Reexpression of caveolin-1 in endothelium rescues the vascular, cardiac, and pulmonary defects in global caveolin-1 knockout mice

J Exp Med. 2007 Oct 1;204(10):2373-82. doi: 10.1084/jem.20062340. Epub 2007 Sep 24.

Abstract

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is the principal structural component of caveolae organelles in smooth muscle cells, adipocytes, fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells (ECs). Cav-1-deficient (Cav-1 knockout [KO]) mice are viable and show increases of nitric oxide (NO) production in vasculature, cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary dysfunction. In this study, we generated EC-specific Cav-1-reconstituted (Cav-1 RC) mice and reexamined vascular, cardiac, and pulmonary phenotypes. Cav-1 KO pulmonary arteries had decreased smooth muscle contractility and increased endothelial NO synthase activation and hypotension; the latter two effects were rescued completely in Cav-1 RC mice. Cav-1 KO mice exhibited myocardial hypertrophy, pulmonary hypertension, and alveolar cell hyperproliferation caused by constitutive activation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase and Akt. Interestingly, in Cav-1 RC mice, cardiac hypertrophy and pulmonary hypertension were completely rescued, whereas alveolar hyperplasia was partially recovered because of the lack of rescue of Cav-1 in bronchiolar epithelial cells. These results provide clear physiological evidence supporting the important role of cell type-specific Cav-1 expression governing multiple phenotypes in the vasculature, heart, and lung.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Vessels / metabolism*
  • Blood Vessels / pathology
  • Body Weight
  • Caveolin 1 / deficiency
  • Caveolin 1 / genetics
  • Caveolin 1 / metabolism*
  • Collagen / biosynthesis
  • Endothelium / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / genetics
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / metabolism*
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / pathology
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / genetics
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / metabolism
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / pathology
  • Lung Diseases / genetics
  • Lung Diseases / metabolism*
  • Lung Diseases / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Myocardial Contraction
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Caveolin 1
  • Collagen
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III