GPCR transactivation signalling in vascular smooth muscle cells: role of NADPH oxidases and reactive oxygen species.

The discovery and extension of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) transactivation-dependent signalling has enormously broadened the GPCR signalling paradigm. GPCRs can transactivate protein tyrosine kinase receptors (PTKRs) and serine/threonine kinase receptors (S/TKRs), notably the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transforming growth factor-ß type 1 receptor (TGFBR1), respectively. Initial comprehensive mechanistic studies suggest that these two transactivation pathways are distinct. Currently, there is a focus on GPCR inhibitors as drug targets, and they have proven to be efficacious in vascular diseases. With the broadening of GPCR transactivation signalling, it is therefore important from a therapeutic perspective to find a common transactivation pathway of EGFR and TGFBR1 that can be targeted to inhibit complex pathologies activated by the combined action of these receptors. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules and they act as second messengers, thus modulating cellular signal transduction pathways. ROS are involved in different mechanisms of GPCR transactivation of EGFR. However, the role of ROS in GPCR transactivation of TGFBR1 has not yet been studied. In this review, we will discuss the involvement of ROS in GPCR transactivation-dependent signalling.

RNA sequencing to determine the contribution of kinase receptor transactivation to G protein coupled receptor signalling in vascular smooth muscle cells.

G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling covers three major mechanisms. GPCR agonist engagement allows for the G proteins to bind to the receptor leading to a classical downstream signalling cascade. The second mechanism is via the utilization of the ß-arrestin signalling molecule and thirdly via transactivation dependent signalling. GPCRs can transactivate protein tyrosine kinase receptors (PTKR) to activate respective downstream signalling intermediates. In the past decade GPCR transactivation dependent signalling was expanded to show transactivation of serine/threonine kinase receptors (S/TKR). Kinase receptor transactivation enormously broadens the GPCR signalling paradigm. This work utilizes next generation RNA-sequencing to study the contribution of transactivation dependent signalling to total protease activated receptor (PAR)-1 signalling. Transactivation, assessed as gene expression, accounted for 50 percent of the total genes regulated by thrombin acting through PAR-1 in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells. GPCR transactivation of PTKRs is approximately equally important as the transactivation of the S/TKR with 209 and 177 genes regulated respectively, via either signalling pathway. This work shows that genome wide studies can provide powerful insights into GPCR mediated signalling pathways.