The transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) regulates expression of a variety of genes involved in immune responses, inflammation, proliferation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis). Here, we show that in rat neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes, activation of NF-κB is involved in the hypertrophic response induced by myotrophin, a hypertrophic activator identified from spontaneously hypertensive rat heart and cardiomyopathic human hearts. Myotrophin treatment stimulated NF-κB nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity, accompanied by IκB-α phosphorylation and degradation. Consistently, myotrophin-induced NF-κB activation was enhanced by wild-type IκB kinase (IKK) β and abolished by the dominant-negative IKKβ or a general PKC inhibitor, calphostin C. Importantly, myotrophin-induced expression of two hypertrophic genes (atrial natriuretic factor [ANF] and c-myc ) and also enhanced protein synthesis were partially inhibited by a potent NF-κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithio-carbamate (PDTC), and calphostin C. Expression of the dominant-negative form of IκB-α or IKKβ also partially inhibited the transcriptional activity of ANF induced by myotrophin. These findings suggest that the PKC–IKK–NF-κB pathway may play a critical role in mediating the myotrophin-induced hypertrophic response in cardiomyocytes.
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