Rho-kinase inhibitors decrease TGF-β-stimulated VEGF synthesis through stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase in osteoblasts

We have previously reported that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) stimulates the synthesis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, p38 MAP kinase and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. In order to investigate whether Rho-kinase is involved in the TGF-β-stimulated VEGF synthesis in these cells we examined the effects of Rho-kinase inhibitors on the VEGF synthesis. TGF-β time-dependently induced the phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase targeting subunit (MYPT-1) which is a well known substrate of Rho-kinase. Y27632 and fasudil, Rho-kinase inhibitors, significantly reduced the TGF-β-stimulated VEGF synthesis as well as the MYPT-1 phosphorylation. Y27632 and fasudil failed to affect the TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAP kinase, p38 MAP kinase or Smad2. On the contrary, Y27632 as well as fasudil markedly suppressed the TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that Rho-kinase regulates TGF-β-stimulated VEGF synthesis via SAPK/JNK activation in osteoblasts.