One of the most significant insults that jeopardize cardiomyocyte homeostasis is a surge of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the failing myocardium. Early growth response factor-1 (Egr-1) has been found to act as a transcriptional regulator in multiple biological processes known to exert deleterious effects on cardiomyocytes. We thus investigated the signaling pathways involved in its regulation by H2O2. Egr-1 mRNA levels were found to be maximally induced after 2 h in H2O2-treated H9c2 cells. Egr-1 respective response at the protein level, was found to be maximally induced after 2 h of treatment with 200 μM H2O2, remaining elevated for 6 h, and declining thereafter. H2O2- induced upregulation of Egr-1 mRNA and protein levels was ablated in the presence of agents inhibiting ERKs pathway (PD98059) and JNKs (SP600125, AS601245). Immunofluorescent experiments revealed H2O2-induced Egr-1 nuclear sequestration to be also ERK- and JNK-dependent. Overall, our results show for the first time the fundamental role of ERKs and JNKs in regulating Egr-1 response to H2O2 treatment in cardiac cells at multiple levels: mRNA, protein and subcellular distribution. Nevertheless, further studies are required to elucidate the specific physiological role of Egr-1 regarding the modulation of gene expression and determination of cell fate., I.-K. S. Aggeli, I. Beis, C. Gaitanaki., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
There is accumulating evidence showing that ischemic preconditioning (PC) may lose its cardioprotective effect in the diseased states. The present study investigated whether PC can be effective in hypothyroidism, a clinical condition which is common and often accompanies cardiac diseases such as heart failure and myocardial infarction. Hypothyroidism was induced in rats by 3-week administration of 6n-propyl-2-thiouracil in water (0.05 %). Normal and hypothyroid hearts (HYPO) were perfused in Langendorff mode and subjected to 20 min of zero-flow global ischemia and 45 min of reperfus ion. A preconditioning protocol (PC) was also applied prior to ischemia. HYPO hearts had significantly improved post-ischemic recovery of left ventricular developed pressure, end-diastolic pressure and reduced lactate dehydrogenase release. Furthermore, phospho-JNK and p38 MAPK levels after ischemia and reperfusion were 4.0 and 3.0 fold lower in HYPO as compared to normal hearts ( P<0.05). A different response to PC was observed in normal than in HYPO hearts. PC improved the post-ischemic recovery of function and reduced the extent of injury in normal hearts but had no additional effect on the hypothyroid hearts. This response, in the preconditioned normal hearts, resulted in 2.5 and 1.8 fold smaller expression of the phospho-JNK and phospho-p38 MAPK levels at the end of reperfusion, as compared to non-PC hearts ( P<0.05), while in HYPO hearts, no additional reduction in the phosphorylation of these kinases was observed after PC. Hypothyroid hearts appear to be tolerant to ischemia-reperfusion injury. This response may be, at least in part, due to the down-regulation of ischemia-reperfusion induced activation of JNKs and p38 MAPK kinases. PC is not associated with further reduction in the activation of these kinases in the hypothyroid hearts and fails to confer added protection in those hearts., I. Mourouzis ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury