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B C Berk

Publications and source records attributed to B C Berk.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Calcium responses of endothelial cell monolayers subjected to pulsatile and steady laminar flow differ.

The vascular endothelium is the primary transducer of hemodynamically imposed mechanochemical events. In this study, we measured the intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) using the fluorescent probe fura 2 and ratiometric digital imaging in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) subjected to various laminar flow patterns. These were steady shear stress (0.2-70 dyn/cm2) and three types of sinusoidal pulsatile shear stress (nonreversing: 40 +/- 20 dyn/cm2; reversing: 20 +/- 40 dyn/cm2; and purely oscillatory: 0 +/- 20 dyn/cm2; flow frequencies: 0.4, 1.0, and 2.0 Hz) in a serum-containing medium. The most dramatic finding was failure of a purely oscillatory flow to increase [Ca2+]i in BAEC monolayers. In contrast, steady flow, as well as nonreversing and reversing pulsatile flows, increased [Ca2+]i. The dynamics of the response were dependent on the flow pattern. Both internal Ca2+ release and extracellular Ca2+ entry were involved in these [Ca2+]i increases. Also, switching from either a steady nonreversing pulsatile or reversing pulsatile flow back to a static condition resulted in a [Ca2+]i increase. However, switching from an oscillatory flow to a static condition did not induce any changes in average [Ca2+]i. This study shows that endothelial cells are able to sense different flow environments in terms of [Ca2+]i signaling and is relevant to further studies of the influence of hemodynamic forces on vascular pathophysiology.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Combination of vitamins C and E alters the response to coronary balloon injury in the pig.

Restenosis is the major limitation of the long-term success of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. The process of restenosis involves repair of vascular injury and remodeling of vessel architecture. Therapeutic interventions that improve vascular function may therefore be beneficial in the treatment of restenosis. Antioxidants such as probucol and vitamins C and E have proved effective in improving endothelial function in hypercholesterolemia, inhibiting lipid accumulation in animal models of atherosclerosis, and decreasing cardiovascular mortality in humans. Forty-two female domestic swine were divided into four study groups: control (n = 12); vitamin C (500 mg/d, group C, n = 9); vitamin E (1000 U/d, group E, n = 10); and vitamins C and E (500 mg/d + 1000 U/d, group C+E, n = 11) before oversized balloon injury of the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries. Vitamins were administered 7 days before balloon injury and continued until the swine were killed 14 days after injury. Significant differences in morphometric parameters were present only in group C+E, with increases in vessel and lumen area in the segment with maximal injury. Although there was no decrease in intima area or in maximal intima thickness, the ratio of intima area to vessel area was significantly reduced, consistent with a positive effect in group C+E. Graphic analysis of the relationship between initial vessel injury (using internal elastic lamina fracture length/lumen perimeter) and vessel response to injury (using intima area/vessel area) for all segments showed improved indices for group C+E (P < .005). The beneficial effect of vitamins correlated with changes in lipid redox state. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances showed an approximately 70% decrease in all treatment groups, and the lag phase for LDL-conjugated diene formation was significantly increased, with group C+E > group E > group C. The combination of vitamins C and E improved vascular response to injury because of an apparent beneficial effect on vascular remodeling. The fact that the combination of vitamins C+E was better than vitamin E or vitamin C alone is consistent with the ability of vitamin C to improve the antioxidant effect of vitamin E, suggesting that the improved vessel response was due to a change in redox state. This study suggests an important role for oxygen radicals in the vascular response to injury and suggests that vascular remodeling and intimal proliferation are important to the restenotic process.

