title: Vascular endothelial growth factor increases GEnC permeability by affecting the distributions of occludin, ZO-1 and tight juction assembly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the molecular mechanism of the increased permeability of glomerular endothelial cells (GEnC) stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the permeability-increasing effect and tight junction formation of VEGF by measuring FITC labeled BSA across GEnC monolayer. Then, immunofluorescence and western blot were employed to detect the distributions of occludin and ZO-1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that VEGF increased FITC-BSA permeability. VEGF also caused a loss of occludin and ZO-1 from the endothelial cell junctions, and changed the staining pattern of the cell boundary. Western blot analysis of GEnC lysates revealed that occludin and ZO-1 were redistributed under VEGF treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that VEGF could increase GEnC monolayer permeability by changing distributions and organizations of occludin and ZO-1, which lead to tight junction disassembly. Occludin and ZO-1 appeared to be downstream effectors of the VEGF signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China. liufuyouchs@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Y-M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Y-Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: F-Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D062793:Occludin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010539:Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C568985:OCLN protein, human; D062793:Occludin; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C569042:TJP1 protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; C467498:vascular endothelial growth factor A, rat