Inhibition of Src kinase activity by 7-[(2,4-dichloro-5-methoxyphenyl)amino]-2-heteroaryl-thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-6-carbonitriles

7-[(2,4-Dichloro-5-methoxyphenyl)amino]thieno[3,2-b]pyridine-6-carbonitriles with various heteroaryl groups at C-2 are inhibitors of Src kinase activity. Of these new analogs, compounds substituted at C-2 by a 3,5-furan or a 2,5-pyridine had the best activity in the Src enzyme and cell assays.

Pathophysiological consequences of VEGF-induced vascular permeability

Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces angiogenesis, it also disrupts vascular barrier function in diseased tissues. Accordingly, VEGF expression in cancer and ischaemic disease has unexpected pathophysiological consequences. By uncoupling endothelial cell-cell junctions VEGF causes vascular permeability and oedema, resulting in extensive injury to ischaemic tissues after stroke or myocardial infarction. In cancer, VEGF-mediated disruption of the vascular barrier may potentiate tumour cell extravasation, leading to widespread metastatic disease. Therefore, by blocking the vascular permeability promoting effects of VEGF it may be feasible to reduce tissue injury after ischaemic disease and minimize the invasive properties of circulating tumour cells.

Tyrosine Phosphorylation of VE-cadherin Prevents Binding of p120- and β-Catenin and Maintains the Cellular Mesenchymal State

In several pathological conditions, epithelial cells demonstrate a breakdown of barrier function and acquire an invasive phenotype. Endothelial cells in particular are maintained in a mesenchymal state during the cell invasion phase of angiogenesis. We show here that tyrosine phosphorylation of the adherens junction protein VE-cadherin at two critical tyrosines, Tyr-658 and Tyr-731, via tyrosine kinase activation or phosphatase inactivation was sufficient to prevent the binding of p120- and beta-catenin, respectively, to the cytoplasmic tail of VE-cadherin. In fact, phosphorylation at either site led to the inhibition of cell barrier function. Cells expressing wild-type VE-cadherin showed decreased cell migration compared with cells lacking VE-cadherin, whereas expression of VE-cadherin with a simple phosphomimetic tyrosine-to-glutamic acid mutation of Y658E or Y731E was sufficient to restore the migratory response. These findings demonstrate that a single phosphorylation event within the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tail is sufficient to maintain cells in a mesenchymal state.

Association of Csk to VE-cadherin and inhibition of cell proliferation

Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) mediates contact inhibition of cell growth in quiescent endothelial cell layers. Searching for proteins that could be involved in VE-cadherin signaling, we found the cytosolic C-terminal Src kinase (Csk), a negative regulator of Src family kinases. We show that Csk binds via its SH2 domain to the phosphorylated tyrosine 685 of VE-cadherin. VE-cadherin recruits Csk to cell contacts and both proteins can be co-precipitated from cell lysates of transfected cells and endothelial cells. Association of VE-cadherin and Csk in endothelial cells increased with increasing cell density. CHO cells expressing the tyrosine replacement mutant VE-cadherin-Y685F grow to higher cell densities than cells expressing wild-type VE-cadherin. Overexpression of Csk in these cells under an inducible promoter inhibits cell proliferation in the presence and absence of VE-cadherin, but not in the presence of VE-cadherin-Y685F. Reduction of Csk expression by RNA interference enhances endothelial cell proliferation. Our results suggest that the phosphorylated tyrosine residue 685 of VE-cadherin and probably the binding of Csk to this site are involved in inhibition of cell growth triggered by cell density.

Roles of alphav integrins in vascular biology and pulmonary pathology

The five integrins that contain the alphav subunit are widely expressed and their expression is tightly regulated. However, most tissues in mice lacking the alphav subunit, and thus deficient in all five integrins, develop normally, suggesting that nearly all of the critical steps in development and cellular differentiation can occur in the absence of these integrins. Studies over the past few years have identified highly specialized roles for specific alphav integrins in preventing inappropriate vascular growth and in control of vascular permeability. Two members of this family, alphavbeta6 and alphavbeta8, play novel roles in activating latent complexes of the growth factor TGFbeta (transforming growth factor beta). Studies in mice lacking the beta6 subunit have identified unexpected roles for alphavbeta6-mediated TGFbeta activation in models of pulmonary and renal fibrosis, acute lung injury and pulmonary emphysema.

