GCKIII (Germinal Center Kinase III) Kinases STK24 and STK25 (Serine/Threonine Kinase 24 and 25) Inhibit Cavernoma Development

BACKGROUND

Cavernous cerebral malformations can arise because of mutations in the CCM1, CCM2, or CCM3 genes, and lack of Cdc42 has also been reported to induce these malformations in mice. However, the role of the CCM3 (cerebral cavernous malformation 3)-associated kinases in cavernoma development is not known, and we, therefore, have investigated their role in the process.

METHODS

We used a combination of an in vivo approach, using mice genetically modified to be deficient in the CCM3-associated kinases STK24 and STK25 (serine/threonine kinases 24 and 25), and the in vitro model of human endothelial cells in which expression of STK24 and STK25 was inhibited by RNA interference.

RESULTS

Mice deficient for both Stk24 and Stk25, but not for either of them individually, developed aggressive vascular lesions with the characteristics of cavernomas at an early age. Stk25 deficiency also gave rise to vascular anomalies in the context of Stk24 heterozygosity. Human endothelial cells deficient for both kinases phenocopied several of the consequences of CCM3 loss, and single STK25 deficiency also induced KLF2 expression, Golgi dispersion, altered distribution of β-catenin, and appearance of stress fibers.

CONCLUSIONS

The CCM3-associated kinases STK24 and STK25 play a major role in the inhibition of cavernoma development.

High Levels of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases in CCM3-Deficient Cells Increase Their Susceptibility to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular malformations that can be the result of the deficiency of one of the CCM genes. Their only present treatment is surgical removal, which is not always possible, and an alternative pharmacological strategy to eliminate them is actively sought. We have studied the effect of the lack of one of the CCM genes, CCM3, in endothelial and non-endothelial cells. By comparing protein expression in control and CCM3-silenced cells, we found that the levels of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) are higher in CCM3-deficient cells, which adds to the known upregulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in these cells. Whereas VEGFR2 is upregulated at the mRNA level, EGFR has a prolonged half-life. Inhibition of EGFR family members in CCM3-deficient cells does not revert the known cellular effects of lack of CCM genes, but it induces significantly more apoptosis in CCM3-deficient cells than in control cells. We propose that the susceptibility to tyrosine kinase inhibitors of CCM3-deficient cells can be harnessed to kill the abnormal cells of these lesions and thus treat CCMs pharmacologically.

MST Kinases and Metabolism

Since the discovery of the mammalian sterile twenty (MST) kinase family of proteins (MST1/STK4, MST2/STK3, MST3/STK24, and SOK1/STK25), much has been done that adds to our knowledge of their structure, regulation, and function. In the last few years, a series of articles has unveiled a previous unknown relation of these kinases with metabolic regulation and the homeostasis of metabolic tissues. The aim of this review is to bring together this body of data to provide a detailed picture of the current knowledge about these proteins, metabolism, and some of the associated diseases.

The MST3/STK24 kinase mediates impaired fasting blood glucose after a high-fat diet

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The identification of mediators in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus is essential for the full understanding of this disease. Protein kinases are especially important because of their potential as pharmacological targets. The goal of this study was to investigate whether mammalian sterile-20 3 (MST3/STK24), a stress-regulated kinase, is involved in metabolic alterations in obesity.

METHODS

Glucose regulation of Mst3 (also known as Stk24)-knockout mice was analysed both in 129;C57 mixed background mice and in C57/BL6J mice fed normally or with a high-fat diet (HFD). This work was complemented with an analysis of the insulin signalling pathway in cultured human liver cells made deficient in MST3 using RNA interference.

RESULTS

MST3 is phosphorylated in the livers of mice subject to an obesity-promoting HFD, and its deficiency lowers the hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance that the animals develop with this diet, an effect that is seen even without complete inactivation of the kinase. Lack of MST3 results in activation of the insulin signalling pathway downstream of IRS1, in both cultured liver cells and the liver of animals after HFD. This effect increases the inhibition of forkhead box (FOX)O1, with subsequent downregulation of the expression of gluconeogenic enzymes.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

MST3 inhibits the insulin signalling pathway and is important in the development of insulin resistance and impaired blood glucose levels after an HFD.

