Fanny Almus-Jacobs

Using flow channel, we report that the application of a laminar shear stress induced a transient increase of tissue factor (TF) procoagulant activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), which was accompanied by a rapid and transient induction of the TF mRNA in the HUVEC. Functional analysis of the 2.2 kb TF 5' promoter indicated that a GC-rich region containing three copies each of the EGR-1 and Sp1 sites was required for induction. Mutation of the Sp1 sites, but not the EGR-1 sites, attenuated the response of TF promoter to shear stress. Thus, Sp1 is a newly defined shear stress responsive element. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed there was no increase in binding of nuclear extracts from sheared cells to an Sp1 consensus site. In contrast, immunoblotting of these nuclear extracts with antibody against transcription factor Sp1 demonstrated that shear stress increased the phosphorylation of Sp1. We also showed that shear stress, like the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid, increased the transcriptional activity of Sp1. These findings suggest that the shear stress induction of TF gene expression is mediated through an increased Sp1 transcriptional activity with a concomitant hyperphosphorylation of Sp1.

The regulation of urokinase receptor (u-PAR) gene expression during endotoxemia was studied in vivo with a murine model system. Northern blot analysis demonstrated relatively high levels of u-PAR mRNA in mouse placenta, with intermediate levels in lung and spleen and very low levels in heart and kidney. No u-PAR mRNA could be detected in liver, gut, thymus, brain, or skeletal muscle. Intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) increased the steady-state levels of u-PAR mRNA in most tissues examined. The greatest induction (sevenfold) was observed in the lung at 1 hour after injection. The cellular localization of u-PAR mRNA was assessed by in situ hybridization. In control mice, u-PAR mRNA was detected primarily in alveolar macrophages of the lung and lymphocytes of the spleen and thymus, although a specific signal was also present in other cell types. In general, endothelial cells lacked detectable u-PAR mRNA. The induction of u-PAR mRNA by lipopolysaccharide was apparent within 30 minutes and was localized to tissue macrophages, lymphocytes, and endothelial cells lining arteries and veins. At later times (1 to 3 hours), specialized epithelial cells present in gastrointestinal tract, bile ducts, and uterus were also positive for u-PAR mRNA. Induction of u-PAR in vivo by lipopolysaccharide may facilitate the extravasation and migration of leukocytes during inflammation.