Activation of PKCβII by PMA Facilitates Enhanced Epithelial Wound Repair through Increased Cell Spreading and Migration

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ronen Sumagin, Emory University; Alex Z. Robin, Emory University; Asma Nusrat, Emory University; Charles Parkos, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-02-11
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 Sumagin et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055775
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS ONE
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: e55775
• End Page: e55775
• Grant/Funding Information: NIH (DK061379, DK72564, DK079392 to C.A.P., DK055679 and DK59888 to A.N.), and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Career Development Award (R.S.).
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Pathology; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Rapid repair of epithelial wounds is essential for intestinal homeostasis, and involves cell proliferation and migration, which in turn are mediated by multiple cellular signaling events including PKC activation. PKC isoforms have been implicated in regulating cell proliferation and migration, however, the role of PKCs in intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) wound healing is still not completely understood. In the current work we used phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a well recognized agonist of classical and non-conventional PKC subfamilies to investigate the effect of PKC activation on IEC wound healing. We found that PMA treatment of wounded IEC monolayers resulted in 5.8±0.7-fold increase in wound closure after 24 hours. The PMA effect was specifically mediated by PKCβII, as its inhibition significantly diminished the PMA-induced increase in wound closure. Furthermore, we show that the PKCβII-mediated increase in IEC wound closure after PMA stimulation was mediated by increased cell spreading/cell migration but not proliferation. Cell migration was mediated by PKCβII dependent actin cytoskeleton reorganization, enhanced formation of lamellipodial extrusions at the leading edge and increased activation of the focal adhesion protein, paxillin. These findings support a role for PKCβII in IEC wound repair and further demonstrate the ability of epithelial cells to migrate as a sheet thereby efficiently covering denuded surfaces to recover the intestinal epithelial barrier.