Fat replacement of the glycogen in the liver as a cause of death. 1926.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
H A Singer
Publications and source records attributed to H A Singer.
Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-dependent activation of contractility in ferret aorta.
1. The present study was undertaken to determine whether Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) participates in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction, and if so, to investigate the nature of the downstream effectors. 2. The contractility of isolated ferret aorta was measured while inhibiting CaMKII either with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against CaMKII or with the CaMKII inhibitor KN93. 3. Treatment with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against CaMKII resulted in, on average, a decrease in protein levels of CaMKII to 56 % of control levels and significantly decreased the magnitude of the contraction in response to 51 mM potassium physiological saline solution (KCl). Contraction in response to the phorbol ester DPBA was not significantly affected. 4. The CaMKII blocker KN93 also resulted in a significant decrease in the force induced by 51 mM KCl but caused no significant change in the contraction in response to DPBA or the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine. 5. During contraction with 51 mM KCl, both CaMKII and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity increased, as determined by phospho-specific antibodies. The MAPK phosphorylation level was inhibited by KN93, PD098059 (a MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor) and calcium depletion. 6. Myosin light chain (LC20) phosphorylation also increased during contraction with KCl and the increase was significantly blocked by PD098059 as well as by both KN93 and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to CaMKII. 7. The data indicate that CaMKII plays a significant role in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction and suggest that CaMKII activates a pathway by which MAPK activation leads to phosphorylation of LC20 via activation of myosin light chain kinase.
Animals↗
Ca2+-induced redistribution of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II associated with an endoplasmic reticulum stress response in vascular smooth muscle.
The relation between CaM kinase II activity and high Ca2+-mediated stress responses was studied in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. Treatment with ionomycin (1 microM) for 5 min caused a significant loss of CaM kinase II activity in whole cell homegenates and prominent vesiculation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Similar losses of CaM kinase II activity were observed in the soluble lysate as assessed by activity measurements and Western blotting. Examination of the post-lysate particulate fraction showed that the loss of CaM kinase II from the soluble lysate was accompanied by a redistribution of CaM kinase II to this fraction. The ionomycin-mediated response was limited to this concentration (1 microM); lower concentrations of ionomycin as well as stimulation with angiotensin II (1 microM) orATP (100 microM) did not cause a shift in CaM kinase II distribution. Treatment with neither the CaM kinase II inhibitor KN-93 nor the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid altered the ionomycin-induced redistribution indicating that CaM kinase II activation and/or phosphorylation was not part of the mechanism. The response, however, was eliminated when the cells were treated in Ca2+-free medium. Washout of ionomycin led to only a partial restoration of the kinase activity in the soluble fraction after 10 min. Immunofluorescence microscopy of resting cells indicated colocalization of antibodies to CaM kinase II and an ER protein marker. ER vesiculation induced by ionomycin coincided with a parallel redistribution of CaM kinase II and ER marker proteins. These data link ionomycin-induced ER restructuring to a progressive redistribution of CaM kinase II protein to an insoluble particulate fraction and loss of cellular CaM kinase II activity. We propose that redistribution of CaM kinase II and loss of cellular activity are components of a common Ca2+-overload induced cellular stress response in cells.
Animals↗
Inhibition of CaM kinase II activation and force maintenance by KN-93 in arterial smooth muscle.
Ca(+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) has been implicated in the regulation of smooth muscle contractility. The goals of this study were to determine: 1) to what extent CaM kinase II is activated by contractile stimuli in intact arterial smooth muscle, and 2) the effect of a CaM kinase II inhibitor (KN-93) on CaM kinase II activation, phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains (MLC(20)), and force. Both histamine (1 microM) and KCl depolarization activated CaM kinase II with a time course preceding maximal force development, and suprabasal CaM kinase II activation was sustained during tonic contractions. CaM kinase II activation was inhibited by KN-93 pretreatment (IC(50) approximately 1 microM). KN-93 inhibited histamine-induced tonic force maintenance, whereas early force development and MLC(20) phosphorylation responses during the entire time course were unaffected. Both force development and maintenance in response to KCl were inhibited by KN-93. Rapid increases in KCl-induced MLC(20) phosphorylation were also inhibited by KN-93, whereas steady-state MLC(20) phosphorylation responses were unaffected. In contrast, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) did not activate CaM kinase II and PDBu-stimulated force development was unaffected by KN-93. Thus KN-93 appears to target a step(s) essential for force maintenance in response to physiological stimuli, suggesting a role for CaM kinase II in regulating tonic contractile responses in arterial smooth muscle. Pharmacological activation of protein kinase C bypasses the KN-93 sensitive step.