The cerebral cavernous malformation 3 gene is necessary for senescence induction

Mutations in cerebral cavernous malformation 3 gene are known to result in development of vascular malformations and have recently been proposed to also give rise to meningiomas. We report in this study that lack of CCM3 unexpectedly impairs the senescence response of cells, and this is related to the inability of CCM3-deficient cells to induce the C/EBPβ transcription factor and implement the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Induction of C/EBPβ and cytokines is also impaired in the absence of CCM3 in response to cytokines in nonsenescent cells, pointing to it being a primary defect and not secondary to impaired senescence. CCM3-deficient cells also have a defect in autophagy at late passages of culture, and this defect is also not dependent on impaired senescence, as it is evident in immortal cells after nutrient starvation. Further, these two defects may be related, as enforcing autophagy in CCM3-deficient late passage cells increases C/EBPβ cytokine expression. These results broaden our knowledge on the mechanisms by which CCM3 deficiency results in disease and open new avenues of research into both CCM3 and senescence biology.

The CCM3-GCKIII partnership

Specific mutations in the CCM3 gene predispose to the development of cerebral cavernous malformations, a special type of vascular lesions. This calls for an elucidation of the precise nature of the CCM3 protein and a deep understanding of its molecular regulation. In this review, we outline our current knowledge of the different CCM3 protein complexes. We focus on the GCKIII family of kinases as partners of CCM3 and discuss the functional consequences of this partnership, putting forward a putative model for the activation of these kinases.

Adaptor protein cerebral cavernous malformation 3 (CCM3) mediates phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal proteins ezrin/radixin/moesin by mammalian Ste20-4 to protect cells from oxidative stress

While studying the functions of CCM3/PDCD10, a gene encoding an adaptor protein whose mutation results in vascular malformations, we have found that it is involved in a novel response to oxidative stress that results in phosphorylation and activation of the ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) family of proteins. This phosphorylation protects cells from accidental cell death induced by oxidative stress. We also present evidence that ERM phosphorylation is performed by the GCKIII kinase Mst4, which is activated and relocated to the cell periphery after oxidative stress. The cellular levels of Mst4 and its activation after oxidative stress depend on the presence of CCM3, as absence of the latter impairs the phosphorylation of ERM proteins and enhances death of cells exposed to reactive oxygen species. These findings shed new light on the response of cells to oxidative stress and identify an important pathophysiological situation in which ERM proteins and their phosphorylation play a significant role.

A novel cardioprotective p38-MAPK/mTOR pathway

Despite intensive study, the mechanisms regulating activation of mTOR and the consequences of that activation in the ischemic heart remain unclear. This is particularly true for the setting of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In a mouse model of I/R injury, we observed robust mTOR activation, and its inhibition by rapamycin increased injury. Consistent with the in-vivo findings, mTOR activation was also protective in isolated cardiomyocytes exposed to two models of I/R. Moreover, we identify a novel oxidant stress-activated pathway regulating mTOR that is critically dependent on p38-MAPK and Akt. This novel p38-regulated pathway signals downstream through REDD1, Tsc2, and 14-3-3 proteins to activate mTOR and is independent of AMPK. The protective role of p38/Akt and mTOR following oxidant stress is a general phenomenon since we observed it in a wide variety of cell types. Thus we have identified a novel protective pathway in the cardiomyocyte involving p38-mediated mTOR activation. Furthermore, the p38-dependent protective pathway might be able to be selectively modulated to enhance cardio-protection while not interfering with the inhibition of the better-known detrimental p38-dependent pathways.

