Abstract 354: Prostaglandin D 2 -F Type Prostanoid Receptor Signaling Is a Novel Cardiomyocyte Survival Pathway

Abstract

Background: Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS) is abundantly expressed on cardiomyocytes. We recently demonstrated that dexamethasone stimulates PGD 2 -dominated activation of prostanoid biosynthesis, thereby protecting hearts against ischemia/reperfusion injury. Here, we examined the downstream signaling responsible for cardioprotection mediated through PGD 2 -dominated activation. Methods and Results: (1) In cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, PGD 2 strongly activates ERK in a dose-dependent manner, although canonical PGD 2 receptors, including DP (PGD 2 receptor) and CRTH2 (chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells) receptors, are hardly expressed on cardiomyocytes. (2) Interestingly, PGD 2 bounds to FP receptor (the canonical PGF 2 α receptor) with an affinity comparable to that for the DP receptor, and the FP receptor is abundantly expressed on cardiomyocytes. (3) PGD 2 -induced ERK activation is completely blocked by FP antagonist or siRNA-mediated knockdown of the FP, but not by DP and CRTH2 antagonist and siRNA-mediated knockdown of DP and CRTH2. (4) PGD 2 activates ERK in Langendorff perfused DP-knock out (KO) and CRTH2-KO mice hearts to comparable levels as those observed for wild-type hearts, while cannot activate it in FP-KO hearts. (5) Consistently, the cardioprotective effect of PGD 2 -dominated activation by dexamethasone was blunted in FP KO hearts. (6) Furtermore, genomewide gene expression profiles by microarray analysis and quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis identified that Nrf-2 was the downstream target of L-PGDS-mediated PGD 2 biosynthesis. (7) In cultured cardiomyocytes, FP agonist stimulated Nrf2 nuclear translocation and consequently induced Nrf2-target genes expression in an ERK-dependent manner. (8) Finally, The cardioprotective effect by dexamethasone was completely abolished in Nrf-2 KO hearts. Conclusion: FP serves as a functionally relevant PGD 2 receptor in the hearts and PGD 2 -FP signaling plays a substantial role in the improvement of functional recovery after ischemia-reperfusion injury in the heart. Nrf-2 is a major effector molecule responsible for the cardioprotecton elicited by L-PGDS-derived PGD 2 .