Animals↗
Protein kinase C--catalyzed calponin phosphorylation in swine carotid arterial homogenate.
Calponin, a thin filament-associated protein, inhibits actin-activated myosin ATPase activity, and this inhibition is reversed by phosphorylation. Calponin phosphorylation by protein kinase C and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II has been shown in purified protein systems but has been difficult to demonstrate in more physiological preparations. We have previously shown that calponin is phosphorylated in a cell-free homogenate of swine carotid artery. The goal of this study was to determine whether protein kinase C and/or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II catalyzes calponin phosphorylation. Ca2+-dependent calponin phosphorylation was not inhibited by calmodulin antagonists. In contrast, both Ca2+- and phorbol dibutyrate/1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol dependent calponin phosphorylation were inhibited by the pseudosubstrate inhibitor of protein kinase C and staurosporine. Our results also demonstrate that stimulation with either Ca2+, phorbol dibutyrate, or 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol activates endogenous protein kinase C. We interpret our results as clearly demonstrating that the physiological kinase for calponin phosphorylation is protein kinase C and not Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. We also present data showing that the direct measurement of 32P incorporation into calponin and the indirect measurement of calponin phosphorylation using nonequilibrium pH gradient gel electrophoresis provide similar quantitative values of calponin phosphorylation.
Animals↗
Novel Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II gamma-subunit variants expressed in vascular smooth muscle, brain, and cardiomyocytes.
Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) gamma-subunits were cloned from a porcine aortic smooth muscle cDNA library resulting in identification of alternatively spliced CaM kinase II gammaB- and gammaC-subunits and a novel gamma-subunit variant predicted to encode a 60.2-kDa polypeptide, which was designated the gammaG-subunit. A clone predicted to encode a 62. 2-kDa gamma-subunit, designated as gammaE, was isolated with a variable domain structure similar to a gammaB-subunit but with a 114-nucleotide insertion in the conserved "association" domain of CaM kinase II subunits. A full-length gammaE-subunit construct expressed in COS cells resulted in multimeric CaM kinase II holoenzymes (470 kDa) with activation and autoregulatory properties similar to expressed holoenzymes composed of gammaB-, gammaC-, or gammaG-subunits. Expression of gammaE and related gamma-subunit mRNAs containing the 114-base insertion was documented in porcine tissues by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. CaM kinase II subunits containing the 38-amino acid insert were identified by Western analysis of partially purified CaM kinase II from carotid arterial smooth muscle and brain using a sequence-specific anti-peptide antibody. Immunoprecipitations of tissue homogenates indicated a comparatively high level of expression of subunits containing the insert in brain and provided evidence for their co-assembly with other more abundant subunits into CaM kinase II heteromultimers. Our analyses indicate the following patterns of gamma-subunit expression: vascular smooth muscle, gammaB > gammaC > gammaE,G; heart, gammaB > gammaE,C > gammaG; brain, gammaE and related subunits >> gammaA,B,C,G.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Alpha-thrombin stimulates sis-inducing factor-A DNA binding activity in rat aortic smooth muscle cells.
Exposure of rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells to alpha-thrombin resulted in the appearance of sis-inducing factor-A (SIF-A)-like DNA binding activity. This response to alpha-thrombin was delayed (detectable at 1 hour) compared with the rapid activation (15 to 30 minutes) by platelet-derived growth factor and the cytokine interleukin-6. alpha-Thrombin-induced SIF-A was sensitive to treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. The thrombin inhibitor hirudin prevented the alpha-thrombin-mediated SIF-A induction. Cycloheximide had no effect on the ability of alpha-thrombin to induce SIF-A, suggesting that induction does not require new protein synthesis. alpha-Thrombin-induced SIF-A could be resolved into two additional subcomplexes termed SIF-A, and SIF-As. Antibodies against Stat3 reacted with alpha-thrombin-induced SIF-Af, suggesting that Stat3 or a related protein is present in this subcomplex. Induction of SIF-A DNA binding activity may contribute to alpha-thrombin-mediated cellular responses, including wound healing, cell proliferation, and inflammation in the vasculature.
Animals↗
A role for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade of cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells.