SOK1 translocates from the Golgi to the nucleus upon chemical anoxia and induces apoptotic cell death

SOK1 is a Ste20 protein kinase of the germinal center kinase (GCK) family that has been shown to be activated by oxidant stress and chemical anoxia, a cell culture model of ischemia. More recently, it has been shown to be localized to the Golgi apparatus, where it functions in a signaling pathway required for cell migration and polarization. Herein, we demonstrate that SOK1 regulates cell death after chemical anoxia, as its down-regulation by RNA interference enhances cell survival. Furthermore, expression of SOK1 elicits apoptotic cell death by activating the intrinsic pathway. We also find that a cleaved form of SOK1 translocates from the Golgi to the nucleus after chemical anoxia and that this translocation is dependent on both caspase activity and on amino acids 275-292, located immediately C-terminal to the SOK1 kinase domain. Furthermore, SOK1 entry into the nucleus is important for the cell death response since SOK1 mutants unable to enter the nucleus do not induce cell death. In summary, SOK1 is necessary to induce cell death and can induce death when overexpressed. Furthermore, SOK1 appears to play distinctly different roles in stressed versus non-stressed cells, regulating cell death in the former.

GHRH proliferative action on somatotrophs is cell-type specific and dependent on Pit-1/GHF-1 expression

To investigate the mechanisms by which the hypothalamic peptide GHRH influences cell division, we analyzed its effects on the proliferation of two different cell lines: CHO-4, an ovary-derived cell line, and GH3, a pituitary-derived cell line. We found that GHRH induces the proliferation of pituitary-derived cells but inhibits the proliferation of ovary-derived cells. We further characterized this dual effect of GHRH to find that the cytoplasmic signals induced by this hormone are similar in both cell lines. Moreover, in CHO-4 cells GHRH stimulates two well-known positive cell cycle regulators, c-myc and cyclin D1, but is unable to induce the degradation of the negative cell cycle regulator p27(Kip1). Significantly, when the Pit-1/GHF-1 gene is exogenously expressed in CHO-4 cells, the negative effect of GHRH on the proliferation of these cells is attenuated. Furthermore, when the levels of Pit-1 are downregulated by siRNA in GH3-GHRHR cells, the positive effects of GHRH on the proliferation of these cells are diminished. These findings add to our understanding of the molecules involved in the regulation of cell proliferation by GHRH, as we demonstrate for the first time that Pit-1 is not only required to drive the expression of the GHRH receptor, as previously described, but is also needed for the downstream effects that occur after its activation to modulate cell proliferation. These data suggest that the regulation of cell proliferation in response to a specific growth factor depends in certain cell populations on the presence of a tissue-specific transcription factor.

Plitidepsin has a cytostatic effect in human undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma

Undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma is a highly aggressive human cancer with very poor prognosis. Although there have been a few studies of candidate treatments, the fact that it is an infrequent tumor makes it very difficult to design clinical trials. A strong association has been observed between undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma and TP53 mutations in numerous molecular genetic and expression studies. Plitidepsin (Aplidin, PharmaMar, Madrid, Spain) is a novel anticancer compound obtained from a sea tunicate. This compound has been reported to induce apoptosis independently of TP53 status. We investigated the actions of plitidepsin in human thyroid cancer cells. In initial experiments using primary cultured cells from a differentiated (papillary) carcinoma, we found that 100 nmol/L plitidepsin induced apoptosis, whereas lower doses were cytostatic. Because our aim was to study the effects of plitidepsin at clinically relevant concentrations, subsequent experiments were done with a dosage regimen reflecting plasma concentrations observed in previously reported clinical trials: 100 nmol/L for 4 hours, followed by 10 nmol/L for 20 hours (4(100)/20(10) plitidepsin). This plitidepsin dosage regimen blocked the proliferation of a primary undifferentiated/anaplastic thyroid carcinoma culture obtained in our laboratory and of a commercial cell line (8305C) obtained from an undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma; however, it did not induce apoptosis. The proportion of cells in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle was greatly increased and the proportion in the S/G(2)-M phases greatly reduced, suggesting that plitidepsin blocks G(1)-to-S transition. Levels of the cyclin D1/cyclin-dependent kinase 4/p21 complex proteins were decreased and, in line with this, the levels of unphosphorylated Rb1 increased. The decrease in cell cycle proteins correlated with hypoacetylation of histone H3. Finally, we did experiments to assess how rapidly tumor cells return to their initial pretreatment proliferative behavior after 4(100)/20(10) plitidepsin treatment. Cells from undifferentiated tumors needed more than 3 days to recover logarithmic growth, and after 7 days, cell number was still significantly lower than in control cultures. 4(100)/20(10) plitidepsin inhibited the growth in soft agar. Together, our data show that plitidepsin is able to block in vitro cell cycle progression at concentrations similar to serum concentrations observed in vivo, and that this effect is persistent for several days after plitidepsin removal. Whether plitidepsin will prove to be clinically useful in the treatment of undifferentiated thyroid cancers remains to be established. However, our results raise the possibility that plitidepsin might be effective alone or in combination with radiotherapy and/or other drug treatments.

