Integrin α1β1 Regulates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activation by Controlling Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ-Dependent Caveolin-1 Expression

Abstract

Integrin α1β1 negatively regulates the generation of profibrotic reactive oxygen species (ROS) by inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation; however, the mechanism by which it does this is unknown. In this study, we show that caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a scaffolding protein that binds integrins and controls growth factor receptor signaling, participates in integrin α1β1-mediated EGFR activation. Integrin α1-null mesangial cells (MCs) have reduced Cav-1 levels, and reexpression of the integrin α1 subunit increases Cav-1 levels, decreases EGFR activation, and reduces ROS production. Downregulation of Cav-1 in wild-type MCs increases EGFR phosphorylation and ROS synthesis, while overexpression of Cav-1 in the integrin α1-null MCs decreases EGFR-mediated ROS production. We further show that integrin α1-null MCs have increased levels of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which leads to reduced activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), a transcription factor that positively regulates Cav-1 expression. Moreover, activation of PPARγ or inhibition of ERK increases Cav-1 levels in the integrin α1-null MCs. Finally, we show that glomeruli of integrin α1-null mice have reduced levels of Cav-1 and activated PPARγ but increased levels of phosphorylated EGFR both at baseline and following injury. Thus, integrin α1β1 negatively regulates EGFR activation by positively controlling Cav-1 levels, and the ERK/PPARγ axis plays a key role in regulating integrin α1β1-dependent Cav-1 expression and consequent EGFR-mediated ROS production.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://mcb.asm.org/.

This work was supported by a Merit Review award from the Department of Veterans Affairs (A.P., R.Z., and R.C.H.), grant 2P01DK065123 (A.P. and R.Z.), grants DK075594 and DK65123 (R.Z.), the AHA Established Investigator Award (R.Z.), and the O'Brien Center grant P30DK79341-01 (A.P., R.Z., R.C.H., and M.-Z.Z.).

We thank Cathy Alford at the Department of Veterans Affairs for help with the flow cytometric analysis.