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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 282, Issue 22, 16631-16643, June 1, 2007
Genetic Evidence Supporting Caveolae Microdomain Regulation of Calcium Entry in Endothelial Cells*![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1
From the
Received for publication, August 18, 2006 , and in revised form, April 4, 2007.
Various cellular signals initiate calcium entry into cells, and there is evidence that lipid rafts and caveolae may concentrate proteins that regulate transmembrane calcium fluxes. Here, using mice deficient in caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and Cav-1 knock-out reconstituted with endothelium-specific Cav-1, we show that Cav-1 is essential for calcium entry in endothelial cells and governs the localization and protein-protein interactions between transient receptor channels C4 and C1. Thus, Cav-1 is required for calcium entry in vascular endothelial cells and perhaps other specialized cell types containing caveolae.
The generation of receptor-induced cytosolic calcium signals involves the rapid, transient release of calcium from stores, mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)2 followed by sustained entry of extracellular calcium (1). Ligand stimulation of G protein- and tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors activates phospholipase C generating the second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG). The former functions as a chemical messenger that interacts with IP3 receptors (IP3Rs) to rapidly release calcium from the ER lumen (1). The initial release of calcium is followed by a more sustained entry of calcium into cells via several potential mechanisms, including calcium release-activated calcium channels, store-operated calcium channels, and receptor-operated calcium channels (2). The tonic phase of calcium entry mediates long term calcium signaling and provides calcium to replenish intracellular stores. The relative role of calcium release from ER stores versus other second messenger systems (such as DAG and G q/11 (3, 4)) activating calcium influx pathways is complex and controversial and may depend on the channel composition and cell type being studied.
There is growing evidence that members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channel family can assemble in the plasma membrane to participate in cation influx pathways. TRPs are members of a large superfamily of mammalian TRP channels (TRPCs), and to date, seven TRPCs (TRPC1-7) have been identified (5). Heterologous expressions of the highly homologous TRPC3, -6, and -7 channels are clearly activated by phospholipase C-derived DAG (6, 7), whereas activations of TRPC1, -4, and -5 are less clear. Although TRPC1 was characterized as a component of SOC in nerve cells (8), subsequent studies indicated that TRPC3, TRPC4, and TRPC5 might also contribute to calcium entry mechanisms after agonist stimulation (9-11). In vascular endothelial cells, sustained calcium entry into the cytosol is necessary to release vasoactive agents such as nitric oxide or prostaglandins (12, 13), and mice deficient in TRPC4 (10) show markedly reduced acetylcholine (ACh) agonist-induced calcium entry and endothelium-dependent, nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation. The compositions of the native TRPC channels in endothelial cells are not known and are likely complex and species-specific. However, there is recent evidence that TRPC3/C4 heteromers are necessary for cation influx activated by redox signaling in porcine endothelial cells (14). Caveolae are 50-100 nm cholesterol-rich invaginations of the plasma membrane that have been implicated in a variety of cellular functions, including endocytosis and signal transduction events (15). There are three family members of caveolins (Cav-1, -2, and -3) (16-18). Cav-1 is predominantly expressed in endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and adipocytes, and Cav-3, which is specifically expressed in striated muscle, is sufficient for formation of caveolae in these cell types or tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that isolated caveolae contain complex sets of functionally organized signaling molecules, including Ca2+ signaling molecules (19-21), and have been suggested to regulate Ca2+ entry in living cells (22). Recently, we have developed a mouse model to study the effects Cav-1 on endothelial function in vivo by breeding the Cav-1 knock-out mice to endothelium-specific Cav-1 transgenic mice, thus rescuing caveolae in the endothelium only (23). Here we show using genetic criterion in intact blood vessels and isolated cells that Cav-1 is necessary for the second phase of calcium entry in endothelial cells. Mechanistically, Cav-1 is associated with a dynamic protein complex consisting of TRPC4, TRPC1, and IP3Rs, and the loss of Cav-1 impairs the localization of TRPC4 and agonist-simulated complex formation. These data favor the idea that Cav-1 in caveolae of specialized cells, such as endothelia, may serve as a scaffold to integrate TRPC regulation of calcium influx pathways.
