title: Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase activation is required for the anti-hypertrophic effect of atrial natriuretic factor in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes.
abstract: Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) inhibits proliferation in non-myocardial cells and is thought to be anti-hypertrophic in cardiomyocytes. We investigated the possibility that the anti-hypertrophic actions of ANF involved the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction cascade. Cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes treated for 48 h with the alpha(1)-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE) had an 80% increase in cross-sectional area (CSA). ANF alone had no effect but inhibited PE-induced increases in CSA by approximately 50%. The mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD098059 minimally inhibited PE-induced increases in CSA, but it completely abolished ANF-induced inhibition of PE-induced increases. ANF-induced extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) nuclear translocation was also eliminated by PD098059. ANF treatment caused MEK phosphorylation and activation but failed to activate any of the Raf isoforms. ANF induced a rapid increase in ERK phosphorylation and in vitro kinase activity. PE also increased ERK activity, and the combined effect of ANF and PE appeared to be additive. ANF-induced ERK phosphorylation was eliminated by PD098059. ANF induced minimal phosphorylation of JNK or p38, indicating that its effect on ERK was specific. ANF-induced activation of ERK was mimicked by cGMP analogs, suggesting that ANF-induced ERK activation involves the guanylyl cyclase activity of the ANF receptor. These data suggest that there is an important linkage between cGMP signaling and the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and that selective ANF activation of ERK is required for the anti-hypertrophic action of ANF. Thus, ANF expression might function as the natural defense of the heart against maladaptive hypertrophy through its ability to activate ERK.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA. silberbm@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silberbach
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gorenc
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hershberger
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stork
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Steyger
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000139:chemically induced; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D009206:Myocardium; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: C472610:atrial natriuretic peptide, rat; D010656:Phenylephrine; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D006152:Cyclic GMP