title: PECAM-1 functions as a specific and potent inhibitor of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis.
abstract: Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is a tightly regulated, naturally occurring process by which damaged or unwanted cells are removed. Dysregulated apoptosis has been implicated in a variety of pathophysiological conditions, including degenerative diseases, tissue remodeling, and tumorigenesis. The decision to live or die results from integration of numerous environmental signals transmitted by specific classes of cell surface receptors that bind hormones, growth factors, or components of the extracellular matrix. Here we show that platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), a homophilic-binding member of the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) family of inhibitory receptors, functions prominently to inhibit apoptosis in naturally occurring vascular cells subjected to apoptotic stimuli. Murine endothelial cells and human T lymphocytes lacking PECAM-1 were found to be far more sensitive than their PECAM-1-expressing counterparts to multiple death signals that stimulate Bax, a multidomain, proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family that plays a central role in mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent apoptosis. In addition, PECAM-1 markedly suppressed Bax overexpression-induced cytochrome c release, caspase activation, and nuclear fragmentation. Amino acid substitutions within PECAM-1's extracellular homophilic binding domain, or within its cytoplasmic ITIM, completely abolished PECAM-1-mediated cytoprotection. Taken together, these data implicate PECAM-1 as a novel and potent suppressor of Bax-mediated apoptosis and suggest that members of the immunoglobulin gene (Ig) superfamily, like cell surface integrins, may also transmit survival signals into blood and vascular cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratories of PECAM-1 Research and Cell Biology, Blood Research Institute, The Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin, PO Box 2178, 638 N 18th St, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.
authors.forename: Cunji
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Weiyong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Melpo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christofidou-Solomidou
authors.forename: Motoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawada
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergom
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Albelda
authors.forename: Shigemi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuyama
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Newman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002645:Chickens; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D020169:Caspases