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Roundabout guidance receptor 4 (Robo4) is an endothelial cell-specific receptor that stabilizes the vasculature in pathological angiogenesis. Although Robo4 has been shown to suppress vascular hyperpermeability induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in angiogenesis, the role of Robo4 in inflammation is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of Robo4 in vascular hyperpermeability during inflammation. Endotoxemia models using Robo4 -/- mice showed increased mortality and vascular leakage. In endothelial cells, Robo4 suppressed tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced hyperpermeability by stabilizing VE-cadherin at cell junctions, and deletion assays revealed that the C-terminus of Robo4 was involved in this suppression. Through binding and localization assays, we demonstrated that in endothelial cells, Robo4 binds to TNF receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7) through interaction with the C-terminus of Robo4. Gain- and loss-of-function studies of TRAF7 with or without Robo4 expression showed that TRAF7 is required for Robo4-mediated suppression of hyperpermeability. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the Robo4-TRAF7 complex is a novel negative regulator of inflammatory hyperpermeability. We propose this complex as a potential future target for protection against inflammatory diseases., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

The endothelium, as the interface between blood and all tissues, plays a critical role in inflammation. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid, highly abundant in plasma, that potently regulates endothelial responses through interaction with its receptors (S1PRs). Here, we studied the role of S1PR2 in the regulation of the proadhesion and proinflammatory phenotype of the endothelium. By using genetic approaches and a S1PR2-specific antagonist (JTE013), we found that S1PR2 plays a key role in the permeability and inflammatory responses of the vascular endothelium during endotoxemia. Experiments with bone marrow chimeras (S1pr2(+/+) → S1pr2(+/+), S1pr2(+/+) → S1pr2(-/-), and S1pr2(-/-) → S1pr2(+/+)) indicate the critical role of S1PR2 in the stromal compartment, in the regulation of vascular permeability and vascular inflammation. In vitro, JTE013 potently inhibited tumor necrosis factor α-induced endothelial inflammation. Finally, we provide detailed mechanisms on the downstream signaling of S1PR2 in vascular inflammation that include the activation of the stress-activated protein kinase pathway that, together with the Rho-kinase nuclear factor kappa B pathway (NF-kB), are required for S1PR2-mediated endothelial inflammatory responses. Taken together, our data indicate that S1PR2 is a key regulator of the proinflammatory phenotype of the endothelium and identify S1PR2 as a novel therapeutic target for vascular disorders.

Down syndrome critical region gene 1 (DSCR-1) short variant (DSCR-1s) is an inhibitor of calcineurin/NFAT signaling encoded by exons 4-7 of DSCR1. We previously reported that VEGF induces DSCR-1s expression in endothelial cells, which in turn negatively feeds back to attenuate endothelial cell activation. Here, in order to characterize the role of the promoter that drives DSCR-1s expression in mediating inducible expression in vivo and to determine the functional relevance of DSCR-1s in inflammation, we targeted a DNA construct containing 1.7 kb of the human DSCR1s promoter coupled to the lacZ reporter to the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) locus of mice. We determined that lacZ was uniformly expressed in the endothelium of transgenic embryos but was markedly downregulated postnatally. Systemic administration of VEGF or LPS in adult mice resulted in cyclosporine A-sensitive reactivation of the DSCR1s promoter and endogenous gene expression in a subset of organs, including the heart and brain. The DSCR1s promoter was similarly induced in the endothelium of tumor xenografts. In a mouse model of endotoxemia, DSCR-1s-deficient mice demonstrated increased sepsis mortality, whereas adenovirus-mediated DSCR-1s overexpression protected against LPS-induced lethality. Collectively, these data suggest that the DSCR1s promoter directs vascular bed-specific expression in activated endothelium and that DSCR-1s serves to dampen the host response to infection.

ERG (Ets-related gene) is an ETS transcription factor that has recently been shown to regulate a number of endothelial cell (EC)-restricted genes including VE-cadherin, von Willebrand factor, endoglin, and intercellular adhesion molecule-2. Our preliminary data demonstrate that unlike other ETS factors, ERG exhibits a highly EC-restricted pattern of expression in cultured primary cells and several adult mouse tissues including the heart, lung, and brain. In response to inflammatory stimuli, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, we observed a marked reduction of ERG expression in ECs. To further define the role of ERG in the regulation of normal EC function, we used RNA interference to knock down ERG. Microarray analysis of RNA derived from ERG small interfering RNA- or tumor necrosis factor-alpha-treated human umbilical vein (HUV)ECs revealed significant overlap (P<0.01) in the genes that are up- or downregulated. Of particular interest to us was a significant change in expression of interleukin (IL)-8 at both protein and RNA levels. Exposure of ECs to tumor necrosis factor-alpha is known to be associated with increased neutrophil attachment. We observed that knockdown of ERG in HUVECs is similarly associated with increased neutrophil attachment compared to control small interfering RNA-treated cells. This enhanced adhesion could be blocked with IL-8 neutralizing or IL-8 receptor blocking antibodies. ERG can inhibit the activity of the IL-8 promoter in a dose dependent manner. Direct binding of ERG to the IL-8 promoter in ECs was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. In summary, our findings support a role for ERG in promoting antiinflammatory effects in ECs through repression of inflammatory genes such as IL-8.

The endothelium, as the interface between blood and all tissues, plays a critical role in inflammation. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid, highly abundant in plasma, that potently regulates endothelial responses through interaction with its receptors (S1 PRs). Here, we studied the role of S1PR2 in the regulation of the proadhesion and proinflammatory phenotype of the endothelium. By using genetic approaches and a S1PR2-specific antagonist (JTE013), we found that S1PR2 plays a key role in the permeability and inflammatory responses of the vascular endothelium during endotox-emia. Experiments with bone marrow chimeras (S1pr2+/+ →S1pr2+/+, S1pr2+/+ → S1pr2-/-, and S1pr2-/- → S1pr2+/+) indicate the critical role of S1PR2 in the stromal compartment, in the regulation of vascular permeability and vascular inflammation. In vitro, JTE013 potently inhibited tumor necrosis factor α-induced endothelial inflammation. Finally, we provide detailed mechanisms on the downstream signaling of S1PR2 in vascular inflammation that include the activation of the stress-activated protein kinase pathway that, together with the Rho-kinase nuclear factor kappa B pathway (NF-kB), are required for S1 PR2-mediated endothelial inflammatory responses. Taken together, our data indicate that S1PR2 is a key regulator of the proinflammatory phenotype of the endothelium and identify S1PR2 as a novel therapeutic target for vascular disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]