scholarly journals Changes in the Balance of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B (Akt) and the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases (ERK/p38MAPK) Determine a Phenotype of Visceral and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

1999 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken'ichiro Hayashi ◽  
Masanori Takahashi ◽  
Kazuhiro Kimura ◽  
Wataru Nishida ◽  
Hiroshi Saga ◽  
...  

The molecular mechanisms behind phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) remain unclear. In our recent paper, we reported the establishment of novel culture system of gizzard SMCs (Hayashi, K., H. Saga, Y. Chimori, K. Kimura, Y. Yamanaka, and K. Sobue. 1998. J. Biol. Chem. 273: 28860–28867), in which insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) was the most potent for maintaining the differentiated SMC phenotype, and IGF-I triggered the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) and protein kinase B (PKB(Akt)) pathway. Here, we investigated the signaling pathways involved in de-differentiation of gizzard SMCs induced by PDGF-BB, bFGF, and EGF. In contrast to the IGF-I–triggered pathway, PDGF-BB, bFGF, and EGF coordinately activated ERK and p38MAPK pathways. Further, the forced expression of active forms of MEK1 and MKK6, which are the upstream kinases of ERK and p38MAPK, respectively, induced de-differentiation even when SMCs were stimulated with IGF-I. Among three growth factors, PDGF-BB only triggered the PI3-K/PKB(Akt) pathway in addition to the ERK and p38MAPK pathways. When the ERK and p38MAPK pathways were simultaneously blocked by their specific inhibitors or an active form of either PI3-K or PKB(Akt) was transfected, PDGF-BB in turn initiated to maintain the differentiated SMC phenotype. We applied these findings to vascular SMCs, and demonstrated the possibility that the same signaling pathways might be involved in regulating the vascular SMC phenotype. These results suggest that changes in the balance between the PI3-K/PKB(Akt) pathway and the ERK and p38MAPK pathways would determine phenotypes of visceral and vascular SMCs. We further reported that SMCs cotransfected with active forms of MEK1 and MKK6 secreted a nondialyzable, heat-labile protein factor(s) which induced de-differentiation of surrounding normal SMCs.

1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (6) ◽  
pp. H1927-H1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomosaburo Takahashi ◽  
Takahiro Taniguchi ◽  
Hiroaki Konishi ◽  
Ushio Kikkawa ◽  
Yuichi Ishikawa ◽  
...  

Involvement of Akt/Protein kinase B (PKB), a serine/threonine kinase with a pleckstrin-homology domain, in angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced signal transduction was investigated in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Stimulation of the cells with ANG II led to a marked increase in the kinase activity of Akt/PKB, which coincided with Ser-473 phosphorylation. ANG II-stimulated Akt/PKB activation was rapid, concentration dependent, and inhibited by the AT1-receptor antagonist CV-11974, but not by pertussis toxin. Akt/PKB activity was stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin, suggesting the possible involvement of Ca2+ in ANG II-stimulated Akt/PKB activation. However, blockade of Ca2+ mobilization by BAPTA-AM only partially inhibited ANG II-stimulated Akt/PKB activation. ANG II-stimulated Akt/PKB activation was inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A and by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002. These results indicate that ANG II stimulates Akt/PKB activity via AT1 receptors in VSMC and that the activities of tyrosine kinase and PI3K are required for this activation.


Endocrinology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (8) ◽  
pp. 3143-3154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junyu Ning ◽  
Gang Xi ◽  
David R. Clemmons

As a metabolic sensor, the serine/threonine protein kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) promotes the adaptation of cells to signals arising from nutrients, hormones, and growth factors. The ability of IGF-I to stimulate protein synthesis is suppressed by AMPK, therefore, these studies were undertaken to determine whether IGF-I modulates AMPK activity. IGF-I dose-dependently suppressed phosphorylation of AMPK T172, and it stimulated AMPK S485 phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). To determine whether stimulation of AMPK S485 phosphorylation was mediating this response, VSMC were transduced with a mutant AMPKα (AMPK S485A). Expression of this altered form inhibited the ability of IGF-I to suppress AMPK T172 activation, which resulted in inhibition of IGF-I-stimulated phosphorylation of P70S6 kinase. In contrast, expression of an AMPK S485D mutant resulted in constitutive suppression of AMPK activity and was associated with increased IGF-I-stimulated P70S6K phosphorylation and protein synthesis. The addition of a specific AKT inhibitor or expression of an AKT1 short hairpin RNA inhibited AMPK S485 phosphorylation, and it attenuated the IGF-I-induced decrease in AMPK T172 phosphorylation. Exposure to high glucose concentrations suppressed AMPK activity and stimulated S485 phosphorylation, and IGF-I stimulated a further increase in S485 phosphorylation and AMPK T172 suppression. We conclude that AMPK S485 phosphorylation negatively regulates AMPK activity by modulating the T172 phosphorylation response to high glucose and IGF-I. IGF-I stimulates S485 phosphorylation through AKT1. The results suggest that AMPK plays an inhibitory role in modulating IGF-I-stimulated protein synthesis and that IGF-I must down-regulate AMPK activity to induce an optimal anabolic response.


2002 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitomi Yamada ◽  
Toshio Tsushima ◽  
Hitomi Murakami ◽  
Yasuko Uchigata ◽  
Yasuhiko Iwamoto

Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to be associated with diabetic angiopathy. Migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are the processes required for the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we attempted to determine whether insulin affects mitogenic signaling induced by plateletderived growth factor (PDGF) in a rat VSMC cell line (A10 cells). PDGF stimulated DNA synthesis which was totally dependent on Ras, because transfection of dominant negative Ras resulted in complete loss of PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis. Initiation of DNA synthesis was preceded by activation of Raf-1, MEK and MAP kinases (Erk 1 and Erk2). Treatment of the cells with PD98059, an inhibitor of MAPK kinase (MEK) attenuated but did not abolish PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis, suggesting that MAPK is required but not essential for DNA synthesis. PDGF also stimulated phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and p70 S6Kinase (p70S6K) in a wortmannin-sensitive manner. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of p70S6K, markedly suppressed DNA synthesis. Low concentrations of insulin (1-10 nmol/l) alone showed little mitogenic activity and no significant effect on MAPK activity. However, the presence of insulin enhanced both DNA synthesis and MAPK activation by PDGF. The enhancing effect of insulin was not seen in cells treated with PD98059. Insulin was without effect on PDGF-stimulated activations of protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and p70S6K. We conclude that insulin, at pathophysiologically relevant concentrations, potentiates the PDGFstimulated DNA synthesis, at least in part, by potentiating activation of the MAPK cascade. These results are consistent with the notion that hyperinsulinemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.


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