Accumulating evidence points to a significant role of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) in the maintenance of endothelial barrier functions. We have recently shown that impaired barrier functions in VASP-deficient microvascular myocardial endothelial cells (MyEnd VASP(-/-)) correlated with decreased Rac 1 activity. To further test the hypothesis that VASP is involved in regulation of...

The Listeria model system has been essential for the identification and characterization of key regulators of the actin cytoskeleton such as the Arp2/3 complex and Ena/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) proteins. Although the role of Ena/VASP proteins in Listeria motility has been extensively studied, little is known about the contributions of their domains and phosphorylation state t...

BACKGROUND Tight regulation of cell motility is essential for many physiological processes, such as formation of a functional nervous system and wound healing. Drosophila Abl negatively regulates the actin cytoskeleton effector protein Ena during neuronal development in flies, and it has been postulated that this may occur through an unknown intermediary. Lamellipodin (Lpd) regulates cell motil...

OBJECTIVES This study evaluates the clinical impact of adjusting the loading dose of clopidogrel according to vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) index in patients with clopidogrel resistance undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND Clopidogrel resistance plays a key role in ischemic recurrence after PCI. In vitro tests of clopidogrel resistance can accurately ...

The metameric organization of the vertebrate body plan is established during somitogenesis as somite pairs sequentially form along the anteroposterior axis. Coordinated regulation of cell shape, motility and adhesion are crucial for directing the morphological segmentation of somites. We show that members of the Ena/VASP family of actin regulatory proteins are required for somitogenesis in Xeno...

Recent studies provide evidence that exisulind and two potent derivatives, CP461 and CP248, induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells by inhibiting cyclic GMP (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterases (phosphodiesterases 2 and 5). This causes an increase in intracellular levels of cGMP, thus activating the cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG), which then activates pathways that lead to apoptosis. To fur...

The vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) plays an important role in cGMP-induced platelet inhibition. Since VASP is an in vitro substrate for cGMPdependent protein kinase (PKG), it has been presumed that VASP phosphorylation induced by cGMP is mediated by PKG. Here we show that, in human platelets, phosphorylation of VASP at Ser239 induced by either cGMP analogs or nitric oxide (NO) don...

The osteoclast degrades bone in cycles; between cycles, the cell is motile. Resorption occurs by acid transport into an extracellular compartment defined by an alphavbeta3 integrin ring. NO has been implicated in the regulation of bone turnover due to stretch or via estrogen signals, but a specific mechanism linking NO to osteoclastic activity has not been described. NO stimulates osteoclast mo...

The Listeria monocytogenes ActA protein mediates actin-based motility by recruiting and stimulating the Arp2/3 complex. In vitro, the actin monomer-binding region of ActA is critical for stimulating Arp2/3-dependent actin nucleation; however, this region is dispensable for actin-based motility in cells. Here, we provide genetic and biochemical evidence that vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein...

The vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) is a key regulator of actin dynamics. We have determined the 1.3-A resolution crystal structure of the 45-residue-long tetramerization domain (TD) from human VASP. This domain forms a right-handed alpha-helical coiled-coil structure with a similar degree of supercoiling as found in the widespread left-handed coiled coils with heptad repeats. The ...