Neo BH, Patel D, Kandhi S, Wolin MS. Roles for cytosolic NADPH redox in regulating pulmonary artery relaxation by thiol oxidation-elicited subunit dimerization of protein kinase G1␣. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 305: H330 -H343, 2013. First published May 24, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01010.2011.-The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) appears to control a vascular smooth muscle relaxing mechanism regulated through cytosolic NADPH oxidation. Since our recent studies suggest that thiol oxidation-elicited dimerization of the 1␣ form of protein kinase G (PKG1␣) contributes to the relaxation of isolated endothelium-removed bovine pulmonary arteries (BPA) to peroxide and responses to hypoxia, we investigated whether cytosolic NADPH oxidation promoted relaxation by PKG1␣ dimerization. Relaxation of BPA to G6PD inhibitors 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) and epiandrosterone (studied under hypoxia to minimize basal levels of NADPH oxidation and PKG1␣ dimerization) was associated with increased PKG1␣ dimerization and PKG-mediated vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation. Depletion of PKG1␣ by small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) inhibited relaxation of BPA to 6-AN and attenuated the increase in VASP phosphorylation. Relaxation to 6-AN did not appear to be altered by depletion of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Depletion of G6PD, thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1), and Trx reductase-1 (TrxR-1) in BPA with siRNA increased PKG1␣ dimerization and VASP phosphorylation and inhibited force generation under aerobic and hypoxic conditions. Depletion of TrxR-1 with siRNA inhibited the effects of 6-AN and enhanced similar responses to peroxide. Peroxiredoxin-1 depletion by siRNA inhibited PKG dimerization to peroxide, but it did not alter PKG dimerization under hypoxia or the stimulation of dimerization by 6-AN. Thus regulation of cytosolic NADPH redox by G6PD appears to control PKG1␣ dimerization in BPA through its influence on Trx-1 redox regulation by the NADPH dependence of TrxR-1. NADPH regulation of PKG dimerization may contribute to vascular responses to hypoxia that are associated with changes in NADPH redox.glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; hypoxia; thioredoxin OUR LABORATORY has previously reported evidence for the existence of a relaxing mechanism coordinated by the oxidation of cytosolic NADPH generated by the pentose phosphate pathway (9) that appeared to participate in the responses of bovine coronary arteries and bovine pulmonary arteries (BPA) to hypoxia (10 -12). Initial studies investigating the mechanism of relaxation to 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) and epiandrosterone (Epi), inhibitors of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), in bovine coronary arteries and BPA detected evidence that cytosolic NADPH oxidation appeared to coordinate multiple processes decreasing the levels and actions of intracellular calcium (9,11,12). The inhibition of G6PD by these agents also appeared to lower the detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from Nox oxidases by decreasing the levels of cytosolic NADPH ...