Objective: Antiangiogenic activity of thrombospondin-1 and related proteins is mediated by interactions between thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR) domains and the CD36, LIMP-2, Emp sequence homology (CLESH) domain of the endothelial cell receptor CD36. We sought to characterize key molecular determinants of the interaction between thrombospondin-1 TSR domains and the CD36 CLESH domain.
Approach and results: Recombinant thrombospondin-1 TSR2 and TSR(2,3) constructs inhibited microvascular endothelial cell migration, microvascular endothelial cell tube formation, and vessel sprouting in aortic ring assays. Interaction with CD36 CLESH decoy peptides negated these effects. Mutational analyses identified a cluster of residues that confer positive charge to the TSR2 surface and mediate interaction with CD36 CLESH. Antiangiogenic activity was significantly reduced by charge-neutralizing mutations of the Arg-Trp ladder in TSR2, but not TSR3. Additionally, I438 and K464 of TSR2 were shown to be required for CD36 CLESH binding to TSR2. A complementary acidic cluster within CD36 CLESH is also required for antiangiogenic activity.
Conclusions: Thrombospondin-1 interacts with CD36 CLESH through electrostatic interactions mediated by a positively charged TSR2 surface and multiple negatively charged CD36 CLESH residues. Two key residues serve as specificity determinants that identify other TSR domains that interact with CD36 CLESH.
Keywords: CD36; angiogenesis; thrombospondin-1.