Angiography↗
PubMed1995

Glucocorticoids induce angiotensin-converting enzyme expression in vascular smooth muscle.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity plays a central role in vessel growth and remodeling as shown by the fact that ACE inhibitors reduce neointimal proliferation after rat carotid injury. To investigate the mechanisms that regulate smooth muscle cell ACE expression, we studied the effects of steroids on ACE activity and mRNA in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. ACE activity was present at low levels independent of growth state. In response to the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (100 nmol/L for 72 hours), ACE activity (hydrolysis of [3H]benzoyl-Phe-Ala-Pro) increased 10.1 +/- 3.1-fold. The increase in activity occurred within 12 hours and peaked after 72 hours of treatment. The increase in ACE activity was specific for glucocorticoids and paralleled their potency (dexamethasone > hydrocortisone = prednisolone). Dexamethasone increased the steady-state level of ACE mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner (21.4 +/- 0.4-fold at 100 nmol/L for 72 hours). Dexamethasone stimulation of ACE expression appeared to be due to both increased transcription and stabilization of ACE enzyme mRNA. This was suggested by the finding that dexamethasone stimulated nuclear run-on expression of ACE mRNA by only threefold, in contrast to the 21-fold increase in steady-state mRNA. These findings establish that ACE is a dynamically regulated enzyme in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. In addition, the present findings suggest an important role for stress steroids in the vascular response to injury in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Differential activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by H2O2 and O2- in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Increased generation of active oxygen species such as H2O2 and O2- may be important in vascular smooth muscle cell growth associated with atherosclerosis and restenosis. In previous work, we showed that H2O2 stimulated vascular smooth muscle cell growth and proto-oncogene expression. In the present study, we compared the effects of H2O2 and O2- on cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cell growth and signal transduction. O2- was generated in a concentration-dependent manner by the naphthoquinolinedione LY83583. Vascular smooth muscle cell growth, as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation, was stimulated by 200 mumol/L H2O2 (110% increase versus 0.1% serum) and 1 mumol/L LY83583 (175% increase) to levels comparable to 10 ng/mL platelet-derived growth factor (210% increase). Since activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) is one of the earliest growth factor signal events, the activity of MAP kinase was measured by changes in mobility on Western blot and by phosphorylation of myelin basic protein. There was a concentration-dependent increase in MAP kinase activity by LY83583 (maximum, 10 mumol/L) but not by H2O2. The time course for activation of MAP kinase by LY83583 showed a maximum at 5 to 10 minutes with return to baseline by 20 minutes. Activation of MAP kinase by LY83583 was protein kinase C dependent. Expression of MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), a transcriptionally regulated redox-sensitive protein tyrosine/threonine phosphatase, was also measured. Although H2O2 induced MKP-1 mRNA to a greater extent than did LY83583, the increased MKP-1 expression could not explain the inability of H2O2 to stimulate MAP kinase, because mRNA levels were not detected until 60 minutes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1,2-Dihydroxybenzene-3,5-Disulfonic Acid Disodium ↗
PubMed1995

Fluid shear stress stimulates mitogen-activated protein kinase in endothelial cells.

Local alterations in the hemodynamic environment regulate endothelial cell function, but the signal-transduction mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. Because mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases have been shown to be activated by physical forces, we measured the phosphorylation and enzyme activity of MAP kinase to identify the signal events involved in the endothelial cell response to fluid shear stress. Flow at physiological shear stress (3.5 to 117 dynes/cm2) activated 42-kD and 44-kD MAP kinases present in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells, with maximal effect at 12 dynes/cm2. Activation of a G protein was necessary, as demonstrated by complete inhibition by the nonhydrolyzable GDP analog GDP-beta S. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) was required, as shown by inhibiting PKC with staurosporine or downregulating PKC with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate. Both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent PKC activity, measured by translocation and substrate phosphorylation, increased in response to flow. However, MAP kinase activation was not dependent on Ca2+ mobilization, since Ca2+ chelation had no inhibitory effect. On the basis of these findings, it is proposed that flow activates two signal-transduction pathways in endothelial cells. One pathway is Ca2+ dependent and involves activation of phospholipase C and increases in intracellular Ca2+. A new pathway, described in the present study, is Ca2+ independent and involves a G protein and increases in PKC and MAP kinase activity.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1995

Angiotensin II activates pp60c-src in vascular smooth muscle cells.

The angiotensin II type-1 (AT1) receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor, lacks intrinsic kinase activity. However, recent data show that angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma 1 (PLC-gamma 1), Stat91 (one of the signal transducers and activators of transcription), and paxillin in vascular smooth muscle cells. The tyrosine kinases responsible for these phosphorylation events are unknown. Src family kinases have been shown to phosphorylate PLC-gamma 1 and to be activated by G protein-coupled receptors. We hypothesized that pp60c-src associates with the AT1 receptor and is activated after Ang II stimulation of smooth muscle cells. We immunoprecipitated pp60c-src from Ang II-stimulated vascular smooth muscle cells and measured pp60c-src activity by autophosphorylation and by phosphorylation of enolase. Both assays demonstrated an approximately threefold increase in pp60c-src activity within 1 minute. A similar increase in Ang II-stimulated pp60c-src activity was observed in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the AT1 receptor but not in untransfected cells. These data are the first to show that pp60c-src is activated by Ang II. To determine if pp60c-src associated with the AT1 receptor, the AT1 receptor was immunoprecipitated (with two different antibodies), and Western blots were performed with two different anti-pp60c-src antibodies. No pp60c-src was detected. In addition, direct interaction between the AT1 receptor and pp60c-src could not be demonstrated by using a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-AT1 fusion protein to bind proteins from cell lysates stimulated by Ang II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1995

