title: Calcitonin induces connective tissue growth factor through ERK1/2 signaling in renal tubular cells.
abstract: Calcitonin (CT), a polypeptide hormone, plays important roles in a variety of physiological processes. CT has been used clinically to treat osteoporosis and humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. In order to clarify the pharmacological effects of CT in the kidney, we identified potential downstream genes induced by CT in the renal cells. Using a cDNA subtraction hybridization method, we identified connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) as a CT-induced gene in the porcine renal cell line, LLC-PK1. Furthermore, we found that CT-mediated induction of the gene was not inhibited by cycloheximide, which suggests that CTGF gene was not induced by an increased synthesis of regulating proteins. Therefore, CTGF is an immediate early gene. We further demonstrated that the regulation of CTGF gene expression by CT involved the ERK1/2 pathway, because PD98059, a MEK1 inhibitor, partially inhibited the mRNA expression of CTGF induced by CT. CT-induced CTGF protein expression was also observed in vivo. Our present findings suggest that CT induces the transcription of CTGF through ERK1/2 phosphorylation. We also identified twelve other genes induced by CT that, like CTGF, were related to wound healing. These results suggest that CT may have an effect on renal differentiation and wound healing in the kidney.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wakayama Medical University, Japan. nakamuram@kawasakigakuen.ac.jp
authors.forename: Misa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Aiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsubota
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furui
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Kiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Kennichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kakudo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; D002116:Calcitonin; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3