Brain endothelial barrier passage by monocytes is controlled by the endothelin system

Arie Reijerkerk, Kim A M Lakeman, Joost A R Drexhage, Bert van Het Hof, Yolanda van Wijck, Susanne M A van der Pol, Gijs Kooij, Dirk Geerts, Helga E de Vries

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Homeostasis of the brain is dependent on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This barrier tightly regulates the exchange of essential nutrients and limits the free flow of immune cells into the CNS. Perturbations of BBB function and the loss of its immune quiescence are hallmarks of a variety of brain diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), vascular dementia, and stroke. In particular, diapedesis of monocytes and subsequent trafficking of monocyte-derived macrophages into the brain are key mediators of demyelination and axonal damage in MS. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is considered as a potent pro-inflammatory peptide and has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we studied the role of different components of the endothelin system, i.e., ET-1, its type B receptor (ET(B)) and endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) in monocyte diapedesis of a human brain endothelial cell barrier. Our pharmacological inhibitory and specific gene knockdown studies point to a regulatory function of these proteins in transendothelial passage of monocytes. Results from this study suggest that the endothelin system is a putative target within the brain for anti-inflammatory treatment in neurological diseases.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)730-737
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of neurochemistry
Volume121
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2012

Keywords

  • Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases/metabolism
  • Blood-Brain Barrier/metabolism
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line
  • Endothelial Cells/metabolism
  • Endothelin-Converting Enzymes
  • Endothelins/metabolism
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Metalloendopeptidases/metabolism
  • Monocytes/cytology
  • Receptors, Endothelin/metabolism
  • Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration/physiology

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