The role of junctional adhesion molecules in cell-cell interactions

Cell-cell-interactions are important for the regulation of tissue integrity, the generation of barriers between different tissues and body compartments thereby providing an effective defence against toxic or pathogenic agents, as well as for the regulation of inflammatory cell recruitment. Intercellular interactions are regulated by adhesion receptors on adjacent cells which upon extracellular ligand binding mediate intracellular signals. In the vasculature, neighbouring endothelial cells interact with each other through various adhesion molecules leading to the generation of junctional complexes like tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs) which regulate both leukocyte endothelial interactions and paracellular permeability. In this context, emerging evidence points to the importance of the family of junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs), which are localized in tight junctions of endothelial and epithelial cells and are implicated in the regulation of both leukocyte extravasation as well as junction formation and permeability.

Low hepatic lipase activity is a novel risk factor for coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND

The crucial function of hepatic lipase (HL) in lipid metabolism has been well established, but the relationship between HL activity and coronary artery disease (CAD) is disputed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We measured HL activity in the postheparin plasma of 200 consecutive men undergoing elective coronary angiography and determined the degree of CAD with the extent score, which has been shown to be better correlated with known risk factors than other measures of CAD extent. We found a significant inverse correlation between HL activity and the extent of CAD (r=-0.19, P<0.01). This association was mainly due to patients with HDL levels >0.96 mmol/L (n=94, r=-0.30, P<0.005). HL activity was lower in 173 patients with CAD than in 40 controls with normal angiograms (286+/-106 versus 338+/-108 nmol. mL(-1). min(-1), P<0.01). To correct for potential confounding factors, we performed multivariate analyses that confirmed the independent association of HL activity with CAD extent. In addition, the presence of the T allele at position -514 in the HL promoter, which leads to a reduced HL promoter activity, was associated with lower HL activity (r=0.30, P<0.001) and higher CAD extent (42.2+/-20.8 versus 35.3+/-23.6 [extent score], P<0.05). In patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, calcified lesions in ECG-gated spiral computed tomography were higher in patients with low HL activity (6.3+/-6.8 versus 1.5+/-3.1, P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that low HL activity is associated with CAD. Therefore, HL might be useful for CAD risk estimation and might be a target for pharmacological intervention.

Novel site in lipoprotein lipase (LPL415;-438) essential for substrate interaction and dimer stability

LPL, like other lipases, has the ability to hydrolyze water-insoluble lipid substrates, but the mechanism is incompletely understood. We previously demonstrated a 22-amino acid loop in the amino-terminal domain of LPL to be essential for interaction with lipid substrates (Dugi, K. A., H. L. Dichek, G. D. Talley, H. B. Brewer, Jr., and S. Santamarina-Fojo. 1992. J. Biol. Chem. 267: 25086-25091) and mediation of substrate specificity (Dugi, K. A., H. L. Dichek, and S. Santamarina-Fojo. 1995. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 25396-25401). The carboxy-terminal domain, LPL415-438, contains two highly conserved hydrophobic stretches, and represents a candidate region for substrate interactions. Specific point mutations or deletion of the region between the hydrophobic stretches (LPL419-430) caused up to 90% selective loss of hydrolyzing activity against water-insoluble triolein, but not against water-soluble tributyrin, implicating a crucial function for LPL419-430 in the interaction with lipid substrates. In contrast, mutations introduced into the hydrophobic regions led to concomitant changes in tributyrin and triolein activities. The presence of an additional positive charge at position 416 yielded a gain of function mutant with 3-fold increased activity. This mutant was about three times more stable at 37 degrees C than wild-type LPL, suggesting an important role for the hydrophobic regions in LPL dimer stability. In summary, our data demonstrate that the carboxy-terminal region LPL415-438 plays an important role in both the interaction of LPL with lipid substrates and the stability of the LPL homodimer.