Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.390, No.2, 258-262, 2009
beta-Catenin/TCF/LEF1 can directly regulate phenylephrine-induced cell hypertrophy and Anf transcription in cardiomyocytes
beta-Catenin/TCF/LEF1 signaling is implicated in cardiac hypertrophy. We demonstrate that knockdown of beta-catenin attenuates phenylephrine (PE)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and the up-regulation of the fetal gene Anf. We explore the mechanism through which p-catenin regulates Anf expression and find a consensus binding sequence on the Anf promoter for TCF/LEF1 family members. LEF1 binds directly to the Anf promoter via this sequence, which shows functional significance, and PE Stimulation enhances recruitment of beta-catenin onto the Anf promoter. Thus, we document a direct positive role of beta-catenin on PE-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and identify a new target gene for beta-catenin/TCF/LEF1. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.