Divergent signaling pathways mediate induction of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 and beta1 subunit gene transcription by low potassium.

Prolonged inhibition of Na,K-ATPase enzymatic activity by exposure of a variety of mammalian cells to low external K+ yields a subsequent adaptive up-regulation of Na,K-ATPase expression. The aim of this study was to examine the intracellular signal transduction system that is responsible for mediating increased Na,K-ATPase subunit gene expression in primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. In this work, we show long-term inhibition of Na,K-ATPase function with 0.6 mM K+ resulted in hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes and augmentation of Na,K-ATPase alpha1 and beta1 subunit gene expression. Transient transfection experiments in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes demonstrated that low K+ induction of alpha1 and beta1 gene transcription was dependent on intracellular Ca2+ and activation of calcineurin. Based on effects of pharmacological inhibitors, protein kinase A (PKA), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and histone deacetylase were found to be unique downstream components in the low K+ signal transduction pathway leading to increased alpha1 subunit promoter activity. Similarly, low K+-induced beta1 subunit gene transcription was dependent on activation of protein kinase C (PKC), c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). These findings indicate that persistent inhibition of Na,K-ATPase activity with low external K+ activates overlapping and Na,K-ATPase subunit gene-specific signaling pathways in cardiac myocytes.