Interferons inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated matrix metalloproteinase-9 activation via interferon regulatory factor-1 binding competition with NF-kappa B

Enhanced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) correlates with invasion during tumor progression. Interferons (IFNs) inhibit MMP-9 activation in response to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and the latter activates the MMP-9 gene through NF-kappaB. Understanding the molecular basis for MMP-9 inhibition may provide tools to control cell invasion. The data reported here show the critical role of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF1) in the inhibition of MMP-9. (i) IFN treatment suppresses TNF-alpha-induced MMP-9 reporter activity in STAT1(+/+) cells but not in STAT1(-/-) cells. (ii) IRF1 transfection blocks TNF-alpha-mediated MMP-9 activation. (iii) IFNs phosphorylate STAT1 and induce IRF1 but do not affect Ikappa-B degradation nor NF-kappaB nuclear translocation. (iv) Nuclear NF-kappaB (p50/p65) and IRF1, but not STAT1, bind to the MMP-9 promoter region containing an IFN-responsive-like element overlapping the NF-kappaB-binding site. (v) Recombinant IRF1, although unable to bind to an NF-kappaB consensus sequence, competes with NF-kappaB proteins for binding to the MMP-9 promoter. (vi) Conversely recombinant p50/p65 proteins reduce IRF1-DNA binding. (vii) In cells cotransfected with IRF1 and/or p65 expression vectors, an excess of IRF1 reduces MMP-9 reporter activity, whereas an excess of p65 blocks the inhibitory effect of IFN-gamma. Thus, in contrast to the known synergism between IRF1 and NF-kappaB, our data identify a novel role for IRF1 as a competitive inhibitor of NF-kappaB binding to the particular MMP-9 promoter context.     

Involvement of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in platelet-activating factor-induced angiogenesis

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) augments angiogenesis by promoting the synthesis of various angiogenic factors, via the activation of NF-kappaB. In this study, we investigated the role of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, in PAF-induced angiogenesis. PAF increased mRNA expression, protein synthesis, and MMP-9 activity in ECV304 cells, in a NF-kappaB-dependent manner. PAF increased MMP-9 promoter activity in ECV304, which was inhibited by WEB2107, and NF-kappaB inhibitors. Transfected NF-kappaB subunits, p65 or/and p50, increased luciferase activity in the reporter plasmid MMP-9, resulting in an increase not only of MMP-9 luciferase activity, but also of mRNA expression in MMP-9. MMP-9 or NF-kappaB inhibitors significantly inhibited PAF-induced angiogenesis, in a dose-dependent manner, in an in vivo mouse Matrigel implantation model. In a parallel to the Matrigel implantation study, MMP-9 or NF-kappaB inhibitors inhibited PAF-induced sprouting of porcine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells. These data indicate that NF-kappaB-dependent MMP-9 plays a key role in PAF-induced angiogenesis.     

Proteasome subunit LMP2 is required for matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 expression and activities in human invasive extravillous trophoblast cell line

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) is involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and trophoblastic invasion during early pregnancy. Our previous studies demonstrated that inhibition of UPP suppresses expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9. LMP2 is an important proteasome subunit that is critical for proteasome activity. This study investigated the regulatory mechanism of LMP2 on the expression and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Our results showed that transfection of LMP2 siRNA plasmid into the human invasive extravillous trophoblast cell line (HTR8/Svneo) could significantly suppress expression of LMP2 mRNA and protein. The mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and their activities were markedly decreased in the LMP2-inhibited cells. Inhibition of LMP2 could also reduce IkappaBalpha mRNA level, although the expression of phosphorylated IkappaBalpha was increased. In the LMP2-inhibited cells, expression of mRNA encoding NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p65 remained normal, but the p50 protein level was significantly decreased in the cytosolic and nuclear extracts, while p65 protein was markedly reduced only in the nuclear extract. We also demonstrated that blockage of the NF-kappaB pathway by the NF-kappaB translocation inhibitor SN50 markedly reduced the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in HTR8/Svneo cells, a result that is fully consistent with the results from the LMP2-inhibited HTR8/Svneo cells. These data suggest that LMP2 contributes to IkappaBalpha degradation and p50 generation, and that inhibition of LMP2 suppresses expression and activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by blocking the transfer of active NF-kappaB heterodimers into the nucleus.     

Iron activates NF-kappaB in Kupffer cells

Iron exacerbates various types of liver injury in which nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-driven genes are implicated. This study tested a hypothesis that iron directly elicits the signaling required for activation of NF-kappaB and stimulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha gene expression in Kupffer cells. Addition of Fe2+ but not Fe3+ (approximately 5-50 microM) to cultured rat Kupffer cells increased TNF-alpha release and TNF-alpha promoter activity in a NF-kappaB-dependent manner. Cu+ but not Cu2+ stimulated TNF-alpha protein release and promoter activity but with less potency. Fe2+ caused a disappearance of the cytosolic inhibitor kappaBalpha, a concomitant increase in nuclear p65 protein, and increased DNA binding of p50/p50 and p65/p50 without affecting activator protein-1 binding. Addition of Fe2+ to the cells resulted in an increase in electron paramagnetic resonance-detectable.OH peaking at 15 min, preceding activation of NF-kappaB but coinciding with activation of inhibitor kappaB kinase (IKK) but not c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase. In conclusion, Fe2+ serves as a direct agonist to activate IKK, NF-kappaB, and TNF-alpha promoter activity and to induce the release of TNF-alpha protein by cultured Kupffer cells in a redox status-dependent manner. We propose that this finding offers a molecular basis for iron-mediated accentuation of TNF-alpha-dependent liver injury.     

Wild-type p53 inhibits nuclear factor-kappaB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 promoter activation: implications for soft tissue sarcoma growth and metastasis

Human soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a highly lethal malignancy in which control of metastasis determines survival. Little is known about the molecular determinants of STS dissemination. Here, we show that human STS express high levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and that MMP-9 expression levels correlate with sequence analysis-defined p53 mutational status. Reintroduction of wild-type p53 (wtp53) into mutant p53 STS cell lines decreased MMP-9 mRNA and protein levels, decreased zymography-assessed MMP-9 proteolytic activity, and decreased tumor cell invasiveness. Reintroduction of wtp53 into STS xenografts decreased tumor growth and MMP-9 protein expression. Luciferase reporter studies showed that reintroduction of wtp53 into mutant p53 STS cells decreased MMP-9 promoter activity. Deletion constructs of the MMP-9 promoter identified a region containing a p53-responsive element that lacked a p53 consensus binding site but did contain a nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) site. Mutating this NF-kappaB binding site eliminated the wtp53-repressive effect. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed decreased NF-kappaB binding in STS cells in the presence of wtp53. Our findings suggest a role for MMP-9 in STS progression and expand the role of p53 in molecular control of STS growth and metastasis. Therapeutic interventions in human STS targeting MMP-9 activity directly or via reintroduction of wtp53 merit further investigation.