Document Type

Article

Publication Title

American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology

Abstract

Soluble adenylyl cyclase toxins, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoY, generate a cAMP pool that retracts cell borders. However, the cytoskeletal basis by which this cAMP signal retracts cell borders is not known. We sought to determine whether activation of chimeric, soluble adenylyl cyclase I/II (sACI/II) reorganizes either microtubules or peripheral actin. Endothelial cells were stably transfected with either green fluorescent protein-labeled alpha-tubulin or beta-actin, and then infected with adenovirus to express sACI/II. Forskolin, which stimulates both the endogenously expressed transmembrane adenylyl cyclases and sACI/II, induced cell retraction accompanied by the reorganization of peripheral microtubules. However, cortical filamentous-actin (f-actin) did not reorganize into stress fibers, and myosin light-chain-20 phosphorylation was decreased. Isoproterenol, which activates endogenous adenylyl cyclases but does not activate sACI/II, did not induce endothelial cell gaps and did not influence microtubule or f-actin architecture. Thus, sACI/II generates a cAMP signal that reorganizes microtubules and induces cell retraction, without inducing f-actin stress fibers. These findings illustrate that endothelial cell gap formation can proceed without f-actin stress fiber formation, and provide mechanistic insight how bacterial adenylyl cyclase toxins reorganize the cytoskeleton to induce cell rounding.

First Page

L73

Last Page

L83

DOI

10.1152/ajplung.90577.2008

Publication Date

7-1-2009

Department

College of Medicine

Comments

Copyright © 2009 the American Physiological Society https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.90577.2008

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