TY - JOUR
T1 - Angiotensin II-induced stimulation of smooth muscle α-actin expression by serum response factor and the homeodomain transcription factor MHox
AU - Hautmann, Martina B.
AU - Thompson, Maria M.
AU - Swartz, Ellen A.
AU - Olson, Eric N.
AU - Owens, Gary K.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - The objective of the present study was to examine the molecular mechanisms whereby angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates smooth muscle (SM) α- actin expression in rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Nuclear run-on analysis and transfection studies indicated that the effects of Ang II on SM α-actin were mediated at least in part at the transcriptional level. Transfection of various rat SM α-actin promoter/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) constructs into SMCs demonstrated that the first 155 bp of the SM α-actin promoter was sufficient to confer maximal Ang II responsiveness, conferring an ≃4-fold increase in reporter activities in these SMCs compared with vehicle-treated SMCs. Mutation of either of two highly conserved CArG elements, designated A (-62) and B (-112), completely abolished Ang II-induced increases in reporter activity, whereas mutation of a homeodomain-like binding sequence at -145 (ATTA) reduced reporter activity by half. Results of EMSAs showed that nuclear extracts from Ang II-treated SMCs exhibited enhanced binding activity of serum response factor (SRF) to the CArG elements and of a homeo-domain factor, MHox, to the ATTA element Northern analyses showed that Ang II also stimulated marked increases in MHox mRNA levels. Western analyses demonstrated that Ang II-induced increases in SRF binding were not due to increased SRF protein expression. Recombinant MHox markedly enhanced binding activity of SRF in EMSAs. Finally, MHox overexpression transactivated a SM α-actin promoter/CAT reporter construct by ≃3.5-fold in transient cotransfection studies. These results provide evidence for involvement of a homeodomain transcription factor, MHox, in Ang II-mediated stimulation of SM α-actin via a CArG/SRF-dependent mechanism.
AB - The objective of the present study was to examine the molecular mechanisms whereby angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates smooth muscle (SM) α- actin expression in rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Nuclear run-on analysis and transfection studies indicated that the effects of Ang II on SM α-actin were mediated at least in part at the transcriptional level. Transfection of various rat SM α-actin promoter/chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) constructs into SMCs demonstrated that the first 155 bp of the SM α-actin promoter was sufficient to confer maximal Ang II responsiveness, conferring an ≃4-fold increase in reporter activities in these SMCs compared with vehicle-treated SMCs. Mutation of either of two highly conserved CArG elements, designated A (-62) and B (-112), completely abolished Ang II-induced increases in reporter activity, whereas mutation of a homeodomain-like binding sequence at -145 (ATTA) reduced reporter activity by half. Results of EMSAs showed that nuclear extracts from Ang II-treated SMCs exhibited enhanced binding activity of serum response factor (SRF) to the CArG elements and of a homeo-domain factor, MHox, to the ATTA element Northern analyses showed that Ang II also stimulated marked increases in MHox mRNA levels. Western analyses demonstrated that Ang II-induced increases in SRF binding were not due to increased SRF protein expression. Recombinant MHox markedly enhanced binding activity of SRF in EMSAs. Finally, MHox overexpression transactivated a SM α-actin promoter/CAT reporter construct by ≃3.5-fold in transient cotransfection studies. These results provide evidence for involvement of a homeodomain transcription factor, MHox, in Ang II-mediated stimulation of SM α-actin via a CArG/SRF-dependent mechanism.
KW - Angiotensin II
KW - MHox
KW - Smooth muscle α-actin promoter
KW - Vascular smooth muscle cell
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0030862962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1161/01.RES.81.4.600
DO - 10.1161/01.RES.81.4.600
M3 - Article
C2 - 9314842
AN - SCOPUS:0030862962
SN - 0009-7330
VL - 81
SP - 600
EP - 610
JO - Circulation research
JF - Circulation research
IS - 4
ER -