Integrin function and signaling as pharmacological targets in cardiovascular diseases and in cancer.

The microenvironment is now considered as an important source of potential therapeutic targets in diverse pathologies. In cardiovascular diseases and in cancer, common processes involving stromal remodeling, cell invasion, and angiogenesis can promote progression of the pathology. At each step of the pathogenesis, cell adhesion needs to be modulated to allow adaptation of cell survival/motility/proliferation functions to the microenvironment. Among adhesion receptors, integrins, responsible for cell/matrix or cell/cell interactions, play a key role in the cellular responses. Moreover, their engagement conditions the sensitivity to apoptosis induced by therapeutic drugs. Targeting of the extracellular side of integrins in order to modulate their adhesive functions is under development and has reached clinical indications. However, improvement of oral availability and of cell signaling control is required in the future. Targeting of the extracellular or the intracellular key proteins involved in integrin-dependent signaling pathway seems promising. Yet, although some common key enzyme inhibitors are under development, a better knowledge of the specificity of integrin activation and interaction with partners upon pathogenesis is of major importance in envisaging the antagonism of integrin-linked signals as a therapeutic tool alone or in association with other therapies.

Vascular smooth muscle cell spreading onto fibrinogen is regulated by calpains and phospholipase C.

Fibrinogen deposition and smooth muscle cell migration are important causes of atherosclerosis and angiogenesis. Involvement of calpains in vascular smooth muscle cell adhesion onto fibrinogen was investigated. Using calpain inhibitors, we showed that activation of calpains was required for smooth muscle cell spreading. An increase of (32)P-labeled phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate, respective products of phospholipase C and phosphoinositide 3-kinase activities, was measured in adherent cells. Addition of the calpain inhibitor calpeptin strongly decreased phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate. However, smooth muscle cell spreading was prevented by the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122, but poorly modified by phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002. Moreover, PLC was found to act upstream of the PI 3-kinase IA isoform. Thus, our data provide the first evidence that calpains are required for smooth muscle cell spreading. Further, phospholipase C activation is pointed as a key step of cell-spreading regulation by calpains.

Differential regulation of phosphoinositide metabolism by alphaVbeta3 and alphaVbeta5 integrins upon smooth muscle cell migration.

Smooth muscle cell migration is a key step of atherosclerosis and angiogenesis. We demonstrate that alpha(V)beta(3) and alpha(V)beta(5) integrins synergistically regulate smooth muscle cell migration onto vitronectin. Using an original haptotactic cell migration assay, we measured a strong stimulation of phosphoinositide metabolism in migrating vascular smooth muscle cells. Phosphatidic acid production and phosphoinositide 3-kinase IA activation were triggered only upon alpha(V)beta(3) engagement. Blockade of alpha(V)beta(3) engagement or phospholipase C activity resulted in a strong inhibition of smooth muscle cell spreading on vitronectin. By contrast, blockade of alpha(V)beta(5) reinforced elongation and polarization of cell shape. Moreover, Pyk2-associated tyrosine kinase and phosphoinositide 4-kinase activities measured in Pyk2 immunoprecipitates were stimulated upon cell migration. Blockade of either alpha(V)beta(3) or alpha(V)beta(5) function, as well as inhibition of phospholipase C activity, decreased both Pyk2-associated activities. We demonstrated that the Pyk2-associated phosphoinositide 4-kinase corresponded to the beta isoform. Our data point to the metabolism of phosphoinositides as a regulatory pathway for the differential roles played by alpha(V)beta(3) and alpha(V)beta(5) upon cell migration and identify the Pyk2-associated phosphoinositide 4-kinase beta as a common target for both integrins.

Conformation, localization, and integrin binding of talin depend on its interaction with phosphoinositides.

Talin is a structural component of focal adhesion sites and is thought to be engaged in multiple protein interactions at the cytoplasmic face of cell/matrix contacts. Talin is a major link between integrin and the actin cytoskeleton and was shown to play an important role in focal adhesion assembly. Consistent with the view that talin must be activated at these sites, we found that phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI4,5P(2)) bound to talin in cells in suspension or at early stages of adhesion, respectively. When phosphoinositides were associated with phospholipid bilayer, talin/phosphoinositide association was restricted to PI4,5P(2). This association led to a conformational change of the protein. Moreover, the interaction between integrin and talin was greatly enhanced by PI4,5P(2)-induced talin activation. Finally, sequestration of PI4,5P(2) by a specific pleckstrin homology domain confirms that PI4,5P(2) is necessary for proper membrane localization of talin and that this localization is essential for the maintenance of focal adhesions. Our results support a model in which PI4,5P(2) exposes the integrin-binding site on talin. We propose that PI4,5P(2)-dependent signaling modulates assembly of focal adhesions by regulating integrin-talin complexes. These results demonstrate that activation of the integrin-binding activity of talin requires not only integrin engagement to the extracellular matrix but also the binding of PI4,5P(2) to talin, suggesting a possible role of lipid metabolism in organizing the sequential assembly of focal adhesion components.