Tissue Factor Activity In Endothelial Cells Research Articles

Interactions of Histophilus somni with Host Cells.

Histophilus somni resides as part of the normal microflora in the upper respiratory tract of healthy cattle. From this site, the organism can make its way into the lower respiratory tract, where it is one of the important bacterial agents of the respiratory disease complex. If H. somni cells disseminate to the bloodstream, they frequently result in thrombus formation. A series of in vitro investigations have examined potential mechanisms that might contribute to such thrombus formation. Earlier work showed that H. somni can stimulate some bovine endothelial cells to undergo apoptosis. More recent studies indicate that H. somni stimulates endothelial cell tissue factor activity and disrupts intercellular junctions. The net effect is to enhance procoagulant activity on the endothelium surface and to make the endothelial monolayer more permeable to molecules, leukocytes, and perhaps H. somni cells. H. somni also activates bovine platelets, which also can enhance tissue factor activity on the endothelium surface. When exposed to H. somni, bovine neutrophils and mononuclear phagocytes form extracellular traps in vitro. Ongoing research is investigating how the interplay among endothelial cells, platelets, and leukocytes might contribute to the thrombus formation seen in infected cattle.

Chemotherapy, but Not Bevacizumab, Increases Tissue Factor Activity Levels In Endothelial Cells, Blood Monocytes, and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

AbstractAbstract 5117 Introduction:Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is a complication commonly seen in patients with lung cancer. The risk of VTE is further increased in patients undergoing standard chemotherapy as well as anti-angiogenesis therapies such as bevacizumab. However, the molecular mechanisms between lung cancer, anti-cancer agents, and thrombosis remain poorly understood. In vitro studies suggest that treatment of endothelial cells with particular lung cancer chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin, gemcitabine and paclitaxel promote coagulation through an increase in tissue factor (TF) activity. However, the effect of these drugs on non-small cell lung cancer cells and monocytes remains largely unknown. It is also unknown if blockage of VEGF function by bevacizumab affects TF activity in endothelial cells and A549 lung cancer cells, both of which express VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 receptors. Objective:The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of standard lung cancer chemotherapy agents cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel and gemcitabine on TF activity levels on vascular endothelial cells, blood monocytes, and the non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549. We studied the effects of these chemotherapy agents individually as well as in established combination chemotherapy (cisplatin/gemcitabine and carboplatin/paclitaxel). We also studied the effects of the anti-angiogenesis agent bevacizumab on TF activity levels in endothelial cells and A549 cells. Methods:Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), blood monocytes, and A549 cells were exposed for 24 hours to clinically relevant concentrations of chemotherapy agents or bevacizumab. At the end of treatment time, cell surface TF activity was measured by the generation of factor Xa in the presence of factor VIIa and CaCl2 on drug-treated cells. Cell viability was examined by Trypan Blue exclusion assays. Factor Xa generation was adjusted to exclude non-viable cells (at most, 15% of the cells were non-viable after 24-hour exposure to the anti-cancer agents). Results:Treatment of all cell lines with single chemotherapy agents increased cell surface TF activity. The combinations of cisplatin/gemcitabine and carboplatin/paclitaxel on HUVECs resulted in synergistic and additive effects on TF activity levels, respectively. The increase in TF activity levels were observed in the absence of cell death. In contrast, treatment of HUVECs and A549ccells with bevacizumab did not affect TF activity levels on HUVECs and A549 cells. To confirm that chemotherapy-induced factor Xa generation was TF dependent, we repeated the same assay in the absence of factor VIIa, an essential component of the extrinsic tenase complex. Absence of factor VIIa resulted in no cell surface generation of factor Xa confirming that the generation of factor Xa is due to cell surface TF activity. Conclusions:Our studies are the first to explore the effects of chemotherapy agents on TF activity levels in A549 cells and monocytes, as well as the effects of bevacizumab on TF activity levels in endothelial cells and A549 cells. Our studies suggest that, unlike chemotherapy agents, bevacizumab does not induce a procoagulant phenotype on endothelial cells and A549 cells via the upregulation of TF activity. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The principal eosinophil peroxidase product, HOSCN, is a uniquely potent phagocyte oxidant inducer of endothelial cell tissue factor activity: a potential mechanism for thrombosis in eosinophilic inflammatory states

