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Notch signaling is involved in an intercellular communication mechanism that is essential for coordinated cell fate determination and tissue morphogenesis. The biological effects of Notch signaling are context-dependent. We investigated the functional and hierarchical relationship between angiotensin (Ang) II receptor signaling and Notch signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). A fluorogenic substrate assay revealed directly that the enzymatic activity of γ-secretase was enhanced after 10 min of Ang II stimulation in HEK293 cells expressing Ang II type 1 receptor. Notch cleavage by γ-secretase was consistently induced and peaked at 10 min after Ang II stimulation, and the Ang II-stimulated increase in Notch intracellular domain production was significantly suppressed by treatment with the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT. Treatment with DAPT also significantly reduced the Ang II-stimulated proliferation and migration of human aortic VSMCs, as revealed by BrdU incorporation and the Boyden chamber assay, respectively. Systemic administration of the γ-secretase inhibitor dibenzazepine reduced Ang II-induced medial thickening and perivascular fibrosis in the aortas of wild-type mice. These findings suggest that the hierarchical Ang II receptor-Notch signaling pathway promotes the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, and thereby contributes to the progression of vascular remodeling.

A growing body of evidence has suggested that the use of angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT1) receptor blockers (ARBs) leads to a significant decrease in mortality and morbidity in patients with congestive heart failure. The AT1 receptor is a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor, and is involved in regulating the physiological and pathological process of the cardiovascular system. Systemically and locally generated Ang II has agonistic action on AT1 receptor. However, recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that AT1 receptor is structurally flexible and instable, and has significant and varying levels of spontaneous activity in an Ang II-independent manner. Furthermore, mechanical stress activates AT1 receptor by inducing conformational switch without the involvement of Ang II. Experimental studies have demonstrated that Ang II-independent activation of AT1 receptor is profoundly relevant to the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling in vivo, and that these agonist-independent activities of AT1 receptor can be inhibited by inverse agonists, but not by neutral antagonists. Therefore, inverse agonist activity emerges as an important pharmacological parameter that contributes to cardioprotective effects of ARBs through inhibiting both Ang II-dependent and -independent activation of AT1 receptor.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the salvage pathway for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis and thereby regulates the deacetylase activity of sirtuins. Here we show accommodative regulation of myocardial NAD+ by monocyte-derived extracellular Nampt (eNampt), which is essential for hemodynamic compensation to pressure overload. Although intracellular Nampt (iNampt) expression was decreased in pressure-overloaded hearts, myocardial NAD+ concentration and Sirt1 activity were preserved. In contrast, iNampt was up-regulated in spleen and monocytes and circulating eNampt protein and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a key precursor of NAD+, were significantly increased. Pharmacological inhibition of Nampt by FK866 or depletion of monocytes/macrophages by clodronate liposomes disrupted the homeostatic mechanism of myocardial NAD+ levels and NAD+-dependent Sirt1 activity, leading to susceptibility to cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac decompensation in pressure-overloaded mice. These biochemical and hemodynamic defects were prevented by systemic administration of NMN. Our studies uncover a crucial role of monocyte-derived eNampt in myocardial adaptation to pressure overload and highlight a potential intervention controlling myocardial NAD+ against heart failure.

Disruption of angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor prolonged life span in mice. Since aging-related decline in skeletal muscle function was retarded in Atgr1a−/− mice, we examined the role of AT1 receptor in muscle regeneration after injury. Administration of AT1 receptor blocker irbesartan increased the size of regenerating myofibers, decreased fibrosis and enhanced functional muscle recovery after cryoinjury. We recently reported that complement C1q, secreted by macrophages, activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and promoted aging-related decline in regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle. Notably, irbesartan induced M2 polarization of macrophages, but reduced C1q expression in cryoinjured muscles and in cultured macrophage cells. Irbesartan inhibited up-regulation of Axin2, a downstream gene of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, in cryoinjured muscles. In addition, topical administration of C1q reversed beneficial effects of irbesartan on skeletal muscle regeneration after injury. These results suggest that AT1 receptor blockade improves muscle repair and regeneration through down-regulation of the aging-promoting C1q-Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Enzymatic proteolysis by calpains, Ca(2+)-dependent intracellular cysteine proteases, has been implicated in pathological processes such as cellular degeneration or death. Here, we investigated the role of calpain activation in the hearts subjected to myocardial infarction. We produced myocardial infarction in Cast(-/-) mice deficient for calpastatin, the specific endogenous inhibitory protein for calpains, and Cast(+/+) mice. The activity of cardiac calpains in Cast(+/+) mice was not elevated within 1 day but showed a gradual elevation after 7 days following myocardial infarction, which was further pronounced in Cast(-/-) mice. Although the prevalence of cardiomyocyte death was indistinguishable between Cast(-/-) and Cast(+/+) mice, Cast(-/-) mice exhibited profound contractile dysfunction and chamber dilatation and showed a significant reduction in survival rate after myocardial infarction as compared with Cast(+/+) mice. Notably, immunofluorescence revealed that at 28 days after myocardial infarction, calpains were activated in cardiomyocytes exclusively at the border zone and that Cast(-/-) mice showed higher intensity and a broader extent of calpain activation at the border zone than Cast(+/+) mice. In the border zone of Cast(-/-) mice, pronounced activation of calpains was associated with a decrease in N-cadherin expression and up-regulation of molecular markers for cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. In cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes, calpain activation by treatment with ionomycin induced cleavage of N-cadherin and decreased expression levels of β-catenin and connexin 43, which was attenuated by calpain inhibitor. These results thus demonstrate that activation of calpains disassembles cell-cell adhesion at intercalated discs by degrading N-cadherin and thereby promotes left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction.

The octapeptide angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a homeostatic role in the regulation of blood pressure and water and electrolyte balance, and also contributes to the progression of cardiovascular remodeling. Ang II activates Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor and type 2 (AT2) receptor, both of which belong to the seven-transmembrane, G protein-coupled receptor family. Most of the actions of Ang II such as promotion of cellular prolifaration, hypertrophy, and fibrosis are mediated by AT1 receptor. However, in some pathological situations, AT2 receptor shows an increase in tissue expression and functions to antagonize the actions induced by AT1 receptor. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying receptor activation and signal transduction of AT1 and AT2 receptor in the cardiovascular system.

The angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor mainly mediates the physiological and pathological actions of Ang II, but recent studies have suggested that AT 1 receptor inherently shows spontaneous constitutive activity even in the absence of Ang II in culture cells. To elucidate the role of Ang II–independent AT 1 receptor activation in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing AT 1 receptor under the control of α-myosin heavy chain promoter in angiotensinogen-knockout background (AT 1 Tg-AgtKO mice). In AT 1 Tg-AgtKO hearts, redistributions of the Gα q11 subunit into cytosol and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases were significantly increased, compared with angiotensinogen-knockout mice hearts, suggesting that the AT 1 receptor is constitutively activated independent of Ang II. As a consequence, AT 1 Tg-AgtKO mice showed spontaneous systolic dysfunction and chamber dilatation, accompanied by severe interstitial fibrosis. Progression of cardiac remodeling in AT 1 Tg-AgtKO mice was prevented by treatment with candesartan, an inverse agonist for the AT 1 receptor, but not by its derivative candesartan-7H, deficient of inverse agonism attributed to a lack of the carboxyl group at the benzimidazole ring. Our results demonstrate that constitutive activity of the AT 1 receptor under basal conditions contributes to the cardiac remodeling even in the absence of Ang II, when the AT 1 receptor is upregulated in the heart.