Angiotensin II activates mitogen-activated protein kinase via protein kinase C and Ras/Raf-1 kinase in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates growth and mitogenesis in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells, but little is known about the signaling pathways that mediate these responses. An analysis of the growth-promoting pathways in cultured bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells revealed that Ang II, acting via the AT1 receptor, caused rapid but transient activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), with an ED50 of 10-50 pM. Although neither Ca2+ influx nor Ca2+ release from intracellular stores was sufficient to activate MAPK, Ca2+ appeared to play a permissive role in this response. A major component of Ang II-induced MAPK activation was insensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX), although a minor PTX-sensitive component could not be excluded. Ang II also induced the rapid activation of ras and raf-1 kinase with time-courses that correlated with that of MAPK. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was sufficient to activate both MAPK and raf-1 kinase. However, whereas PKC depletion had no effect on Ang II-induced raf-1 kinase activation, it attenuated Ang II-induced MAPK activation. Ang II also stimulated a mobility shift of raf-1, reflecting hyperphosphorylation of the kinase. However, unlike its activation, raf-1 hyperphosphorylation was dependent on PKC and its time-course correlated not with activation, but rather with deactivation of the kinase. Taken together, these findings indicate that Ang II stimulates multiple pathways to MAPK activation via PKC and ras/raf-1 kinase in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells.