Antigen recognition is facilitated by invadosome-like protrusions formed by memory/effector T cells.

Adaptive immunity requires that T cells efficiently scan diverse cell surfaces to identify cognate Ag. However, the basic cellular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated this process using vascular endothelial cells, APCs that possess a unique and extremely advantageous, planar morphology. High-resolution imaging revealed that CD4 memory/effector T cells dynamically probe the endothelium by extending submicron-scale, actin-rich "invadosome/podosome-like protrusions" (ILPs). The intimate intercellular contacts enforced by ILPs consistently preceded and supported T cell activation in response to endothelial MHC class II/Ag. The resulting calcium flux stabilized dense arrays of ILPs (each enriched in TCR, protein kinase C-θ, ZAP70, phosphotyrosine, and HS1), forming what we term a podo-synapse. Similar findings were made using CD8 CTLs on endothelium. Furthermore, careful re-examination of both traditional APC models and professional APCs suggests broad relevance for ILPs in facilitating Ag recognition. Together, our results indicate that ILPs function as sensory organelles that serve as actuators of immune surveillance.

Antiinflammatory effects of the ETS factor ERG in endothelial cells are mediated through transcriptional repression of the interleukin-8 gene.

ERG (Ets-related gene) is an ETS transcription factor that has recently been shown to regulate a number of endothelial cell (EC)-restricted genes including VE-cadherin, von Willebrand factor, endoglin, and intercellular adhesion molecule-2. Our preliminary data demonstrate that unlike other ETS factors, ERG exhibits a highly EC-restricted pattern of expression in cultured primary cells and several adult mouse tissues including the heart, lung, and brain. In response to inflammatory stimuli, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, we observed a marked reduction of ERG expression in ECs. To further define the role of ERG in the regulation of normal EC function, we used RNA interference to knock down ERG. Microarray analysis of RNA derived from ERG small interfering RNA- or tumor necrosis factor-alpha-treated human umbilical vein (HUV)ECs revealed significant overlap (P<0.01) in the genes that are up- or downregulated. Of particular interest to us was a significant change in expression of interleukin (IL)-8 at both protein and RNA levels. Exposure of ECs to tumor necrosis factor-alpha is known to be associated with increased neutrophil attachment. We observed that knockdown of ERG in HUVECs is similarly associated with increased neutrophil attachment compared to control small interfering RNA-treated cells. This enhanced adhesion could be blocked with IL-8 neutralizing or IL-8 receptor blocking antibodies. ERG can inhibit the activity of the IL-8 promoter in a dose dependent manner. Direct binding of ERG to the IL-8 promoter in ECs was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. In summary, our findings support a role for ERG in promoting antiinflammatory effects in ECs through repression of inflammatory genes such as IL-8.

Release of cellular tension signals self-restorative ventral lamellipodia to heal barrier micro-wounds.

Basic mechanisms by which cellular barriers sense and respond to integrity disruptions remain poorly understood. Despite its tenuous structure and constitutive exposure to disruptive strains, the vascular endothelium exhibits robust barrier function. We show that in response to micrometer-scale disruptions induced by transmigrating leukocytes, endothelial cells generate unique ventral lamellipodia that propagate via integrins toward and across these "micro-wounds" to close them. This novel actin remodeling activity progressively healed multiple micro-wounds in succession and changed direction during this process. Mechanical probe-induced micro-wounding of both endothelia and epithelia suggests that ventral lamellipodia formed as a response to force imbalance and specifically loss of isometric tension. Ventral lamellipodia were enriched in the Rac1 effectors cortactin, IQGAP, and p47Phox and exhibited localized production of hydrogen peroxide. Together with Apr2/3, these were functionally required for effective micro-wound healing. We propose that barrier disruptions are detected as local release of isometric tension/force unloading, which is directly coupled to reactive oxygen species-dependent self-restorative actin remodeling dynamics.