Generation of Cav-1-deficient and Endothelium-specific Cav-1 Transgenic Reconstituted (Cav-1 RC) Animals Endothelium-specific Cav-1 transgenic mice (Cav-1 TG, F4) carrying the canine CAV-1 transgene under the prepro-endothelin-1 promoter (24) were crossed with F4 generation Cav-1-deficient mice (18) to generate endothelium-specific Cav-1 reconstituted mice as described (Cav-1 RC (23)). Male mice (8-10 weeks old) were used for the experiments.
Isolation of Murine Lung Endothelial Cells
Immunostaining
Cross-section StainingAfter dissection, intrapulmonary arteries were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min at 4 °C and then dehydrated in 15% sucrose overnight at 4 °C. The vessels were then embedded in OCT (Sakura) and flash-frozen in a liquid nitrogen-cooled isopentane bath. Sections (5 µm) were blocked with 3% normal goat serum and probed with anti-Cav-1 polyclonal antibody (BD Transduction Laboratories) and anti-smooth muscle MLEC StainingConfluent MLEC were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde (4 °C, 10 min), permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100/PBS (room temperature, 5-15 min), and blocked with 3% normal goat serum containing PBS (room temperature, 30 min). Then the cells were probed with anti-Cav-1 monoclonal antibody (BD Transduction Laboratories), rabbit anti-TRPC1 (Alomone Labs and Pharmingen) and anti-TRPC4 (Alomone Labs) polyclonal antibodies, and rabbit anti-IP3Rs polyclonal antibody (kindly donated by Barbara Ehrlich; 1:500 dilution at room temperature for 3 h). Alexa 568 anti-rabbit IgG and 488 anti-rat IgG (Molecular Probe) were used as secondary antibodies. Alexa 488 anti-rabbit IgG and 568 anti-mouse IgG (Molecular Probe) were used as secondary antibody (1:500 dilution, room temperature, 1 h). For actin staining, we applied Alexa Fluor 488 phalloidin (Molecular Probe) to samples (1:200 dilution, room temperature,10 min) after the paraformaldehyde fixation. After mounting of 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, all of the images were captured using a Carl Zeiss scanning microscope Axiovert 200M imaging system (x400-630), and images were digitized under constant exposure time, gain, and offset. After capturing images, protein co-localization and cell area were measured by the OpenLab program (Improvision).
Electron Microscopy
Prostacyclin Release
IP3 Accumulation Tissue and Cell [Ca2+]i MeasurementsMeasurement of the [Ca2+]i in endothelial cells in situ was performed using fluo-4AM (Molecular Probe) according to the method described previously (26). The artery (0.6 mm wide) and confluent MLEC were incubated in physiological salt solution (136.9 mM NaCl, 5.4 mM KCl, 2.0 mM CaCl2, 1.0 mM MgCl2, 23.8 mM NaHCO3, and 5.5 mM glucose) with 5-µM fluo-4AM and 0.02% cremophor EL for 30 min at room temperature. The opened strip of pulmonary artery or MLEC was mounted on the stage of a microscope, and the images were captured by a Carl Zeiss scanning microscope Axiovert 200M imaging system (x100-400) using 488-nm (excitation) and 540-nm (emission) filters. Images of vascular endothelial cells stained with fluo-4 were taken every 1.8-10 s at 37 °C, and data were expressed as the change in fluorescence after agonist challenge relative to base line (F/Fo) as a function of time.
