Shear stress regulates occludin content and phosphorylation.
Journal
  American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology.
Citation
  Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 281(1):H105-13
Publication date
  2001 Jul
Authors
  DeMaio L
Chang YS
Gardner TW
Tarbell JM
Antonetti DA
Investigators
  David A. Antonetti
Thomas W. Gardner
John Tarbell
Grant agencies
  National Eye Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Grants
  NEI EY-12021
NHLBI HL-57093
MeSH headings
  Aorta
Endothelium, Vascular
Membrane Proteins
MeSH qualifiers
  metabolism
Abstract
  Previous studies determined that shear stress imposed on bovine aortic endothelial cell (BAEC) monolayers increased the hydraulic conductivity (L(P)); however, the mechanism by which shear stress increases L(P) remains unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that shear stress regulates paracellular transport by altering the expression and phosphorylation state of the tight junction protein occludin. The effect of shear stress on occludin content was examined by Western blot analysis. Ten dyn/cm(2) significantly reduced occludin content in a time-dependent manner such that after a 3 h exposure to shear, occludin content decreased to 44% of control. Twenty dyn/cm(2) decreased occludin content to 50% of control and increased L(P) by 4.7-fold after 3 h. Occludin expression and L(P) depend on tyrosine kinase activity because erbstatin A (10 microM) attenuated both the shear-induced decrease in occludin content and increase in L(P). Shear stress increased occludin phosphorylation after 5 min, 15 min, and 3 h exposures. The shear-induced increase in occludin phosphorylation was attenuated with dibutyryl (DB) cAMP (1 mM), a reagent previously shown to reverse the shear-induced increase in L(P). We conclude that shear stress rapidly (< or = 5 min) increases occludin phosphorylation and significantly decreases the expression of occludin over 1-4 h. Alterations in the occludin phosphorylation state and occludin total content are potential mechanisms by which shear stress increases L(P).
Medline ID
  21298825