Activation Of Myosin Light Chain Phosphorylation Research Articles

Invited review: arteriolar smooth muscle mechanotransduction: Ca(2+) signaling pathways underlying myogenic reactivity.

The smooth muscle of arterioles responds to an increase in intraluminal pressure with vasoconstriction and with vasodilation when pressure is decreased. Such myogenic vasoconstriction provides a level of basal tone that enables arterioles to appropriately adjust diameter in response to neurohumoral stimuli. Key in this process of mechanotransduction is the role of changes in intracellular Ca(2+). However, it is becoming clear that considerable complexity exists in the spatiotemporal characteristics of the Ca(2+) signal and that changes in intracellular Ca(2+) may play roles other than direct effects on the contractile process via activation of myosin light-chain phosphorylation. The involvement of Ca(2+) may extend to modulation of ion channels and release of Ca(2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, alterations in Ca(2+) sensitivity, and coupling between cells within the vessel wall. The purpose of this brief review is to summarize the current literature relating to Ca(2+) and the arteriolar myogenic response. Consideration is given to coupling of Ca(2+) changes to the mechanical stimuli, sources of Ca(2+), involvement of ion channels, and spatiotemporal aspects of intracellular Ca(2+) signaling.

Inhibition of forskolin-induced neurite outgrowth and protein phosphorylation by a newly synthesized selective inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (H-89), of PC12D pheochromocytoma cells.

A newly synthesized isoquinolinesulfonamide, H-89 (N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinoline-sulfonamide), was shown to have a potent and selective inhibitory action against cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A), with an inhibition constant of 0.048 +/- 0.008 microM. H-89 exhibited weak inhibitory action against other kinases and Ki values of the compound for these kinases, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase G), Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C), casein kinase I and II, myosin light chain kinase, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II were 0.48 +/- 0.13, 31.7 +/- 15.9, 38.3 +/- 6.0, 136.7 +/- 17.0, 28.3 +/- 17.5, and 29.7 +/- 8.1 microM, respectively. Kinetic analysis indicated that H-89 inhibits protein kinase A, in competitive fashion against ATP. To examine the role of protein kinase A in neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, H-89 was applied along with nerve growth factor (NGF), forskolin, or dibutyryl cAMP. Pretreatment with H-89 led to a dose-dependent inhibition of the forskolin-induced protein phosphorylation, with no decrease in intracellular cyclic AMP levels in PC12D cells, and the NGF-induced protein phosphorylation was not not inhibited. H-89 also significantly inhibited the forskolin-induced neurite outgrowth from PC12D cells. This inhibition also occurred when H-89 was added before the addition of dibutyryl cAMP. Pretreatment of PC12D cells with H-89 (30 microM) inhibited significantly cAMP-dependent histone IIb phosphorylation activity in cell lysates but did not affect other protein phosphorylation activity such as cGMP-dependent histone IIb phosphorylation activity, Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent histone IIIs phosphorylation activity, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain phosphorylation activity, and alpha-casein phosphorylation activity. However, this protein kinase A inhibitor did not inhibit the NGF-induced neurite outgrowth from PC12D cells. Thus, the forskolin- and dibutyryl cAMP-induced neurite outgrowth is apparently mediated by protein kinase A while the NGF-induced neurite outgrowth is mediated by a protein kinase A-independent pathway.