Microtubule–actin interactions may regulate endothelial integrity and repair

An important mechanism for the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis is the loss of endothelial integrity, which is required for normal blood vessel function. The important components of the endothelial cell cytoskeleton system that regulate endothelial integrity include actin microfilaments and microtubules, which are both associated with protein complexes that regulate cell–cell and cell–substratum adhesion. To date, studies have shown that microfilaments are essential in maintaining the structural integrity of the endothelium while microtubules regulate the directional cell migration during repair. When microtubules are disrupted at the onset of wounding, neither centrosome reorientation, which is essential for efficient endothelial cell wound repair, nor cell migration occurs. Disruption of microfilaments is also associated with inefficient endothelial cell migration and repair. How then might these systems be associated with one another? Linker proteins, which may facilitate interaction between microtubules and actin microfilaments, have recently been identified in nonendothelial systems. It is likely that microtubule–microfilament interactions are important in the complex regulation of endothelial integrity and repair especially as they relate to atherosclerotic plaque formation.