Tumor metastasis but not tumor growth is dependent on Src-mediated vascular permeability

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)–induced vascular permeability (VP) is a hallmark of tumor growth and metastasis. Previous studies have shown a requirement for Src kinase in VEGF-mediated VP and signaling in blood vessels. In this study, we have examined the effect of Src-mediated reduced VP on tumor growth and metastasis. The growth and spontaneous metastasis of VEGF-expressing tumor cells were determined in Src-knockout (src–/–) or control mice (src+/+ or src+/–). In comparison to control mice, src-null mice had a significant reduction in tumor-induced VP as well as a subsequent reduction in spontaneous metastasis. In contrast, primary tumor weight and vascular density were unchanged between src-null and control mice. Consistent with a role for Src in the extravasation of tumor cells from the circulation, direct intravenous injection of lung carcinoma cells resulted in a more than 2-fold reduction in lung tumor burden in src-null mice compared to control mice. The comparison of the results from the experimental metastasis and the spontaneous metastasis models suggests that there are defects in VP in the primary site of Src-deficient mice and that there may be an essential role for Src and Src-mediated VP in tumor metastasis to the lung.

Integrins and angiogenesis

The growth of new blood vessels is a dynamic yet highly regulated process that depends on coordinated signaling by growth factor and cell adhesion receptors. As part of the molecular program regulating angiogenesis, endothelial cells acquire a proliferative and invasive phenotype but also show increased susceptibility to apoptotic stimuli. Integrins are the principle adhesion receptors used by endothelial cells to interact with their extracellular microenvironment, and integrin-mediated interactions play a critical role in regulating cell proliferation, migration, and survival. Alterations in the repertoire and?or activity of integrins, as well as the availability and structural property of their ligands, regulate the vascular cell during the growth or repair of blood vessels.

Vascular endothelial-cadherin tyrosine phosphorylation in angiogenic and quiescent adult tissues

Vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) plays a key role in angiogenesis and in vascular permeability. The regulation of its biological activity may be a central mechanism in normal or pathological angiogenesis. VE-cadherin has been shown to be phosphorylated on tyrosine in vitro under various conditions, including stimulation by VEGF. In the present study, we addressed the question of the existence of a tyrosine phosphorylated form of VE-cadherin in vivo, in correlation with the quiescent versus angiogenic state of adult tissues. Phosphorylated VE-cadherin was detected in mouse lung, uterus, and ovary but not in other tissues unless mice were injected with peroxovanadate to block protein phosphatases. Remarkably, VE-cadherin tyrosine phosphorylation was dramatically increased in uterus and ovary, and not in other organs, during PMSG/hCG-induced angiogenesis. In parallel, we observed an increased association of VE-cadherin with Flk1 (VEGF receptor 2) during hormonal angiogenesis. Additionally, Src kinase was constitutively associated with VE-cadherin in both quiescent and angiogenic tissues and increased phosphorylation of VE-cadherin-associated Src was detected in uterus and ovary after hormonal treatment. Src-VE-cadherin association was detected in cultured endothelial cells, independent of VE-cadherin phosphorylation state and Src activation level. In this model, Src inhibition impaired VEGF-induced VE-cadherin phosphorylation, indicating that VE-cadherin phosphorylation was dependent on Src activation. We conclude that VE-cadherin is a substrate for tyrosine kinases in vivo and that its phosphorylation, together with that of associated Src, is increased by angiogenic stimulation. Physical association between Flk1, Src, and VE-cadherin may thus provide an efficient mechanism for amplification and perpetuation of VEGF-stimulated angiogenic processes.

Functional and clinical repercussions of myocyte apoptosis in the multifaceted damage by ischemia/reperfusion injury: old and new concepts after 10 years of contributions

Ten years ago, the first finding of apoptotic cell death on the 'crime scene' of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury profoundly dismayed the scientific community. This observation jarred with the deeply rooted conviction that cardiac myocytes stoically 'break, but do not bend' in the fight against ischemia, instead of spontaneously accepting a peaceful demise for the greater good. Ten years later, a number of studies not only proved right the coexistence of necrosis and apoptosis on the ischemic battle field, but also implicated myocyte apoptosis in the pathogenesis of all the shapes and shades that cardiac ischemic injury can take on.

