Adenosine induces endothelial apoptosis by activating protein tyrosine phosphatase: a possible role of p38alpha

Endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis is important in vascular injury, repair, and angiogenesis. Homocysteine and/or adenosine exposure of ECs causes apoptosis. Elevated homocysteine or adenosine occurs in disease states such as homocysteinuria and tissue necrosis, respectively. We examined the intracellular signaling mechanisms involved in this pathway of EC apoptosis. Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) attenuated homocysteine- and/or adenosine-induced apoptosis and completely blocked apoptosis induced by the inhibition of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase with MDL-28842. Consistent with this finding, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein enhanced apoptosis in adenosine-treated ECs. Adenosine significantly elevated the PTPase activity in the ECs. Mitogen-activated protein kinase activities were examined to identify possible downstream targets for the upregulated PTPase(s). Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 activity was slightly elevated in adenosine-treated ECs, whereas ERK2, c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase-1, or p38beta activities differed little. The mitogen-activated protein kinase-1 inhibitor PD-98059 enhanced DNA fragmentation, suggesting that increased ERK1 activity is a result but not a cause of apoptosis in adenosine-treated ECs. Adenosine-treated ECs had diminished p38alpha activity compared with control cells; this effect was blunted on PTPase inhibition. These results indicate that PTPase(s) plays an integral role in the induction of EC apoptosis upon exposure to homocysteine and/or adenosine, possibly by the attenuation of p38alpha activity.