Interleukin-1 assembles a proangiogenic signaling module consisting of caveolin-1, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6, p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 in endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) is a major cytokine linking inflammation and angiogenesis in pathological vascular processes, such as atherosclerosis and tumor neoangiogenesis. However, signaling pathways mediating IL-1ß-induced proangiogenic processes in endothelial cells (ECs) have barely been elucidated yet. Therefore, the present study investigated IL-1ß-induced proangiogenic signaling in ECs. METHODS AND RESULTS: IL-1ß potently induced tube formation and migration of ECs. This was associated with and dependent on activation of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) as determined by pharmacological inhibition and gene silencing. Furthermore, silencing of the adaptor protein tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) (lentiviral short hairpin RNA) inhibited these IL-1ß-induced processes. Moreover, IL-1ß promoted translocation of TRAF6 to insoluble cellular fractions (containing membrane rafts/caveolae) and interaction of TRAF6 with caveolin-1. Accordingly, cellular cholesterol depletion (cyclodextrin) and silencing of caveolin-1 (small interfering RNA) inhibited IL-1ß-induced activation of p38-MAPK and MK2, as well as IL-1ß-induced tube formation and migration. Finally, silencing of TRAF6 and MK2 deficiency inhibited IL-1ß-induced microvessel outgrowth in murine aortic rings ex vivo, and deficiency of MK2 or caveolin-1 significantly reduced IL-1ß-induced angiogenesis in mice in vivo (Matrigel plug assay). CONCLUSIONS: IL-1ß assembles a proangiogenic signaling module consisting of caveolin-1, TRAF6, p38-MAPK, and MK2 in ECs, representing a potential target to intervene into angiogenesis-dependent processes and diseases.

Toll-like receptors in angiogenesis.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known as pattern-recognition receptors related to the Toll protein of Drosophila. After recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns of microbial origin, the TLRs alert the immune system, and initiate innate and adaptive immune responses. The TLR system, though, is not confined solely to the leukocyte-mediated immune defense against exogenous pathogens. Besides myeloid cells, TLR expression has been reported in multiple tissues and cell types, including epithelial and endothelial cells. Moreover, despite the microbial patterns that are commonly accepted as TLR ligands, there is increasing evidence that TLRs also recognize host-derived molecules. In this regard, recent studies point to an involvement of TLRs in various chronic inflammatory disorders and cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and even cancer. A common feature of these disorders is an enhanced so-called inflammation-induced angiogenesis. However, inflammation-induced angiogenesis is not solely a key component of pathogen defense during acute infection or chronic inflammatory disorders, but also plays a critical role in repair mechanisms, e.g., wound healing and subsequent tissue regeneration. Interestingly, the latest research could coincidentally demonstrate that TLR activation promotes angiogenesis in various inflammatory settings in response to both exogenous and endogenous ligands, although the precise mode of action of TLRs in this context still remains ambiguous. The objective of this review is to present evidence for the implication of TLRs in angiogenesis during physiological and pathophysiological processes, and the potential clinical relevance for new treatment regimes involving TLR modulation.