Fibroblast growth factor stimulates angiotensin converting enzyme expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. Possible mediator of the response to vascular injury.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity contributes to the vascular response to injury because ACE inhibition limits neointima formation in rat carotid arteries after balloon injury. To investigate the mechanisms by which ACE may contribute to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, we studied expression of ACE in vivo after injury and in vitro after growth factor stimulation. ACE activity 14 d after injury was increased 3.6-fold in the injured vessel. ACE expression, measured by immunohistochemistry, became apparent at 7 d in the neointima and at 14 d was primarily in the most luminal neointimal cells. To characterize hormones that induce ACE in vivo, cultured VSMC were exposed to steroids and growth factors. Among steroids, only glucocorticoids stimulated ACE expression with an 8.0 +/- 2.1-fold increase in activity and a 6.5-fold increase in mRNA (30 nM dexamethasone for 72 h). Among growth factors tested, only fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulated ACE expression (4.2 +/- 0.7-fold increase in activity and 1.6-fold increase in mRNA in response to 10 ng/ml FGF for 24 h). Dexamethasone and FGF were synergistic at the indicated concentrations inducing 50.6 +/- 12.4-fold and 32.5-fold increases in activity and mRNA expression, respectively. In addition, when porcine iliac arteries were transfected with recombinant FGF-1 (in the absence of injury), ACE expression increased in neointimal VSMC, to the same extent as injured, nontransfected arteries. The data suggest a temporal sequence for the response to injury in which FGF induces ACE, ACE generates angiotensin II, and angiotensin II stimulates VSMC growth in concert with FGF.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Angiotensin II-mediated signal transduction events in vascular smooth muscle cells: kinases and phosphatases.

In this short review, the protein kinases and phosphatases that are involved in angiotensin II-mediated signal transduction in vascular smooth muscle cells are discussed. Reversible phosphorylation by the actions of kinases and phosphatases is a common signal transduction mechanism that many cell types utilize to stimulate cell growth. Besides its vasoconstrictor activity, angiotensin II stimulates hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells and is involved in neointimal proliferation following balloon angioplasty. Understanding angiotensin II-stimulated kinases and phosphatases, as well as the crosstalk among phosphorylation pathways, may form the basis for the development of new therapeutic treatment of hypertension and/or restenosis.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1995

Regulation of sodium-hydrogen exchange in vascular smooth muscle.

The Na+/H+ exchanger in vascular smooth muscle cells represents a major mechanism for sodium influx and is also one of the principal mechanisms responsible for the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi). In this review, the relationship between pHi and vascular smooth muscle cell growth, the regulation of Na+/H+ exchange by vasoactive agents and growth factors, and the second messenger pathways that may be involved in activation of Na+/H+ exchange have been discussed. The exchanger appears to be important in vascular smooth muscle cell growth, based on results that (1) Na+/H+ exchange is stimulated by hypertrophic and hyperplastic agonists, (2) vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation is induced by cytoplasmic alkalinisation in the absence of mitogens, (3) vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation is dependent on extracellular sodium, and (4) inhibitors of Na+/H+ exchange block cell growth. Several pathways appear capable of activating the exchanger in vascular smooth muscle cells as there is evidence for both calcium and protein kinase C dependent and independent pathways. We speculate that the calcium and protein kinase C dependent pathways may play a role in the contractile response of differentiated vascular smooth muscle cells in the vessel wall, while the calcium and protein kinase C independent pathways may be involved in the proliferative response observed after arterial injury and in tissue culture.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Angiotensin II signal transduction and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

In this review, the angiotensin-II-mediated signal transduction pathways involved in vascular smooth muscle cell growth are discussed. Classical pathways involving phospholipase C and protein kinase C, as well as the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, are common signal transduction pathways activated by a variety of growth factors to stimulate cell growth. Besides its vasoconstrictor activity, angiotensin II stimulates hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells and is involved in neointimal proliferation following balloon angioplasty. Understanding angiotensin-II-stimulated signaling events, as well as the crosstalk among signaling pathways, may form the basis for the development of new therapies for hypertension and restenosis.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1994

The angiotensin II AT1 receptor is tyrosine and serine phosphorylated and can serve as a substrate for the src family of tyrosine kinases.

