Thrombin inhibits nuclear factor κB and RhoA pathways in cytokine-stimulated vascular endothelial cells when EPCR is occupied by protein C

The occupancy of endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) by protein C switches the protease activated receptor I (PAR-I)dependent signalling specificity of thrombin from a permeability enhancing to a barrier protective response in vascular endothelial cells. In this study, the modulatory effects of thrombin and thrombin receptor agonist peptides (TRAP) on tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-stimulated HUVECs in the absence and presence of the catalytically inactive protein C-S195A were evaluated by monitoring the expression of cell surface adhesion molecules (VICAM-I, ICAM-I and E-selectin), adhesion of freshly isolated neutrophils to cytokine-stimulated endothelial cells, regulation of the Rho family of small GTPases and the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathway. The analysis of results indicate that both thrombin and TRAP initiate proinflammatory responses in endothelial cells, thus neither PAR-I agonist influenced the proinflammatory effects of TNF-alpha in the absence of the protein C mutant. Interestingly, however, the occupancy of EPCR by the protein C mutant switched the PAR-I-dependent signaling specificity of thrombin, thus leading to thrombin inhibition of the expression of all three adhesion molecules as well as the binding of neutrophils to TNF-alpha-activated endothelial cells. Furthermore, similar to activated protein C, both thrombin and TRAP activated RacI and inhibited the activation of RhoA and NF-kappa B pathways in response to TNF-alpha in cells pre-treated with protein C-S19SA. Based on these results we conclude that when EPCR is ligated by protein C, the cleavage of PAR-I by thrombin initiates antiinflammatory responses, thus leading to activation of RacI and inhibition of RhoA and NF-kappa B signalling cascades in vascular endothelial cells.