title: Rosiglitazone stimulates nitric oxide synthesis in human aortic endothelial cells via AMP-activated protein kinase.
abstract: The thiazolidinedione anti-diabetic drugs increase activation of endothelial nitric-oxide (NO) synthase by phosphorylation at Ser-1177 and increase NO bioavailability, yet the molecular mechanisms that underlie this remain poorly characterized. Several protein kinases, including AMP-activated protein kinase, have been demonstrated to phosphorylate endothelial NO synthase at Ser-1177. In the current study we determined the role of AMP-activated protein kinase in rosiglitazone-stimulated NO synthesis. Stimulation of human aortic endothelial cells with rosiglitazone resulted in the time- and dose-dependent stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase activity and NO production with concomitant phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase at Ser-1177. Rosiglitazone stimulated an increase in the ADP/ATP ratio in endothelial cells, and LKB1 was essential for rosiglitazone-stimulated AMPK activity in HeLa cells. Infection of endothelial cells with a virus encoding a dominant negative AMP-activated protein kinase mutant abrogated rosiglitazone-stimulated Ser-1177 phosphorylation and NO production. Furthermore, the stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase and NO synthesis by rosiglitazone was unaffected by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma inhibitor GW9662. These studies demonstrate that rosiglitazone is able to acutely stimulate NO synthesis in cultured endothelial cells by an AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent mechanism, likely to be mediated by LKB1.
authors.affiliation: The Henry Wellcome Laboratory for Cell Biology, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Pamela J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.forename: Marie-Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ewart
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reihill
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.forename: John M C
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Connell
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Ian P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Salt
mesh_terms: D000091162:AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020298:U937 Cells
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D009711:Nucleotides; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C109790:STK11 protein, human; D000091162:AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases