Signaling pathways mediating gastrointestinal smooth muscle contraction and MLC20 phosphorylation by motilin receptors

Abstract

The signaling cascades initiated by motilin receptors in gastric and intestinal smooth muscle cells were characterized. Motilin bound with high affinity (IC50 0.7 ± 0.2 nM) to receptors on smooth muscle cells; the receptors were rapidly internalized via G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2). Motilin selectively activated Gq and G13, stimulated Gαq-dependent phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis and 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ release, and increased cytosolic free Ca2+. PI hydrolysis was blocked by expression of Gαq minigene and augmented by overexpression of dominant negative RGS4(N88S) or GRK2(K220R). Motilin induced a biphasic, concentration-dependent contraction (EC50 = 1.0 ± 0.2 nM), consisting of an initial peak followed by a sustained contraction. The initial Ca2+-dependent contraction and myosin light-chain (MLC)20 phosphorylation were inhibited by the PLC inhibitor U-73122 and the MLC kinase inhibitor ML-9 but were not affected by the Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632 or the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide. Sustained contraction and MLC20 phosphorylation were RhoA dependent and mediated by two downstream messengers: PKC and Rho kinase. The latter was partly inhibited by expression of Gαq or Gα13 minigene and abolished by coexpression of both minigenes. Sustained contraction and MLC20 phosphorylation were partly inhibited by Y27632 and bisindolylmaleimide and abolished by a combination of both inhibitors. The inhibition reflected phosphorylation of two MLC phosphatase inhibitors: CPI-17 via PKC and MYPT1 via Rho kinase. We conclude that motilin initiates a Gαq-mediated cascade involving Ca2+/calmodulin activation of MLC kinase and transient MLC20 phosphorylation and contraction as well as a sustained Gαq- and Gα13-mediated, RhoA-dependent cascade involving phosphorylation of CPI-17 by PKC and MYPT1 by Rho kinase, leading to inhibition of MLC phosphatase and sustained MLC20 phosphorylation and contraction.