Hormonal control of growth hormone secretion

Growth hormone secretion by the somatotroph cells depends upon the interaction between hypothalamic regulatory peptides, target gland hormones and a variety of growth factors acting in a paracrine or autocrine fashion. This review will be focused on recent data regarding the mechanism by which growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) influences somatotroph cell function and the physiological role played by Ghrelin and leptin in the regulation of growth hormone (GH) secretion. It is well established that binding of GHRH to its receptor leads to activation of protein kinase A (PKA). More recently, it was found that GHRH can also activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase both in pituitary cells and in a cell line overexpressing the GHRH receptor. Whether somatotroph adenomas, either with or without a GS-alpha mutation, have alterations in some of the components of the activation of the MAP kinase pathway remains to be known. The recent isolation of Ghrelin, the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, can be considered a landmark in the GH field, which opens up the possibility of gaining greater insight into our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of GH secretion and somatic growth. Indeed, preliminary evidences indicate that this peptide exerts a marked stimulatory effect on plasma GH levels in both rats and humans. Finally, it is well known that GH secretion is markedly influenced by nutritional status. Leptin has emerged as an important adipose tissue-generated signal that is involved in the regulation of GH secretion, thus providing an integrated regulatory system of growth and metabolism. Although the effects of leptin on GH secretion in humans remain to be clarified, indirect evidences indicate that it may play an inhibitory role.

Growth hormone-releasing hormone stimulates mitogen-activated protein kinase

GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) can induce proliferation of somatotroph cells. The pathway involving adenylyl cyclase/cAMP/protein kinase A pathway in its target cells seems to be important for this action, or at least it is deregulated in some somatotroph pituitary adenomas. We studied in this work whether GHRH can also stimulate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. GHRH can activate MAP kinase both in pituitary cells and in a cell line overexpressing the GHRH receptor. Although both protein kinase A and protein kinase C could activate MAP kinase in the CHO cell line studied, neither protein kinase A nor protein kinase C appears to be required for GHRH activation of MAP kinase in this system. However, sequestration of the betagamma-subunits of the G protein coupled to the receptor inhibits MAP kinase activation mediated by GHRH. This pathway also involves p21ras and a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, probably phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-gamma. Despite the involvement of p21ras, the protein kinase Raf-1 is not hyperphosphorylated in response to GHRH, contrary to what usually occurs when the Ras-Raf-MAP kinase pathway is activated. In summary, this work describes for the first time the activation of MAP kinase by GHRH and outlines a path for this activation that is different from the cAMP-dependent mechanism that has been traditionally described as mediating the mitogenic actions of GHRH.

