PI3K, Rho, and ROCK play a key role in hypoxia-induced ATP release and ATP-stimulated angiogenic responses in pulmonary artery vasa vasorum endothelial cells.

ABSTRACT: We recently reported that vasa vasorum expansion occurs in the pulmonary artery (PA) adventitia of chronically hypoxic animals and that extracellular ATP is a pro-angiogenic factor for isolated vasa vasorum endothelial cells (VVEC). However, the sources of extracellular ATP in the PA vascular wall, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying its release, remain elusive. Studies were undertaken to explore whether VVEC release ATP in response to hypoxia and to determine signaling pathways involved in this process. We found that hypoxia (1-3% O2) resulted in time- and O2-dependent ATP release from VVEC. Preincubation with the inhibitors of vesicular transport (monensin, brefeldin A, and N-ethylmaleimide) significantly decreased ATP accumulation in the VVEC conditioned media, suggesting tha

SUBMITTER: Woodward HN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2777489 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature