Responses of cardiac protein kinase C isoforms to distinct pathological stimuli are differentially regulated

Currently at least 11 protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms have been identified and may play different roles in cell signaling pathways leading to changes in cardiac contractility, the hypertrophic response, and tolerance to myocardial ischemia. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that responses of individual PKC isoforms to distinct pathological stimuli were differentially regulated in the adult guinea pig heart. Isolated hearts were perfused by the Langendorff method and were exposed to ischemia, hypoxia, H(2)O(2), or angiotensin II. Hypoxia and ischemia induced translocation of PKC isoforms alpha, beta(2), gamma, and zeta, and H(2)O(2) translocated PKC isoforms alpha, beta(2), and zeta. Angiotensin II produced translocation of alpha, beta(2), epsilon, gamma, and zeta isoforms. Inhibition of phospholipase C with tricyclodecan-9-yl-xanthogenate (D609) blocked hypoxia-induced (alpha, beta(2), and zeta) and angiotensin II-induced (alpha, beta(2), gamma, and zeta) translocation of PKC isoforms. Inhibition of tyrosine kinase with genistein blocked translocation of PKC isoforms by hypoxia (beta(2) and zeta) and by angiotensin II (beta(2)). By contrast, neither D609 nor genistein blocked H(2)O(2)-induced translocation of any PKC isoform. We conclude that hypoxia-induced activation of PKC isoforms is mediated through pathways involving phospholipase C and tyrosine kinase, but oxidative stress may activate PKC isoforms independently of Galphaq-phospholipase C coupling and tyrosine kinase signaling. Because oxidative stress may directly activate PKC, and PKC activation appears to be involved in human heart failure, selective inhibition of the PKC isoforms may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of this pathological process.