title: Role of PKC in the novel synergistic action of urotensin II and angiotensin II and in urotensin II-induced vasoconstriction.
abstract: The intracellular signaling of human urotensin II (hU-II) and its interaction with other vasoconstrictors such as ANG II are poorly understood. In endothelium-denuded rat aorta, coadministration of hU-II (1 nM) and ANG II (2 nM) exerted a significant contractile effect that was associated with increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity and phosphorylation of PKC-alpha/betaII and myosin light chain, whereas either hU-II or ANG II administered alone at these concentrations had no statistically significant effect. This synergistic effect was abrogated by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (10 and 30 microM), the selective PKC-alpha/betaII inhibitor Gö-6976 (0.1 and 1 microM), the hU-II receptor ligand urantide (30 nM and 1 microM), or the ANG II antagonist losartan (1 microM). Moreover, in endothelium-intact rat aorta, the synergistic effect of hU-II and ANG II was not exerted any longer, and this synergistic effect was unmasked by pretreatment of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. hU-II (10 nM) alone caused a long-lasting increase in phospho-PKC-theta, phospho-myosin light chain, and PKC activity, which was associated with long-lasting vasoconstriction. These changes were prevented by chelerythrine. Methoxyverapamil-thapsigargin treatment reduced the hU-II-induced vasoconstriction by approximately 50%. The methoxyverapamil-thapsigargin-resistant component of hU-II-induced vasoconstriction was dose-dependently inhibited by chelerythrine. In conclusion, hU-II induces a novel PKC-dependent synergistic action with ANG II in inducing vasoconstriction. PKC-alpha/betaII is probably the PKC isoform involved in this synergistic action. Nitric oxide produced in the endothelium probably masks this synergistic action. The long-lasting vasoconstriction induced by hU-II alone is PKC dependent and associated with PKC-theta phosphorylation.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Fudan Univ. Shanghai Medical College, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying-Jiong
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yi-Zhun
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Tai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014579:Urotensins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014579:Urotensins; D000804:Angiotensin II; C029677:urotensin II; D011493:Protein Kinase C