Effects of monensin on tropoelastin metabolism in vascular smooth muscle cells: monensin causes intracellular degradation of accumulated tropoelastin.

Treatment with 80 nM monensin for 48 h resulted in impairment of tropoelastin secretion during the initial 6 h and subsequent reduction of tropoelastin synthesis from 18 to 48 h to one-tenth. The steady state level of tropoelastin mRNA started to decrease at 6 h and reached one-fifth of the control level by 48 h. A pulse-chase experiment after 24 h monensin treatment demonstrated that half of the accumulated tropoelastin in the cells was rapidly degraded within 120 min. These results indicate that the marked reduction in tropoelastin synthesis from 6 to 48 h treatment may be caused by both a reduction in the tropoelastin mRNA level and accelerated intracellular degradation of tropoelastin. Thus, monensin modulates tropoelastin expression through pretranslational and posttranslational mechanisms.