Angiotensin II AT1 receptor signal transduction has recently been shown to function through the phospholipase C isozyme, PLC-gamma. Since PLC-gamma is known to interact with phosphotyrosine containing proteins through SH2 domains, we examined the phosphorylation state of the AT1 receptor. Immunoprecipitation of the [32P] labeled AT1 receptor from rat aortic smooth muscle cells followed by alkali hydrolysis demonstrated the presence of tyrosine phosphorylation. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the excised bands demonstrated the presence of phosphoserine and phosphotyrosine residues. A fusion protein comprising the intracellular tail of the AT1 receptor was used to screen for candidate kinases, and the src kinase family displayed high activity. In summary, this study shows that the AT1 receptor is serine and tyrosine phosphorylated in vivo and suggests that a soluble kinase related to the src family may be responsible for the tyrosine phosphorylation.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1994

Angiotensin II stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma 1 in vascular smooth muscle cells.

The receptor for angiotensin II (Ang II) has recently been cloned; it is a receptor with seven transmembrane spanning domains that stimulates phosphoinositide hydrolysis upon ligand binding. The physiologic effects of Ang II are important in the regulation of vascular function. In this study, we examined the ability of Ang II to regulate the enzymatic activity of phospholipase C (PLC) in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In cultured VSMC, PLC-gamma 1 and PLC-delta 1 isozymes, but not PLC-beta 1, were identified by Western analysis. Ang II (10(-7) M)-stimulated PLC-gamma 1 phosphotyrosine phosphorylation with a maximum increase of 4.5-fold at 0.5 min. This followed the same time course as the Ang II-stimulated increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (1,4,5-IP3) levels. 1,4,5-IP3 formation was inhibited 75% by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein (120 microM). Several growth factor receptors, such as the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor are themselves tyrosine kinases and have been shown to phosphorylate PLC-gamma 1 and increase intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. The time course for PLC-gamma 1 phosphorylation, IP3 formation, and Ca2+ mobilization by PDGF differed from Ang II in VSMC. The kinetics of the PDGF effects were slower in onset and more prolonged than those of Ang II. In summary, these findings show that Ang II stimulates VSMC phosphoinositide hydrolysis in association with tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 and support the concept that Ang II-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation is responsible for early signal transduction events.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1994

Na(+)-H+ exchanger expression in vascular smooth muscle of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

The Na(+)-H+ exchanger has important modulatory effects on vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and contractility. Increased Na(+)-H+ exchange activity is a general property of many tissues, including mesenteric artery and cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). In the present work, we investigated whether alterations in the steady-state levels of specific Na(+)-H+ exchanger mRNA isoforms (NHE-1 through NHE-4) are associated with the observed increases in exchanger activity. Poly(A+) mRNA prepared from 12-week-old hypertensive SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) aorta, kidney, and intestine was hybridized to cDNAs specific for each NHE isoform. By Northern blot analysis, NHE-1 was detected in all tissues as well as cultured vascular smooth muscle cells and was not regulated differently in SHR compared with WKY tissues. There was no expression of NHE-2, NHE-3, or NHE-4 in SHR and WKY aortas or in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells from SHR and WKY aortas. Stimulation of NHE-1 mRNA expression by growth factors was similar in cultured SHR and WKY vascular smooth muscle cells. We conclude that the previously observed increase in exchanger activity in blood vessels and cultured vascular smooth muscle cells of the SHR is not caused by induction of the NHE-2, NHE-3, and NHE-4 isoforms or by alterations in steady-state NHE-1 mRNA expression. These findings suggest that posttranslational regulation of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger is responsible for increased activity in the SHR.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Angiotensin II induces 3CH134, a protein-tyrosine phosphatase, in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Angiotensin II is a potent growth factor for vascular smooth muscle cells and shares many signal transduction mechanisms with mitogens, including stimulation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation involves both protein-tyrosine kinases and protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). To investigate the role of PTPases in angiotensin II-mediated events, we studied the expression of a transcriptionally regulated PTPase, 3CH134, which has selective activity toward MAP kinase. Angiotensin II rapidly induced 3CH134 mRNA (30 min maximum) in a concentration-dependent manner (100 nM maximum). Platelet-derived growth factor, alpha-thrombin, hydrogen peroxide, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and ionomycin also induced 3CH134 but to levels lower than angiotensin II. Induction of 3CH134 by angiotensin II was partially inhibited after down-regulating protein kinase C but was fully inhibited after chelating intracellular Ca2+. Treatment with both phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin induced 3CH134 mRNA to levels seen with angiotensin II, indicating that Ca2+ mobilization and protein kinase C activation can act synergistically to induce 3CH134. Angiotensin II stimulated 3CH134 protein synthesis after 1 h as measured by immunoprecipitation of 3CH134 from [35S]methionine-labeled cells using affinity-purified antibodies. These results establish 3CH134 as a dynamically regulated, immediate early gene in vascular smooth muscle cells and suggest a role for PTPases in regulating angiotensin II-stimulated events mediated by MAP kinases and tyrosine kinases.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1993

