Blood-Borne Molecule Helps Regulate Blood-Vessel Integrity

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Article Date: 17 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Although maintaining the integrity of blood vessel walls is essential for life, well-controlled temporary leakage of blood contents through the walls of blood vessels into the tissues is a hallmark of inflammation. Although the molecule S1P is known to act on the cells that line blood vessels (endothelial cells) to regulate the permeability of blood vessel walls, the in vivo source of SIP in this process remains unknown, and whether it has a role in inflammation has not been determined. In a new study, Shaun Coughlin and colleagues, at UCSF, San Francisco, have shed light on these issues, revealing that mice that lack S1P selectively in plasma (the liquid component of blood) have increased leakage from the blood vessels in response to a variety of stimuli, including inflammatory ones. As the leakage was reversed by treatment with either S1P-containing red blood cells or an agonist for the protein to which SIP binds, the authors conclude that S1P in the blood regulates blood-vessel integrity and prevents potentially lethal decreases in blood volume after exposure to leak-inducing stimuli.

TITLE: Sphingosine-1-phosphate in the plasma compartment regulates basal and inflammation-induced vascular leak in mice

AUTHOR:
Shaun R. Coughlin
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=38575

Source:
Karen Honey
Journal of Clinical Investigation
JCI online early table of contents: June 15, 2009