PGC-1 alpha Serine 570 Phosphorylation and GCN5-mediated Acetylation by Angiotensin II Drive Catalase Down-regulation and Vascular Hypertrophy

Abstract Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a pleuripotential hormone that is important in the pathophysiology of multiple conditions including aging, cardiovascular and renal diseases, and insulin resistance. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators of Ang II-induced signaling generally and have a well defined role in vascular hypertrophy, which is inhibited by overexpression of catalase, inferring a specific role of H2O2. The molecular mechanisms are understood incompletely. The transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a key regulator of energy metabolism and ROS-scavenging enzymes including catalase. We show that Ang II stimulates Akt-dependent PGC-1α serine 570 phosphorylation, which is required for the binding of the histone acetyltransferase GCN5 (general control nonderepressible 5) to PGC-1α and for its lysine acetylation. These sequential post-translational modifications suppress PGC-1α activity and prevent its binding to the catalase promoter through the forkhead box O1 transcription factor, thus decreasing catalase expression. We demonstrate that overexpression of the phosphorylation-defective mutant PGC-1α (S570A) prevents Ang II-induced increases in H2O2 levels and hypertrophy ([3H]leucine incorporation). Knockdown of PGC-1α by small interfering RNA promotes basal and Ang II-stimulated ROS and hypertrophy, which is reversed by polyethylene glycol-conjugated catalase. Thus, endogenous PGC-1α is a negative regulator of vascular hypertrophy by up-regulating catalase expression and thus reducing ROS levels. We provide novel mechanistic insights by which Ang II may mediate its ROS-dependent pathophysiologic effects on multiple cardiometabolic diseases.