Cardiac-Specific Overexpression of Diacylglycerol Kinase ζ Prevents Gq Protein-Coupled Receptor Agonist-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy in Transgenic Mice

Abstract
Background— Diacylglycerol is a lipid second messenger that accumulates in cardiomyocytes when stimulated by Gqα protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists such as angiotensin II, phenylephrine, and others. Diacylglycerol functions as a potent activator of protein kinase C (PKC) and is catalyzed by diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) to form phosphatidic acid and inactivated. However, the functional roles of DGK have not been previously examined in the heart. We hypothesized that DGK might prevent GPCR agonist-induced activation of diacylglycerol downstream signaling cascades and subsequent cardiac hypertrophy. Methods and Results— To test this hypothesis, we generated transgenic (DGKζ-TG) mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of DGKζ. There were no differences in heart size and heart weight between DGKζ-TG and wild-type littermate mice. The left ventricular function was normal in DGKζ-TG mice. Continuous administration of subpressor doses of angiotensin II and phenylephrine caused PKC translocation, gene induc...

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