title: Novel signaling pathways promote a paracrine wave of prostacyclin-induced vascular smooth muscle differentiation.
abstract: The important athero-protective role of prostacyclin is becoming increasingly evident as recent studies have revealed adverse cardiovascular effects in mice lacking the prostacyclin receptor, in patients taking selective COX-2 inhibitors, and in patients in the presence of a dysfunctional prostacyclin receptor genetic variant. We have recently reported that this protective mechanism includes the promotion of a quiescent differentiated phenotype in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Herein, we address the intriguing question of how localized endothelial release of the very unstable eicosanoid, prostacyclin, exerts a profound effect on the vascular media, often 30 cell layers thick. We report a novel PKA-, Akt-1- and ERK1/2-dependent prostacyclin-induced prostacyclin release that appears to play an important role in propagation of the quiescent, differentiated phenotype through adjacent arterial smooth muscle cells in the vascular media. Treating VSMC with the prostacyclin analog iloprost induced differentiation (contractile protein expression and contractile morphology), and also up-regulated COX-2 expression, leading to prostacyclin release by VSMC. This paracrine prostacyclin release, in turn, promoted differentiation and COX-2 induction in neighboring VSMC that were not exposed to iloprost. Using siRNA and pharmacologic inhibitors, we report that this positive feedback mechanism, prostacyclin-induced prostacyclin release, is mediated by cAMP/PKA signaling, ERK1/2 activation, and a novel prostacyclin receptor signaling pathway, inhibition of Akt-1. Furthermore, these pathways appear to be regulated by the prostacyclin receptor independently of one another. We conclude that prevention of de-differentiation and proliferation through a paracrine positive feedback mechanism is a major cardioprotective function of prostacyclin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kasza
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Fetalvero
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Klara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Acs
authors.forename: Anthony K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Douville
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hwa
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D016285:Iloprost / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D019899:Paracrine Communication / Q000187:drug effects*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D044006:Receptors, Epoprostenol; D011982:Receptors, Prostaglandin / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: C113936:PTGIR protein, human; D044006:Receptors, Epoprostenol; D011982:Receptors, Prostaglandin; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D016285:Iloprost