Alteration of Serotonin 2C Receptor Expression in the Aorta and the Pulmonary Artery in Rats Exposed to Hypoxia

Bo Zhang ； Yi Liu ； Ying Luo ； Wen Niu ； Zhi-Chao Li

《The Chinese Journal of Physiology》 51卷6期 (2008/12) Pp. 338-347

並列摘要

In the present study we reported the expression of the 5-HT(subscript 2C) receptor (5-HT(subscript 2C)-R) in the aorta and the pulmonary artery in rats exposed to hypoxia, and examined its role in vascular smooth muscle cells. Immunochemistry, quantitative RT-PCR, and western blot were used to examine 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R expression. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to explore the role of 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R in vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation and contraction induced by 5-HT.5-HT(subscript 2C)-R immunoreactivity was confined predominantly to the plasma membrane in the rat aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) and the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R mRNA expression in the aorta of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) rats was more than that in the pulmonary artery. Hypoxia-induced 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R protein expression in the aorta was less than that in the pulmonary artery, indicating that 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R might mediate different responses of the aorta and the pulmonary artery to 5-HT in HPH. We also demonstrated that RNA editing may not be involved in the different expression levels of 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R in the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The higher expression of 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R in the pulmonary artery versus the aorta of HPH rats was partly due to the increased protein stability. siRNA was used to knock down the expression of 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R. 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R-specific siRNA reduced the proliferation and contraction of vascular smooth muscle cells induced by 5-HT. In conclusion, the different expression patterns of 5-HT(subscript 2C)-R protein in the aorta and the pulmonary artery suggest that this 5-HT receptor may be involved, at least partly, in modulating different responses of systemic vessels and pulmonary vasculature to 5-HT in HPH.

並列關鍵字

aorta ； hypoxia ； pulmonary artery ； receptor ； serotonin

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