Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Relaxation of smooth muscle can occur through agonists (such as nitric oxide) that activate guanylyl cyclase and stimulate the production of cGMP, activating its target, cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). This kinase can raise the Ca2+ threshold for contraction, thus causing Ca2+ desensitization, but the mechanism for this event is not completely understood. Ca2+ sensitization/desensitization pathways are essential for maintenance of normal smooth muscle tone, and abnormalities in these pathways have been shown to be key components in the pathogenesis of diseases such as hypertension and asthma in humans. Our laboratory has devised a proteomic method to specifically address the question of what proteins are early phosphorylation targets in calcium desensitization. Using ileum smooth muscle, we metabolically labeled the muscle with (32P)-orthophosphate, permeabilized the muscle, established constant calcium concentrations, and stimulated with 8-bromo-cGMP, which activates PKG. Proteins whose phosphorylation state changed in response to cGMP at constant levels of calcium were separated with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, identified by autoradiography, and sequenced with nanospray mass spectrometry. Using this technique, we identified a previously uncharacterized PKG phosphoprotein, which we have termed CHASM (Calponin Homology Smooth Muscle protein). Using physiological muscle bath contraction studies, we have validated CHASM as a component of calcium desensitization pathways in smooth muscle.
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PMID:Real-time in vivo proteomic identification of novel kinase substrates in smooth muscle. 1717 92

RGS2, a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for G(q)alpha, regulates vascular relaxation and blood pressure. RGS2 can be phosphorylated by type Ialpha cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGKIalpha), increasing its GAP activity. To understand how RGS2 and cGKIalpha regulate vascular smooth muscle signaling and function, we identified signaling pathways that are controlled by cGMP in an RGS2-dependent manner and discovered new mechanisms whereby cGK activity regulates RGS2. We show that RGS2 regulates vasoconstrictor-stimulated Ca(2+) store release, capacitative Ca(2+) entry, and noncapacitative Ca(2+) entry and that RGS2 is required for cGMP-mediated inhibition of vasoconstrictor-elicited phospholipase Cbeta activation, Ca(2+) store release, and capacitative Ca(2+) entry. RGS2 is degraded in vascular smooth muscle cells via the proteasome. Inhibition of cGK activity blunts RGS2 degradation. However, inactivation of the cGKIalpha phosphorylation sites in RGS2 does not stabilize the protein, suggesting that cGK activity regulates RGS2 degradation by other mechanisms. cGK activation promotes association of RGS2 with the plasma membrane by a mechanism requiring its cGKIalpha phosphorylation sites. By regulating GAP activity, plasma membrane association, and degradation, cGKIalpha therefore may control a cycle of RGS2 activation and inactivation. By diminishing cGK activity, endothelial dysfunction may impair RGS2 activation, thereby blunting vascular relaxation and contributing to hypertension.
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PMID:Regulation of RGS2 and second messenger signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells by cGMP-dependent protein kinase. 1768 44

A limited number of nitric oxide (NO)-generating drugs are available for clinical use for acute and chronic conditions. Most of these agents are organic nitrates, which do not directly release NO; tolerance to the drugs develops, in part, as a consequence of their conversion to NO. We synthesized nitrosyl-cobinamide (NO-Cbi) from cobinamide, a structural analog of cobalamin (vitamin B12). NO-Cbi is a direct NO-releasing agent that we found was stable in water, but under physiologic conditions, it released NO with a half-life of 30 mins to 1 h. We show in five different biological systems that NO-Cbi is an effective NO-releasing drug. First, in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells, NO-Cbi induced phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, a downstream target of cGMP and cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Second, in isolated Drosophila melanogaster Malpighian tubules, NO-Cbi-stimulated fluid secretion was similar to that stimulated by Deta-NONOate and a cGMP analog. Third, in isolated mouse hearts, NO-Cbi increased coronary flow much more potently than nitroglycerin. Fourth, in contracted mouse aortic rings, NO-Cbi induced relaxation, albeit to a lesser extent than sodium nitroprusside. Fifth, in intact mice, a single NO-Cbi injection rapidly reduced blood pressure, and blood pressure returned to normal after 45 mins; repeated NO-Cbi injections induced the expected fall in blood pressure. These studies indicate that NO-Cbi is a useful NO donor that can be used experimentally in the laboratory; moreover, it could be developed into a vasodilating drug for treating hypertension and potentially other diseases such as angina and congestive heart failure.
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PMID:Nitrosyl-cobinamide, a new and direct nitric oxide releasing drug effective in vivo. 1804 67

