Epinephrine Induces von Willebrand Factor Release from Cultured Endothelial Cells: Involvement of Cyclic AMP-dependent Signalling in Exocytosis

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (06) ◽  
pp. 1182-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich M Vischer ◽  
Claes B Wollheinn

Summaryvon Willebrand factor (vWf) is released from endothelial cell storage granules after stimulation with thrombin, histamine and several other agents that induce an increase in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]i). In vivo, epinephrine and the vasopressin analog DDAVP increase vWf plasma levels, although they are thought not to induce vWf release from endothelial cells in vitro. Since these agents act via a cAMP-dependent pathway in responsive cells, we examined the role of cAMP in vWf secretion from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. vWf release increased by 50% in response to forskolin, which activates adenylate cyclase. The response to forskolin was much stronger when cAMP degradation was blocked with IBMX, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterases (+200%), whereas IBMX alone had no effect. vWf release could also be induced by the cAMP analogs dibutyryl-cAMP (+40%) and 8-bromo-cAMP (+25%); although their effect was weak, they clearly potentiated the response to thrombin. Epinephrine (together with IBMX) caused a small, dose-dependent increase in vWf release, maximal at 10-6 M (+50%), and also potentiated the response to thrombin. This effect is mediated by adenylate cyclase-coupled β-adrenergic receptors, since it is inhibited by propranolol and mimicked by isoproterenol. In contrast to thrombin, neither forskolin nor epinephrine caused an increase in [Ca2+]j as measured by fura-2 fluorescence. In addition, the effects of forskolin and thrombin were additive, suggesting that they act through distinct signaling pathways. We found a close correlation between cellular cAMP content and vWf release after stimulation with epinephrine and forskolin. These results demonstrate that cAMP-dependent signaling events are involved in the control of exocytosis from endothelial cells (an effect not mediated by an increase in [Ca2+]i) and provide an explanation for epinephrine-induced vWf release.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Xiao ◽  
Ben Zhang ◽  
Zhengchen Su ◽  
Yakun Liu ◽  
Thomas R. Shelite ◽  
...  

AbstractCoagulopathy is associated with both inflammation and infection, including infection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Endothelial cells (ECs) fine tune hemostasis via cAMP-mediated secretion of von Willebrand factor (vWF), which promote the process of clot formation. The exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC) is a ubiquitously expressed intracellular cAMP receptor that plays a key role in stabilizing ECs and suppressing inflammation. To assess whether EPAC could regulate vWF release during inflammation, we utilized our EPAC1-null mouse model and revealed an increased secretion of vWF in endotoxemic mice in the absence of the EPAC1 gene. Pharmacological inhibition of EPAC1 in vitro mimicked the EPAC1−/− phenotype. EPAC1 regulated TNFα-triggered vWF secretion from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in a phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-dependent manner. Furthermore, EPAC1 activation reduced inflammation-triggered vWF release, both in vivo and in vitro. Our data delineate a novel regulatory role of EPAC1 in vWF secretion and shed light on potential development of new strategies to controlling thrombosis during inflammation.Key PointPI3K/eNOS pathway-mediated, inflammation-triggered vWF secretion is the target of the pharmacological manipulation of the cAMP-EPAC system.


1992 ◽  
Vol 286 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Carew ◽  
E M Paleolog ◽  
J D Pearson

Secretion of von Willebrand factor (vWf) glycoprotein from storage granules in human umbilical-vein endothelial cells was studied in vitro. Either elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) with a Ca2+ ionophore or activation of protein kinase (PK) C by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate caused vWf secretion, and together the agents acted synergistically. However, when vWf release was stimulated by receptor-mediated agonists, selective inhibition of PKC had no effect on histamine-induced secretion and significantly elevated thrombin-induced secretion. Furthermore, ATP, which efficiently elevates [Ca2+]i in these cells, was a very poor effector of vWf release. We conclude that elevation of [Ca2+]i by physiological agonists is necessary for vWf release, but other signalling mechanisms, as yet uncharacterized, but not due to PKC activation, are required for full induction of the secretory pathway.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
D D Wagner ◽  
P J Fay ◽  
L A Sporn ◽  
S Sinha ◽  
S O Lawrence ◽  
...  

The intracellular site of cleavage of pro-von Willebrand factor subunit and the subsequent fate of the propolypeptide (von Willebrand antigen II) and of the mature von Willebrand factor (vWf) were investigated. Both the propolypeptide, which was found to be a homodimer of non-covalently linked subunits, and mature vWf were released from Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells following stimulation with secretagogues. The stoichiometry of the two proteins in the releasate was essentially equimolar. This indicates that vWf and the propolypeptide were packaged into the Weibel-Palade bodies as one unit, pro-vWf, and that the proteolytic cleavage of pro-vWf is likely to be a post-Golgi event. The association of prosequences into dimers provides support for their hypothetical role in the multimerization process. After secretion, the two proteins were distributed differently, as based on the following observations. The propolypeptide did not associate with vWf in the culture medium, did not co-distribute with vWf in the extracellular "patches of release" on stimulated endothelial cells, and was not detected in the endothelial cell extracellular matrix, which did contain vWf. Additionally, in contrast to vWf, the propolypeptide did not bind to matrix of human foreskin fibroblasts. Since the propolypeptide does not associate with vWf and does not interact witji extracellular matrices in vitro, it is highly unlikely that it would promote platelet adhesion to subendothelium in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen De Ceunynck ◽  
Simon F. De Meyer ◽  
Karen Vanhoorelbeke

