Integrin ␣11 is a collagen receptor that down-regulates collagen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mice lacking this receptor show increased ROS levels and exacerbated glomerular sclerosis following injury. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a multifunctional protein that is tyrosine-phosphorylated in response to injury and has been implicated in ROSmediated injury. Cav-1 interacts with integrins, and integrin ␣11 binds/activates T cell protein-tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP), which is homologous to the tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B known to dephosphorylate Cav-1. In this study, we analyzed whether phosphorylated Cav-1 (pCav-1) is a substrate of TCPTP and if integrin ␣11 is essential for promoting TCPTP-mediated Cav-1 dephosphorylation. We found that Cav-1 phosphorylation is significantly higher in cells lacking integrin ␣11 at base line and following oxidative stress. Overexpression of TCPTP leads to reduced pCav-1 levels only in cells expressing integrin ␣11. Using solid phase binding assays, we demonstrated that 1) purified Cav-1 directly interacts with TCPTP and the integrin ␣1 subunit, 2) pCav-1 is a substrate of TCPTP, and 3) TCPTP-mediated Cav-1 dephosphorylation is highly increased by the addition of purified integrin ␣11 or an integrin ␣1 cytoplasmic peptide to which TCPTP has been shown to bind. Thus, our results demonstrate that pCav-1 is a new substrate of TCPTP and that integrin ␣11 acts as a negative regulator of Cav-1 phosphorylation by activating TCPTP. This could explain the protective function of integrin ␣11 in oxidative stress-mediated damage and why integrin ␣1-null mice are more susceptible to fibrosis following injury.Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a key component of caveolae, plasma membrane invaginations enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol, which function in lipid metabolism, transcytosis, and receptor trafficking (1). Cav-1 interacts with and regulates the localization and function of various transmembrane proteins (1, 2). For instance, Cav-1 negatively regulates TGF- signaling (3) as well as EGF receptor expression and activation (4). In addition, Cav-1 participates in integrin-mediated signaling, as demonstrated by the finding that Cav-1-mediated integrin 1 endocytosis is critical for regulation of fibronectin turnover (5).Cav-1 is phosphorylated at tyrosine 14 by the Src family kinases in response to various stimuli, including growth factor-mediated signaling, mechanical stretch, and hyperosmolarity (6 -10). Cav-1 is also phosphorylated in response to oxidative stress, since hydrogen peroxide induces Cav-1 phosphorylation in endothelial cells (11-13), fibroblasts (7,10,14) and renal cells (15). Finally, Cav-1 phosphorylation increases in vivo in brain injury (16) and in the spinal cord following experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (17). However, whether increased pCav-1 contributes to or protects from injury is controversial at present. In this context, increased expression of pCav-1 is associated with cell survival after oxidative stress (15); however, in contrast to these...