title: Glomerular endothelial fenestrae in vivo are not formed from caveolae.
abstract: Previous reports indicate that endothelial fenestrae in vitro can form by fusion of caveolae or caveolae-like vesicles. The principal aim of this study was to determine whether formation of glomerular endothelial cell fenestrae in vivo similarly involves caveolae and caveolin-1. Whereas caveolin-1 immunofluorescence was found around the circumference of human and mouse glomerular capillary loops, it co-localized only partially with the endothelium-specific lectin Ulex Europaeus I in human glomeruli, leaving portions of the endothelium devoid of caveolin-1. Immunogold electron microscopy, used to definitively localize caveolin-1 in glomeruli, showed that caveolin-1 was completely excluded from the fenestrated portion of the endothelium. Moreover, in caveolin-1-deficient mice, which cannot form caveolae, the ultrastructure of glomerular endothelial fenestrae appeared entirely normal. Interestingly, strong caveolin-1 immunogold labeling was observed in podocytes, where some caveolin-1 localized to filtration slits. Caveolin-1 co-immunoprecipitated with the podocyte slit diaphragm proteins nephrin and CD2AP, and dual immunofluorescence confirmed co-localization of caveolin-1 and nephrin. Nevertheless, in caveolin-1-deficient mice, podocyte ultrastructure appeared normal, and the podocyte proteins synaptopodin, nephrin, and podocin were expressed normally. In addition, blood urea nitrogen concentrations and urinary protein excretion in these mice were similar to those in wild-type mice. Thus, unlike caveolae formation, glomerular endothelial cell fenestrae formation in vivo does not require caveolin-1, ruling out the previous hypothesis that endothelial fenestrae represent fused caveolae, at least for glomerular endothelial cells. Localization of caveolin-1 to podocytes and their filtration slits is consistent with the view that the filtration slit plasma membrane represents a type of lipid raft microdomain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sörensson
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fierlbeck
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heider
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mundel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lisanti
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ballermann
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D021941:Caveolae / Q000502:physiology*; D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C495540:CAV1 protein, human; C114545:CD2-associated protein; C495541:Cav1 protein, mouse; D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C113267:nephrin