Western Blotting
Knockdown of TRPC1 and 4 by siRNA
Cellular Fractionation
Immunoprecipitation Studies
Purification of GST-Caveolin-1 Fusion Proteins and in Vitro Interactions
Statistical Analysis
Cav-1 Is Necessary for Acetylcholine-induced Calcium Fluxes and Prostacyclin ProductionPreviously, we have established mice deficient in Cav-1 that were bred to transgenic mice expressing Cav-1 in endothelial cells only (23). As seen in Fig. 1A, PCR genotyping of WT mice expressing endogenous murine Cav-1, Cav-1-/- mice (labeled Cav-1 KO) was determined by the presence of the neomycin cassette and lack of the endogenous gene, whereas the Cav-1-/- mice bred to the EC specific transgenic Cav-1 mice (Cav-1-/-, TG EC-Cav-1; labeled Cav-1 RC) contains the neomycin cassette and the transgenic canine Cav-1 gene but lacks the endogenous gene. Fig. 1B documents Cav-1 protein expression in intrapulmonary arteries isolated from these mice. WT mice demonstrate the presence of Cav-1 (Fig. 1B left column) in both endothelial and smooth muscle layers (n = 6, top panel shows Cav-1 alone, middle panel shows labeling of smooth muscle -actin, and bottom panel show the merged images), whereas as Cav-1 KO (middle column) lacks Cav-1 immunostaining in both layers (n = 9). Reconstitution of Cav-1 into the endothelium generated by crossing Cav-1 KO to EC-specific Cav-1 TG mice reintroduces Cav-1 into the endothelium but not into smooth muscle layers marked by smooth muscle -actin staining (n = 22; Fig. 1B, right columns). Next we used whole-mount staining of the endothelium to examine the extent of Cav-1 reconstitution in these strains. As seen in Fig. 1C, WT and Cav-1 RC have relatively equal levels of immunoreactive Cav-1 in endothelial cells (n = 6 and 10, respectively; top row, left and right columns) defined by the endothelial cell marker, PECAM-1 (n = 6 each; bottom row). Cav-1 KO vessels lack endothelial cell Cav-1 immunoreactivity without changing the levels of PECAM-1 (n = 10 and 6, respectively). In multiple experiments, we estimate 85-90% of the endothelial cells from intrapulmonary arteries are Cav-1-positive. Cav-1 KO mice lack caveolae organelles in several tissues examined, including blood vessels, adipocytes, and fibroblasts (18, 28). As shown in Fig. 1D, transmission electron micrographs document the presence of ample caveolae in EC lining pulmonary vessels, the loss of EC caveolae in Cav-1 KO vessels, and the presence of the organelle in the Cav-1 RC vessels. Thus, we have generated a model of Cav-1 re-expression in the endothelium only, resulting in formation of endothelial caveolae.
Next, we examined the changes in endothelial [Ca2+]i induced by the calcium-mobilizing agonist ACh (3 µM)by imaging fields of endothelial cells lining the intrapulmonary arteries loaded with the calcium indicator fluo-4AM. As shown in Fig. 1E, ACh induced a transient increase in [Ca2+]i followed by a sustained increase in all of the arteries (n = 5 each). However, the sustained phases of [Ca2+]i stimulated by ACh was reduced in the endothelium of Cav-1 KO pulmonary arteries compared with that seen in WT and Cav-1 RC mice. Thus, Cav-1 reconstitution in the endothelium completely restored the impairment in [Ca2+]i fluxes during the tonic phase of the response. Next we sought to examine if the reduction in stimulated changes in calcium entry may impair endothelial function. To this end, we examined ACh-stimulated increases in prostacyclin production (an index of endothelial function; quantified by the stable breakdown product 6-keto-PGF1 Ca2+ Fluxes and Entry, but Not IP3 Production, Are Impaired in Isolated Endothelial Cells of Cav-1 KO Mice and Rescued by Reintroduction of Endothelial Cav-1To examine potential mechanisms of how the loss of Cav-1 and caveolae impaired the tonic phase of agonist-stimulated changes in calcium, MLEC were isolated from WT, Cav-1 KO, and Cav-1 RC mice. ACh-, but not ionomycin, stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i were decreased in Cav-1 KO MLEC compared with cells isolated from WT and Cav-1 RC mice (n = 5 individual experiments; five individual cells each; see Fig. 2A). These data are consistent with the data collected monitoring intracellular calcium in the endothelium of intact blood vessels. It is well accepted that Ca2+ enters the cytosol from two general sources, namely Ca2+ release from mainly the ER and Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane. Next, we investigated whether Cav-1 deficiency would affect Ca2+ release from the intracellular calcium stores. Fig. 2B shows typical traces of calcium signal intensities, and C and D show the summary from individual experiments quantifying phasic (C) and tonic (D) calcium levels after ACh (n = 5 experiments per cell type; three individual cells shown). In the absence of external Ca2+ (plus 0.5 mM EGTA), stimulation with ACh (Fig. 2B, top, left panel) induced a transient increase in [Ca2+]i due to primarily Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Cav-1 deficiency slightly decreased the amount of ACh-induced peak Ca2+ release, an effect rescued by Cav-1 (Fig. 2C). Next, we investigated the effects of Cav-1 on Ca2+ entry. Re-addition of external Ca2+ after ACh stimulation induced sustained Ca2+ entry (Fig. 2B), and the loss of Cav-1 markedly attenuated the entry of Ca2+ by at least 50% (see top left panel after re-addition of 2 mM Ca2+ after stimulation by ACh and summary data in Fig. 2D). We further investigated calcium entry by examining the effects of three nonspecific inhibitors of cation entry, gadolinium (Gd3+), 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), and lanthanum (La3+; n = 4 experiments) in WT endothelial cells. Gd3+ (100-300 µM), 2-APB (100 µM), and La3+(100-300 µM) all decreased ACh-induced Ca2+ entry (see Fig. 2B and summary of data in Fig. 2D).
