Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates migration of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) in addition to its contribution to contraction and hypertrophy. It is well established that Rho GTPases regulate cellular contractility and migration by reorganizing the actin cytoskeleton. Ang II activates Rac1 GTPase, but its upstream guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) remains elusive. Here, we show that Ang II-induced VSMC migration occurs in a βPIX GEF-dependent manner. βPIX-specific siRNA treatment significantly inhibited Ang II-induced VSMC migration. Ang II activated the catalytic activity of βPIX towards Rac1 in dose-and time-dependent manners. Activity reached a peak at 10 min and declined close to a basal level by 30 min following stimulation. Pharmacological inhibition with specific kinase inhibitors revealed the participation of protein kinase C, Src family kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) upstream of βPIX. Both p21-activated kinase and reactive oxygen species played key roles in cytoskeletal reorganization downstream of βPIX-Rac1. Taken together, our results suggest that βPIX is involved in Ang II-induced VSMC migration.

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