Diacylglycerol kinase-ε restores cardiac dysfunction under chronic pressure overload: a new specific regulator of Gαqsignaling cascade

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Abstract
Gαqprotein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway, which includes diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein kinase C (PKC), plays a critical role in cardiac hypertrophy. DAG kinase (DGK) catalyzes DAG phosphorylation and controls cellular DAG levels, thus acting as a regulator of GPCR signaling. It has been reported that DGKε acts specifically on DAG produced by inositol cycling. In this study, we examined whether DGKε prevents cardiac hypertrophy and progression to heart failure under chronic pressure overload. We generated transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of DGKε (DGKε-TG) using an α-myosin heavy chain promoter. There were no differences in cardiac morphology and function between wild-type (WT) and DGKε-TG mice at the basal condition. Either continuous phenylephrine infusion or thoracic transverse aortic constriction (TAC) was performed in WT and DGKε-TG mice. Increases in heart weight after phenylephrine infusion and TAC were abolished in DGKε-TG mice compared with WT mice. Cardiac dysfunction after TAC was prevented in DGKε-TG mice, and the survival rate after TAC was higher in DGKε-TG mice than in WT mice. Phenylephrine- and TAC-induced DAG accumulation, the translocation of PKC isoforms, and the induction of fetal genes were blocked in DGKε-TG mouse hearts. The upregulation of transient receptor potential channel (TRPC)-6 expression after TAC was attenuated in DGKε-TG mice. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the first evidence that DGKε restores cardiac dysfunction and improves survival under chronic pressure overload by controlling cellular DAG levels and TRPC-6 expression. DGKε may be a novel therapeutic target to prevent cardiac hypertrophy and progression to heart failure.

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