ACh binding to muscarinic receptors leads to phospholipase C activation and the generation of DAG and IP3. To examine if Cav-1 was important for IP3 generation, we measured basal and stimulated IP3 accumulation in WT, Cav-1 KO, and Cav-1 RC MLEC. As seen in Fig. 2E, basal and ACh-stimulated IP3 accumulations were identical from these cells suggesting that defective calcium influx was not attributable to defective IP3 production. Caveolin-1 Is Crucial for the Subcellular Distribution of TRPC1 and -4 in Endothelial CellsRecently, both the N and C termini of TRPC1 have been shown to bind to Cav-1, and perhaps binding to Cav-1 may regulate the trafficking of TRPC and calcium influx pathways (29). Initially the protein levels of TRPCs (1 and 4) and Cav-1 were determined in MLEC lysates using isoform-specific antisera. To examine Ab specificity, siRNA and peptide blocking experiments were performed. Transfection of specific siRNAs (but not control siRNAs) for TRPC1 and TRPC4 into MLEC reduced the mRNA expression (by PCR; Fig. 3A) and protein levels (Fig. 3B) of TRPC1 (93 kDa) and TRPC4 (95 kDa). Commercially available Abs to TRPC3 detected a 160-kDa band, which was inconsistent with the predicted molecular weight of TRPC3; therefore, we could not study this TRPC further. In addition, preincubation of the peptide immunogen reduced the immunoreactivity of the TRPC1 and TRPC4 Abs (data not shown). These data are consistent with recent publications using these Abs for the respective TRPC (30-32) and are in contrast with other studies using these Abs (33, 34).
In the three lines of MLEC used (WT, Cav-1 KO, and Cav-1 RC), there were no significant changes in the levels of TRPC1 (93 kDa) and TRPC4 (95 kDa; n = 4-7; Fig. 3C, far right panel, the levels of
Because caveolae have been implicated as microdomains that segregate signal transduction mechanisms, we next determined if the presence or absence of Cav-1 (and caveolae) could influence the subcellular distributions of TRPC1 and -4. Thus, cholesterol- and caveolin-1-enriched microdomains from WT, Cav-1 KO, and Cav-1 RC MLEC were subfractionated using a sucrose density gradient that separates the lipid rafts/caveolae from other intracellular cellular membranes and cytosolic proteins. As demonstrated in Fig. 3E, Cav-1 (left panel, rows 1-3) and lipid raft marker flotillin-2 (Flot-2, left panel, rows 4-6) were correctly targeted to low density, cholesterol-enriched membranes (fractions 1-4), and the loss of Cav-1 did not impair the distribution of the raft marker Flot-2 (n = 4 experiments). Conversely, To examine this possibility at the cellular level, we determined the localization of TRPC1 and -4 by immunofluorescence microscopy. As shown in Fig. 3F, immunofluorescent staining of MLECs with anti-TRPC1 and anti-Cav-1 antibodies (left panels) revealed a diffuse cytoplasmic pattern for TRPC1 in WT MLEC with a punctate, dot-like, monocillia pattern near the nucleus (top panel, n = 6 experiments). Cytosolic localization of TRPC1 was confirmed with the use of two other antibodies, and the staining was eliminated by preincubating with the immunogen peptide (data not shown). Cav-1 had a diffuse staining pattern throughout the membranes and co-localized with TRPC1 in WT and Cav-1 RC cells (see merged images); however, the loss of Cav-1 did not affect TRPC1 localization (n = 6 each). TRPC4 had a distinct junctional, plasmalemmal pattern (Fig. 3G, see arrowheads) that partially co-localized with Cav-1 in WT or Cav-1 RC MLEC (n = 6 each); however, the loss of Cav-1 reduced the plasmalemmal staining pattern of TRPC4 (n = 6). Cav-1 Is Necessary for a Regulated Channel Complex Consisting of TRPC1, TRPC4, and IP3R in Endothelial CellsThere is evidence that IP3R may bind directly or indirectly via the adaptor protein junctate (35) to the TRPC family of channels; however, the functional role of this interaction is not completely understood. As shown Fig. 4A, upon immunoprecipitation of TRPC4, a protein complex consisting of IP3R3, TRPC1, and Cav-1 was detected in WT and Cav-1 RC cell lines (n = 5 each). Stimulation of WT or Cav-1 RC MLEC with ACh increased the association of TRPC4 with IP3R1, IP3R3, and TRPC1 (n = 5 each). Interestingly, ACh-stimulated complex formation and recruitment of IP3R1 and IP3R3 were markedly reduced