Hypertension, a major cardiovascular risk factor and cause of mortality worldwide, is thought to arise from primary renal abnormalities. However, the etiology of most cases of hypertension remains unexplained. Vascular tone, an important determinant of blood pressure, is regulated by nitric oxide, which causes vascular relaxation by increasing intracellular cGMP and activating cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKGI). Here we show that mice with a selective mutation in the N-terminal protein interaction domain of PKGIalpha display inherited vascular smooth muscle cell abnormalities of contraction, abnormal relaxation of large and resistance blood vessels, and increased systemic blood pressure. Renal function studies and responses to changes in dietary sodium in the PKGIalpha mutant mice are normal. These data reveal that PKGIalpha is required for normal VSMC physiology and support the idea that high blood pressure can arise from a primary abnormality of vascular smooth muscle cell contractile regulation, suggesting a new approach to the diagnosis and therapy of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:High blood pressure arising from a defect in vascular function. 1844 76

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) regulates arterial blood pressure and volume. Its guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor is expressed in vascular endothelium and mediates increases in cGMP, but the functional relevance is controversial. Notably, mice with endothelial-restricted GC-A deletion [EC GC-A knockout (KO) mice] exhibit significant chronic hypervolemic hypertension. The present study aimed to characterize the endothelial effects of ANP and their relevance for the acute regulation of intravascular fluid volume. We studied the effect of ANP on microvascular permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled albumin (BSA) using intravital microscopy on mouse dorsal skinfold chambers. Local superfusion of ANP (100 nm) increased microvascular fluorescein isothiocyanate-BSA extravasation in control but not EC GC-A KO mice. Intravenous infusion of synthetic ANP (500 ng/kg x min) caused immediate increases in hematocrit in control mice, indicating intravascular volume contraction. In EC GC-A KO mice, the hematocrit responses were not only abolished but even reversed. Furthermore, acute vascular volume expansion, which caused release of endogenous cardiac ANP, did not affect resting central venous pressure of control mice but rapidly and significantly increased central venous pressure of EC GC-A KO mice. In cultured lung endothelial cells, ANP provoked cGMP-dependent protein kinase I-mediated phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein. We conclude that ANP, via GC-A, enhances microvascular endothelial macromolecule permeability in vivo. This effect might be mediated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase I-dependent phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein. Modulation of transcapillary protein and fluid transport may represent one of the most important hypovolemic actions of ANP.
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PMID:The heart communicates with the endothelium through the guanylyl cyclase-A receptor: acute handling of intravascular volume in response to volume expansion. 1845 Sep 68

The heart initially compensates for hypertension-mediated pressure overload by enhancing its contractile force and developing hypertrophy without dilation. Gq protein-coupled receptor pathways become activated and can depress function, leading to cardiac failure. Initial adaptation mechanisms to reduce cardiac damage during such stimulation remain largely unknown. Here we have shown that this initial adaptation requires regulator of G protein signaling 2 (RGS2). Mice lacking RGS2 had a normal basal cardiac phenotype, yet responded rapidly to pressure overload, with increased myocardial Gq signaling, marked cardiac hypertrophy and failure, and early mortality. Swimming exercise, which is not accompanied by Gq activation, induced a normal cardiac response, while Rgs2 deletion in Galphaq-overexpressing hearts exacerbated hypertrophy and dilation. In vascular smooth muscle, RGS2 is activated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), suppressing Gq-stimulated vascular contraction. In normal mice, but not Rgs2-/- mice, PKG activation by the chronic inhibition of cGMP-selective phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) suppressed maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy, inhibiting Gq-coupled stimuli. Importantly, PKG was similarly activated by PDE5 inhibition in myocardium from both genotypes, but PKG plasma membrane translocation was more transient in Rgs2-/- myocytes than in controls and was unaffected by PDE5 inhibition. Thus, RGS2 is required for early myocardial compensation to pressure overload and mediates the initial antihypertrophic and cardioprotective effects of PDE5 inhibitors.
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PMID:Regulator of G protein signaling 2 mediates cardiac compensation to pressure overload and antihypertrophic effects of PDE5 inhibition in mice. 1912 22

Nitric oxide (NO) donors produce NO-related activity when applied to biological systems. Among its diverse functions, NO has been implicated in vascular smooth muscle relaxation. Despite the great importance of NO in biological systems, its pharmacological and physiological studies have been limited due to its high reactivity and short half-life. In this review we will focus on our recent investigations of nitrosyl ruthenium complexes as NO-delivery agents and their effects on vascular smooth muscle cell relaxation. The high affinity of ruthenium for NO is a marked feature of its chemistry. The main signaling pathway responsible for the vascular relaxation induced by NO involves the activation of soluble guanylyl-cyclase, with subsequent accumulation of cGMP and activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase. This in turn can activate several proteins such as K+ channels as well as induce vasodilatation by a decrease in cytosolic Ca2+. Oxidative stress and associated oxidative damage are mediators of vascular damage in several cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. The increased production of the superoxide anion (O2-) by the vascular wall has been observed in different animal models of hypertension. Vascular relaxation to the endogenous NO-related response or to NO released from NO deliverers is impaired in vessels from renal hypertensive (2K-1C) rats. A growing amount of evidence supports the possibility that increased NO inactivation by excess O2- may account for the decreased NO bioavailability and vascular dysfunction in hypertension.
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PMID:New nitric oxide donors based on ruthenium complexes. 1921 1

