Alteration of vascular urotensin II receptor in mice with apolipoprotein E gene knockout

• Published in: Peptides (New York, N.Y. : 1980) Vol. 27; no. 4; pp. 858 - 863
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhi Jian, Shi, Li Bin, Xiong, Zhuo Wei, Zhang, Li Fang, Meng, Lei, Bu, Ding Fang, Tang, Chao Shu, Ding, Wen Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.04.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animals; Aorta; Apolipoprotein E knockout; Apolipoproteins E - deficiency; Apolipoproteins E - genetics; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; G-protein-coupled receptor; Gene Deletion; Gene expression; GPR14; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Models, Animal; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Urotensin II; Urotensins - metabolism; Vertebrates: endocrinology; GPR14; Urotensin II; Gene expression; G-protein-coupled receptor; Apolipoprotein E knockout; Atherosclerosis; Rodentia; Alteration; Cardiovascular disease; Urotensin; Hypothalamic hormone; Vascular disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Gene; Mouse; Urotensin II G-protein-coupled receptor GPR14 Apolipoprotein E knockout Gene expression Atherosclerosis; Apolipoprotein E; Animal; Mutation; G protein; Urotensin II receptor
• ISSN: 0196-9781; 1873-5169
• DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2005.08.028

Urotensin II (U-II), originally identified as a fish neuropeptide, exerts a broad spectrum of biological functions and is considered to be the most potent vasoconstrictor in mammals. Recently the intense staining of U-II-like immunoreactivity within coronary atheroma and the effect of mitogenic in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) suggest that U-II is possibly a proatherogenic factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In the present study, we analyzed the gene expression of U-II and GPR14, a high-affinity receptor for U-II, in aorta of apolipoprotein E (apoE) −/− mutant mice by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Compared with wild-type mice at the same age group, GPR14 mRNA level is significant increase in aorta of apoE −/− mice at age of 18, 28 and 38 weeks, respectively. The increased GPR14 mRNA level was 54.2, 50.0 and 97.0% in the three age groups, respectively. We did not detect U-II mRNA expression in aorta either in apoE −/− mice or in wild-type mice. In 28-week mice, ligand-binding assay showed that maximum binding capacity ( B max) of 125I-U-II aorta from apoE −/− mice was increased by 64%, while the affinity of the binding did not change compared with that of wild-type mice. These results indicate that the up-regulation of vascular U-II receptor (UT), GPR14 might be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.