Abstract
Adiponectin (Adipo), a multimeric adipocyte-secreted protein abundant in the circulation, is implicated in cardiovascular protective functions. Recent work documented that Adipo locally associates with responsive tissues through interactions with T-cadherin (Tcad), an atypical, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cadherin cell surface glycoprotein. Mice deficient for Tcad lack tissue-associated Adipo, accumulate Adipo in the circulation, and mimic the Adipo knockout (KO) cardiovascular phenotype. In reverse, Tcad protein is visibly reduced from cardiac tissue in Adipo-KO mice, suggesting interdependent regulation of the 2 proteins. Here, we evaluate the effect of Adipo on Tcad protein expression. Adipo and Tcad proteins were colocalized in aorta, heart, and skeletal muscle. Adipo positively regulated levels of Tcad protein in vivo and in endothelial cell (EC) cultures. In Tcad-KO mice, binding of endogenous and exogenously administered Adipo to cardiovascular tissues was dramatically reduced. Consistently, knockdown of Tcad in cultured murine vascular ECs significantly diminished Adipo binding. In search for a possible mechanism, we found that enzymatic cleavage of Tcad with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C increases plasma Adipo while decreasing tissue-bound levels. Similarly, pretreatment of cultured ECs with serum containing Adipo attenuated phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C-mediated Tcad cleavage. In vivo administration of adenovirus producing Adipo suppressed plasma levels of GPI phospholipase D, the endogenous cleavage enzyme for GPI-anchored proteins. In conclusion, our data show that both circulating and tissue-bound Adipo levels are dependent on Tcad and, in reverse, regulate tissue Tcad levels through a positive feedback loop that operates by suppressing phospholipase-mediated Tcad release from the cell surface.