Exposure of cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells to the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin produced an increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activity that was maximal between 2 and 5 minutes but then declined to basal values within 20 minutes of stimulation. Elevation of [Ca2+]i in VSM cells leads to an even more rapid activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II); thus, it was postulated that the Ca(2+)-dependent component of ERK1/2 activation was mediated by CaM kinase II. Transient ERK1/2 activation by ionomycin was almost completely abolished by pretreating cells with 30 mumol/L KN-93, a CaM kinase II inhibitor. Treatment of cells with KN-93 did not antagonize the ability of ionomycin to mobilize intracellular Ca2+ but prevented CaM kinase II and ERK1/2 activation with almost identical potencies. Consistent with a role for Ca2+ and calmodulin in intracellular Ca(2+)-induced activation of ERK, cells pretreated with calmodulin inhibitors (W-7 or calmidazolium) exhibited an attenuated ERK response to ionomycin. ERK1/2 activation in response to phorbol esters and platelet-derived growth factor were not significantly affected by KN-93, whereas the response to angiotensin II and thrombin were attenuated by 60% and 40%, respectively. Transient expression of wild-type delta 2 CaM kinase II in COS-7 cells resulted in increased ERK2 activity, whereas coexpression of wild-type and a kinase-negative mutant resulted in a diminution of this response. These data suggest that regulation of cellular responses by Ca(2+)-dependent pathways in VSM cells may be mediated in part by CaM kinase II-dependent activation of ERK1/2.
Animals↗
In situ Ca2+ dependence for activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in vascular smooth muscle cells.
Activation of Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) and development of the Ca2+/CaM-independent (autonomous) form of the kinase was investigated in cultured vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells. Within 15 s of ionomycin (1 microM) exposure 52.7 +/- 4.4% of the kinase became autonomous, a response that was partially maintained for at least 10 min. This correlated with 32P phosphorylation of CaM kinase II delta-subunits in situ and was abolished by pretreatment with the CaM kinase II inhibitor KN-93. The in situ Ca2+ dependence for generating autonomous CaM kinase II was determined in cells selectively permeabilized to Ca2+ and depleted of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ by pretreatment with thapsigargin. Analysis of the resulting curve revealed an EC50 (concentration producing 50% of maximal response) of 692 +/- 28 nM [Ca2+]i, a maximum of 68 +/- 2% of the total activity becoming autonomous reflecting nearly complete activation of CaM kinase II and a Hill slope of 3, indicating a highly cooperative process. Based on this dependence and measured [Ca2+]i responses in intact cells, increases in autonomous activity stimulated by angiotensin II, vasopressin and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (4.6-, 2-, and 1.7-fold, respectively) were unexpectedly high. In intact cells stimulated by ionomycin, the correlation between autonomous activity and [Ca2+]i resulted in a parallel curve with an EC50 of 304 +/- 23 nM [Ca2+]i. This apparent increase in Ca2+ sensitivity for generating autonomous activity in intact VSM cells was eliminated by thapsigargin pretreatment. We conclude that alteration of [Ca2+]i over a physiological range activates CaM kinase II in VSM and that this process is facilitated by release of Ca2+ from intracellular pools which initiates cooperative autophosphorylation and consequent generation of autonomous CaM kinase II activity.
Animals↗
Antisense suppresssion of protein kinase C-alpha and -delta in vascular smooth muscle.
Understanding and being able to manipulate intracellular signaling pathways which control VSMC gene expression and proliferation will be important in efforts to control neointimal hyperplastic vascular diseases. Activation of the protein kinase C (PKC) family of enzymes is a central event in growth factor-stimulated cells. PKC activation results in the activation of downstream protein kinases including mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). PKC isozymes alpha (alpha) and delta (delta) predominate in cultured rat aortic VSMC and both isozymes are completely downregulated upon prolonged (16-24 hr) stimulation with the PKC activator, phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDBu). At these low levels of PKC, MAPK activation in response to PDBu is nearly abolished. To assess the role of specific PKC isozymes in regulating MAPK, isozyme-specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were used to inhibit reexpression of PKC in downregulated cells. ODNs were phosphorothioated to increase stability and contained C-5 propynyl modified pyrimidines which are reported to have increased binding affinity. ODNs were administered in low concentration (400 nM) with a cationic liposome carrier (Lipofectin; GibcoBRL). Optical imaging of cells treated with FITC-labeled ODNs confirmed that virtually all cells took up the ODNs within 2 hr. With this technique, PKCalpha-specific antisense ODNs selectively inhibited PKCalpha recovery compared to cells treated with an equal length nonsense ODN (76 +/- 3.9, P < 0.001), with no effect on recovery of PKCdelta. However, activation of MAPK by PDBu was not significantly inhibited in these PKCalpha downregulated cells. This suggests that only a small amount of the total PKCalpha is required for PDBu induced activation of MAPK and/or that PKCdelta can mediate the response. Manipulation of PKC isozymes using this model system should allow assessment of the roles of specific isozymes in controlling diverse downstream effectors and events related to VSMC growth and proliferation.
