Open AccessActivation of protein kinase C by elevation of glucose concentration: proposal for a mechanism in the development of diabetic vascular complications.
Author(s) -
Tian-Shing Lee,
Kirstie Saltsman,
Haruo Ohashi,
George L. King
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.86.13.5141
Subject(s) - protein kinase c , medicine , endocrinology , diacylglycerol kinase , vascular smooth muscle , cytosol , pericyte , carbohydrate metabolism , polyol pathway , biology , chemistry , diabetes mellitus , endothelial stem cell , kinase , biochemistry , in vitro , aldose reductase , enzyme , smooth muscle
Hyperglycemia is believed to be the major cause of diabetic vascular complications involving both microvessels and arteries as in the retina, renal glomeruli, and aorta. It is unclear by which mechanism hyperglycemia is altering the metabolism and functions of vascular cells, although changes in nonenzymatic protein glycosylation and increases in cellular sorbitol levels have been postulated to be involved. Previously, we have reported that the elevation of extracellular glucose levels with cultured bovine retinal capillary endothelial cells causes an increase in protein kinase C (PKC) activity of the membranous pool with a parallel decrease in the cytosol without alteration of its total activity. Now we demonstrate that the mechanism for the activation of PKC is due to an enhanced de novo synthesis of diacylglycerol as indicated by a 2-fold increase of [14C]diacylglycerol labeling from [14C]glucose. The elevated diacylglycerol de novo synthesis is secondarily due to increased formation of precursors derived from glucose metabolism; this formation is enhanced by hyperglycemia as substantiated by elevated [3H]glucose conversion into water. This effect of hyperglycemia on PKC is also observed in cultured aortic smooth muscle and endothelial cells and the retina and kidney of diabetic rats, but not in the brain. Since PKC in vascular cells has been shown to modulate hormone receptor turnover, neovascularization in vitro, and cell growth, we propose that this mechanism of enhancing the membranous PKC activities by hyperglycemia plays an important role in the development of diabetic vascular complications.