Activation of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2–Related Factor 2 Coordinates Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase/PPAR-γ/Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Pathways That Enhance Nitric Oxide Generation in Human Glomerular Endothelial Cells. Issue 4 (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Luo, Zaiming; Aslam, Shakil; Welch, William J.; Wilcox, Christopher S.
• Is Part Of: Hypertension. Volume 65:Issue 4(2015:Apr.)
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: Hypertension -- Periodicals; Hypertension -- Treatment -- Periodicals; 616.132005
• DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.04760
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0194-911X

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <p>Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) degrades asymmetric dimethylarginine, which inhibits nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS). Nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcriptional factor that binds to antioxidant response elements and transcribes many antioxidant genes. Because the promoters of the human DDAH-1 and DDAH-2, endothelial NOS (eNOS) and PPAR-γ genes contain 2 to 3 putative antioxidant response elements, we hypothesized that they were regulated by Nrf2/antioxidant response element. Incubation of human renal glomerular endothelial cells with the Nrf2 activator <italic>tert</italic>-butylhydroquinone (20 μmol·L<sup>−1</sup>) significantly (<italic>P</italic><0.05) increased NO and activities of NOS and DDAH and decreased asymmetric dimethylarginine. It upregulated genes for hemoxygenase-1, eNOS, DDAH-1, DDAH-2, and PPAR-γ and partitioned Nrf2 into the nucleus. Knockdown of Nrf2 abolished these effects. Nrf2 bound to one antioxidant response element on DDAH-1 and DDAH-2 and PPAR-γ promoters but not to the eNOS promoter. An increased eNOS and phosphorylated eNOS (P-eNOSser-1177) expression with <italic>tert</italic>-butylhydroquinone was prevented by knockdown of PPAR-γ. Expression of Nrf2 was reduced by knockdown of PPAR-γ, whereas PPAR-γ was reduced by knockdown of Nrf2, thereby demonstrating 2-way positive interactions. Thus, Nrf2 transcribes HO-1 and other genes to reduce reactive oxygen species, and DDAH-1 and DDAH-2 to reduce asymmetric dimethylarginine and PPAR-γ to increase eNOS and its phosphorylation and activity thereby coordinating 3 pathways that enhance endothelial NO generation.</p> </sec> </abstract>