Endophilin-1 regulates blood-brain barrier permeability by controlling ZO-1 and occludin expression via the EGFR-ERK1/2 pathway.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a pivotal role in maintenance and regulation of the neural microenvironment. Brain endothelial cells (BECs), held together by tight junctions (TJs), have a primary role in restricting the permeability of the BBB. Endophilin-1 is a multifunctional protein that influences epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) endocytosis ...
and degradation and plays an important role in regulating the glomerular filtration barrier in the kidney. Endophilin-1 likely plays a similar role in controlling BBB permeability. In this study, we therefore analyzed the expression and function of endophilin-1 in the human BEC line hCMEC/D3. Our results show that endophilin-1 over-expression reduced the expression of the TJ-associated proteins ZO-1 and occludin and increased the paracellular permeability of hCMEC/D3 cells, whereas silencing of endogenous endophilin-1 yielded the opposite results. Over-expression of ZO-1 and occludin prevented the increase in permeability induced by endophilin-1 over-expression, whereas down-regulation of ZO-1 and occludin prevented the reduction in permeability induced by endophilin-1 silencing. Co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that endophilin-1 interacts with the EGFR. The levels of EGFR and its downstream effector phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) are significantly decreased when endophilin-1 is over-expressed. Conversely, endophilin-1 down-regulation led to markedly increased levels of these proteins. In addition, the reduced permeability induced by endophilin-1 down-regulation was blocked by AG1478 and PD98059, inhibitors of EGFR and ERK1/2, respectively. Up-regulation of ZO-1 and occludin was blocked by the EGFR and ERK1/2 inhibitors. These results suggest that endophilin-1 regulates BBB permeability by controlling ZO-1 and occludin expression via the EGFR-ERK1/2 pathway in BECs.
Mesh Terms:
Acyltransferases, Blood-Brain Barrier, Blotting, Western, Capillary Permeability, Cell Line, Electric Impedance, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Immunoprecipitation, MAP Kinase Signaling System, Occludin, Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor, Tight Junction Proteins, Transfection, Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
Brain Res.
Date: Jul. 21, 2014
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