Effect of angiotensin II on myocardial collagen gene expression

Recent studies suggest that angiotensin II (angiotensin) may be involved in the regulation of metabolism of the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM). Two major components of ECM are collagen types I and III which play an important role in maintaining the structure and function of the heart. Although the cellular metabolism of collagen is very complex (especially at the posttranslational level), we chose to address events that occur relatively early in the synthesis of cardiac collagen molecules. To gain an understanding of the role of angiotensin (12, 24, and 48 micrograms/kg/h) on adult heart and cultured neonatal cardiac fibroblasts. The steady-state mRNA abundance of collagen type I and III was monitored using Northern blot analysis in both left and right ventricular samples at day 3 of angiotensin infusion and in cultured cardiac fibroblasts stimulated with angiotensin. In all mRNA abundance studies, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) signal was used to normalize the data for possible differences in loading and/or transfer of total RNA. Both collagen types I/GAPDH and III/GAPDH mRNA signal ratios were increased significantly in left ventricle in all dose regimens used for angiotensin infusion. Only the collagen type I/GAPDH mRNA signal ratio was increased in right ventricle with angiotensin infusion. Angiotensin (10(-7)-10(-5) M) had no effect on the steady-state mRNA abundance of collagen genes in cultured neonatal cardiac fibroblasts after 24 h treatment in serum-free conditions. Our results confirm that infusion of angiotensin may upregulate steady-state collagen gene mRNA abundance in the heart. Angiotensin had no observable effect on collagen mRNA abundance in neonatal fibroblast culture. An explanation for the current results may be that angiotensin causes the release of undefined factors from cardiac myocytes, and that these secondary factors may be involved in either the activation of collagen gene transcription or in alteration of stability of collagen mRNA transcripts via a paracrine mechanism. Although our results indicate hemodynamic loading may potentiate the action of angiotensin, this scenario is unlikely as collagen type I gene expression was increased in the normotensive right ventricle.