Animals↗
Angiotensin II is a potent stimulator of MAP-kinase activity in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts.
We have previously shown that angiotensin II (AII) is a mitogen for neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts. However, the signaling events that lead to fibroblast cell growth in response to AII remain to be elucidated. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are cytosolic serine/threonine kinases which have been shown to be activated in quiescent cells by diverse growth stimuli, thereby being linked to growth regulatory pathways. This study was designed to determine whether MAP-kinase activation occurred in response to AII/receptor coupling in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts and the role of MAP-kinase activation in the AII-induced proliferation of these cells. Immunoblot analysis of MAP-kinase isoforms revealed predominantly p44 with less p42 MAP-kinase in rat cardiac fibroblasts. Both isoforms were activated upon stimulation of the cells with AII for 5 min or platelet derived growth factor-BB for 10 min. Angiotensin II stimulated MAP-kinase in a dose-dependent fashion with an EC50 of 2.5 nM. Two minutes following stimulation with 1 microM AII MAP-kinase activity increased from 90 +/- 17.9 to 477.5 +/- 75.9 pmol/min/mg protein, P < 0.05, n = 4. A smaller, sustained, secondary increase in MAP-kinase activity from 37.7 +/- 5.3 to 110.9 +/- 15.3 pmol/min/mg protein, P < 0.05, n = 4, was observed in response to AII between 120-150 minutes following receptor occupancy. The responses to AII were markedly attenuated by the AT1 receptor antagonist EXP3174. Stimulation of the cells with carbachol induced the first but not the second phase of MAP-kinase activity and this compound had no effect on cellular growth. The second phase of MAP-kinase activity 2-2.5 h after AII stimulation, paralleled data demonstrating that a 2-3 h receptor occupancy with AII was necessary to induce DNA synthesis and fibroblast proliferation. These results indicate that AII stimulates a biphasic activation of MAP-kinase by the AT1 receptor and that this pathway may participate in the AII induced mitogenic response in cardiac fibroblasts.
Angiotensin II↗
Angiotensin II induces phosphatidic acid formation in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts: evaluation of the roles of phospholipases C and D.
Phosphatidic acid has been proposed to contribute to the mitogenic actions of various growth factors. In 32P-labeled neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts, 100 nM [Sar1]angiotensin II was shown to rapidly induce formation of 32P-phosphatidic acid. Levels peaked at 5 min (1.5-fold above control), but were partially sustained over 2 h. Phospholipase D contributed in part to phosphatidic acid formation, as 32P- or 3H-phosphatidylethanol was produced when cells labeled with [32P]H3PO4 or 1-O-[1,2- 3H]hexadecyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine were stimulated in the presence of 1% ethanol. [Sar1]angiotensin II-induced phospholipase D activity was transient and mainly mediated through protein kinase C (PKC), since PKC downregulation reduced phosphatidylethanol formation by 68%. Residual activity may have been due to increased intracellular Ca2+, as ionomycin also activated phospholipase D in PKC-depleted cells. Phospholipase D did not fully account for [Sar1]angiotensin II-induced phosphatidic acid: 1) compared to PMA, a potent activator of phospholipase D, [Sar1]angiotensin II produced more phosphatidic acid relative to phosphatidylethanol, and 2) PKC downregulation did not affect [Sar1]angiotensin II-induced phosphatidic acid formation. The diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor R59949 depressed [Sar1]angiotensin II-induced phosphatidic acid formation by only 21%, indicating that activation of a phospholipase C and diacylglycerol kinase also can not account for the bulk of phosphatidic acid. Thus, additional pathways not involving phospholipases C and D, such as de novo synthesis, may contribute to [Sar1]angiotensin II-induced phosphatidic acid in these cells. Finally, as previously shown for [Sar1]angiotensin II, phosphatidic acid stimulated mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Angiotensin II↗
Regulation of MAP kinase activity by growth stimuli in vascular smooth muscle.
