title: Atrial natriuretic peptide inhibits transforming growth factor beta-induced Smad signaling and myofibroblast transformation in mouse cardiac fibroblasts.
abstract: This study tested the hypothesis that activation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)/cGMP/protein kinase G signaling inhibits transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1-induced extracellular matrix expression in cardiac fibroblasts and defined the specific site(s) at which this molecular merging of signaling pathways occurs. Left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, collagen deposition, and myofibroblast transformation of cardiac fibroblasts in response to pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction were exaggerated in ANP-null mice compared with wild-type controls. ANP and cGMP inhibited TGF-beta1-induced myofibroblast transformation, proliferation, collagen synthesis, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression in cardiac fibroblasts isolated from wild-type mice. Following pretreatment with cGMP, TGF-beta1 induced phosphorylation of Smad3, but the resultant pSmad3 could not be translocated to the nucleus. pSmad3 that had been phosphorylated with recombinant protein kinase G-1alpha was analyzed by use of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. The analysis revealed phosphorylation of Ser309 and Thr388 residues, sites distinct from the C-terminal Ser423/425 residues that are phosphorylated by TGF-beta receptor kinase and are critical for the nuclear translocation and down-stream signaling of pSmad3. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Smad3 by protein kinase G is a potential molecular mechanism by which activation of ANP/cGMP/protein kinase G signaling disrupts TGF-beta1-induced nuclear translocation of pSmad3 and downstream events, including myofibroblast transformation, proliferation, and expression of extracellular matrix molecules in cardiac fibroblasts. We postulate that this process contributes to the antifibrogenic effects of the natriuretic peptide in heart.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dajun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oparil
authors.forename: Dongqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Renfrow
authors.forename: Yiu-Fai
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051900:Smad3 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051900:Smad3 Protein; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D006152:Cyclic GMP