AbstractIn vivo, bromide (Br–), nitrite (NO2–), and thiocyanate (SCN–) compete for oxidation by eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) and H2O2, yielding, respectively, HOBr, NO2·, and HOSCN. We have recently shown that SCN– is the strongly preferred substrate for EPO in vivo and that HOSCN, in contrast with other EPO-generated oxidants and HOCl, is a relatively weak, cell-permeant, sulfhydryl (SH)–reactive oxidant. We here show that HOSCN is a uniquely potent (up to 100-fold) phagocyte oxidant inducer of tissue factor (TF) activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This induction is attributable to transcriptional up-regulation of TF gene expression dependent upon both activation of the p65/c-Rel TF-κB transcription factor and activity of the ERK1/2 kinase pathway upstream of Egr-1 and was markedly further enhanced in the presence of wortmannin, an inhibitor of the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway. HOSCN also markedly activates the proinflammatory p65/p50 NF-κB pathway. Based on these findings we hypothesize that HOSCN generated by adherent and infiltrating eosinophils may provoke the development of a prothrombotic and proinflammatory endothelial/endocardial phenotype that promotes the pronounced thrombotic diathesis characteristic of the hypereosinophilic syndrome.

The Principal Eosinophil Peroxidase Oxidant, HOSCN, Potently Induces Endothelial Cell Tissue Factor Activity through Transcriptional Activation Dependent upon NF-kB and ERK1/2: Potential Mechanism for a Prothrombotic and Proinflammatory Endothelial Phenotype in the Hypereosinophilic Syndrome.

We have shown that SCN- is the principal substrate for EPO in vivo and its product, HOSCN, a weak sulfhydryl-reactive oxidant, is a uniquely potent (i.e. 10–1000-fold more than any other) phagocyte oxidant inducer of tissue factor (TF) activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We here characterize the intracellular signaling pathways and transcription factors activated by HUVEC in response to this unusual oxidant. We exposed monolayers to increasing concentrations of various phagocyte-derived oxidants or 10 ng/ml LPS in M199 medium with 10% FCS and assayed TF in scraped, freeze-thawed extracts by one-stage clotting assay. We find that 50–150 μM HOSCN induces TF activity up to 100-fold at 4–6 hours, levels similar to those stimulated by LPS. In contrast, similar concentrations of HOBr, H2O2, and HOCl induced at most a < 2-fold increase in TF activity. Because the TF gene has upstream regulatory sequences that bind transcription factors AP-1, Egr-1 and NF-kB, we probed nuclear extracts of HOSCN- and LPS-treated HUVEC by EMSA using oligonucleotide probes specific for their respective factors. HOSCN induces potent (similar to 10 μg/ml LPS/ml) upregulation of NF-kB p50/p65 and the TF-specific c-rel/p65 heterodimer by 1–2 hours as confirmed by supershift assay. HOSCN induced modest activation of Egr-1 at 1 hour and strong activation of the c-Jun but not c-Fos AP-1 binding factors. Investigating intracellular kinase pathways upstream from these transcription factors, we probed Western blots of HOSCN-treated HUVEC extracts for the phosphorylated forms of ERK1/2 and SAPK/JNK and for I-kB. HOSCN stimulates a transient increase in pERK1/2 at 10–20 min followed by a pronounced secondary increase starting at 1h and peaking at 2–4 h as well as increasing pSAPK/JNK at 1-4h and promoting degradation of I-kB. The functional significance of ERK1/2 and NF-kB was confirmed using specific inhibitors of these respective pathways, U0126 and andrographolide, either of which nearly completely blocked HOSCN-induced TF expression. The critical role of NF-kB in this phenomenon was shown when wortmannin, which blocks the PI3K/Akt pathway that constitutively inhibits NF-kB, increased TF activity 10–30 fold but simultaneous addition of andrographolide blocked this increase. To extend our analysis of HOSCN on transcriptional activation, we screened 54 separate transcription factors using a Panomics TranSignal™Protein/DNA array and found that HOSCN induces >3-fold activation of Stat4, CDP, GRE, CBF, and Ets-1/PEA3, a pattern similar to but readily distinguishable from that of LPS. We conclude HOSCN strongly induces TF activity in endothelial cells through transcriptional activation dependent upon ERK 1/2 and NF-kB. Given the widespread genomic distribution of binding sites for these transcription factors and the types of genes they regulate, we hypothesize HOSCN generated by adherent and infiltrating eosinophils may provoke the development of a prothrombotic and proinflammatory endothelial/endocardial phenotype that promotes the pronounced thrombotic diathesis characteristic of the Hypereosinophilic Syndrome.

