ANGPTL4 modulates vascular junction integrity by integrin signaling and disruption of intercellular VE-cadherin and claudin-5 clusters

Blood. 2011 Oct 6;118(14):3990-4002. doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-01-328716. Epub 2011 Aug 12.

Abstract

Vascular disruption induced by interactions between tumor-secreted permeability factors and adhesive proteins on endothelial cells facilitates metastasis. The role of tumor-secreted C-terminal fibrinogen-like domain of angiopoietin-like 4 (cANGPTL4) in vascular leakiness and metastasis is controversial because of the lack of understanding of how cANGPTL4 modulates vascular integrity. Here, we show that cANGPTL4 instigated the disruption of endothelial continuity by directly interacting with 3 novel binding partners, integrin α5β1, VE-cadherin, and claudin-5, in a temporally sequential manner, thus facilitating metastasis. We showed that cANGPTL4 binds and activates integrin α5β1-mediated Rac1/PAK signaling to weaken cell-cell contacts. cANGPTL4 subsequently associated with and declustered VE-cadherin and claudin-5, leading to endothelial disruption. Interfering with the formation of these cANGPTL4 complexes delayed vascular disruption. In vivo vascular permeability and metastatic assays performed using ANGPTL4-knockout and wild-type mice injected with either control or ANGPTL4-knockdown tumors confirmed that cANGPTL4 induced vascular leakiness and facilitated lung metastasis in mice. Thus, our findings elucidate how cANGPTL4 induces endothelial disruption. Our findings have direct implications for targeting cANGPTL4 to treat cancer and other vascular pathologies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 4
  • Angiopoietins / genetics
  • Angiopoietins / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD / metabolism*
  • Cadherins / metabolism*
  • Capillary Permeability
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Claudin-5
  • Claudins / metabolism*
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Endothelium, Vascular / cytology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Integrin alpha5beta1 / metabolism*
  • Lung / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasm Metastasis / pathology
  • Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • ANGPTL4 protein, human
  • Angiopoietin-Like Protein 4
  • Angiopoietins
  • Angptl4 protein, mouse
  • Antigens, CD
  • CLDN5 protein, human
  • Cadherins
  • Claudin-5
  • Claudins
  • Integrin alpha5beta1
  • beta Catenin
  • cadherin 5