Abstract
Disruption of endothelial cell (ECs) and pericytes interactions results in vascular leakage in acute lung injury (ALI). However, molecular signals mediating EC-pericyte crosstalk have not been systemically investigated, and whether targeting such crosstalk could be adopted to combat ALI remains elusive. Using comparative genome-wide EC-pericyte crosstalk analysis of healthy and LPS-challenged lungs, we discovered that crosstalk between endothelial nitric oxide and pericyte soluble guanylate cyclase (NO-sGC) is impaired in ALI. Indeed, stimulating the NO-sGC pathway promotes vascular integrity and reduces lung edema and inflammation-induced lung injury, while pericyte-specific sGC knockout abolishes this protective effect. Mechanistically, sGC activation suppresses cytoskeleton rearrangement in pericytes through inhibiting VASP-dependent F-actin formation and MRTFA/SRF-dependent de novo synthesis of genes associated with cytoskeleton rearrangement, thereby leading to the stabilization of EC-pericyte interactions. Collectively, our data demonstrate that impaired NO-sGC crosstalk in the vascular niche results in elevated vascular permeability, and pharmacological activation of this crosstalk represents a promising translational therapy for ALI.