Vascular O-GlcNAcylation augments reactivity to constrictor stimuli by prolonging phosphorylated levels of the myosin light chain

O-GlcNAcylation is a modification that alters the function of numerous proteins. We hypothesized that augmented O-GlcNAcylation levels enhance myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and reduce myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) activity, leading to increased vascular contractile responsiveness. The vascular responses were measured by isometric force displacement. Thoracic aorta and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from rats were incubated with vehicle or with PugNAc, which increases O-GlcNAcylation. In addition, we determined whether proteins that play an important role in the regulation of MLCK and MLCP activity are directly affected by O-GlcNAcylation. PugNAc enhanced phenylephrine (PE) responses in rat aortas (maximal effect, 14.2±2 vs 7.9±1 mN for vehicle, n=7). Treatment with an MLCP inhibitor (calyculin A) augmented vascular responses to PE (13.4±2 mN) and abolished the differences in PE-response between the groups. The effect of PugNAc was not observed when vessels were preincubated with ML-9, an MLCK inhibitor (7.3±2 vs 7.5±2 mN for vehicle, n=5). Furthermore, our data showed that differences in the PE-induced contractile response between the groups were abolished by the activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AICAR; 6.1±2 vs 7.4±2 mN for vehicle, n=5). PugNAc increased phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT-1) and protein kinase C-potentiated inhibitor protein of 17 kDa (CPI-17), which are involved in RhoA/Rho-kinase-mediated inhibition of myosin phosphatase activity. PugNAc incubation produced a time-dependent increase in vascular phosphorylation of myosin light chain and decreased phosphorylation levels of AMP-activated protein kinase, which decreased the affinity of MLCK for Ca2+/calmodulin. Our data suggest that proteins that play an important role in the regulation of MLCK and MLCP activity are directly affected by O-GlcNAcylation, favoring vascular contraction.

La vía de señalización Rho a/ Rho kinasa se encuentra activada en el miocardio en ratas con fibrosis cardíaca inducida por isoprotenerol / Rho A/ Rho kinase pathway is activated in the myocardium of rats with isoprotenerol - induced fibrosis

Antecedentes: En pacientes con insuficiencia cardíaca la actividad adrenérgica está aumentada, lo que induce en el largo plazo, a cardiotoxicidad y mayor deterioro de la función ventricular. La administración experimental de Isoprotenerol, un agonista beta-adrenérgico, produce hipertrofia ventricular, daño y fibrosis miocárdica. La vía de señalización intracelular RhoA/Rho-Kinasa (ROCK) participa en el remodelamiento cardiovascular, no estando clara la relación entre la activación de esta vía y el desarrollo de fibrosis miocárdica. Objetivo: Determinar si existe activación de la vía ROCK en ratas con fibrosis miocárdica inducida experimentalmente por Isoprotenerol, mediante cuantificación de la fosforilación de la proteína blanco 1 de la fosfatasa de la miosina (MYPT1). Métodos: Se utilizaron ratas Sprague-Dawley machos (100 +/- 10 gr.); 10 como grupo control con administración de suero fisiológico y 10 en el grupo experimental con inyección subcutánea de Isoprotenerol Hemisulfato, 5 mg/kilo de peso por día, por un período de 10 días. Se determinó la presión arterial sistólica (PAS), la masa relativa ventricular izquierda (MRVI), la activación de ROCK a través de niveles de MYPT1 por Western Blot y se cuantificó la fibrosis en Ventrículo Izquierdo por análisis morfométrico del colágeno (en tinciones con Rojo de Picrosirio). Resultados (promedio +/- ES, =p<0,05): Los resultados en Presión Arterial Sistólica fueron 119,6 +/- 8,1 mmHg en el grupo control y 113,8 +/- 5,2 mmHg en el grupo tratado con Isoprotenerol, la MRVI fue de 358,3 +/- 10,9 mg/g en las controles y 495,3 +/- 42,02 mg/g en ratas Iso. La fracción volumétrica de colágeno (FVC) en miocardio y subendocardio fueron 3 +/- 0,3 y 3,3 +/- 0,4 en ratas control; en ratas Iso fueron 5,2 +/- 0,7 y 7,4 +/- 1,3 respectivamente.

Background: Patients with heart failure have increased adrenergic activity, which in turn induces cardiotoxicity, and further damage to the myocardium. lsoprotenerol induces ventricular hypertrophy with myocardial fibrosis. RHO A/ RHO Kinase pathway (ROCK) participates in myocardial remodeling, but it is not known whether ROCK is involved in the fibrotic process.Aim: To ascertain whether ROCK is activated in rats with Isoprotenerol -induced myocardial fibrosis, measuring ROCK by phosphon/ation of the myosin phosphatase (MYPTI). Methods: We used male Sprague-Dawley rats (100 +/- 10 g); 10 rats were used as controls and received sq saline,- 10 rats in the experimental group received sq Isoprotenerol (ISO rats) 5 mg/k body weight/day, during 10 days. We measured systolic blood pressure (SBP), left ventricular mass (LVM) and ROCK, which was measured by phophorylation of the MYPTI protein using Western Blot. Myocardial fibrosis was measured by morphometry of collagen in Picrosirius red stained samples, and was expressed as collagen volume fraction (CVF). Results were expressed as average +/- SEM; =p<005Results: SBP was 119,6 +/- 8,1 mmHg in controls and 113,8 +/- 5,2 mmHg in ISO rats; LVM was 358,3 +/- 10,9 mg/g in controls and 495,3 +/- 42,02 mg/g in ISO rats. CVF in the myocardium and subendocardium were 3 +/- 0,3 and 3,3 +/- 0,4 in control rats; values in ISO rats were 2 +/- 0,7 y 7,4 +/- 1,3 respectively. Total CVF were 3,2 +/- 0,4 in controls and 6,3 +/- 1,6 in ISO rats. ROCK, expressed as phosphorylated MYPTI /total MYPTI in control rats was 2,5 +/- 0,8 and 4,7 +/- 2,2 in ISO rats. Conclusion: ROCK pathway is significantly activated in the myocardium of ISO rats. ROCK antagonists for preventing myocardial fibrosis should be evaluated in this experimental model.