[摘要]:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy, although its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. To determine the effect of PPARa activation on endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and explore its molecular mechanisms, we evaluated the interaction of PPAR alpha with nuclear factor of activated T-cells c4 (NFATc4) in nuclei of cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats in primary culture. In ET-1-stimulated cardiomyocytes, data from electrophoretic mobility-shift assays (EMSA) and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) revealed that fenofibrate (Fen), a PPAR alpha activator, in a concentration-dependent manner, enhanced the association of NFATc4 with PPAR alpha and decreased its interaction with GATA-4, in promoter complexes involved in activation of the rat brain natriuretic peptide (rBNP) gene. Effects of PPAR alpha overexpression were similar to those of its activation by Fen. PPAR alpha depletion by small interfering RNA abolished inhibitory effects of Fen on NFATc4 binding to GATA-4 and the rBNP DNA. Quantitative RT-PCR and confocal microscopy confirmed inhibitory effects of PPAR alpha activation on elevation of rBNP mRNA levels and ET-1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Our results suggest that activated PPAR alpha can compete with GATA-4 binding to NFATc4, thereby decreasing transactivation of NFATc4, and interfering with ET-1 induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.