Intracellular signaling pathways regulating vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell growth and hypertrophy can be initiated by activation of receptor tyrosine kinases and/or protein kinase C (PKC). Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) are cytosolic serine/threonine kinases, proposed to act as a point of convergence for diverse growth factors utilizing these signaling pathways. The goals of this study were (1) to determine whether MAP kinase is expressed in cultured rat aortic VSM, (2) to assess the activation of MAP kinase by known proliferative and hypertrophic stimuli, and (3) to determine if stimulation of a PKC-dependent signaling pathway in these cells results in MAP kinase activation. MAP kinase activity was measured in cytosolic extracts of aortic VSM by quantifying myelin basic protein phosphorylation. Three peaks of activity were resolved chromatographically and identified as MAP kinase isoforms (MW 42, 44, and 46 kDa) by immunoblotting with antipeptide antibodies specific for MAP kinase. MAP kinase activity in quiescent growth-arrested cells (157 +/- 19 pmole 32P/min/mg) was markedly stimulated within 15 min by known mitogens (10% serum, 731 +/- 40 pmole 32P/min/mg; 40 ng/ml PDGF, 670 +/- 105 pmole 32P/min/mg; P < 0.01) and partially sustained for at least 90 min (serum, 606 +/- 34 pmole 32P/min/mg; PDGF, 323 +/- 59 pmole 32P/min/mg P < 0.05). Angiotensin II (AII, 0.1 microM) and a pharmacological PKC activator, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB, 0.1 microM), are reported to be nonmitogenic hypertrophic stimuli in these cells. These stimuli transiently increased MAP kinase activity with a peak at 5 min (AII, 328 +/- 15 pmole 32P/min/mg; PDB, 592 +/- 41 pmole 32P/min/mg; P < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Angiotensin II↗
Involvement of protein kianse C and Ca2+ in angiotensin II-induced mitogenesis of cardiac fibroblasts.
Angiotensin (ANG) II has been previously shown to stimulate proliferation of neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts via AT1 receptors. Here we conducted studies to assess involvement in this process of two second messengers linked to AT1 receptors, protein kinase C (PKC) and Ca2+. Several findings argue against a dominant role for PKC in ANG II-induced mitogenesis: 1) [Sar1]ANG II, which produced a modest, transient increase in PKC activity, was equally effective in inducing thymidine incorporation into DNA in PKC-depleted cells, whereas the effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB on thymidine incorporation was reduced to the level observed with [Sar1]ANG II; 2) phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a potent PKC stimulator, was ineffective in stimulating thymidine incorporation; and 3) PKC downregulation or the highly specific PKC inhibitor, compound 3, eliminated PMA-induced mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity but did not affect comparable increases induced by [Sar1]ANG II or PDGF-BB. Increased intracellular Ca2+ may be sufficient to account for [Sar1]ANG II-induced MAP kinase activity because ionomycin also increased MAP kinase activity and chelation of intracellular Ca2+ eliminated [Sar1]ANG II-induced activity in PKC-depleted fibroblasts. However, Ca2+ chelation did not prevent [Sar1]ANG II-induced MAP kinase activity in non-PKC-depleted fibroblasts. Thus ANG II can activate MAP kinase in cardiac fibroblasts by either Ca(2+)- or PKC-dependent pathways, and whereas the full effect of PDGF-BB on thymidine incorporation and cell proliferation requires a phorbol ester-sensitive PKC, the hyperplastic growth effect of ANG II does not.
Angiotensin II↗
Identification of novel isoforms of the delta subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Differential expression in rat brain and aorta.
Two novel isoforms of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta subunit were detected in rat aorta. Identification of the subunits was based on two independent lines of evidence, i.e. detection by immunoblotting of differently sized delta subunits and DNA sequence analysis of partial cDNA clones of the kinase. Cytosolic extracts from rat brain, aorta, and cultured aortic cells were analyzed by Western blotting using a delta subunit-specific antipeptide antibody. Aortic extracts demonstrated a single 53-kDa cross-reactive band approximately 7 kDa smaller than the cross-reactive band seen in brain. To ascertain the structural basis for this difference, reverse-transcribed RNAs from rat aorta and brain were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the PCR fragments were cloned and sequenced. When aortic cDNA was analyzed with a primer pair that spanned the known variable region of the brain kinase subunit, the amplified PCR products were smaller than the major product obtained from brain cDNA. The aortic PCR product was cloned and sequenced and found to represent two novel subunit sequences, designated delta 2 and delta 3 to distinguish them from the previously described delta sequence (now called delta 1) from brain. delta 2 was identical to the predicted delta 1 sequence except for a deletion of 102 base pairs (bp). This deletion corresponded to nearly the entire variable domain. In the sequence of delta 3, this 102-bp region was replaced by a sequence of 33 bp that had 79% nucleotide sequence identity to a portion of the gamma subunit variable domain. A fourth form of the delta subunit (delta 4) was identified in rat skeletal muscle. The delta 4 isoform was characterized by the deletion of a 42-bp sequence identical to the 42 bp at the 3' end of the 102-bp deletion of delta 2. Reverse-transcription PCR analysis of additional rat tissues indicated that alternatively spliced variants of the delta subunit of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II are expressed in a tissue-specific pattern.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase by the multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in smooth muscle cells.