Hydrogen peroxide-induced c-fos expression is mediated by arachidonic acid release: role of protein kinase C.

We found previously that stimulation of c-fos and c-myc mRNA expression are early events in hydrogen peroxide-induced growth in rat aortic smooth muscle (RASM) cells. In the present study, we investigated the role of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating hydrogen peroxide-induced c-fos mRNA expression in RASM cells. Mepacrine and p-bromophenacylbromide, potent inhibitors of PLA2 activity, blocked hydrogen peroxide-induced c-fos mRNA expression. Arachidonic acid, a product of PLA2 activity, stimulated the expression of c-fos mRNA with a time course similar to that of hydrogen peroxide. PKC down-regulation attenuated both hydrogen peroxide and arachidonic acid-induced c-fos mRNA expression by 50%. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase-cytochrome P450 monooxygenase inhibitor) significantly inhibited both hydrogen peroxide and arachidonic acid-induced c-fos mRNA expression, whereas indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) had no effect. Together, these findings indicate that 1) hydrogen peroxide-induced c-fos mRNA expression is mediated by PLA2-dependent arachidonic acid release, 2) both PKC-dependent and independent mechanisms are involved in hydrogen peroxide-induced expression of c-fos mRNA and 3) arachidonic acid metabolism via the lipoxygenase-cytochrome P450 monooxygenase pathway appears to be required for hydrogen peroxide-induced expression of c-fos mRNA.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Angiotensin II-induced vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy: PDGF A-chain mediates the increase in cell size.

We report here that angiotensin II-mediated hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) exhibits PDGF A-chain-dependent and -independent pathways. Secretion of PDGF A-chain is required for the increase in cell size, but not for the increase in protein synthesis. Angiotensin II stimulates a hypertrophic growth response in VSMC characterized by increases in cell size and protein synthesis, but not cell number. Because angiotensin II-stimulated VSMC hypertrophy has been associated with increased PDGF A-chain expression, we studied its role in the hypertrophic response by inhibiting PDGF A-chain expression with hydrocortisone or anti-PDGF antibody. Hydrocortisone (1 microM for 48 h) inhibited basal protein synthesis by 47%, but angiotensin II-stimulated protein synthesis was enhanced (111% increase after hydrocortisone treatment vs. 25% increase in control). In contrast, hypertrophy, as measured by cell size, was completely inhibited. Although hydrocortisone had no effect on early growth signals stimulated by angiotensin II (e.g., activation of protein kinase C, stimulation of Na+/H+ exchange, and c-fos and c-myc expression), it significantly decreased angiotensin II-stimulated secretion of PDGF-like material into the medium from 0.4 to 0.1 ng/ml/24 h (p < 0.01). However, the time course for PDGF secretion (maximal at 16-24 h) was significantly slower than the time course for angiotensin II-stimulated protein synthesis (maximal at 4-12 h). To block the action of PDGF A-chain selectively, VSMC were treated with anti-PDGF A-chain antibody. The antibody completely inhibited the angiotensin II-stimulated increase in cell size, but it had no significant effect on protein synthesis at early times (< 8 h). These findings demonstrate two pathways involved in angiotensin II-stimulated VSMC hypertrophy: an increase in cell size dependent on PDGF A-chain and an increase in protein synthesis independent of PDGF A-chain.

Angiotensin II↗