Effect of vasoactive agents on induction of Egr-1 in rat mesangial cells: correlation with mitogenicity.

The early growth response gene 1 (Egr-1) is a member of the family of immediate early response genes. Egr-1 encodes a nuclear phosphoprotein that binds a specific nonameric DNA sequence through three zinc-finger domains and functions as a transcriptional activator. We tested whether the vasoactive agents platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), arginine vasopressin (AVP), serotonin (5-HT), and angiotensin II (ANG II) induced Egr-1 mRNA in cultured rat mesangial cells (MCs) and investigated the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating the induction process. PDGF, AVP, and 5-HT induced Egr-1 mRNA within 15 min, reaching peak levels at 45-60 min. After PDGF and 5-HT stimulation, Egr-1 mRNA levels returned to baseline within 4 h, whereas AVP induced a sustained increase for up to 8 h. There was a very close correlation between doses required for Egr-1 induction and induction of MC proliferation. ANG II was a very weak MC mitogen and induced only a small increase in Egr-1 mRNA. Comparison of control cells with cells depleted of PKC by 48 h of PMA treatment revealed that induction of Egr-1 by PDGF and 5-HT is independent of PKC. In contrast, however, the Egr-1 response to AVP was diminished in PKC-depleted cells. AVP induced Egr-1 mRNA 10.9-fold in control cells, compared with 7.8-fold in PKC-depleted cells. Egr-1 mRNA after AVP stimulation remained elevated in control cells for up to 8 h but returned to baseline after 120 min in PKC-depleted cells. Similar results were obtained using the PKC-inhibitor H-7. Using immunocytochemistry, PDGF and AVP were found to induce Egr-1 protein within 30 min localized to the nucleus. We conclude that there is a strong correlation between induction of Egr-1 after stimulation with PDGF, AVP, 5-HT, and ANG II and the proliferative response elicited by these agents in MCs. AVP induces Egr-1 by both PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways, whereas the effects of PDGF and 5-HT are independent of PKC.