Stimulation of tracheal smooth muscle cells in culture with ionomycin resulted in a rapid increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and an increase in both myosin light chain kinase and myosin light chain phosphorylation. These responses were markedly inhibited in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Pretreatment of cells with 1-[N-O-bis(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N- methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62), a specific inhibitor of the multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), did not affect the increase in [Ca2+]i but inhibited ionomycin-induced phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase at the regulatory site near the calmodulin-binding domain. KN-62 inhibited CaM kinase II activity toward purified myosin light chain kinase. Phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase decreased its sensitivity to activation by Ca2+ in cell lysates. Pretreatment of cells with KN-62 prevented this desensitization to Ca2+ and potentiated myosin light chain phosphorylation. We propose that the Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase by CaM kinase II decreases the Ca2+ sensitivity of myosin light chain phosphorylation in smooth muscle.
Animals↗
Differential phosphorylation and localization of the transcription factor UBF in vivo in response to serum deprivation. In vitro dephosphorylation of UBF reduces its transactivation properties.
We have analyzed the expression, phosphorylation, and localization of the ribosomal DNA transcription factors UBF1 and UBF2 in Chinese hamster ovary cells in response to serum deprivation. In vivo labeling experiments demonstrate that UBF1 and UBF2 are phosphoproteins. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the in vivo labeled proteins demonstrate that UBF is phosphorylated on serine residues. Following serum deprivation there is no alteration in the cellular levels of UBF1 and UBF2 as determined by Western blotting, but there is an 80% reduction in the level of phosphorylation of UBF compared with logarithmically growing cells. Following serum deprivation there is a redistribution of UBF between the nucleolus, the nucleus, and the cytoplasm. Phosphatase-treated UBF demonstrated a reduced ability to rescue transcription by RNA polymerase I from the rDNA spacer promoter in vitro. These findings suggest that phosphorylation of UBF is a prerequisite for transactivation of RNA polymerase I.
Alkaline Phosphatase↗
Activation of protein kinase C isozymes by contractile stimuli in arterial smooth muscle.
Protein kinase C (PKC) has been proposed to be involved in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) contractile activity. However, little is known in detail about the activation of this kinase or specific isozymes of this kinase by contractile stimuli in VSM. As an index of PKC activation, Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-dependent histone IIIS kinase activity was measured in the particulate fraction from individual strips of isometrically contracting carotid arterial smooth muscle. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) increased PKC activity in the particulate fraction (155% over resting value by 15 min) with a time course which paralleled or preceded force development. Stimulation with the agonist histamine (10(-5) M) resulted in rapid increases in both force and particulate fraction PKC activity which was maximal by 2 min (increase of 139%) and partially sustained over 45 min (increase of 41%). KCl (109 mM), which evokes a sustained contractile response, caused a slow increase (124% by 45 min) in particulate fraction PKC activity. No significant increases in activator-independent histone kinase activity were observed in response to any stimulus tested. PKC alpha and PKC beta were identified as the principal Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent PKC isozymes expressed in this tissue. In unstimulated arterial tissue, the ratio of immunodetectable isozyme content (alpha:beta) was estimated to be 1:1 in the particulate and 1.5:1 in the cytosolic fractions. Upon stimulation with each of the three contractile stimuli, particulate fraction PKC content assessed by immunoblotting increased with a time course and to an extent comparable to the observed changes in PKC activity. There was no evidence of differential regulation of the PKC alpha or -beta isozymes by PDB compared to the other contractile stimuli. These results indicate that diverse contractile stimuli are capable of tonically activating PKC in preparations of functional smooth muscle, and are consistent with a functional role for PKC alpha and/or -beta in the regulation of normal smooth muscle contractile activity.
Animals↗