Abstract

Airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) associated with heightened airway resistance and inflammation is a characteristic feature of asthma. It has been demonstrated that contractile responsiveness and Ca²⁺ sensitization to acetylcholine (ACh) in repeated antigen challenge-induced airway hyper-responsive bronchial preparation were significantly increased. The CPI-17 (PKC-potentiated inhibitory protein for heterotrimeric myosin light chain phosphatase of 17 kDa) is activated by protein kinase C and acts on a myosin light-chain phosphatase-specific target. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of CPI-17 in hyper-responsiveness of bronchial smooth muscle in antigen-induced AHR rats. In immunoblotting, the levels of expression of CPI-17 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in bronchus from rats that were repeatedly challenged with antigen. ACh-induced CPI-17 phosphorylation and translocation to membrane fraction were also significantly increased in bronchus from antigen-challenged rats. In conclusion, we suggest that augmented expression and activation of CPI-17 observed in the hyper-responsive bronchial smooth muscle might be responsible for the enhanced ACh-induced Ca²⁺ sensitization of bronchial smooth muscle contraction associated with AHR.