Phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and its downstream targets in SARS coronavirus-infected cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has become a global public health emergency. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of SARS-induced cytopathic effects (CPEs) is a rational approach for the prevention of SARS, and an understanding of the cellular stress responses induced by viral infection is important for understanding the CPEs. Polyclonal antibodies, which recognized nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins, detected viral N and M proteins in virus-infected Vero E6 cells at least 6 and 12 h post-infection (h.p.i.), respectively. Furthermore, detection of DNA ladder and cleaved caspase-3 in the virus-infected cells at 24h.p.i. indicated that SARS-CoV infection induced apoptotic cell death. Phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was significantly up-regulated at 18 h.p.i. in SARS-CoV-infected cells. The downstream targets of p38 MAPK, MAPKAPK-2, HSP-27, CREB, and eIF4E were phosphorylated in virus-infected cells. The p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, inhibited effectively phosphorylation of HSP-27, CREB, and eIF4E in SARS-CoV-infected cells. However, viral protein synthesis was not affected by treatment of SB203580.     

Reactive oxygen species act through p38 MAPK to limit the lifespan of hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) undergo self-renewing cell divisions and maintain blood production for their lifetime. Appropriate control of HSC self-renewal is crucial for the maintenance of hematopoietic homeostasis. Here we show that activation of p38 MAPK in response to increasing levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) limits the lifespan of HSCs in vivo. In Atm(-/-) mice, elevation of ROS levels induces HSC-specific phosphorylation of p38 MAPK accompanied by a defect in the maintenance of HSC quiescence. Inhibition of p38 MAPK rescued ROS-induced defects in HSC repopulating capacity and in the maintenance of HSC quiescence, indicating that the ROS-p38 MAPK pathway contributes to exhaustion of the stem cell population. Furthermore, prolonged treatment with an antioxidant or an inhibitor of p38 MAPK extended the lifespan of HSCs from wild-type mice in serial transplantation experiments. These data show that inactivation of p38 MAPK protects HSCs against loss of self-renewal capacity. Our characterization of molecular mechanisms that limit HSC lifespan may lead to beneficial therapies for human disease.     

Anisomycin induces COX-2 mRNA expression through p38(MAPK) and CREB independent of small GTPases in intestinal epithelial cells

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in intestinal epithelial cells is associated with colorectal carcinogenesis. COX-2 expression is induced by numerous growth factors and gastrointestinal hormones through multiple protein kinase cascades. Here, the role of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and small GTPases in COX-2 expression was investigated. Anisomycin and sorbitol induced COX-2 expression in non-transformed, intestinal epithelial IEC-18 cells. Both anisomycin and sorbitol activated p38(MAPK) followed by phosphorylation of CREB. SB202190 and PD169316 but neither PD98059 nor U0126 blocked COX-2 expression and CREB phosphorylation by anisomycin or sorbitol. Clostridium difficile toxin B inhibition of small GTPases did not affect anisomycin-induced COX-2 mRNA expression or phosphorylation of p38MAPK and CREB but did inhibit sorbitol-dependent COX-2 expression and phosphorylation of p38MAPK and CREB. Angiotensin (Ang) II-dependent induction of COX-2 mRNA and induced phosphorylation of p38MAPK and CREB were inhibited by toxin B. Reduction of CREB protein in cells transfected with CREB siRNAs inhibited anisomycin-induced COX-2 expression. These results indicate that activation of p38MAPK signaling is sufficient for COX-2 expression in IEC-18 cells. Ang II and sorbitol require small GTPase activity for COX-2 expression via p38MAPK while anisomycin-induced COX-2 expression by p38MAPK does not require small GTPases. This places small GTPase activity down-stream of the AT1 receptor and hyperosmotic stress and up-stream of p38MAPK and CREB.     

p38 MAPK regulates Bax activity and apoptosis in enterocytes at baseline and after intestinal resection

Increased apoptosis in crypt enterocytes is a key feature of intestinal adaptation following massive small bowel resection (SBR). Expression of the proapoptotic factor Bax has been shown to be required for resection-induced apoptosis. It has also been demonstrated that p38-α MAPK (p38) is necessary for Bax activation and apoptosis in vitro. The present studies were designed to test the hypothesis that p38 is a key regulator of Bax activation during adaptation after SBR in vivo. Enterocyte expression of p38 was deleted by tamoxifen administration to activate villin-Cre in adult mice with a floxed Mapk14 (p38-α) gene. Proximal 50% SBR or sham operations were performed on wild-type (WT) and p38 intestinal knockout (p38-IKO) mice under isoflurane anesthesia. Mice were killed 3 or 7 days after operation, and adaptation was analyzed by measuring intestinal morphology, proliferation, and apoptosis. Bax activity was quantified by immunoprecipitation, followed by Western blotting. After SBR, p38-IKO mice had deeper crypts, longer villi, and accelerated proliferation compared with WT controls. Rates of crypt apoptosis were significantly lower in p38-IKO mice, both at baseline and after SBR. Levels of activated Bax were twofold higher in WT mice after SBR relative to sham. In contrast, activated Bax levels were reduced by 67% in mice after p38 MAPK deletion. Deleted p38 expression within the intestinal epithelium leads to enhanced adaptation and reduced levels of enterocyte apoptosis after massive intestinal resection. p38-regulated Bax activation appears to be an important mechanism underlying resection-induced apoptosis.     

