Dexamethasone decreases phospholipase C beta1 isozyme expression in human vascular smooth muscle cells

Impact of maternal dexamethasone on coronary PGE(2) production and prostaglandin-dependent coronary reactivity

Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with increased fetal glucocorticoid exposure and an increased risk of adult coronary artery disease. Coronary arteries from sheep exposed to early gestation dexamethasone (Dex) have increased constriction to angiotensin II (ANG II). Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) helps maintain coronary dilation, but PGE(2) production is acutely decreased by Dex administration. We hypothesized early gestation Dex exposure impairs adult coronary PGE(2) production with subsequent increases in coronary reactivity. Dex was administered to ewes at 27-28 days gestation (term 145 days). Coronary reactivity was assessed by wire myography in offspring at 4 mo of age (N = 5 to 7). Coronary smooth muscle cells were cultured and prostaglandin production was measured after 90 min incubation with radiolabeled arachidonate. Coronary myocytes from Dex-exposed lambs had a significant decrease in PGE(2) production that was reversed with ANG II incubation. Dex-exposed coronary arteries had increased constriction to ANG II and attenuated dilatation to arachidonic acid, with the greatest difference seen after the endothelium was inactivated by rubbing. Preincubation with the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin altered control responses and recapitulated the heightened coronary tone seen following Dex exposure. We conclude that impaired coronary smooth muscle COX-mediated PGE(2) production contributes to the coronary dysfunction elicited by early gestation Dex. Programmed inhibition of vasodilatory prostanoid production may link an adverse intrauterine environment with adult coronary artery disease.

Involvement of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation in the voltage-dependent regulation of the Ca(2+) concentration in porcine coronary arterial smooth muscle cells

The involvement of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) formation in the voltage-dependent regulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was examined in smooth muscle cells of the porcine coronary artery. Slow ramp depolarization from -90 to 0 mV induced progressive [Ca(2+)](i) increase. The slope was reduced or increased in the presence of Cd(2+) or (±)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-[trifluoromethyl]-phenyl)pyridine-3-carboxlic acid methyl ester (Bay K 8644), respectively. The decrease in [Ca(2+)](i) via the membrane hyperpolarization induced by K(+) channel openers (levcromakalim and Evans blue) under current clamp was identical to that under voltage clamp. The step hyperpolarization from -40 to -80 mV reduced [Ca(2+)](i) uniformly over the whole-cell area with a time constant of ∼10 s. The [Ca(2+)](i) at either potential was unaffected by heparin, an inhibitor of IP(3) receptors. Alternatively, [Ca(2+)](i) rapidly increased in the peripheral regions by depolarization from -80 to 0 mV and stayed at that level (∼400 nM) during a 60-s pulse. When the pipette solution contained IP(3) pathway blockers [heparin, 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate, xestospongin C, or 1-[6-[((17β)-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5[10]-trien-17-yl)amino]hexyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (U73122)], the peak [Ca(2+)](i) was unchanged, but the sustained [Ca(2+)](i) was gradually reduced by ∼250 nM within 30 s. In the presence of Cd(2+), a long depolarization period slightly increased the [Ca(2+)](i), which was lower than that in the presence of heparin alone. In coronary arterial myocytes, the sustained increase in the [Ca(2+)](i) during depolarization was partly caused by the Ca(2+) release mediated by the enhanced formation of IP(3). The initial [Ca(2+)](i) elevation triggered by the Ca(2+) influx though voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels may be predominantly responsible for the activation of phospholipase C for IP(3) formation.

Pathway-selective suppression of chemokine receptor signaling in B cells by LPS through downregulation of PLC-β2

Lymphocyte activation leads to changes in chemokine receptor expression. There are limited data, however, on how lymphocyte activators can alter chemokine signaling by affecting downstream pathways. We hypothesized that B cell-activating agents might alter chemokine responses by affecting downstream signal transducers, and that such effects might differ depending on the activator. We found that activating mouse B cells using either anti-IgM or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased the surface expression of CCR6 and CCR7 with large increases in chemotaxis to their cognate ligands. By contrast, while anti-IgM also led to enhanced calcium responses, LPS-treated cells showed only small changes in calcium signaling as compared with cells that were freshly isolated. Of particular interest, we found that LPS caused a reduction in the level of B-cell phospholipase C (PLC)-β2 mRNA and protein. Data obtained using PLC-β2(-/-) mice showed that the β2 isoform mediates close to one-half the chemokine-induced calcium signal in resting and anti-IgM-activated B cells, and we found that calcium signals in the LPS-treated cells were boosted by increasing the level of PLC-β2 using transfection, consistent with a functional effect of downregulating PLC-β2. Together, our results show activator-specific effects on responses through B-cell chemokine receptors that are mediated by quantitative changes in a downstream signal-transducing protein, revealing an activity for LPS as a downregulator of PLC-β2, and a novel mechanism for controlling chemokine-induced signals in lymphocytes.