We show that while there are no changes in alpha1, alpha4, alphav, beta1, beta2, beta3, alpha5beta1, alphavbeta3, alphavbeta5 integrin expression on the LEC surface after hypoxia exposure, there exists an accumulation of TGFBI adaptor protein in LEC supernatants. We also demonstrate that hypoxia driven TGBFI expression is dependent on TGFbeta production by LEC. Furthermore, we show that TGFBI mediated LEC adhesion and migration through the ECM by its binding to the beta3 integrin. The identification of the specific mechanisms regulating LEC-ECM interactions may help us design new therapeutic applications for diseases in which lymphatic vessel function is compromised.