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase controls human intestinal epithelial cell differentiation by promoting adherens junction assembly and p38 MAPK activation.

The signaling pathways mediating human intestinal epithelial cell differentiation remain largely undefined. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is an important modulator of extracellular signals, including those elicited by E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, which plays an important role in maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of epithelia. In this study, we analyzed the involvement of PI3K in the differentiation of human intestinal epithelial cells. We showed that inhibition of PI3K signaling in Caco-2/15 cells repressed sucrase-isomaltase and villin protein expression. Morphological differentiation of enterocyte-like features in Caco-2/15 cells such as epithelial cell polarity and brush-border formation were strongly attenuated by PI3K inhibition. Immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that PI3K was recruited to and activated by E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts in confluent Caco-2/15 cells, and this activation appears to be essential for the integrity of adherens junctions and association with the cytoskeleton. We provide evidence that the assembly of calcium-dependent adherens junctions led to a rapid and remarkable increase in the state of activation of Akt and p38 MAPK pathways and that this increase was blocked in the presence of anti-E-cadherin antibodies and PI3K inhibitor. Therefore, our results indicate that PI3K promotes assembly of adherens junctions, which, in turn, control p38 MAPK activation and enterocyte differentiation.     

One-way cross-talk between p38(MAPK) and p42/44(MAPK). Inhibition of p38(MAPK) induces low density lipoprotein receptor expression through activation of the p42/44(MAPK) cascade.

In this paper, we report that SB202190 alone, a specific inhibitor of p38(MAPK), induces low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor expression (6-8-fold) in a sterol-sensitive manner in HepG2 cells. Consistent with this finding, selective activation of the p38(MAPK) signaling pathway by expression of MKK6b(E), a constitutive activator of p38(MAPK), significantly reduced LDL receptor promoter activity. Expression of the p38(MAPK) alpha-isoform had a similar effect, whereas expression of the p38(MAPK) betaII-isoform had no significant effect on LDL receptor promoter activity. SB202190-dependent increase in LDL receptor expression was accompanied by induction of p42/44(MAPK), and inhibition of this pathway completely prevented SB202190-induced LDL receptor expression, suggesting that p38(MAPK) negatively regulates the p42/44(MAPK) cascade and the responses mediated by this kinase. Cross-talk between these kinases appears to be one-way because modulation of p42/44(MAPK) activity did not affect p38(MAPK) activation by a variety of stress inducers. Taken together, these findings reveal a hitherto unrecognized one-way communication that exists between p38(MAPK) and p42/44(MAPK) and provide the first evidence that through the p42/44(MAPK) signaling cascade, the p38(MAPK) alpha-isoform negatively regulates LDL receptor expression, thus representing a novel mechanism of fine tuning cellular levels of cholesterol in response to a diverse set of environmental cues.     

Interleukin-10 rs2227307 and CXCR2 rs1126579 polymorphisms modulate the predisposition to septic shock

Despite major improvements in its treatment and diagnosis, sepsis is still a leading cause of death and admittance to the intensive care unit (ICU). Failure to identify patients at high risk of developing septic shock contributes to an increase in the sepsis burden and rapid molecular tests are currently the most promising avenue to aid in patient risk determination and therapeutic anticipation. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the genetic susceptibility that affects sepsis outcome in 72 sepsis patients admitted to the ICU. Seven polymorphisms were genotyped in key inflammatory response genes in sepsis, including tumour necrosis factor-α, interlelukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, IL-8, Toll-like receptor 4, CXCR1 and CXCR2. The primary finding showed that patients who were homozygous for the major A allele in IL-10 rs1800896 had almost five times higher chance to develop septic shock compared to heterozygotes. Similarly, selected clinical features and CXCR2 rs1126579 single nucleotide polymorphisms modulated septic shock susceptibility without affecting survival. These data support the hypothesis that molecular testing has clinical usefulness to improve sepsis prognostic models. Therefore, enrichment of the ICU portfolio by including these biomarkers will aid in the early identification of sepsis patients who may develop septic shock.     

