title: Angiotensin II type 1 receptor-activated caspase-3 through ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase in the rostral ventrolateral medulla is involved in sympathoexcitation in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: In the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), angiotensin II-derived superoxide anions, which increase sympathetic nerve activity, induce a pressor response by activating the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. The small G protein Ras mediates a caspase-3-dependent apoptotic pathway through p38 MAPK, ERK, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. We hypothesized that angiotensin II type 1 receptors activate caspase-3 through the Ras/p38 MAPK/ERK/c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway in the RVLM and that this pathway is involved in sympathoexcitation in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), a model of human hypertension. The activities of Ras, p38 MAPK, ERK, and caspase-3 in the RVLM were significantly higher in SHRSP (14 to 16 weeks old) than in age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The mitochondrial apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad in the RVLM were significantly increased in SHRSP compared with WKY. c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity did not differ between SHRSP and WKY. In SHRSP, intracerebroventricular infusion of a Ras inhibitor significantly reduced sympathetic nerve activity and improved baroreflex sensitivity, partially because of inhibition of the Ras/p38 MAPK/ERK, Bax, Bad, and caspase-3 pathway in the RVLM. Intracerebroventricular infusion of a caspase-3 inhibitor also inhibited sympathetic nerve activity and improved baroreflex sensitivity in SHRSP. Intracerebroventricular infusion of an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker in SHRSP partially inhibited the Ras/p38 MAPK/ERK, Bax, Bad, and caspase-3 pathway in the RVLM. These findings suggest that in SHRSP, angiotensin II type 1 receptor-activated caspase-3 acting through the Ras/p38 MAPK/ERK pathway in the RVLM might be involved in sympathoexcitation, which in turn plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konno
authors.forename: Kiyohiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sunagawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D053148:Caspase 3; D018631:ras Proteins