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an unremitting disease defined by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance leading to right-sided heart failure. Using mice with genetic deletions of caveolin 1 (Cav1) and eNOS (Nos3), we demonstrate here that chronic eNOS activation secondary to loss of caveolin-1 can lead to PH. Consistent with a role for eNOS in the pathogenesis of PH, the pulmonary vascular remodeling and PH phenotype of Cav1-/- mice were absent in Cav1-/-Nos3-/- mice. Further, treatment of Cav1-/- mice with either MnTMPyP (a superoxide scavenger) or l-NAME (a NOS inhibitor) reversed their pulmonary vascular pathology and PH phenotype. Activation of eNOS in Cav1-/- lungs led to the impairment of PKG activity through tyrosine nitration. Moreover, the PH phenotype in Cav1-/- lungs could be rescued by overexpression of PKG-1. The clinical relevance of the data was indicated by the observation that lung tissue from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension demonstrated increased eNOS activation and PKG nitration and reduced caveolin-1 expression. Together, these data show that loss of caveolin-1 leads to hyperactive eNOS and subsequent tyrosine nitration-dependent impairment of PKG activity, which results in PH. Thus, targeting of PKG nitration represents a potential novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PH.
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PMID:Persistent eNOS activation secondary to caveolin-1 deficiency induces pulmonary hypertension in mice and humans through PKG nitration. 1948 14

The cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I (PKG I) is an essential regulator of cellular function in blood vessels throughout the body. DT-2, a peptidic inhibitor of PKG, has played a central role in determining the molecular mechanisms of vascular control involving PKG and its signaling partners. Here, we report the development of (d)-amino acid DT-2 derivatives, namely the retro-inverso ri-(d)-DT-2 and the all (d)-amino acid analog, (d)-DT-2. Both peptide analogs were potent PKG Ialpha inhibitors with K(i) values of 5.5 nM (ri-(d)-DT-2) and 0.8 nM ((d)-DT-2) as determined using a hyperbolic mixed-type inhibition model. Also, both analogs were proteolytically stable in vivo, showed elevated selectivity, and displayed enhanced membrane translocation properties. Studies on isolated arteries from the resistance vasculature demonstrated that intraluminally perfused (d)-DT-2 significantly inhibited vasodilation induced by 8-Br-cGMP. Furthermore, in vivo application of (d)-DT-2 established a uniform translocation pattern in the resistance vasculature, with exception of the brain. Thus, (d)-DT-2 caused significant increases in mean arterial blood pressure in unrestrained, awake mice. Further, mesenteric arteries isolated from (d)-DT-2 treated animals showed a markedly reduced dilator response to 8-Br-cGMP in vitro. Our results clearly demonstrate that (d)-DT-2 is a superior inhibitor of PKG Ialpha and its application in vivo leads to sustained inhibition of PKG in vascular smooth muscle cells. The discovery of (d)-DT-2 may help our understanding of how blood vessels constrict and dilate and may also aid the development of new strategies and therapeutic agents targeted to the prevention and treatment of vascular disorders such as hypertension, stroke and coronary artery disease.
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PMID:(D)-Amino acid analogues of DT-2 as highly selective and superior inhibitors of cGMP-dependent protein kinase Ialpha. 2001 59

Sildenafil is the first oral PDE5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the present study, we investigated the effect of sildenafil on adipogenesis in 3T3L1 preadipocytes. Treatment with sildenafil for 8 days significantly promoted adipogenesis characterized by increased lipid droplet and triglyceride content in 3T3L1 cells. Meanwhile, sildenafil induced a pronounced up-regulation of the expression of adipocyte-specific genes, such as aP2 and GLUT4. The results by RT-PCR and Western blotting further showed that sildenafil increased the sequential expression of C/EBP beta, PPAR gamma and C/EBP alpha. Additionally, we found that the other two PDE5 inhibitors (vardenafil and tadalafil) and the cGMP analog 8-pCPT-cGMP also increased adipogenesis. Likewise, 8-pCPT-cGMP could up-regulate the expression of adipogenic and adipocyte-specific genes. Importantly, the PKG inhibitor Rp-8-pCPT-cGMP was able to inhibit both sildenafil and 8-pCPT-cGMP-induced adipogenesis. Furthermore, sildenafil promoted basal and insulin-mediated glucose uptake in 3T3L1 cells, which was counteracted by Rp-8-pCPT-cGMP. These results indicate that sildenafil could promote adipogenesis accompanied by increased glucose uptake through a PKG pathway at least partly.
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PMID:Sildenafil promotes adipogenesis through a PKG pathway. 2047 53


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