UIC Department of Pharmacology: Faculty Research

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Kishore K. Wary, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Center for Lung and Vascular Biology
Integrin mediated cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion events regulate formation of endothelial cell monolayer that make-up the innermost lining of the blood vessel. Endothelial cell adhesion events tightly control vascular endothelial permeability, transport of nutrients and hormones across the vessel’s wall, vascular smooth muscle tone, and hemostasis. Disruption of endothelial barrier is a hallmark of inflammation and injury that is closely associated with the initiation and progression of acute lung injury (ALI), atherosclerosis and tumor neovascularization. A number of inflammatory and angiogenic agents (e.g., VEGF/VPF) can alter endothelial cell barrier function by disrupting cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions. Inflammatory agents such as tissue necrosis factor (TNF-{alpha}), thrombin and interleukin-1 (IL-1) induce signaling pathways that contribute to (a) injury, (b) disruption of endothelial barrier function, (c) induce apoptosis of endothelial cells, and (d) denudation of the vascular wall. We study signaling pathways that alter integrin and VE-cadherin mediated cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions (Figure 1) using monolayer endothelial cells both in culture and in mice, to understand the molecular mechanisms of vascular endothelial barrier re-annealing, acute lung injury (ALI), atherosclerosis, and tumor neovascularization.
4051 CoMRB 909 S. Wolcott Ave. (312) 413-9582 kkwary@uic.edu Lab home page Publications