Tumor ascites fluids from guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice contain activity that rapidly increases microvascular permeability. Similar activity is also secreted by these tumor cells and a variety of other tumor cell lines in vitro. The permeability-increasing activity purified from either the culture medium or ascites fluid of one tumor, the guinea pig line 10 hepatocarcinoma, is a 34,000- to 42,000-dalton protein distinct from other known permeability factors.

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In vivo, leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) occurs at endothelial cell junctions (paracellular) and nonjunctional (transcellular) locations, whereas in vitro models report that TEM is mostly paracellular. The mechanisms that control the route of leukocyte TEM remain unknown. IntroductionLeukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) is a key step in their recruitment to sites of inflammation, injury, and immune reactions. Leukocyte recruitment involves a multistep cascade consisting of leukocyte rolling, firm adhesion, and, ultimately, transmigration. 1 These steps are regulated by shear flow, apical chemokines, and inducible adhesion molecules expressed by endothelium. 2 The actual path of leukocyte egress (paracellular versus transcellular) has been examined in several models (reviewed in Muller, 3 Kvietys and Sandig, 4 and Engelhardt and Wolburg 5 ). Experiments carried out in several animal models of inflammation found that leukocyte TEM can occur at both paracellular and transcellular locations. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] In contrast, most in vitro studies have reported that leukocyte TEM occurs primarily at paracellular locations. 3,[13][14][15] As a result, in vitro models of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) transcellular TEM do not exist, and the factors that dictate whether leukocytes use a transcellular or paracellular route and the mechanisms underlying transcellular TEM are unknown.Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) interacting with its leukocyte counterreceptors lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and macrophage antigen-1 (Mac-1) is key for leukocyte adhesion and TEM. [16][17][18][19] ICAM-1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein with 5 extracellular immunoglobulin G (IgG)-like domains and a short cytoplasmic tail that associates with multiple cytoskeletal linker proteins (reviewed in Springer 1 ). Vascular endothelium expresses low levels of ICAM-1, and inflammatory stimuli can markedly increase ICAM-1 surface expression. 20,21 In acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, endothelial cells become activated and express high levels of ICAM-1, in addition to vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin. [22][23][24][25] ICAM-1 has been shown to signal in endothelium during leukocyte adhesion or when cross-linked by anti-ICAM-1 antibodies. ICAM-1 occupancy triggers elevations in intracellular free Ca 2ϩ and myosin contractility, 26 activation of p38 kinase, 27 and the small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), in particular, members of the Rho family 28,29 and the tyrosine kinase p60 Src . 30 Activation of these signaling pathways results in extensive cytoskeletal remodeling events that alter endothelial cell contractility and function, 27 possibly facilitating leukocyte diapedesis. Recently, we have shown that neutrophil LFA-1 rapidly redistributes to form a ringlike structure that coclusters with endothelial ICAM-1 during PMN transmigration at cell junctions. 31 Others have reported that ICAM-1-enriched projections engulf leukocytes during their firm adhesion and locomot...

Diapedesis is critical for immune system function and inflammatory responses. This occurs by migration of blood leukocytes either directly through individual microvascular endothelial cells (the "transcellular" route) or between them (the "paracellular" route). Mechanisms for transcellular pore formation in endothelium remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that lymphocytes used podosomes and extended "invasive podosomes" to palpate the surface of, and ultimately form transcellular pores through, the endothelium. In lymphocytes, these structures were dependent on Src kinase and the actin regulatory protein WASP; inhibition of podosome formation selectively blocked the transcellular route of diapedesis. In endothelium, membrane fusion events dependent on the SNARE-containing membrane fusion complex and intracellular calcium were required for efficient transcellular pore formation in response to podosomes. These findings provide insights into basic mechanisms for leukocyte trafficking and the functions of podosomes.