VE-cadherin is not required for the formation of nascent blood vessels but acts to prevent their disassembly

We investigated the role of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin in blood vessel morphogenesis and established a temporal correlation linking the failure in vessel morphogenesis in VE-cadherin null embryos to a specific step in vasculogenesis. We showed that the sequence in which blood vessels failed followed the order in which they had formed (ie, those forming first--yolk sac, allantoic and endocardial vessels--were the first to display morphologic abnormalities). We next showed that in place of normal reticulated networks of blood vessels, clusters of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-positive (PECAM+) cells formed within cultured allantois explants from VE-cadherin null embryos. Similarly, a function-blocking VE-cadherin antibody, BV13, caused PECAM+ cell clusters to form in cultured allantois explants from normal mice. Finally, we demonstrated that formation of PECAM+ cell clusters in response to BV13 was not due to a disruption in the formation of nascent vessels but was due to the actual disassembly of nascent vessels. Based on these findings, we conclude that the events of de novo blood vessel formation up to the point at which a vascular epithelium forms (ie, nascent vessels with lumens) are not dependent on VE-cadherin and that VE-cadherin, whose expression is up-regulated following vascular epithelialization, is required to prevent the disassembly of nascent blood vessels.

Endothelial barrier disruption by VEGF-mediated Src activity potentiates tumor cell extravasation and metastasis

VEGF is unique among angiogenic growth factors because it disrupts endothelial barrier function. Therefore, we considered whether this property of VEGF might contribute to tumor cell extravasation and metastasis. To test this, mice lacking the Src family kinases Src or Yes, which maintain endothelial barrier function in the presence of VEGF, were injected intravenously with VEGF-expressing tumor cells. We found a dramatic reduction in tumor cell extravasation in lungs or livers of mice lacking Src or Yes. At the molecular level, VEGF compromises the endothelial barrier by disrupting a VE-cadherin–β-catenin complex in lung endothelium from wild-type, but not Yes-deficient, mice. Disrupting the endothelial barrier directly with anti–VE-cadherin both amplifies metastasis in normal mice and overcomes the genetic resistance in Yes-deficient mice. Pharmacological blockade of VEGF, VEGFR-2, or Src stabilizes endothelial barrier function and suppresses tumor cell extravasation in vivo. Therefore, disrupting Src signaling preserves host endothelial barrier function providing a novel host-targeted approach to control metastatic disease.

VE-cadherin links tRNA synthetase cytokine to anti-angiogenic function

A natural fragment of an enzyme that catalyzes the first step of protein synthesis-human tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (T2-TrpRS) has potent anti-angiogenic activity. A cellular receptor through which T2-TrpRS exerts its anti-angiogenic activity has not previously been identified. Here T2-TrpRS was shown to bind at intercellular junctions of endothelial cells (ECs). Using genetic knock-outs, binding was established to depend on VE-cadherin, a calcium-dependent adhesion molecule, which is selectively expressed in ECs, concentrated at adherens junctions, and is essential for normal vascular development. In contrast, T2-TrpRS binding to EC junctions was not dependent on platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule type-1, another adhesion molecule found at EC junctions. Pull-down assays confirmed direct complex formation between T2-TrpRS and VE-cadherin. Binding of T2-TrpRS inhibited VEGF-induced ERK activation and EC migration. Thus, a VE-cadherin-dependent pathway is proposed to link T2-TrpRS to inhibition of new blood vessel formation.

p21-activated kinase regulates endothelial permeability through modulation of contractility

Endothelial cells lining the vasculature have close cell-cell associations that maintain separation of the blood fluid compartment from surrounding tissues. Permeability is regulated by a variety of growth factors and cytokines and plays a role in numerous physiological and pathological processes. We examined a potential role for the p21-activated kinase (PAK) in the regulation of vascular permeability. In both bovine aortic and human umbilical vein endothelial cells, PAK is phosphorylated on Ser141 during the activation downstream of Rac, and the phosphorylated subfraction translocates to endothelial cell-cell junctions in response to serum, VEGF, bFGF, TNFalpha, histamine, and thrombin. Blocking PAK activation or translocation prevents the increase in permeability across the cell monolayer in response to these factors. Permeability correlates with myosin phosphorylation, formation of actin stress fibers, and the appearance of paracellular pores. Inhibition of myosin phosphorylation blocks the increase in permeability. These data suggest that PAK is a central regulator of endothelial permeability induced by multiple growth factors and cytokines via an effect on cell contractility. PAK may therefore be a suitable drug target for the treatment of pathological conditions where vascular leak is a contributing factor, such as ischemia and inflammation.