title: Endothelial functions of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to describe the function of the vascular cell adhesion and signaling molecule, platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), in endothelial cells, with special emphasis on its role in maintaining and restoring the vascular permeability barrier following disruption of the endothelial cell junction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In addition to its role as an inhibitory receptor in circulating platelets and leukocytes, PECAM-1 is highly expressed at endothelial cell-cell junctions, where it functions as an adhesive stress-response protein to both maintain endothelial cell junctional integrity and speed restoration of the vascular permeability barrier following inflammatory or thrombotic challenge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Owing to the unique ability of antibodies that bind the membrane proximal region of the extracellular domain to trigger conformational changes leading to affinity modulation and homophilic adhesion strengthening, PECAM-1 might be an attractive target for treating vascular permeability disorders.
authors.affiliation: aBlood Research Institute, BloodCenter of WisconsinbDepartment of Hematology, Union Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologycDepartments of PharmacologydCell Biology, Neurobiology and AnatomyeThe Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA*Panida Lertkiatmongkol and Danying Lio are equal co-first authors and contributed equally to the writing of this article.
authors.forename: Panida
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lertkiatmongkol
authors.forename: Danying
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Newman
mesh_terms: D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1