in cells lacking Cav-1 and rescued by reintroducing Cav-1 (n = 5 each). In all lines of MLEC under conditions where we could detect a TRPC4-TRPC1-IP3Rs-Cav-1 complex, we could not detect any interaction of IP3Rs with TRPC1 and -3 when these TRPCs were immunoprecipitated (n = 5 each, data not shown). Using a pan-IP3R antibody for immunoprecipitation, a complex of IP3R3, TRPC4, and Cav-1 existed (Fig. 4B; n = 5 experiments). ACh increased the interaction of IP3R3 with TRPC4 (n = 5), and the levels of IP3R3 and Cav-1 were constant. TRPC1 was undetectable in the IP3R immunoprecipitate under basal conditions. Again, the loss of Cav-1 reduced the ACh-stimulated assembly of the Cav-1-IP3R3-TRPC4 complex (n = 5 each). In contrast to results immunoprecipitating TRPC4 where TRPC1 is associated with the complex in IP3R3 immunoisolates, TRPC1 did not co-precipitate (n = 5). Finally, immunoprecipitation of Cav-1 recovered a basal complex of IP3R3 and TRPC4 (Fig. 4C). Cav-1 is required for the interaction because the loss of Cav-1 obviates any interaction, and the subsequent reconstitution of Cav-1 permits recovery of the complex.
There is growing evidence that TRPCs can assemble into homo- and heteromers between themselves and can create a large variety of different channels. Especially in brain, various combinations of TRPCs have been reported (3, 36, 37), as well as in porcine endothelial cells. As shown in Fig. 4A, TRPC1 co-immunoprecipitates with TRPC4 and, vice versa, TRPC4 co-immunoprecipitates with TRPC1 in WT and Cav-1 RC MLEC (Fig. 4D). Therefore, immunoprecipitation of either TRPC4 or TRPC1 permitted the detection of heteromers of these TRPCs. Cav-1 KO reduced the interaction of TRPC1 with TRPC4 suggesting that regulated communication of IP3Rs with TRPCs requires Cav-1 and presumably caveolae for this complex to assemble properly. The Presence of Cav-1 in Endothelial Cells Specializes the Interaction between IP3Rs and TRPCsCav-1 is expressed in vasculature and adipose tissue but not in neural cells, whereas non-neural and neural cells both exhibited calcium influx pathways that have been linked to TRPC expression. To specify the role of Cav-1 in regulating calcium entry in endothelial cells and to examine the assembly of TRPCs in a native tissue lacking Cav-1, we examined IP3R and TRPC interactions in lysates prepared from the cerebral cortex of 3-4-week-old mice (see Fig. 3D and Fig. 4E). First, we confirmed that the cerebral cortex did not express Cav-1 protein (Fig. 3D, n = 4 experiments). Compared with MLEC, the murine cerebral cortex expressed less TRPC1 and TRPC4. In addition, IP3R1, not IP3R3, was the primary subtype of the IP3R family in the cerebral cortex as mentioned before (n = 4 experiments). In co-immunoprecipitation experiments from cortical extracts, precipitation of both TRPC1 and TRPC4 did not result in the significant recovery of IP3Rs or additional TRPCs in the complex. However, precipitation of IP3Rs with pan-IP3Rs antibody did not result in co-precipitation of TRPC1 or TRPC4 in cortical extracts (n = 4 each), suggesting that Cav-1 may uniquely regulate the assembly of IP3R-TRPC interactions in endothelial cells. Binding of Recombinant Cav-1 to TRPC4 and IP3Rs Isolated from Cav-1 KO MLECBecause both IP3Rs and TRPC4 co-immunoprecipitate with Cav-1 and vice versa in cellular extracts, we sought to examine if either protein could co-purify and interact with recombinant Cav-1 using GST-Cav-1 as bait and Cav-1 KO lysates (Fig. 4, F and G). Fig. 4F depicts the expression of several distinct modules of the Cav-1 GST proteins as follows: GST alone, GST-Cav-(1-61), GST-Cav-(61-101), GST-Cav-(135-178), as well as full-length Cav-1, GST-Cav-(1-178). Incubation of GST alone (Fig. 4F, lane 1) or Cav (1-61, lane 2) with Cav-1 KO lysates did not permit recovery of immunoreactive IP3Rs or TRPCs from the lysates. On the other hand, incubation of equal amounts of GST-Cav-(61-101, see lane 3), GST-Cav-(135-178, lane 4), or full-length Cav-(1-178, lane 5) with Cav-1 KO lysates resulted in the recovery of an IP3R1-IP3R3-TRPC4 complex (Fig. 4G; n = 4 each). No detectable interactions between the GST-Cav constructs and TRPC1 were found (n = 4 experiments), although TRPC1 was present in the starting lysate (Fig. 4G, last lane labeled WT total).