Protein phosphatase 2Calpha inhibits the human stress-responsive p38 and JNK MAPK pathways.

MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) cascades are common eukaryotic signaling modules that consist of a MAPK, a MAPK kinase (MAPKK) and a MAPKK kinase (MAPKKK). Because phosphorylation is essential for the activation of both MAPKKs and MAPKs, protein phosphatases are likely to be important regulators of signaling through MAPK cascades. To identify protein phosphatases that negatively regulate the stress-responsive p38 and JNK MAPK cascades, we screened human cDNA libraries for genes that down-regulated the yeast HOG1 MAPK pathway, which shares similarities with the p38 and JNK pathways, using a hyperactivating yeast mutant. In this screen, the human protein phosphatase type 2Calpha (PP2Calpha) was found to negatively regulate the HOG1 pathway in yeast. Moreover, when expressed in mammalian cells, PP2Calpha inhibited the activation of the p38 and JNK cascades induced by environmental stresses. Both in vivo and in vitro observations indicated that PP2Calpha dephosphorylated and inactivated MAPKKs (MKK6 and SEK1) and a MAPK (p38) in the stress-responsive MAPK cascades. Furthermore, a direct interaction of PP2Calpha and p38 was demonstrated by a co-immunoprecipitation assay. This interaction was observed only when cells were stimulated with stresses or when a catalytically inactive PP2Calpha mutant was used, suggesting that only the phosphorylated form of p38 interacts with PP2Calpha.     

The binding of actin to p38 MAPK and inhibiting its kinase activity in vitro

Ineukaryocyte,themitogen-activatedproteinkinases(MAPKs)playcriticalrolesinmanysignaltransductionprocesses[1].p38signalpathwayisanimportantbranchoftheMAPKs[2].Oneoftheprimaryfunctionsofp38medicatestheinflammatorysignalbyphosphorylatingATF[3].Itisknownthatinhibitingthep38activitycanblockthesignaltransductionofinflammationandsub-sequentlyalleviateinflammatoryresponse[4].Inrecentyears,severalresearchgroupshavetriedtousesomespecificinhibitorsofp38forclinictrial[5—7].IthasbeendemonstratedthatP…     

Mechanism of p53-dependent apoptosis induced by 3-methylcholanthrene: involvement of p53 phosphorylation and p38 MAPK.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) cause untoward effects including carcinogenesis. Here we investigated the effect of MC on apoptosis. MC induced apoptosis, preceded by serine 15 phosphorylation and accumulation of p53. MC failed to cause apoptosis in p53-deficient MG63 cells, whereas ectopic expression of p53 in MG63 cells restored the response to MC. Therefore, MC-induced apoptosis was dependent on p53. MC also activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) at 16-24 h. Accumulation of p53 and p53 phosphorylated at serine 15 was not changed by SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK or overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of p38 MAPK at 8 h after MC treatment, whereas the accumulation was suppressed at 24 h. These results suggest that MC induces accumulation and phosphorylation of p53 via a p38 MAPK-independent (early) and p38 MAPK-dependent (late) pathway. SB203580 repressed MC-induced apoptosis. MC induced p38 MAPK activation in p53 expressing cells but not in p53-deficient cells, indicating that the p38 MAPK activation was dependent on early p53 activation. The current study shows that both p53 and p38 MAPK activation are required for MC-induced apoptosis and provides a novel model of a functional regulation between p53 and p38 MAPK in chemical stress-induced apoptosis.     

Galangin induces B16F10 melanoma cell apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway and sustained activation of p38 MAPK

Galangin, an active flavonoid present at high concentration in Alpinia officinarum Hance and propolis, shows cytotoxicity towards several cancer cell lines, including melanoma. However, the specific cellular targets of galangin-induced cytotoxicity in melanoma are still unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of galangin in B16F10 melanoma cells and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. Galangin significantly decreased cell viability of B16F10 cells, and also induced cell apoptosis shown by Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-PI double staining flow cytometric assay. Furthermore, upon galangin treatment, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential was observed by JC-1 staining. Western blotting analysis indicated that galangin activated apoptosis signaling cascades by cleavage of procaspase-9, procaspase-3 and PARP in B16F10 cells. Moreover, galangin significantly induced activation of phosphor-p38 MAPK in a time and dose dependent manner. SB203580, an inhibitor of p38, partially attenuated galangin-induced apoptosis in B16F10 cells. Taken together, this work suggests that galangin has the potential to be a promising agent for melanoma treatment and may be further evaluated as a chemotherapeutic agent.