Microvascular barrier injury represents a significant problem associated with trauma and inflammatory disease. In patients with major burns, edema occurs not only locally but also in tissues remote from the wound, leading to hypovolemic shock and dysfunction of multiple organs including the gut and lungs. The end-organ effects of systemic inflammation have not been well characterized at the cellular or molecular level. The goal of this long- standing project is to elucidate the endothelial-specific mechanisms of microvascular hyperpermeability following burns. Our work during the previous funding period has led to the development of unique experimental models and imaging techniques that enable quantitative analyses of microvascular function in rodent models of thermal injury. The studies also revealed burn-elicited signaling and structural changes in the endothelial barrier characterized by cytoskeleton contraction and cell-cell junction opening. In this competing renewal application, we plan to extend the investigation to a more in-depth examination of endothelial barrier molecules, focusing on our newly discovered pathway of palmitoylation in mediating paracellular permeability.
Three specific aims are proposed: 1) to establish the pathophysiological importance and functional role of palmitoylation in burn-induced microvascular injury; 2) to characterize the molecular basis of palmitoylating enzyme (DHHC PAT)-mediated permeability responses in vivo and in vitro; and 3) to identify molecular targets of palmitoylation in endothelial cell-cell adherens junction barrier that regulate microvascular permeability. The central hypothesis to be tested is that endothelial palmitoylation activated following burn injury contributes to the pathogenesis of microvascular barrier failure by promoting ?atenin sequestration from cell-cell junctions, an end-point cellular response attenuated by pharmacological or molecular inhibition of palmitoylation. This novel and mechanistic pathway will be evaluated in a series of complementary studies integrating in vivo microcirculation analyses with isolated microvessel experiments and cultured endothelial cell assays. Innovative experimental models and molecular tools will be developed and tested. Data derived from this project may lead to a new theory about the pathophysiological regulation of microvascular function in trauma. The study also has the potential to identify novel therapeutic or diagnostic targets for inflammatory diseases.

Public Health Relevance

Thermal injury affects more than 2 million Americans each year. Despite the remarkable improvement in critical care and wound management, inflammation-induced multiple organ dysfunction remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with severe burns. Attempts to block individual inflammatory mediators as therapeutic means have met with limited success, owing to our incomplete understanding of the endpoint cellular processes underlying tissue injury. The objective of this study is to elucidate the endothelial-specific mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction during thermal injury. We propose an in-depth analysis of novel molecular pathways and therapies by targeting the palmitoylation process of endothelial proteins that serve as endpoint effectors in barrier injury. Data derived from this project will lead to a new theory regarding the pathophysiological regulation of microvascular function in trauma. The study also has the potential to identify novel therapeutic or diagnostic targets for effective treatment of traumatic injury or inflammatory disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL070752-13
Application #
8976988
Study Section
Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma Study Section (SAT)
Program Officer
Mcdonald, Cheryl
Project Start
2002-07-01
Project End
2018-11-30
Budget Start
2015-12-01
Budget End
2016-11-30
Support Year
13
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$368,143
Indirect Cost
$121,893
Name
University of South Florida
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
069687242
City
Tampa
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33612
Meegan, Jamie E; Yang, Xiaoyuan; Beard Jr, Richard S et al. (2018) Citrullinated histone 3 causes endothelial barrier dysfunction. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 503:1498-1502
Alves, Natascha G; Trujillo, Andrea N; Breslin, Jerome W et al. (2018) Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Reduces Hemorrhagic Shock and Resuscitation-Induced Microvascular Leakage by Protecting Endothelial Mitochondrial Integrity. Shock :
Alves, Natascha G; Yuan, Sarah Y; Breslin, Jerome W (2018) Sphingosine-1-phosphate protects against brain microvascular endothelial junctional protein disorganization and barrier dysfunction caused by alcohol. Microcirculation :e12506
Doggett, Travis M; Alves, Natascha G; Yuan, Sarah Y et al. (2017) Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Treatment Can Ameliorate Microvascular Leakage Caused by Combined Alcohol Intoxication and Hemorrhagic Shock. Sci Rep 7:4078
Meegan, Jamie E; Yang, Xiaoyuan; Coleman, Danielle C et al. (2017) Neutrophil-mediated vascular barrier injury: Role of neutrophil extracellular traps. Microcirculation 24:
Beard Jr, Richard S; Yang, Xiaoyuan; Meegan, Jamie E et al. (2016) Palmitoyl acyltransferase DHHC21 mediates endothelial dysfunction in systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Nat Commun 7:12823
Breslin, Jerome W; Daines, Dayle A; Doggett, Travis M et al. (2016) Rnd3 as a Novel Target to Ameliorate Microvascular Leakage. J Am Heart Assoc 5:e003336
Rigor, Robert R; Shen, Qiang; Pivetti, Christopher D et al. (2013) Myosin light chain kinase signaling in endothelial barrier dysfunction. Med Res Rev 33:911-33
Yuan, Sarah Y; Shen, Qiang; Rigor, Robert R et al. (2012) Neutrophil transmigration, focal adhesion kinase and endothelial barrier function. Microvasc Res 83:82-8
Lee, Eugene S; Van Spyk, Elyse N; Chun, Kevin C et al. (2012) Monocytic adhesion molecule expression and monocyte-endothelial cell dysfunction are increased in patients with peripheral vascular disease versus patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. J Surg Res 177:373-81

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