Focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation in flow-activation of endothelial NF-kB. Focus on 'Focal adhesion kinase modulates activation of NF-kB by flow in endothelial cells'

摘要

in this issue of American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, Petzold et al. (corresponding author Martin A. Schwartz) report their results from a very interesting study, "Focal adhesion kinase modulates activation of NF-kB by flow in endothelial cells" (10). Comparing endothelial cells (ECs) from mice with a floxed focal adhesion kinase (FAK) gene (FAK~(fl/fl)) and those with cre-deletion knockout (FAK~(-/-)), these authors were able to assess the role of FAK in the activation of NF-kB in ECs. They report the novel finding that FAK is indispensible for the flow-induced phosphorylation of NF-kB at Ser536 and the expression of downstream proinflammatory molecules, but not for the flow-induced nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit of NF-kB following IkB degradation, which is generally considered to be a key event in the activation of NF-kB and its downstream molecules.