Regulation of growth hormone secretion by signals produced by the adipose tissue

The neuroregulation of growth hormone (GH) secretion and the state of the adipose tissue reserves are closely related. GH exerts lipolytic actions on the adipose tissue and low body weight enhances secretion of GH while obesity is associated with reduced levels of GH and blocked release of GH when challenged by all stimuli. The mediators of the regulation exerted by the adipose tissue on the GH/insulin-like growth factor-I axis are not fully understood, but in the last few years two relevant factors have emerged--free fatty acids (FFA) and the adipocyte-produced hormone leptin. FFA and GH integrate a classical feedback loop and a rise in FFA blocks GH secretion. This action is rapid, dose-related and exerted at the pituitary level with no evident hypothalamic participation. A pharmacological reduction in FFA enhances secretion of GH and eliminates the GH blockade of obesity and Cushing's syndrome. The discovery of leptin has expanded our knowledge of the way in which the adipose tissue participates in some neuroendocrine actions. Obesity is associated with elevated levels of serum leptin while undernutrition and fasting lead to low leptin. In fasted rats, the pattern of GH pulsatility is eliminated with a near absence of spontaneous peaks, but the administration of leptin by the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) route restores the altered pattern. When fed rats receive antileptin antibodies i.c.v the normal pattern is reversed to an absence of pulses, reminiscent of the fasting state. These results are the first demonstration that, at least in experimental animals, leptin is a relevant factor in GH regulation. Leptin has no direct pituitary action and its action at the hypothalamic level appears to be mediated by neuropeptide Y, being the final step in a reduction in the somatostatin tone. On the other hand, the action of GH on leptin levels seems to be tenuous in humans, but in the near future it will be possible to investigate the action of leptin on human GH. As the hypothalamic neuroregulation of GH secretion in humans is unlike that in the rat, a crucial point for elucidation will be the actions, if any, and the mechanisms by which leptin participates in GH regulation in humans, as well as its alterations in disease states.

Activation of the Ste20-like oxidant stress response kinase-1 during the initial stages of chemical anoxia-induced necrotic cell death. Requirement for dual inputs of oxidant stress and increased cytosolic [Ca2+]

Signal transduction mechanisms activated during the early stages of necrotic cell death are poorly characterized. We have recently identified the Sterile 20 (Ste20)-like oxidant stress response kinase-1, SOK-1, which is a member of the Ste20 kinase family. We report that SOK-1 is markedly activated as early as 20 min after chemical anoxia induced by exposure of Madin-Darby canine kidney or LLC-PK1 renal tubular epithelial cells to 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and any one of three inhibitors of the electron transport chain, cyanide (CN), rotenone, or antimycin A. Since oxidant stress activates SOK-1, we postulated that reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced by the electron transport chain during chemical anoxia, might be responsible for SOK-1 activation. The time course of CN/2-DG-induced SOK-1 activation and of production of ROS, measured in cells loaded with dichlorofluorescein, were compatible with a role for ROS in SOK-1 activation. Furthermore, preincubation of LLC-PK1 cells with three unrelated scavengers of ROS, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, pyruvate, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid, reduced both cellular oxidant stress and activation of SOK-1 by CN/2-DG. An increase in cytosolic free [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) was necessary but not sufficient for CN/2-DG-induced activation of SOK-1. Preincubation of cells with BAPTA-AM prevented activation of SOK-1. Incubation of cells with thapsigargin or the calcium ionophore, A23187, had no effect on SOK-1 activity, but preincubation of cells with either of these agents markedly enhanced CN/2-DG-induced activation of SOK-1 (20-fold versus 7-fold). In summary, chemical anoxia activates SOK-1 via an oxidant stress-dependent mechanism that is both critically dependent upon and markedly amplified by an increase in [Ca2+]i. This requirement for dual inputs of oxidant stress and an increase in [Ca2+]i may prevent inappropriate activation of the kinase by milder degrees of oxidant stress, which are insufficient to generate an increase in [Ca2+]i. The activation of SOK-1 may be one of the cell's earliest responses to inducers of necrotic cell death.

Activation of a human Ste20-like kinase by oxidant stress defines a novel stress response pathway

Mammalian homologs of the yeast protein kinase, Sterile 20 (Ste20), can be divided into two groups based on their regulation and structure. The first group, which includes PAK1, is regulated by Rac and Cdc42Hs, and activators have been identified. In contrast, very little is known about activators, regulatory mechanisms or physiological roles of the other group, which consists of GC kinase and MST1. We have identified a human Ste20-like kinase from the GC kinase group, SOK-1 (Ste20/oxidant stress response kinase-1), which is activated by oxidant stress. The kinase is activated by autophosphorylation and is markedly inhibited by its non-catalytic C-terminal region. SOK-1 is activated 3- to 7-fold by reactive oxygen intermediates, but is not activated by growth factors, alkylating agents, cytokines or environmental stresses including heat shock and osmolar stress. Although these data place SOK-1 on a stress response pathway, SOK-1, unlike GC kinase and PAK1, does not activate either of the stress-activated MAP kinase cascades (p38 and SAPKs). SOK-1 is the first mammalian Ste20-like kinase which is activated by cellular stress, and the activation is relatively specific for oxidant stress. Since SOK-1 does not activate any of the known MAP kinase cascades, its activation defines a novel stress response pathway which is likely to include a unique stress-activated MAP kinase cascade.

