Possible involvement of protein kinase C in the maintenance of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Calcium-activated phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A) were measured in tissue extracts of aortas from 7-, 14- and 20-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Protein kinase C and protein kinase A activity was significantly higher in 14- and 20-week-old SHR. Furthermore, protein kinase C and protein kinase A activity in the aorta was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure. Since protein kinase A is known to relax vascular smooth muscle, the observed increase in its activity may represent a compensatory mechanism to offset further elevation of blood pressure in SHR. These results suggest that protein kinase C in the aorta may play a role in the maintenance of hypertension in SHR.
Murakawa
K
K
First Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
Kohno
M
M
Yasunari
K
K
Yokokawa
K
K
Horio
T
T
Takeda
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000201:enzymology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000201:enzymology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000502:physiology*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000502:physiology*; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY / Q000502:physiology
D011494:Protein Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C