Cold exposure reveals two populations of microtubules in pulmonary endothelia

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2011 Jan;300(1):L132-8. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00185.2010. Epub 2010 Oct 22.

Abstract

Microtubules are composed of α-tubulin and β-tubulin dimers. Microtubules yield tubulin dimers when exposed to cold, which reassemble spontaneously to form microtubule fibers at 37°C. However, mammalian neurons, glial cells, and fibroblasts have cold-stable microtubules. While studying the microtubule toxicity mechanisms of the exotoxin Y from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, we observed that some endothelial microtubules were very difficult to disassemble in the cold. As a consequence, we designed studies to test the hypothesis that microvascular endothelium has a population of cold-stable microtubules. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and HeLa cells (control) were grown under regular cell culture conditions, followed by exposure to an ice-cold water bath and a microtubule extraction protocol. Polymerized microtubules were detected by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and Western blot analyses. After cold exposure, immunofluorescence revealed that the majority of HeLa cell microtubules disassembled, whereas a smaller population of endothelial cell microtubules disassembled. Immunoblot analyses showed that microvascular endothelial cells express the microtubule cold-stabilizing protein N-STOP (neuronal stable tubule-only polypeptides), and that N-STOP binds to endothelial microtubules after cold exposure, but not if microtubules are disassembled with nocodazole before cold exposure. Hence, pulmonary endothelia have a population of cold-stable microtubules.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cold Temperature
  • Endothelium / cytology
  • Endothelium / physiology*
  • HeLa Cells / cytology
  • HeLa Cells / physiology
  • Humans
  • Lung / cytology
  • Lung / physiology*
  • Microcirculation / physiology
  • Microtubules / physiology*
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Pulmonary Circulation / physiology
  • Tubulin / physiology

Substances

  • Tubulin