Ischemia and reperfusion enhance ATF-2 and c-Jun binding to cAMP response elements and to an AP-1 binding site from the c-jun promoter

The transcription factors controlling the complex genetic response to ischemia and their modes of regulation are poorly understood. We found that ATF-2 and c-Jun DNA binding activity is markedly enhanced in post-ischemic kidney or in LLC-PK1 renal tubular epithelial cells exposed to reversible ATP depletion. After 40 min of renal ischemia followed by reperfusion for as little as 5 min, binding of ATF-2 and c-Jun, but not ATF-3 or CREB (cAMP response element binding protein), to oligonucleotides containing either an ATF/cAMP response element (ATF/CRE) or the jun2TRE from the c-jun promoter, was significantly increased. Binding to jun2TRE and ATF/CRE oligonucleotides occurred with an identical time course. In contrast, nuclear protein binding to an oligonucleotide containing a canonical AP-1 element was not detected until 40 min of reperfusion, and although c-Jun was present in the complex, ATF-2 was not. Incubating nuclear extracts from reperfused kidney with protein phosphatase 2A markedly reduced binding to both the ATF/CRE and jun2TRE oligonucleotides, compatible with regulation by an ATF-2 kinase. An ATF-2 kinase, which phosphorylated both the transactivation and DNA binding domains of ATF-2, was activated by reversible ATP depletion. This kinase coeluted on Mono Q column chromatography with a c-Jun amino-terminal kinase and with the peak of stress-activated protein kinase, but not p38, immunoreactivity. In conclusion, DNA binding activity of ATF-2 directed at both ATF/CRE and jun2TRE motifs is modulated in response to the extreme cellular stress of ischemia and reperfusion or reversible ATP depletion. Phosphorylation-dependent activation of the DNA binding activity of ATF-2, which appears to be regulated by the stress-activated protein kinases, may play an important role in the earliest stages of the genetic response to ischemia/reperfusion by targeting ATF-2 and c-Jun to specific promoters, including the c-jun promoter and those containing ATF/CREs.

Activation of the SAPK pathway by the human STE20 homologue germinal centre kinase

Eukaryotic cells respond to different extracellular stimuli by recruiting homologous signalling pathways that use members of the MEKK, MEK and ERK families of protein kinases. The MEKK-->MEK-->ERK core pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may themselves be regulated by members of the STE20 family of protein kinases. Here we report specific activation of the mammalian stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway by germinal centre kinase (GCK), a human STE20 homologue. SAPKs, members of the ERK family, are activated in situ by inflammatory stimuli, including tumour-necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1, and phosphorylate and probably stimulate the transactivation function of c-Jun. Although GCK is found in many tissues, its expression in lymphoid follicles is restricted to the cells of the germinal centre, where it may participate in B-cell differentiation. Activation of the SAPK pathway by GCK illustrates further the striking conservation of eukaryotic signalling mechanisms and defines the first physiological function of a mammalian Ste20.

The stress-activated protein kinases are major c-Jun amino-terminal kinases activated by ischemia and reperfusion

