Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Visualization of Vascular Ca2+ Signaling Triggered by Paracrine Derived ROS
07:33

Visualization of Vascular Ca2+ Signaling Triggered by Paracrine Derived ROS

Published on: December 21, 2011

RhoA-dependent PAI-1 gene expression induced in endothelial cells by monocyte adhesion mediates geranylgeranyl

Takayuki Sakamoto1, Toshiyuki Ishibashi, Koichi Sugimoto

  • 1First Department of Internal Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.

Atherosclerosis
|September 16, 2006
PubMed

We investigated the role of RhoA activation and its mechanism in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene expression induced in endothelial cells by monocyte adhesion. Isolated human peripheral blood monocytes were added to cultured human coronary endothelial cells. Monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells increased PAI-1 expression at the transcriptional level and activated RhoA which was accompanied by an increase in the activity of geranylgeranyl transferase I (GGTase I), an enzyme responsible for geranylgeranylation, and actin stress fiber formation. Inhibition of RhoA by C3 exoenzyme or by adenovirus-mediated expression of N19RhoA, as well as by pravastatin, prevented the upregulation of PAI-1 induced by monocyte adhesion. GGTI-286, an inhibitor of GGTase I, prevented the monocyte-induced RhoA activation and PAI-1 expression in endothelial cells. Monocyte attachment induced an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in endothelial cells and Ca(2+) chelation prevented the increased promoter activity and expression of PAI-1 induced by monocyte adhesion. C3 exoenzyme and GGTI-286 also suppressed endothelial intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization and Ca(2+) entry induced by monocytes. The present study shows that GGTase I plays a role in the RhoA activation in endothelial cells induced by monocyte adhesion and that GGTase I-mediated Ca(2+) signaling may contribute to RhoA-dependent PAI-1 gene expression.

Related Concept Videos

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply01:24

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits.  Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...
IP3/DAG Signaling Pathway01:11

IP3/DAG Signaling Pathway

Membrane lipids such as phosphatidylinositol (PI) are precursors for several membrane-bound and soluble second messengers. Specific kinases phosphorylate PI and produce phosphorylated inositol phospholipids. One such inositol phospholipids are the  phosphatidylinositol-4,5 bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], present in the inner half of the lipid bilayer. Upon ligand binding, GPCR stimulates Gq proteins to turn on phospholipase Cꞵ. Activated phospholipase Cꞵ cleaves PI(4,5)P2 and produces two-second...
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling01:16

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...