V.Schacht and M.I.Ramirez contributed equally to this workWithin the vascular system, the mucin-type transmembrane glycoprotein T1a/podoplanin is predominantly expressed by lymphatic endothelium, and recent studies have shown that it is regulated by the lymphatic-speci®c homeobox gene Prox1. In this study, we examined the role of T1a/podoplanin in vascular development and the effects of gene disruption in mice. T1a/podoplanin is ®rst expressed at around E11.0 in Prox1-positive lymphatic progenitor cells, with predominant localization in the luminal plasma membrane of lymphatic endothelial cells during later development. T1a/podoplanin ±/± mice die at birth due to respiratory failure and have defects in lymphatic, but not blood vessel pattern formation. These defects are associated with diminished lymphatic transport, congenital lymphedema and dilation of lymphatic vessels. T1a/podoplanin is also expressed in the basal epidermis of newborn wild-type mice, but gene disruption did not alter epidermal differentiation. Studies in cultured endothelial cells indicate that T1a/podoplanin promotes cell adhesion, migration and tube formation, whereas small interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of T1a/podoplanin expression decreased lymphatic endothelial cell adhesion. These data identify T1a/podoplanin as a novel critical player that regulates different key aspects of lymphatic vasculature formation.

Vascular permeability factor (VPF), also known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), is a multifunctional cytokine expressed and secreted at high levels by many tumor cells of animal and human origin. As secreted by tumor cells, VPF/VEGF is a 34-42 kDa heparin-binding, dimeric, disulfide-bonded glycoprotein that acts directly on endothelial cells (EC) by way of specific receptors to activate phospholipase C and induce [Ca2+]i transients. Two high affinity VPF/VEGF receptors, both tyrosine kinases, have thus far been described. VPF/VEGF is likely to have a number of important roles in tumor biology related, but not limited to, the process of tumor angiogenesis. As a potent permeability factor, VPF/VEGF promotes extravasation of plasma fibrinogen, leading to fibrin deposition which alters the tumor extracellular matrix. This matrix promotes the ingrowth of macrophages, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Moreover, VPF/VEGF is a selective endothelial cell (EC) growth factor in vitro, and it presumably stimulates EC proliferation in vivo. Furthermore, VPF/VEGF has been found in animal and human tumor effusions by immunoassay and by functional assays and very likely accounts for the induction of malignant ascites. In addition to its role in tumors, VPF/VEGF has recently been found to have a role in wound healing and its expression by activated macrophages suggests that it probably also participates in certain types of chronic inflammation. VPF/VEGF is expressed in normal development and in certain normal adult organs, notably kidney, heart, adrenal gland and lung. Its functions in normal adult tissues are under investigation.

The vascular system has the critical function of supplying tissues with nutrients and clearing waste products. To accomplish these goals, the vasculature must be sufficiently permeable to allow the free, bidirectional passage of small molecules and gases and, to a lesser extent, of plasma proteins. Physiologists and many vascular biologists differ as to the definition of vascular permeability and the proper methodology for its measurement. We review these conflicting views, finding that both provide useful but complementary information. Vascular permeability by any measure is dramatically increased in acute and chronic inflammation, cancer, and wound healing. This hyperpermeability is mediated by acute or chronic exposure to vascular permeabilizing agents, particularly vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/ VEGF, VEGF-A). We demonstrate that three distinctly different types of vascular permeability can be distinguished, based on the different types of microvessels involved, the composition of the extravasate, and the anatomic pathways by which molecules of different size cross-vascular endothelium. These are the basal vascular permeability (BVP) of normal tissues, the acute vascular hyperpermeability (AVH) that occurs in response to a single, brief exposure to VEGF-A or other vascular permeabilizing agents, and the chronic vascular hyperpermeability (CVH) that characterizes pathological angiogenesis. Finally, we list the numerous (at least 25) gene products that different authors have found to affect vascular permeability in variously engineered mice and classify them with respect to their participation, as far as possible, in BVP, AVH and CVH. Further work will be required to elucidate the signaling pathways by which each of these molecules, and others likely to be discovered, mediate the different types of vascular permeability.

In situ coating of the surface of endothelial cells in rat lung with cationic colloidal silica particles was used to separate caveolae from detergent-insoluble membranes rich in glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins but devoid of caveolin. Immunogold electron microscopy showed that ganglioside GM1-enriched caveolae associated with an annular plasmalemmal domain enriched in GPI-anchored proteins. The purified caveolae contained molecular components required for regulated transport, including various lipid-anchored signaling molecules. Such specialized distinct microdomains may exist separately or together in the plasma membrane to organize signaling molecules and to process surface-bound ligands differentially.