The signal transduction pathways that mediate activation of trans acting factors controlling an organ's response to ischemia are unknown. The stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), a subfamily of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), phosphorylate c-Jun within the amino-terminal transactivation domain and are activated in response to a variety of cellular stresses. We determined whether SAPKs are activated in response to ischemia, an extreme, albeit common, pathophysiologic stress. Rats underwent 40 min of renal ischemia followed by reperfusion for 0, 5, 20, or 90 min. SAPKs were immunoprecipitated from kidney lysates and kinase activity assayed with recombinant GST-c-Jun(1-135), containing the amino-terminal transactivation domain of c-Jun as substrate. SAPKs were not activated by ischemia alone, but reperfusion for as little as 5 min was associated with a 4.6-fold increase in kinase activity. Kinase activity was increased 7.6-fold at 20 min following reperfusion and remained elevated at 90 min of reperfusion (4.9-fold). In contrast, activity of the related ERK-1 and -2 was increased only 1.3-fold and only at the 5-min reperfusion time point. When SAPKs were immunodepleted from kidney extracts prior to incubation of the extracts with agarose-coupled GST-c-Jun(1-135), it was found that SAPKs accounted for the majority of the amino-terminal c-Jun kinase activity of kidney at 5 min following reperfusion. In Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells, ATP repletion, following ATP depletion induced by chemical anoxia, was associated with a 9-15-fold activation of SAPKs with a similar time course of activation to that seen in the kidney after ischemia and reperfusion. In conclusion, the SAPKs are markedly activated very early after reperfusion of ischemic kidney and following ATP repletion of anoxic cells in culture. We propose that this activation of SAPKs may trigger part of the kidney's early genetic response to ischemia, possibly by enhancing trans acting activity of c-Jun.

Partial characterization of a novel oestrogen-induced protein in the rat adenohypophysis

In order to detect putative markers of prolactin-secreting pituitary tumours, adult rats were subjected to long-term oestrogenization with oestradiol benzoate (OE2) on a monthly basis. At 6 months, anterior pituitaries were dissected and incubated either as tissue fragments or as dispersed cells with a [35S]methionine mix for labelling. Proteins released into the incubation medium and from tissue extracts were further analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. Oestrogen induced the appearance in the incubation medium of a protein (OE2 band) with an M(r) of 38,000 under reducing conditions, and high specific activity. Surprisingly, such a protein was not detected in tissue extracts. The OE2 band was detectable by 7 days after the first dose of oestrogen, and remained throughout 1 year of treatment. The tumour cell line GH3 showed a similar OE2 band which was further enhanced by oestrogens. The protein was observed similarly in both female and male pituitary donors, either intact or gonadectomized, and also in rats of different strains, suggesting that its appearance was independent of the strain of rat and gonadal status. Furthermore, the OE2 band was specific for pituitary cells and not produced by other oestrogenized tissues. No alteration in the rate of generation or the electrophoretic pattern of the OE2 band was observed when pituitary cells from oestrogenized rats were metabolically labelled while being incubated with tunicamycin. Furthermore, a system for glycan detection, adsorption to Concanavalin A or incubation with endoglycosidase F also failed to show a clear amount of glycosylation of the oestrogen-induced protein. Both immunoprecipitation experiments and time-limited proteolysis with V8 protease ruled out the possibility that the OE2 band could be structurally related to either GH or prolactin. In conclusion, oestrogens induce the generation of a new monocatenary protein with an apparent M(r) of 38,000, which has at least one intramolecular disulphide loop and is not glycosylated. The OE2 band was detected only in incubation medium and never in tissue extracts.

Oleic acid blocks epidermal growth factor-activated early intracellular signals without altering the ensuing mitogenic response

In EGFR-T17 cells, which express high levels of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, addition of a saturating dose of EGF (10 nM) leads to an increase in Ins(1,4,5)P3/diacylglycerol and also to cytosolic calcium [Ca2+]i due to both intracellular redistribution and influx from extracellular medium. Pretreatment of cells with cis-unsaturated nonesterified fatty acids such as oleic acid (1 to 100 microM) inhibited EGF-stimulated Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Furthermore, such a treatment completely suppress Ca2+ influx in a dose-dependent manner. At doses capable of suppressing such early signals, oleic acid did not alter the process of EGF-mediated internalization of the EGF/EGF-receptor complex, suggesting that [Ca2+]i rise did not mediate receptor internalization. EGF-induced cell proliferation assessed by either thymidine incorporation into DNA, direct cell counting, and microscopic observation was not altered by oleic acid, at doses able to block EGF-mediated early signals. In conclusion, suppression of Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation and [Ca2+]i rises by oleic acid did not alter EGF-receptor internalization nor EGF-induced cell mitosis. Such results suggest that [Ca2+]i rise is not instrumental for EGF-stimulated cell proliferation.