Abstract von Willebrand factor (VWF) is amongst others synthesized by endothelial cells and stored as ultra-large (UL) VWF multimers in Weibel-Palade bodies. Although UL-VWF is proteolysed by ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease domain with thrombospondin type-1 motif, number 13) on secretion from endothelial cells, in vitro experiments in the absence of ADAMTS13 have demonstrated that a proportion of these UL-VWF multimers remain anchored to the activated endothelium. These multimers unravel, bind platelets, and wave in the direction of the flow. These so-called VWF “strings” have also been visualized in vivo, lining the lumen of activated mesenteric veins of Adamts13−/− mice. Various studies have demonstrated the extraordinary length of these VWF strings, the availability of their platelet binding and ADAMTS13 cleavage sites, and the possible nature of their endothelial attachment. VWF strings are also capable of tethering leukocytes and parasite-infected red blood cells. However, the majority of studies have been performed in the absence of ADAMTS13, a condition only experienced in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. A normal functional role of VWF strings in healthy persons or in other disease pathologies remains unclear. In this review, we discuss some of the puzzling characteristics of VWF strings, and we debate whether the properties of VWF strings in the absence of ADAMTS13 might be relevant for understanding (patho)physiologic mechanisms.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 764-764
Author(s):  
Qizhen Shi ◽  
Scot A. Fahs ◽  
Erin L. Kuether ◽  
Robert R. Montgomery

Abstract von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a carrier protein for factor VIII (FVIII) and protects plasma FVIII from protease degradation. Our laboratory has had a longstanding interest in the association of FVIII with VWF both in vitro and in vivo. Our in vitro studies have demonstrated that FVIII stores together with VWF in both endothelial cells and megakaryocytes if FVIII is made in these cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that FVIII and VWF are both releasable by agonist stimulation. To investigate the association of VWF and FVIII in vivo, we generated two lines of transgenic mice that express FVIII either in endothelial cells or in platelets using either the endothelial cell-specific Tie2 promoter or the platelet-specific αIIb promoter, respectively. When the platelet-specific FVIII (2bF8) transgene is bred into the FVIIInull mouse, FVIII can only be detected in platelets, with a level of 0.76 ± 0.27 mU/108 platelets in heterozygous and 1.53 ± 0.14 mU/108 platelets in homozygous 2bF8 mice. When the endothelial cell-specific FVIII (Tie2F8) transgene is bred into the FVIIInull mouse, homozygous Tie2F8 mice maintained normal plasma FVIII levels (1.15 ± 0.16 U/ml) and 50% levels in heterozygous mice (0.56 ± 0.16 U/ml). Both 2bF8trans and Tie2F8trans phenotypes effectively abrogate the bleeding diathesis in hemophilic mice. When 2bF8 transgene was bred into a FVIII and VWF double knockout background, the level of platelet-FVIII significantly decreased, but this platelet-derived FVIII was still stored in a-granules and still maintained clinical efficacy. In contrast, when the Tie2F8 transgene was bred into the double knockout background, plasma FVIII dropped to undetectable levels. This is in contrast to the situation in VWFnull mice in which normal endogenous murine FVIII is synthesized with about 10% of normal FVIII activity persisting in plasma. This could be due to a difference in survival between human FVIII and murine FVIII. All Tie2F8trans/FVIIInullVWFnull mice (n=15) survived tail clipping even though there is no FVIII:C detected in the plasma. To investigate the effect of murine VWF on the levels of plasma FVIII, plasma from FVIIInull mice was infused into Tie2F8trans/FVIIInullVWFnull mice to restore VWF levels to 25% of normal. As expected, the endothelial cell-derived plasma FVIII was stabilized by the infused VWF and was detected within 1 hour after infusion, with a peak (25% level) at 4 hours. The level of plasma FVIII at 24 hours was still about 20% of normal while the level of remaining VWF was only 5% of normal. These results demonstrate that VWF is important for site-specific FVIII expression. Co-expression with VWF in platelets is important for optimal platelet-specific FVIII expression and endothelial cell-derived plasma FVIII is VWF-dependent.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 2770-2770
Author(s):  
Hayley A. Hanby ◽  
X. Long Zheng

