A Role for Endoglin in Coupling eNOS Activity and Regulating Vascular Tone Revealed in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

Abstract

Decreased endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-derived NO bioavailability and impaired vasomotor control are crucial factors in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1) is a vascular disorder associated with ENDOGLIN (ENG) haploinsufficiency and characterized by venous dilatations, focal loss of capillaries, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We report that resistance arteries from Eng^+/− mice display an eNOS-dependent enhancement in endothelium-dependent dilatation and impairment in the myogenic response, despite reduced eNOS levels. We have found that eNOS is significantly reduced in endoglin-deficient endothelial cells because of decreased eNOS protein half-life. We demonstrate that endoglin can reside in caveolae and associate with eNOS, suggesting a stabilizing function of endoglin for eNOS. After Ca²⁺-induced activation, endoglin-deficient endothelial cells have reduced eNOS/Hsp90 association, produce less NO, and generate more eNOS-derived superoxide (O₂⁻), indicating that endoglin also facilitates eNOS/Hsp90 interactions and is an important regulator in the coupling of eNOS activity. Treatment with an O₂⁻ scavenger reverses the vasomotor abnormalities in Eng^+/− arteries, suggesting that uncoupled eNOS and resulting impaired myogenic response represent early events in HHT1 pathogenesis and that the use of antioxidants may provide a novel therapeutic modality.