Inhibitory effect of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to p44／p42 MAPK on angiotensin II-induced hypertrophic response in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocyte

AIM: To explore the inhibitory effect of antisense oligonucleotide (ODN) to mitogen activated protein kinase(MAPK) on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ). METHODS: A 17-mer phosphorothioate-protected antisense ODN directed against the initiation of translation sites of the p42 and p44 MAPK isoforms byliposomal transfection was applied to inhibit the translation of p44/p42 MAPK mRNA. The sense and random ODNs to p44/p42MAPK were used as sequence controls. Neonatal cardiac myocytes were exposed to Ang Ⅱ (10nmol/L) for 5 min and then harvested in lysis buffer for the measurement of the activity and the phosphorylated protein content of p44/p42MAPK that were tested by P-81 phosphocellulose filter paper method and Western blotting, respectively. The rate of protein synthesis by [^3H]leucine incorporation and the diameter of cell were measured after exposure to Ang Ⅱ for 24 h and 72 h, respectively. RESULTS: In cardiac myocyte Ang Ⅱ increased p44/p42MAPK activity and phosphorylated protein content by 140 % and 699 %, and also increased [^3H]leucine incorporation and cell diameter by 40 % and 27 %. c-fos and c-myc mRNAs were induced significantly after exposure to Ang Ⅱ. Antisense ODN to p44/p42MAPK (0.2 μmol/L) reduced Ang Ⅱ-induced MAPK activity by 30 %,and phophorylated MAPK protein expression by 59 % in cardiac myocyte, and inhibited c-fos and c-myc mRNA expression induced by Ang Ⅱ by 44 % and 43 %, respectively. The diameter and the rate of protein synthesis of cardiac myocyte induced by Ang Ⅱ were decreased by 16 % and 22 % after pretreatment with antisense ODN to p44/p42MAPK. CONCLUSION: Antisense ODN to p44/p42 MAPK inhibited the increase of rate of protein synthesis,and the augmentation of cell diameter and expression of c-fos and c-myc mRNA induced by Ang Ⅱ in culturedcardiac myocytes, p44/p42 MAPK played a critical role in the hypertrophic response induced by Ang Ⅱ in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.