Clonal senescence alters endothelial ICAM-1 function

Little is known how age alters the dynamics and function of cell adhesion molecules, especially under inflammatory and stressful conditions. One membrane constituent, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily that regulates key outside → in and inside → out signals associated with cell-to-cell interactions. If conditions such as age and inflammation change usual ICAM-1 action then important downstream effects ultimately perturb endothelial cell function. In this report, ICAM-1 accumulates in late passage endothelial cells when compared to early passage endothelial cells, yet ICAM-1 protein expression is attenuated when senescent cells are challenged by TNF-α (10 ng/ml). Importantly, age alters ICAM-1 dynamic properties from directed to random receptor motion within the membrane. Single particle tracking reveals that the average ICAM-1 mobility is 44% less in late than early passage cells after its motion is stimulated by the Protein Kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The mechanism for altered ICAM-1 mobility partly can be explained by a reduced rate of alpha-actinin linking with ICAM-1 in late passage Human Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells (HPAECs). Furthermore, tyrosine phosphorylation of alpha-actinin, a requirment for ICAM-1 clustering, is markedly reduced in senescent cells. These findings support a hypothesis that senescence results in changes of ICAM-1 activation and clustering, thus resulting in an age-dependent transmembrane signaling disorder. Therefore, further understanding of age-dependent disturbances of ICAM-1 regulation during inflammation can provide important clues as to appropriate targets for therapeutic interventions and prevention of vascular disorders in elderly at the level of the endothelial surface membrane.