Elsevier

Molecular Immunology

Volume 47, Issue 6, March 2010, Pages 1325-1333
Molecular Immunology

Silencing of C5a receptor gene with siRNA for protection from Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced vascular permeability

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molimm.2009.11.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Endothelial barrier dysfunction leading to increased permeability and vascular leakage is an underlying cause of several pathological conditions. Whereas these changes have been shown to be associated with activation of the complement system, leading to the release of C5a and interaction of C5a–C5a receptor (C5aR), the role of C5aR in endothelial cells remain(s) ill-defined. Here, we report an essential role of C5aR in endothelial cell injury and vascular permeability through silencing of the C5aR gene using siRNA. In the cultured mouse dermal microvascular endothelial cells (MEMECs) monolayer transfected with C5aR-siRNA, endotoxin-induced cell injury by evaluated as transendothelial flux, cell detachment, and cytoskeletal disorganization was inhibited. Upregulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was also suppressed. Studies exploring the underlying mechanism of siRNA-mediated suppression in VCAM-1 expression were related to reduction of NF-κB activation and nuclear localization of both p50 and p65. The effect was associated with inhibition in activation of protein kinase Cδ(PKC-δ) and induction of PKC-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatases-1 (MKP-1) leading to the increased activity of p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade. In the model of mice administrated with C5aR-siRNA, endotoxin-induced plasma leakage was inhibited in local abdominal skin. Systemic administration of endotoxin to mice resulted in increased microvascular permeability in multiple organs was reduced. These studies demonstrate that the C5aR responsible for vascular endothelial cell injury and plasma permeability is an important factor, and that blockade of C5aR may be useful therapeutic targets for the prevention of vascular permeability in pathogenic condition.

Introduction

The endothelium plays an important role in maintaining normal vascular function. In addition to maintaining a non-thrombogenic surface, secreting anticoagulation factors, responding to and participating in inflammatory signaling and regulating vascular tone, the endothelium also acts as an active barrier between the blood and the underlying tissue. Vascular endothelial dysfunction caused by injury or inflammatory signals has been shown to lead to numerous pathological conditions. Dysfunctional endothelium leads to decreased barrier function or increased permeability. Increased endothelial permeability is characteristic of many diseases and pathological conditions, including atherosclerosis, asthma, tumor growth, edema, and sepsis (van Nieuw Amerongen and van Hinsbergh, 2002, van Hinsbergh, 1997).

Microvascular injury occurring during acute inflammation often results in increased vascular permeability and microvascular haemorrhage. The acute inflammatory response is carefully regulated by the endogenous gene expression of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators (Lentsch and Ward, 2000). Besides neutrophil-mediated endothelial cytotoxicity (Varani et al., 1992, Fujita et al., 1991), pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1) have been shown to induce endothelial injury in the presence of neutrophils, in part due to endothelial cell-enhanced expression of adhesion molecules, appearance in plasma of chemokines, and increased permeability of endothelial monolayers (Rollins, 1997, Meyrick et al., 1991). C5a also is pro-inflammatory mediator. Activation of the complement pathway results in the release of the anaphylatoxin C5a and formation of the membrane attack complex, which induce chemokines and mediate neutrophils activation and infiltration, leading to cell injury, apoptosis, and necrosis (De Vries et al., 2003). C5a induces its inflammatory functions by interacting with C5aR that belongs to the rhodopsin family of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors (Gerard and Gerard, 1991, Amatruda et al., 1993, Siciliano et al., 1990). C5a has been shown to induce P-selectin expression and secretion of von Willebrand factor (Foreman et al., 1994) and to increase tissue factor activity in vascular endothelial cells (Ikeda et al., 1997). C5aR expression on mouse dermal microvascular endothelial cells and on the microvascular endothelium of lung can be up-regulated, suggesting that C5a in the co-presence of additional agonists may mediate pro-inflammatory effects of endothelial cells (Laudes et al., 2002). C5a can lead to nonspecific, chemotactic “desensitization,” thereby causing broad dysfunction as well as paralysis of MAPK pathways (Riedemann et al., 2004). C5a/C5aR signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory and immunological diseases. C5aR on endothelial cells may contribute in various ways to the upregulation of inflammatory processes observed following complement activation (Schraufstatter et al., 2002).

Interventions aimed at blocking C5a/C5aR signaling represent promising targets for therapeutic treatment in the inflammatory disorders. Systemic application of an expressed siRNA can specifically inhibit C5aR gene expression in vivo (Sun et al., 2006). Administration of C5aR-specific siRNA is capable of reducing C5aR and preventing inflammation (Zheng et al., 2008). Recently, we demonstrate that blockade of C5aR with the anti-C5aR antibody markedly decreased microvascular permeability in ischemic myocardial area and leukocyte adherence to coronary artery endothelium (Zhang et al., 2007a).

In the present study, we demonstrate the role of C5aR in vascular endothelial injury and plasma leaking. We demonstrated that an expressed DNA vector-based small interfering RNA (siRNA) can specifically inhibit C5aR-mediated vascular endothelial cell injury in vitro and plasma leakage in vivo indicating an essential role of C5aR in vascular endothelial barrier in pathogenic situation.

Section snippets

C5aR-siRNA design

Two target sequences of C5aR gene were selected. The oligonucleotides containing sequences specific for C5aR were synthesized and annealed.

  • C5aR #1:

  • 5′-GATCCCGTTTAGAGTGAGCAGAGGCAACTTCAAGAGAGTTGCCTCTGCTCACTCTAAATTTTTTCCAA A-3′

  • 5′-AGCTTTTGGAAAAAATTTAGAGTGAGCAGAGGCAACTCTCTTGAAGTTGCCTCTGCTCACTCTAAACGG-3′;

  • C5aR #2:

  • 5′-GATCCCGTCAGAAACCAGATGGCGTTTGTTCAAGAGACAAACGCCATCTGGTTTCTGATTTTTTCCAA A-3′

  • 5′-AGCTTTTGGAAAAAATCAGAAACCAGATGGCGTTTGTCTCTTGAACAAACGCCATCTGGTT TCTGACG G-3′)

A C5aR-siRNA expression vector, which

Silencing C5aR in vitro using siRNA

To assess C5aR mRNA expression, primers for mC5aR were designed (as described above), and RT-PCR was performed using total RNA isolated from transfected MDMEC with C5aR-siRNA, as indicated (Fig. 1). For all conditions, equivalent loading for the different templates was verified using primers to GAPDH (Fig. 1A). When levels of C5aR protein from the same samples were detected by Western blot, there were decreases of C5aR protein in siRNA-treated group (Fig. 1B). Cells transfected with EV or SV

Discussion

Complement activation is associated with many pathological states and organ injury. Blockade of C5aR with an anti-C5aR antibody markedly decreases microvascular permeability and leukocyte adherence to endothelium (Zhang et al., 2007a). Efficient gene silencing of C5aR can be achieved using siRNA, and furthermore, results in the inhibition of complement activation and prevention of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (Zheng et al., 2008). In this study, we have demonstrated that silencing the C5aR

Conflict of interest

None.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from Chutian Xuezhe Plan of Hubei in China and Hubei University Foundation, NSFC 30811130467 and 30972769/C080802, and the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry in China to Dong-xu Liu.

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