Protein-tyrosine-kinase-dependent expression of cyclo-oxygenase-1 and -2 mRNAs in human endothelial cells

Endothelial cells possess constitutive or inducible cycle-oxygenase (COX) isoenzymes for prostacyclin production, but the mechanisms for their expression are largely unknown. We found that vanadate, an inhibitor of protein-tyrosine phosphatases, induced the expression of two COX isoenzyme mRNAs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HWEC) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Vanadate also stimulated an increase in COX-2 protein levels, but did not affect significantly the levels of constitutively expressed COX-1 protein. Synergistic enhancement of expression of the two COX isoenzyme mRNAs was observed on stimulation of HUVEC with vanadate plus interleukin-1 alpha. Tyrphostin-47, which as an inhibitor of protein-tyrosine kinases abolished vanadate-induced protein-tyrosine phosphorylation, inhibited expression of the two COX isoenzyme mRNAs in HUVEC stimulated with vanadate or interleukin-la. These data provide conclusive evidence that activation of protein-tyrosine kinases is causally linked to expression of the mRNAs for the two COX isoenzymes in HUVEC.