Regulation of vascular endothelial barrier function.

P 61: MicroRNA as a Therapeutic Tool to Prevent Blood Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Neuroinflammation

Endothelial cells present in brain are unique and differ from other peripheral tissues in a number of ways, which ensures specific brain endothelial barrier properties. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest event in the initiation of vascular damage caused by inflammation. Various microRNAs (miRNA) have been discovered in different cellular components of the blood bran barrier (BBB). miRNAs a...

Regulation of vascular endothelial barrier function by Epac, a cAMP activated exchange factor for Rap GTPase. Short title for running head: Epac/Rap GTPase regulates endothelial barrier function

HEMOSTASIS, THROMBOSIS, AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY Regulation of vascular endothelial barrier function by Epac, a cAMP-activated exchange factor for Rap GTPase

Endothelial cell-cell junctional proteins and cortical actin are of central importance for regulating vascular permeability. Rap1, a member of the Ras family of GTPases, is enriched at endothelial cellcell contacts and activated by cyclic AMP (cAMP) through a PKA-independent pathway. Activation of a cAMP-inducible guanine-exchange factor for Rap, Epac, results in markedly enhanced basal endothe...

Glutathione in Cerebral Microvascular Endothelial Biology and Pathobiology: Implications for Brain Homeostasis

The integrity of the vascular endothelium of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is central to cerebrovascular homeostasis. Given the function of the BBB as a physical and metabolic barrier that buffers the systemic environment, oxidative damage to the endothelial monolayer will have significant deleterious impact on the metabolic, immunological, and neurological functions of the brain. Glutathione (...

A Vascular Permeability Assay Using an In Vitro Human Microvessel Model Mimicking the Inflammatory Condition

The vascular barrier is an important function of the endothelium and its dysfunction is involved in several diseases. The barrier function of the endothelial cell monolayer is governed by cell-cell, cell-extracellular matrix (cell-ECM) contacts, and inflammatory factors such as thrombin, histamine or vascular endothelial growth factor. Several in vivo and in vitro assays that measure the vascul...

Kruppel-like factor-4 transcriptionally regulates VE-cadherin expression and endothelial barrier function.

RATIONALE Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin localized at adherens junctions (AJs) regulates endothelial barrier function. Because WNT (wingless) signaling-induced activation of the transcription factor Krüppel-like factor (KLF)4 may have an important role in mediating the expression of VE-cadherin and AJ integrity, we studied the function of KLF4 in regulating VE-cadherin expression and the co...