Nuclear β-adrenergic receptors modulate gene expression in adult rat heart

Both β 1- and β 3-adrenergic receptors (β 1ARs and β 3ARs) are present on nuclear membranes in adult ventricular myocytes. These nuclear-localized receptors are functional with respect to ligand binding and effector activation. In isolated cardiac nuclei, the non-selective βAR agonist isoproterenol stimulated de novo RNA synthesis measured using assays of transcription initiation (Boivin et al., 2006 Cardiovasc Res. 71:69–78). In contrast, stimulation of endothelin receptors, another G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that localizes to the nuclear membrane, resulted in decreased RNA synthesis. To investigate the signalling pathway(s) involved in GPCR-mediated regulation of RNA synthesis, nuclei were isolated from intact adult rat hearts and treated with receptor agonists in the presence or absence of inhibitors of different mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/PKB pathways. Components of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 MAP kinase cascades as well as PKB were detected in nuclear preparations. Inhibition of PKB with triciribine, in the presence of isoproterenol, converted the activation of the βAR from stimulatory to inhibitory with regards to RNA synthesis, while ERK1/2, JNK and p38 inhibition reduced both basal and isoproterenol-stimulated activity. Analysis by qPCR indicated an increase in the expression of 18 S rRNA following isoproterenol treatment and a decrease in NFκB mRNA. Further qPCR experiments revealed that isoproterenol treatment also reduced the expression of several other genes involved in the activation of NFκB, while ERK1/2 and PKB inhibition substantially reversed this effect. Our results suggest that GPCRs on the nuclear membrane regulate nuclear functions such as gene expression and this process is modulated by activation/inhibition of downstream protein kinases within the nucleus.