title: Changes in pulmonary arteriole protein kinase calpha expression associated with supplemental L-arginine in broilers during cool temperature exposure.
abstract: The present study was conducted to examine the effect of supplemental L-arginine on pulmonary arteriole protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) expression in broilers exposed to cool temperature, to investigate further the molecular mechanisms of supplemental L-arginine on modulating pulmonary vascular functions in hypertensive broilers. Broilers were subjected to sub-thermoneutral (cool) temperature to induce pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS), and an additional 10 g/kg L-arginine was added to the basal diet to evaluate the effects of supplemental L-arginine on PHS mortality, plasma nitric oxide (NO) production and pulmonary arterioles PKCalpha expression. Supplemental L-arginine reduced PHS mortality but did not affect right/total ventricle (RV/TV) ratios in clinically healthy birds. Birds fed additional L-arginine had increased plasma NO and decreased PKCalpha protein expression in pulmonary arterioles; NO production was negatively correlated with PKCalpha expression. These results demonstrated that supplemental L-arginine diminished PKCalpha expression in birds exposed to cool temperature. It is suggested that NO-induced loss of PKCalpha expression might be partially responsible for its effects on dilating pulmonary vasculature and inhibiting pulmonary vascular remodelling in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nutritional and Metabolic Disorders in Domestic Animals and Fowls, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: W-D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Y-X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: J-Ch
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J-Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: J-Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X-L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002645:Chickens; D003080:Cold Temperature; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000201:enzymology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha