Protein/Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 Kinases in Cultured Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulated a cytosolic protein kinase activity toward myelin basic protein (MBP) in a timeand dose-dependent manner. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate also increased the MBP kinase activity. Downregulation of protein kinase C by prolonged treatment of the cells with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate markedly attenuated the Ang IIand PMA-induced MBP kinase activation. The Ang IIand PMA-stimulated MBP kinase activities were resolved almost equally into two distinct fractions on Mono-Q HRS/5 column chromatography (kinase 1 and kinase 2). The kinase assay in polyacrylamide gel revealed that apparent molecular masses of kinase 1 and kinase 2 were 40 and 45 kd, respectively. Microtubule-associated protein 2 also served as a substrate for both the kinases. Immunoblot analysis with an antiphosphotyrosine antibody suggested that both the kinases were tyrosine-phosphorylated during the action of Ang II. Phosphoamino acid analysis revealed that Ang II and PMA induced phosphorylation of both the kinases on serine/ threonine as well as tyrosine residues. Phosphopeptide mapping patterns of kinase 1 and kinase 2 isolated from Ang II-stimulated cells were almost identical with those from PMA-stimulated cells. These results indicate that in vascular smooth muscle cells Ang II activates two species of MBP/microtubule-associated protein 2 kinases mainly through the protein kinase C-signaling pathway and suggest that tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphorylation may be involved in this process. (Circulation Research 1992;71:620-630)