Interactions of Aspergillus fumigatus with endothelial cells: internalization, injury, and stimulation of tissue factor activity

AbstractInvasive aspergillosis causes significant mortality among patients with hematologic malignancies. This infection is characterized by vascular invasion and thrombosis. To study the pathogenesis of invasive aspergillosis, we investigated the interactions of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia and hyphae with endothelial cells in vitro. We found that both forms of the organism induced endothelial cell microfilament rearrangement and subsequent endocytosis. Conidia were endocytosed 2-fold more avidly than hyphae, and endocytosis was independent of fungal viability. Endocytosed conidia and hyphae caused progressive endothelial cell injury after 4 hours of infection. Live conidia induced more endothelial cell injury than did live hyphae. However, endothelial cell injury caused by conidia was dependent on fungal viability, whereas injury caused by hyphae was not, indicating that conidia and hyphae injure endothelial cells by different mechanisms. Neither live nor killed conidia increased tissue factor activity of endothelial cells. In contrast, both live and killed hyphae stimulated significant endothelial cell tissue factor activity, as well as the expression of tissue factor antigen on the endothelial cell surface. These results suggest that angioinvasion and thrombosis caused by A fumigatus hyphae in vivo may be due in part to endothelial cell invasion, induction of injury, and stimulation of tissue factor activity.

Shear stress decreases endothelial cell tissue factor activity by augmenting secretion of tissue factor pathway inhibitor.

Monolayers of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were activated with 50 U/mL interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) for 3 hours and simultaneously conditioned with shear stresses of 0, 0.68, or 13.2 dyne/cm(2) in a parallel-plate flow chamber. In the presence of an inflow buffer containing 100 nmol/L factor X and 10 nmol/L factor VII, production of factor Xa, a measure of functional tissue factor (TF), was determined as the product of outflow concentration of factor Xa (chromogenic assay performed under quasi-static flow conditions after the shear period) and flow rate. Similarly, production of TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI) was estimated as the product of antigenic TFPI (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in the supernatant and flow rate. In parallel experiments, total RNA was isolated for determination of amplification products of TF mRNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We found that shear stress reduced factor Xa production (mean+/-SE; n=number of experiments) from 13.33+/-1.14 (n=16) fmol/minxcm(2) at 0 shear stress to 5.70+/-2.51 (n=5) and 0.54+/-0.54 (n=4) fmol/minxcm(2) at shear stresses of 0.68 and 13.2 dyne/cm(2), respectively. At the same time, immunogold labeling showed that TF antigen on the endothelial surface increased >5-fold with shear stress, whereas TFPI antigen on the surface increased 2-fold. The secretion of TFPI (appearance of new supernatant TFPI) rose from 7.4+/-2.4 (n=12) x10(-)(3) fmol/minxcm(2) at 0 shear stress to 23.7+/-7.3 (n=9) and 50.2+/-14.3 (n=4) x10(-)(3) fmol/minxcm(2) at 0.68 and 13.2 dyne/cm(2), respectively. TF mRNA amplification products were not markedly changed by shear stress. We conclude that acute application of shear stress reduces functional, but not antigenic, expression of TF by intact, activated endothelial cell monolayers in a manner associated with shear stress-augmented endothelial cell secretion of TFPI.