Caveolins/caveolae have been proposed to influence calcium homeostasis in mammalian cells for over 3 decades. Initial experiments in the 1970s demonstrated close juxtapositioning between the endoplasmic reticulum and caveolae in muscle cells (38, 39), suggesting communication between the two organelles. Later studies using fluorescent techniques, co-precipitation experiments, subcellular fractionation, and disruption of lipidic microdomains by using cholesterol-modifying agents to disassemble caveolae and lipid rafts in cells have shown that caveolins/caveolae may influence calcium regulatory pathways (20, 29, 40-42). Recent studies using Cav-1-deficient mice have documented that the loss of Cav-1 and caveolae reduces spontaneous transient outward currents and Ca2+ sparks (local increases in subsarcolemmal Ca2+ activity) in vascular smooth muscle cells (18); however, the mechanistic basis of this phenotype was unknown. In this study, we used genetic and biochemical criterion to define the role of Cav-1 on calcium influx pathways and TRPC assembly in the vascular endothelium. We show the following: 1) Cav-1 deficiency impairs endothelial Ca2+ entry but not IP3 production, which results in a decrease in ACh-induced prostacyclin release; 2) Cav-1 is essential for TRPC4 localization to the plasma membrane; and 3) Cav-1 interacts with a TRPC4-IP3R complex especially after agonist stimulation. Most importantly, the abnormal phenotypes in calcium handling in Cav-1 KO mice can be restored to physiological levels by genetic reconstitution of Cav-1 back into endothelial cells. These results propose a firm genetic basis for Cav-1 regulating the assembly of TRPCs at the cell membrane and regulating calcium influx pathways (see Fig. 5 for proposed model). The lack of embryonic lethality in Cav-1-specific knock-out mice has allowed investigators to test the importance of this protein and corresponding organelle in several post-natal functions. By breeding this KO strain to a newly generated strain of mice expressing Cav-1 specifically in the endothelium, we were able to reconstitute (Cav-1 RC) caveolae in endothelia confirming the idea that Cav-1 is responsible for caveolae biogenesis in the endothelium in vivo. Recently, using this model, we have shown that Cav-1 is necessary for flow-dependent remodeling and mechanotransduction in endothelial cells (23). In intact endothelia lining intrapulmonary arteries, Cav-1 deficiency impairs endothelial Ca2+ metabolism, primarily agonist-mediated calcium entry, which is required for production of the vasodilator, anti-thrombotic lipid prostacyclin (Fig. 2B). Whether the defects in mechanotransduction in carotid arteries as described relate to impaired calcium influx in intrapulmonary arteries in this paper are not clear. Furthermore, qualitatively similar results were seen in endothelial cells isolated and cultured from Cav-1 WT, Cav-1 KO, and Cav-1 RC mice thus demonstrating the necessary role of Cav-1 in regulating the tonic increase in [Ca2+]i after ACh challenge. Cav-1 deficiency did not influence basal or ACh-stimulated IP3 production (Fig. 2E), but significantly reduced endothelial cell calcium influx (Fig. 2B), prostacyclin release (Fig. 1F), and TRPC1/4-IP3Rs interactions (Fig. 5, A and B) primarily after stimulation with ACh. Interestingly, ACh-induced Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores was slightly less in Cav-1 KO MLEC and rescued by the re-addition of Cav-1 (Fig. 2C), suggesting partial Cav-1 regulation of calcium loading perhaps by its effect in reducing influx mechanisms because Ca2+ entry is required for replenishment of Ca2+ into intracellular Ca2+ stores. As a result, the changes in Ca2+ metabolism may reduce both basal and agonist-stimulated increases in prostacyclin release. Subsequently, quenching followed by the re-addition of extracellular Ca2+ to endothelial cells (Fig. 2) demonstrates that Cav-1 deficiency mainly impairs Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane and, to a lesser degree, the above-mentioned Ca2+ release from internal stores. This phenotype is most evident in the cultured MLEC when ACh responses were examined in the absence of extracellular calcium, followed by the re-addition of calcium. Previous work has shown that endothelial cells express the mRNAs for several TRPC subtypes 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 (43), and in porcine endothelial cells, TRPC3 and TRPC4 form a redox-sensitive cation channel (14). The idea that TRPC4 is necessary for calcium influx in murine endothelial cells is supported by data showing that loss of TRPC4 in knock-out mice reduces calcium influx into endothelial cells in vivo (10, 44).
