Barry M. Gumbiner
University of Virginia, VA·Biology
Blood vessels are lined by endothelial cells, which form a barrier between the bloodstream and the surrounding tissue. When that barrier becomes too leaky during inflammation, fluid and cells escape into tissues.
- Fields
Biology
Physiology
Microbiology & Immunology
- Topics
VE-cadherin
endothelial cells
vascular permeability
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2027
What they work on
- Determine whether surface regulation of VE-cadherin, the adhesion protein linking endothelial cells, is a shared mechanism for responses to histamine, angiopoietins, Tie2 and S1P, using endothelial cells from different microvascular beds.
- Test whether activating monoclonal antibodies to VE-cadherin change white blood cell crossing of the vessel wall, angiogenesis, and barrier function under flow and shear forces.
- Uncover the structural and biochemical basis of VE-cadherin activation by these antibodies, including roles of VE-cadherin and catenin phosphorylation, endocytosis and the actin cytoskeleton.
- Test whether activating VE-cadherin antibodies reduce acute vascular leak and white blood cell infiltration in mice, including mouse models of sepsis and inflammatory bowel disease.
More about the research
This contributes to swelling (edema), sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), stroke and hemorrhage. Finding ways to tighten the barrier could limit this damage. The work centers on VE-cadherin (CDH5), a cell-surface adhesion protein that holds neighboring endothelial cells together at their junctions.
Why it matters
Leaky blood vessels worsen sepsis, ARDS, stroke, edema and inflammatory bowel disease, and few treatments strengthen the vessel barrier. Antibodies that activate VE-cadherin could point toward new ways to reduce vascular leak and inflammation in these conditions. Clarifying how VE-cadherin controls permeability may also guide other barrier-enhancing strategies.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Patrick Belvitch
University of Illinois Chicago, IL·Medicine & Clinical Research
Determine how CARMIL1, a regulator of actin filament growth, shapes edge actin structures in lung endothelial cells, using biochemistry and advanced imaging after silencing CARMIL1 or overexpressing normal or variant forms.
Jamie Meegan
University of South Alabama, AL·Physiology·Early-career
Test whether cell-free hemoglobin released from fragile red blood cells during sepsis disrupts the lung microvascular endothelial cell barrier by oxidizing low-density lipoprotein to oxidized LDL.
Yutong Zhao
Ohio State University, OH·Medicine & Clinical Research
Test whether blocking the mitochondrial deubiquitinase USP30 in endothelial cells reduces white blood cell adhesion and migration and preserves the vessel barrier, and whether deleting it lessens Pseudomonas- or sepsis-induced lung injury in mice.
The school
University of Virginia: 43 labs on PI Pages, $814M a year on research, 413 research doctorates a year.
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