Dithiocarbamates ameliorate the effects of endotoxin in a rabbit model of disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Induction of tissue factor (TF) activity by endotoxin and cytokines is an important mechanism for initiation of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) seen in patients with gram-negative sepsis. Based on data from an in vitro study in which dithiocarbamates abrogated endothelial cell TF activity by inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway, we investigated whether dithiocarbamates had in vivo activity in an animal model of DIC. Dithiocarbamates ameliorated the adverse clinical and histological effects of endotoxin-induced DIC, including morbidity, hypofibrinogenemia, and target organ damage, especially in the liver and kidney, even when given up to 1 hour after administration of endotoxin. This pilot study confirms the key role of the nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-kappaB) pathway in induction of TF activity in initiating sepsis-associated DIC and suggests that dithiocarbamates may be useful in treatment of DIC associated with excessive TF expression because of gram-negative sepsis. Additional studies of dithiocarbamates in DIC models are warranted.

Regulation of endothelial cell protein c activation and fibrinolysis by procoagulant albumin

Endothelial cell regulation of protein C activation and fibrinolysis are important components of the hemostatic response to vascular injury or perturbation. Procoagulant albumin (P-A1), a constituent of normal human plasma has been purified and identified as an inducer of endothelial cell tissue factor activity. The purpose of the studies reported herein was to investigate the effects of P-A1 on human endothelial cell protein C activation and fibrinolysis. P-A1 suppressed protein C activation, enhanced release of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, but had no effect on tissue-plasminogen activator release. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 released by P-A1 was functional as evidenced by the capacity to form a covalent complex with 125I-urokinase. Inactive albumin (isolated during the same purification procedure as P-A1, but without tissue factor-inducing activity) did not suppress protein C activation or increase plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 release. These results indicate that P-A1, a component of human plasma, can modulate multiple vascular hemostatic properties, and support the hypothesis that P-A1 is involved in normal or pathologic hemostasis.

Induction of endothelial cell tissue factor activity by sera from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: A possible mechanism of thrombosis

The hypothesis of our study is that antiphospholipid antibodies predispose to thrombosis by inducing endothelial cell tissue factor expression. Monolayers of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated for 8 hours in a medium containing 20% serum obtained either from patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (n = 11) or normal subjects (n = 8). Similar incubations were performed with immunoglobulin G fractions from either patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (n = 3) or normal subjects (n = 3). Endothelial cell tissue factor expression was measured with a tissue factor-specific chromogenic substrate assay. The results were analyzed with a two-tailed t test. The mean endothelial cell tissue factor expression induced by antiphospholipid sera was significantly greater than the controls (p < 0.02). Immunoglobulin experiments indicated that the factor(s) responsible for the induction of tissue factor expression resides in the immunoglobulin G fraction of the sera (p < 0.01). Endothelial cell tissue factor expression is induced by antiphospholipid sera, with activity residing at least in part in the immunoglobulin fraction. The induction of tissue factor by antiphospholipid sera may play a role in the thrombotic tendency observed in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome.

Oxidized low‐density lipoprotein increases cultured human endothelial cell tissue factor activity and reduces protein C activation 1

Increasing evidence suggests that the formation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in vivo is associated with the development of atherosclerotic vascular disease. We investigated the effects of Ox-LDL on two vascular endothelial cell coagulant properties, tissue factor expression, and protein C activation. The Ox-LDL increased human arterial and venous endothelial cell tissue factor activity, with 100 micrograms/ml of Ox-LDL increasing factor activity fourfold. Native LDL modified by incubation with cultured human arterial and venous endothelial cells also induced endothelial cell tissue factor activity. This modification was blocked by coincubation with the antioxidants, probucol or ascorbic acid. It was determined, based on inhibition by known scavenger receptor antagonists (fucoidin, dextran sulfate), that binding of Ox-LDL via the acetyl LDL (scavenger) receptor was partially responsible for the increase in tissue factor expression. Whereas endothelial cell tissue factor expression was increased by incubation with Ox-LDL, protein C activation was reduced approximately 80% by incubating cultured endothelial cells with Ox-LDL. The effect of Ox-LDL on protein C activation was not inhibited by antagonists to the scavenger receptor. These data indicating that an atherogenic lipoprotein can regulate key vascular coagulant activities provide an additional link between vascular disease and thrombosis.