There is evidence that certain TRPCs (such as TRPC1 and TRPC3) and IP3R may be regulated by Cav-1 (29, 45, 46). However, these studies are largely based on overexpression studies, peptide antagonism, or cholesterol-modifying drugs (which disrupt caveolae and raft domains but also extract membranes and change cellular integrity) (47). In our experiments, we used a variety of techniques, including flotation of protein complexes, cellular localization, and protein complex formation by co-precipitation in cells containing or lacking endogenous Cav-1. In WT endothelial cells, TRPC1 and TRPC4 co-fractionate with Cav-1 and the raft marker, flotillin-2. Cav-1 deficiency causes anomalous sedimentation of the channel complex but does not change the fractionation of the raft marker flotillin-2. This suggests that the loss of Cav-1 does not nonspecifically impair membrane raft assembly (delineated by flotillin-2) but only the assembly of proteins requiring Cav-1. Importantly, the impairments in TRPC1 and TRPC4 flotation were corrected by re-expression of Cav-1 in the knock-out background. By confocal microscopy, Cav-1 can co-localize with intracellular TRPC1 and TRPC4, and the loss of Cav-1 results in no conspicuous changes in the apparent subcellular localization of TRPC1 but markedly disrupts TRPC4 localization to the plasma membrane (Fig. 3G), again effects corrected by reintroduction of Cav-1. Taken together these data suggest that in resting endothelial cells, TRPC1 and TRPC4 can be isolated in similar buoyant microdomains that are dependent on Cav-1 expression, and both TRPC1 and TRP C4 co-localize with Cav-1 in intracellular membranes, but the trafficking of TRPC4 to the plasma membrane is dependent on Cav-1. Using co-precipitation techniques (detergent-soluble, native complexes) in resting endothelial cells, TRPC4 can interact with TRPC1, IP3R3, and Cav-1. The loss of Cav-1 does not markedly influence the basal interaction of the TRPCs with the IP3R3. However, upon challenge with ACh, the interactions of TRPC4 with IP3Rs and Cav-1 are enhanced with no changes in the levels of co-associated TRPC1. In contrast, following immunoprecipitation of either IP3R3 or Cav-1, there is an increase in TRPC4 recovered in the complex suggesting that TRPC4 and IP3R3 are regulated in the Cav-1 complex. The lack of TRPC1 in these complexes appears to be at odds with fractionation studies that demonstrate the loss of both TRPC1 and TRPC4 from buoyant membranes isolated from Cav-1 KO cells (shown by fractionation studies). However, the co-association of TRPC1 with TRPC4 under these differing biochemical conditions and the interactions of TRPC1 with other components may stabilize/destabilize TRPC1 in these complexes. Alternatively, during immunoprecipitation of soluble, native complexes, perhaps only a small fraction of the total TRPC1/4 interactions was recovered. Regardless of these technical differences, there is evidence supporting TRPC1 and TRPC4 interactions in regulating TRPC function because co-expression of TRPC4 with TRPC1 results in heteromultimer assembly and proper trafficking of TRPC1 to the cell membrane (48). Also, Cav-1, via its scaffolding domain, can interact with TRPC1 (46); however, we did see a direct interaction of TRPC1 with GST-Cav-1 in our experiments (Fig. 4, F and G). In this study, the loss of Cav-1 reduces ACh-mediated calcium entry and the co-precipitation of TRPCs with IP3Rs, phenotypes rescued in Cav-1 RC cells, suggesting that Cav-1 is responsible for the assembly of an activated calcium-influx protein complex consisting of TRPCs and IP3Rs in endothelial cells. Three subtypes of IP3Rs (IP3R1, -2, and -3) are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and form heterotetramic channels (49, 50), and endothelial cells express mainly IP3R3, whereas the brain mainly expresses IP3R1 (Figs. 3B