Serelaxin-mediated signal transduction in human vascular cells: bell-shaped concentration-response curves reflect differential coupling to G proteins

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In a recently conducted phase III clinical trial, RELAX-AHF, serelaxin infusion over 48 h improved short- and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute heart failure. In this study we used human primary cells from the umbilical vasculature to better understand the signalling mechanisms activated by serelaxin.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We examined the acute effects of serelaxin on signal transduction mechanisms in primary human umbilical vascular cells and its chronic actions on markers of cardiovascular function and disease.
KEY RESULTS: The RXFP1 receptor, the cognate serelaxin receptor, was expressed at the cell surface in HUVECs and human umbilical vein smooth muscle cells (HUVSMCs), human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) and human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs), but not human umbilical artery endothelial cells. In HUVECs and HUVSMCs, serelaxin increased cAMP, cGMP accumulation and pERK1/2, and the concentration-response curves (CRCs) were bell-shaped. Similar bell-shaped CRCs for cGMP and pERK1/2 were observed in HCFs, whereas in HUASMCs, serelaxin increased cAMP, cGMP and pERK1/2 with sigmoidal CRCs. Gα_i/o and lipid raft disruption, but not Gαs inhibition, altered the serelaxin CRC for cAMP and cGMP accumulation in HUVSMC but not HUASMC. Longer term serelaxin exposure increased the expression of neuronal NOS, VEGF, ET_β receptors and MMPs (gelatinases) in RXFP1 receptor-expressing cells.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Serelaxin caused acute and chronic changes in human umbilical vascular cells that were cell background dependent. Bell-shaped CRCs that were observed only in venous cells and fibroblasts involved Gα_i/o located within membrane lipid rafts.