The Cyclosporin A-sensitive Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells (NFAT) Proteins Are Expressed in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Expression of the antigen-regulated, cyclosporin A-sensitive nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) is not restricted to lymphoid cells, as thought initially, but the physiological inducers of NFAT-mediated transcription in non-lymphoid cells are unknown. Here, cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are shown to express two isoforms of the NFAT family endogenously, which are localized differentially in cells under resting conditions. Using a retroviral NFAT-specific luciferase reporter, we show that VSMC support previously unrecognized complexities in NFAT-mediated transcription, including evidence for negative regulation by Ca2+ signaling and positive regulation through co-activation of adenylyl cyclase and Ca2+ mobilization. The VSMC mitogen platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) induces NFAT-mediated transcription in VSMC. Thrombin and angiotensin II, which activate Gαq-coupled receptors, are significantly weaker inducers of NFAT-mediated luciferase expression than is PDGF-BB. However, co-stimulation studies show that Gαq receptor agonists augment the NFAT-mediated transcriptional response to PDGF-BB. This synergy can be explained in part by augmented intracellular Ca2+ transients elicited by multiple agonist challenges. These data indicate that agonists for phospholipase C-coupled receptors stimulate NFAT-mediated transcription in VSMC differentially, and that NFAT can function to integrate co-activating signals in the extracellular environment.

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