Angiotensin II-stimulated collagen gel contraction by heart fibroblasts: role of the AT1 receptor and tyrosine kinase activity.

The accumulation and organization of extracellular matrix (ECM) components play critical roles in development, maintenance, and pathogenesis of most organ systems. These processes are regulated by the precisely orchestrated expression of ECM components, their receptors, and matrix proteases. The collagen gel culture system has been extensively used as a model to examine ECM remodeling similar to that which occurs during development and wound healing. Growth factors, including transforming growth factor-beta, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and angiotensin II, have been shown to stimulate collagen gel contraction. The present studies were undertaken to begin to examine the mechanisms through which angiotensin II stimulates collagen remodeling and gel contraction. These studies indicate that angiotensin II stimulates collagen gel contraction by isolated heart fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner and that this response is inhibited by the AT1 receptor antagonist Losartan. Furthermore, stimulation of collagen gel contraction by angiotensin II is also blocked by the src-related tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin, indicating that activation of tyrosine kinases plays critical roles in this process. Stimulation of gel contraction by angiotensin II also involves the activation of JAK2, a member of the JAK/STAT pathways of transcriptional activation. Immunoprecipitation of surface-labeled fibroblasts indicate that cell surface levels of collagen-binding integrins also increase in response to angiotensin II treatment. Determining the underlying mechanisms regulating ECM remodeling is essential to understanding the role of ECM organization in development and disease.