Endothelial transcytotic machinery involves supramolecular protein-lipid complexes.

We have demonstrated that the plasmalemmal vesicles (caveolae) of the continuous microvascular endothelium function as transcytotic vesicular carriers for protein molecules > 20 A and that transcytosis is an N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF)-dependent, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive process. We have further investigated NSF interactions with endothelial proteins to find out 1) whether a complete set of fusion and targeting proteins is present in the endothelium; 2) whether they are organized in multimolecular complexes as in neurons; and 3) whether the endothelial multimolecular complexes differ from their neuronal counterparts, because of their specialized role in transcytosis. To generate the complexes, we have used myc-NSF, cultured pulmonary endothelial cells, and rat lung cytosol and membrane preparations; to detect them we have applied coimmunoprecipitation with myc antibodies; and to characterize them we have used velocity sedimentation and cross-linking procedures. We have found that both cytosolic and membrane fractions contain complexes that comprise beside soluble NSF attachment proteins and SNAREs (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor), rab 5, dynamin, caveolin, and lipids. By immunogold labeling and negative staining we have detected in these complexes, myc-NSF, syntaxin, dynamin, caveolin, and endogenous NSF. Similar complexes are formed by endogenous NSF. The results indicate that complexes with a distinct protein-lipid composition exist and suggest that they participate in targeting, fusion, and fission of caveolae with the endothelial plasmalemma.

Plasmalemmal vesicles function as transcytotic carriers for small proteins in the continuous endothelium.

We investigated the location and the structural identity of the small pore system, postulated by the pore theory of capillary permeability, using a murine heart perfusion system and small protein molecules as preferential probes for the small pores. Dinitrophenylated proteins were perfused in situ in the absence and in the presence of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a reagent known to interfere with membrane fusion of vesicular carriers with their target membranes. The exit pathways of the tracers from vascular lumina to the interstitia were followed by immunoelectron microscopy and by tissue fractionation biochemistry to quantitate their transport and to estimate the extent of transport inhibition by NEM. After 5 min of perfusion, all tracers used were found essentially restricted to plasmalemmal vesicles (PVs) within the endothelium and NEM inhibited their transport by 80-85%. The transport of [14C]inulin and [14C]sucrose, assumed to follow the paracellular pathway, was marginally affected by NEM. These findings indicate that PVs function as structural equivalents of the small pore system for molecules >2 nm in diameter.