title: Involvement of the "tethered ligand" receptor in thrombin-induced endothelium-mediated relaxations.
abstract: The mechanisms by which the serine protease, alpha-thrombin, mediates relaxations were examined in isolated dog and pig coronary arteries and dog saphenous veins. In rings of coronary arteries and saphenous veins contracted submaximally with prostaglandin F2 alpha or U46619, alpha-thrombin (0.1-10 nM) caused relaxations that were abolished by treatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) or removal of the endothelium, indicating that the relaxations were mediated by endothelium-derived nitric oxide. These relaxations were blocked by the thrombin active site inhibitor, MD-805, indicating the requirement of thrombin's catalytic site to induce the relaxations. The thrombin exosite inhibitor, BMS-180742, decreased the sensitivity to alpha-thrombin without altering maximal relaxations. Indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, had no inhibitory effect on the relaxations caused by alpha-thrombin, indicating that the relaxations were not mediated by cyclooxygenase products. Similar to alpha-thrombin, the thrombin receptor activating peptide (human sequence: SFLLRNP, 1-100 microM) caused relaxations in pig coronary artery and dog saphenous vein but not in dog coronary artery. These relaxations were blocked by L-NNA but not by indomethacin. The results indicate that alpha-thrombin induces endothelium-dependent relaxations by a novel signaling mechanism that involves proteolytic cleavage of the thrombin receptor to expose a new amino terminus that functions as a "tethered peptide ligand" to activate thrombin receptors on the endothelial cells and release nitric oxide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Institute, Princeton, New Jersey 08543.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tesfamariam
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Normandin
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Antonaccio
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000991:Antithrombins / Q000494:pharmacology; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010875:Pipecolic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013449:Sulfonamides; D013552:Swine; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000991:Antithrombins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010455:Peptides; D010875:Pipecolic Acids; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin; D013449:Sulfonamides; C072032:thrombin receptor peptide (42-55); C072028:BMS 180742; D019335:Nitroarginine; D001120:Arginine; D013917:Thrombin; C031942:argatroban; D007213:Indomethacin