and 4E). In endothelial cells, an endogenous TRPC4-IP3R3 interaction occurs, and while in cerebral cortical extracts lacking caveolins, a TRPC3-IP3Rs interaction occurs (Fig. 4E) suggesting that the expression of Cav-1 regulates specialized calcium-dependent processes in endothelial cells. Previous studies also reported TRPC1- and TRPC3-IP3R interactions when overexpressed in HEK293 cells, and the N-terminal fragment of the IP3R directly gates TRPC3 in patch clamp studies (9); however, a definitive link between the ER or ER-derived calcium and activation of native TRPCs has not been established unequivocally. Thus, interactions between TRPCs and Cav-1 may regulate TRPC localization, or the proximity of TRPCs in invaginated caveolae juxtaposed to the IP3Rs in the ER may explain our data. Clearly, when Cav-1 and caveolae are lacking, ACh-stimulated calcium entry and TRPC4-IP3R complex formation are reduced. Our data with Cav-1 in endothelial cells are similar to recent study showing that junctate, IP3R-associated protein, serves as a scaffold for TRPC4 and TRPC5 in sperm (35). In neurons, other molecules may subserve a similar adaptor function for TRPCs such as Homer, NHERF-2, and the immunophillin FKBP59 (36, 51, 52). Collectively, specialized cells may have different combinations of TRPC subtype expression, heterologous channel multimerization, TRPC-IP3R interaction, and adaptors to control the multitude of cellular functions in a tissue-dependent manner. Control of calcium entry via Cav-1 defines a new, clear in vivo function for this protein and caveolae in endothelial cells. The expression of Cav-1 in other specialized cells such as adipocytes, epithelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells suggests Cav-1 may influence additional pathways of calcium regulation and calcium-mediated signal transduction in these cell types. The role of caveolins and lipid rafts as plasma membrane microdomains in signal transduction is a attractive hypothesis to integrate disparate pathways into concentrated lipid domains; however, this concept has been met with skepticism despite clear genetic evidence showing impaired mechanosignaling, nitric oxide synthesis, transcytosis, pulmonary and cardiac abnormalities, and abnormal adipogenesis in mice deficient in Cav-1 (18, 23, 53, 54). The cell-specific reconstitution of Cav-1 or perhaps Cav-3, in the respective deficient backgrounds, provides another level of support for the vital role of this protein and organelle in physiological processes.
* This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grants R01 HL64793, RO1 HL 61371, R01 HL 57665, and PO1 HL 70295 and NHLBI Contract N01-HV-28186 (Yale Proteomics Contract) from the National Institutes of Health (to W. C. S.). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. 1 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: william.sessa{at}yale.edu.
2 The abbreviations used are: ER, endoplasmic reticulum; DAG, diacylglycerol; IP3, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; IP3R, IP3 receptor; TRP, transient receptor potential; TRPC, transient receptor potential channel; WT, wild type; KO, knock-out; GST, glutathione S-transferase; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; siRNA, small inhibitory RNA; Cav-1, caveolin-1; MLEC, murine lung endothelial cells; [Ca2+]i, intracellular Ca2+; ACh, acetylcholine; MES, 4-morpho-lineethanesulfonic acid; PG, prostaglandin; Ab, antibody; TG, transgenic; EC, endothelial cells; RC, reconstituted; 2-APB, 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate.
We thank Drs. Barbara Ehrlich and Brenda DeGray for helpful discussions and IP3R antibodies, Drs. Marek Drab and Teymuras Kurtzchalia for the original breeders of Cav-1-deficient mice, and Dr. Michael Lisanti for GST-Cav constructs.
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