H2O2 and PECAM-1 work together to open a channel.

Injury triggers invasion of white blood cells into tissues. According to new results from Ji et al. (page 173), PECAM-1, an adhesion molecule on the endothelial cells (ECs) that line blood vessels, does double duty in this invasion process. Direct ligation of PECAM-1 is known to allow neutrophils to crawl between ECs. But, independent of this function in white cell invasion, PECAM-1 is now shown to activate an EC current that may prime cells by loosening their connections.

The messenger that triggers this current is the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Neutrophil-produced H2O2 signals increase the EC permeability by inducing cell depolarization and an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, but the mechanism behind these changes remained unknown.

Now, Ji et al. demonstrate...

The Rockefeller University Press
2002
The Rockefeller University Press
2002
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