Regulation of endothelial cell barrier function by antibody-driven affinity modulation of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1).

PECAM-1 is a 130-kDa member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily that is expressed on the surface of platelets and leukocytes, and at the intracellular junctions of confluent endothelial cell monolayers. Previous studies have shown that PECAM-1/PECAM-1 homophilic interactions play a key role in leukocyte transendothelial migration, in allowing PECAM-1 to serve as a mechanosensory complex in endothelial cells, in its ability to confer cytoprotection to proapoptotic stimuli, and in maintaining endothelial cell junctional integrity. To examine the adhesive properties of full-length PECAM-1 in a native lipid environment, we purified it from platelets and assembled it into phospholipid nanodiscs.

Nanoscale probing reveals that reduced stiffness of clots from fibrinogen lacking 42 N-terminal Bbeta-chain residues is due to the formation of abnormal oligomers.

Removal of Bbetal-42 from fibrinogen by Crotalus atrox venom results in a molecule lacking fibrinopeptide B and part of a thrombin binding site. We investigated the mechanism of polymerization of desBbeta1-42 fibrin. Fibrinogen trinodular structure was clearly observed using high resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy.

Caveolin-1-dependent apoptosis induced by fibrin degradation products.

In mice lacking the blood coagulation regulator thrombomodulin, fibrinolytic degradation products (FDP) of fibrin induce apoptotic cell death of a specialized cell type in the placenta, polyploid trophoblast giant cells. Here, we document that this bioactivity of FDP is conserved in human FDP, is not limited to trophoblast cells, and is associated with an Aalpha-chain segment of fibrin fragment E (FnE). The majority of proapoptotic activity is arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-independent and requires caveolin-1-dependent cellular internalization of FnE.