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(Hypertension. 2009;53:182.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Distinct Roles of Protease-Activated Receptors in Signal Transduction Regulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase

Hiroyuki Suzuki; Evangeline D. Motley; Kunie Eguchi; Akinari Hinoki; Heigoro Shirai; Vabren Watts; Laura N. Stemmle; Timothy A. Fields; Satoru Eguchi

From the Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology (H. Susuki, K.E., A.H., H. Shirai, S.E.), Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa; Department of Cardiovascular Biology (E.D.M., V.W.), Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn; and the Department of Pathology (L.N.S., T.A.F.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Current address (T.A.F.): University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City.

Correspondence to Satoru Eguchi, Cardiovascular Research Center and Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, 3420 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140. E-mail seguchi{at}temple.edu

Protease-activated receptors (PARs), such as PAR1 and PAR2, have been implicated in the regulation of endothelial NO production. We hypothesized that PAR1 and PAR2 distinctly regulate the activity of endothelial NO synthase through the selective phosphorylation of a positive regulatory site, Ser¹¹⁷⁹, and a negative regulatory site, Thr⁴⁹⁷, in bovine aortic endothelial cells. A selective PAR1 ligand, TFLLR, stimulated the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase at Thr⁴⁹⁷. It had a minimal effect on Ser¹¹⁷⁹ phosphorylation. In contrast, a selective PAR2 ligand, SLIGRL, stimulated the phosphorylation of Ser¹¹⁷⁹ with no noticeable effect on Thr⁴⁹⁷. Thrombin has been shown to transactivate PAR2 through PAR1. Thus, thrombin, as well as a peptide mimicking the PAR1 tethered ligand, TRAP, stimulated phosphorylation of both sites. Also, thrombin and SLIGRL, but not TFLLR, stimulated cGMP production. A G_q inhibitor blocked thrombin- and SLIGRL-induced Ser¹¹⁷⁹ phosphorylation, whereas it enhanced thrombin-induced Thr⁴⁹⁷ phosphorylation. In contrast, a G_12/13 inhibitor blocked thrombin- and TFLLR-induced Thr⁴⁹⁷ phosphorylation, whereas it enhanced the Ser¹¹⁷⁹ phosphorylation. Although a Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y27632, blocked the Thr⁴⁹⁷ phosphorylation, other inhibitors that targeted Rho-kinase failed to block TFLLR-induced Thr⁴⁹⁷ phosphorylation. These data suggest that PAR1 and PAR2 distinctly regulate endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation and activity through G_12/13 and G_q, respectively, delineating the novel signaling pathways by which the proteases act on protease-activated receptors to potentially modulate endothelial functions.

Key Words: nitric oxide synthase • endothelial cell • thrombin • protease-activated receptor

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