The regulation of von Willebrand factor (VWF) processing, packaging, and secretion is important for primary hemostasis. Recently, autophagy has been implicated in modulating VWF maturation and Weibel-Palade body (WPB) morphology. Additionally, treatment of mice and humans with chloroquine (CQ), an anti-malarial agent and pharmacological inhibitor of autophagy, is shown to increase bleeding time. Therefore, we hypothesize that targeting autophagic flux may be therapeutic for arterial thrombotic disorders such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). To test this hypothesis, we first treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with CQ in culture and showed that CQ dose-dependently decreased VWF antigen levels and multimer sizes in the conditioned medium of histamine-stimulated cells (not shown). Knockdown of an autophagy-related protein (Atg7) with shRNA in HUVECs had similar effect to CQ treatment in VWF secretion and multimer distribution (not shown). More interestingly, daily injections (i.p.) of CQ at 60 mg/kg into Adamts13-/- mice (CAST/Ei strain) for 7 days reduced plasma VWF concentration by more than 60% compared to vehicle control (Fig. 1). Interestingly, VWF secreted from CQ-treated mice remained functional as collagen binding activity/antigen ratio was comparable to vehicle control mice. However, multimer analysis demonstrated the selective lack of ultra large VWF in plasma of Adamts13-/- mice treated with CQ as compared with those treated with vehicle alone (Fig. 2). These results indicate that targeting autophagy pathway with a pharmacological agent, such as CQ, may modulate VWF secretion and, thereby, arterial thrombosis. Our ongoing experiments are to determine the therapeutic efficacy of CQ and other autophagy inhibitors in murine models of arterial thrombosis and TTP. Figure 1 Figure 1. Figure 2 Figure 2. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (02) ◽  
pp. 753-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
M F López-Fernández ◽  
C López-Berges ◽  
R Martín ◽  
A Pardo ◽  
F J Ramos ◽  
...  

SummaryThe multimeric and subunit patterns of plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) were analyzed in eight patients with myeloproliferative syndrome (MS) in order to investigate the possible existence of heterogeneity in the “in vivo” proteolytic cleavage of the protein, previously observed in this entity. Six patients lacked large vWF multimers, five of them having normal bleeding times (BT) and clinically documented episodes of thrombotic origin, whereas one patient had long BT and bleeding symptoms. Seven patients showed a relative increase in the 176 kDa subunit fragment while the 189 kDa polypeptide was increased in only one. In addition, another patient (and prior to any therapy) showed the presence of a new fragment of approximately 95 kDa which disappeared after Busulfan therapy. The collection of blood from these patients with proteinase inhibitors did not correct the abnormalities.The infusion of DDAVP to two patients with abnormal vWF was accompanied by: the appearance of larger vWF multimers which disappeared rapidly from plasma; an increase in the relative proportion of the satellite bands of each multimer and a further increase of the 176 kDa fragment. These data point to some heterogeneity in the vWF abnormality present in MS which may be related in part to a variable degree of proteolysis of vWF occurring “in vivo” rather than “in vitro”, and which may be associated to either a thrombotic or a bleeding diathesis. They also suggest that despite the presence of abnormal, already proteolyzed vWF, DDAVP-enhanced proteolysis occurs in MS to a similar extent to what is described in normal individuals.


1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (04) ◽  
pp. 707-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D Blann ◽  
Charles N McCollum

SummaryThe effect of smoking on the blood vessel intima was examined by comparing indices of endothelial activity in serum from smokers with that from non-smokers. Serum from smokers contained higher levels of von Willebrand factor (p <0.01), the smoking markers cotinine (p <0.02) and thiocyanate (p <0.01), and was more cytotoxic to endothelial cells in vitro (p <0.02) than serum from non-smokers. The acute effects of smoking two unfiltered medium tar cigarettes was to briefly increase von Willebrand factor (p <0.001) and cytotoxicity of serum to endothelial cells in vitro (p <0.005), but lipid peroxides or thiocyanate were not increased by this short exposure to tobacco smoke. Although there were correlations between von Willebrand factor and smokers consumption of cigarettes (r = 0.28, p <0.02), number of years smoking (r = 0.41, p <0.001) and cotinine (r = 0.45, p <0.01), the tissue culture of endothelial cells with physiological levels of thiocyanate or nicotine suggested that these two smoking markers were not cytotoxic. They are therefore unlikely to be directly responsible for increased von Willebrand factor in the serum of smokers. We suggest that smoking exerts a deleterious influence on the endothelium and that the mechanism is complex.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (01) ◽  
pp. 17-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Marx ◽  
I. Badirou ◽  
R. Pendu ◽  
O. Christophe ◽  
C. V. Denis

SummaryVon Willebrand factor (VWF) structure-function relationship has been studied only through in vitro approaches. The VWF-deficient mouse model has been extremely useful to examine the in vivo function of VWF but does not allow a more subtle analysis of the relative importance of its different domains. However, considering the large size of VWF and its capacity to interact with various ligands in order to support platelet adhesion and aggregation, the necessity to evaluate independently these interactions appeared increasingly crucial. A recently developed technique, known as hydrodynamic injection, which allows transient expression of a transgene by mouse hepatocytes, proved very useful in this regard. Indeed, transient expression of various VWF mutants in VWF-deficient mice contributed to improve our knowledge about the role of VWF interaction with subendothelial collagens and with platelets receptors in VWF roles in haemostasis and thrombosis. These findings can provide new leads in the development of anti-thrombotic therapies.


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