title: Alterations in nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in ventricular myocytes from obese leptin-deficient mice.
abstract: Leptin is a regulator of body weight and affects nitric oxide (NO) production. This study was designed to determine whether the myocardial NO-cGMP signal transduction system was altered in leptin-deficient obese mice. Contractile function, guanylyl cyclase activity, and cGMP-dependent protein phosphorylation were assessed in ventricular myocytes isolated from genetically obese (B6.V-Lepob) and age-matched lean (C57BL/6J) mice. There were no differences in baseline contraction between the lean and obese groups. After stimulation with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP, 10-6 and 10-5 M) or a membrane-permeable cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP, 10(-6) and 10(-5) M), cell contractility was depressed. However, 8-Br-cGMP had significantly greater effects in obese mice than in lean controls with percent shortening reduced by 47 vs. 39% and maximal rate of shortening decreased by 46 vs. 36%. The negative effects of SNAP were similar between the two groups. Soluble guanylyl cyclase activity was not attenuated. This suggests that the activity of the cGMP-independent NO pathway may be enhanced in obesity. The phosphorylated protein profile of cGMP-dependent protein kinase showed that four proteins were more intensively phosphorylated in obese mice, which suggests an explanation for the enhanced effect of cGMP. These results indicate that the NO-cGMP signaling pathway was significantly altered in ventricular myocytes from the leptin-deficient obese mouse model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854-5635, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Shengjun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: Harvey R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology; D020738:Leptin / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; C110881:S-nitro-N-acetylpenicillamine; C016276:8-bromocyclic GMP; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D010396:Penicillamine; D006152:Cyclic GMP