RGD Reference Report - Vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1 on hypertensive pulmonary arterial smooth muscle involves Rho-kinase and protein kinase C. - Rat Genome Database

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Vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1 on hypertensive pulmonary arterial smooth muscle involves Rho-kinase and protein kinase C.

Authors: Barman, SA 
Citation: Barman SA Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007 Aug;293(2):L472-9. Epub 2007 Apr 27.
RGD ID: 1642958
Pubmed: PMID:17468135   (View Abstract at PubMed)
DOI: DOI:10.1152/ajplung.00101.2006   (Journal Full-text)

Although one of the common characteristics of pulmonary hypertension is abnormal sustained vasoconstriction, the signaling pathways that mediate this heightened pulmonary vascular response are still not well defined. Protein kinase C (PKC) and Rho-kinase are regulators of smooth muscle contraction induced by G protein-coupled receptor agonists including endothelin-1 (ET-1), which has been implicated as a signaling pathway in pulmonary hypertension. Toward this end, it was hypothesized that both Rho-kinase and PKC mediate the pulmonary vascular response to ET-1 in hypertensive pulmonary arterial smooth muscle, and therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the role of PKC and Rho-kinase signaling in ET-1-induced vasoconstriction in both normotensive (Sprague-Dawley) and hypertensive (Fawn-Hooded) rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. Results indicate that ET-1 caused greater vasoconstriction in hypertensive pulmonary arteries compared with the normal vessels, and treatment with the PKC antagonists chelerythrine, rottlerin, and Go 6983 inhibited the vasoconstrictor response to ET-1 in the hypertensive vessels. In addition, the specific Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 significantly attenuated the effect of ET-1 in both normotensive and hypertensive phenotypes, with greater inhibition occurring in the hypertensive arteries. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that ET-1 increased RhoA expression in both normotensive and hypertensive pulmonary arteries, with expression being greater in the hypertensive state. These results suggest that both PKC and Rho/Rho-kinase mediate the heightened pulmonary vascular response to ET-1 in hypertensive pulmonary arterial smooth muscle.

Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
positive regulation of vasoconstriction  IEP 1642958 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Rhoa  (ras homolog family member A)


Additional Information