Negative Regulation of Protein Translation by Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Interacting Kinases 1 and 2

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is a key component of the translational machinery and an important modulator of cell growth and proliferation. The activity of eIF4E is thought to be regulated by interaction with inhibitory binding proteins (4E-BPs) and phosphorylation by mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-interacting kinase (MNK) on Ser209 in response to mitogens and cellular stress. Here we demonstrate that phosphorylation of eIF4E via MNK1 is mediated via the activation of either the Erk or p38 pathway. We further show that expression of active mutants of MNK1 and MNK2 in 293 cells diminishes cap-dependent translation relative to cap-independent translation in a transient reporter assay. The same effect on cap-dependent translation was observed when MNK1 was activated by the Erk or p38 pathway. In line with these findings, addition of recombinant active MNK1 to rabbit reticulocyte lysate resulted in a reduced protein synthesis in vitro, and overexpression of MNK2 caused a decreased rate of protein synthesis in 293 cells. By using CGP 57380, a novel low-molecular-weight kinase inhibitor of MNK1, we demonstrate that eIF4E phosphorylation is not crucial to the formation of the initiation complex, mitogen-stimulated increase in cap-dependent translation, and cell proliferation. Our results imply that activation of MNK by MAP kinase pathways does not constitute a positive regulatory mechanism to cap-dependent translation. Instead, we propose that the kinase activity of MNKs, eventually through phosphorylation of eIF4E, may serve to limit cap-dependent translation under physiological conditions.     

MAPK对高等植物细胞分裂和生长的调节

综述了MAPKs参与植物细胞周期调控的最新进展 ,植物激素与MAPK ,MAPK与植物细胞有丝分裂 ,以及MAPK与植物细胞分裂和生长的调控等三方面 ,阐述MAPK参与调控高等植物细胞分化和有丝分裂的机制。     

Activation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Oligodendrocytes

Abstract: The proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitors are stringently controlled by an interacting network of growth and differentiation factors. Not much is known, however, about the intracellular signaling pathways activated in oligodendrocytes. In this study, we have examined the activation of m itogen-a ctivated p rotein (MAP) kinase [also called e xtracellular s ignal-r egulated protein k inases (ERKs)] in primary cultures of developing oligodendrocytes and in a primary oligodendrocyte cell line, CG4, in response to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor. MAP kinase activation was determined by an in-gel protein kinase renaturation assay using myelin basic protein (MBP) as the substrate. The specificity of MAP kinase activation was further confirmed by an immune complex kinase assay using anti-MAP kinase antibodies. Stimulation of oligodendrocyte progenitors with the growth factors PDGF and basic fibroblast growth factor and a protein kinase C-activating tumor promoter, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, resulted in a rapid activation of p42^mapk (ERK2) and, to a lesser extent, p44^mapk (ERK1). Immunoblot analysis with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies revealed an increased Tyr phosphorylation of a 42-kDa phosphoprotein band cross-reacting with anti-MAP kinase antibodies. The phosphorylation of p42^mapk in PDGF-treated oligodendrocyte progenitors was preceded by a robust autophosphorylation of the growth factor receptor. Immunoblot analysis with anti-pan-ERK antibodies indicated the presence of ERK-immunoreactive species other than p42^mapk and p44^mapk in oligodendrocytes. The presence of some of the same pan-ERK-immunoreactive species and certain renaturable MBP kinase activities was also demonstrable in myelin preparations from rat brain, suggesting that MAP kinases (and other MBP kinases) may function not only during oligodendrogenesis but also in myelinogenesis.     

ABA信号转导途径中的MAPKs

脱落酸（ABA）是植物体内一种重要的激素分子,在调节植物生长发育和对环境适应的过程中发挥重要的信号作用。促分裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）是一种广泛存在于真核生物中的信号转导途径,由环境胁迫、细胞因子、植物激素、生长因子等诱导,是植物细胞信号转导过程中的主要级联途径之一。已知许多蛋白激酶和蛋白磷酸酶参与了ABA信号途径,MAPKs作为ABA信号转导的下游组分发挥着重要的调节作用。本文就MAPK级联参与ABA信号转导途径的相关研究进展进行叙述,以便对MAPKs和ABA信号之间的交互作用（cross-talk）机制有更深入了解。     

p38丝裂原活化蛋白激酶抑制剂研究进展

p38丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）通路是细胞内应激反应信号通路,与炎症反应密切相关。炎症反应失控是很多疾病产生的重要原因之一,传统抗炎药物的严重副作用使得寻找强效、安全的抗炎药物极为迫切。通过抑制剂调节信号通路的炎症药物研发成为目前发展的趋势,而p38MAPK的中心地位使其成为首选靶点。p38MAPK抑制剂和p38MAPK的研究进展相辅相成,发展迅速。已报道的100多种不同化学结构的p38MAPK特异性抑制剂中已有20多种进入临床试验阶段,但至今尚没有一种化合物被批准应用于临床治疗。我们讨论了p38MAPK抑制剂的研究现状和研究策略。     

Nature of the Pre-Chemistry Ensemble in Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases

In spite of the availability of a significant amount of structural detail on docking interactions involving mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and their substrates, the mechanism by which the disordered phospho-acceptor on the substrate transiently interacts with the kinase catalytic elements and is phosphorylated, often with high efficiency, remains poorly understood. Here, this dynamic interaction is analyzed in the context of available biophysical and biochemical data for ERK2, an archetypal MAPK. A hypothesis about the nature of the ternary complex involving a MAPK, its substrate, and ATP immediately prior to the chemical step (the pre-chemistry complex) is proposed. It is postulated that the solution ensemble (the pre-chemistry ensemble) representing the pre-chemistry complex comprises several conformations that are linked by dynamics on multiple timescales. These individual conformations possess different intrinsic abilities to proceed through the chemical step. The overall rate of chemistry is therefore related to the microscopic nature of the pre-chemistry ensemble, its constituent conformational microstates, and their intrinsic abilities to yield a phosphorylated product. While characterizing these microstates within the pre-chemistry ensemble in atomic or near-atomic detail is an extremely challenging proposition, recent developments in hybrid methodologies that employ computational approaches driven by experimental data appear to provide the most promising path forward toward achieving this goal.     

Cytosolic and Nuclear Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Are Regulated by Distinct Mechanisms

We have investigated the regulation and localization of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) in both cytosolic and nuclear fractions of glomerular mesangial cells. p42 MAPK was localized by both immunoblot and kinase activity in both cytosol and nucleus and was rapidly activated, in both fractions, by fetal bovine serum and TPA. Downregulation of protein kinase C (PKC) by TPA inhibited stimulation of cytosolic p42 MAPK, but unexpectedly had no effect on stimulated p42 MAPK in the nucleus. Next we studied the upstream kinase p45 MAPKK by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, Western blot analysis, and kinase specific activity. Unlike MAPK, p45 MAPKK is almost exclusively cytosolic in resting cells and kinase activity stimulated by TPA is restricted to the cytosol. Interestingly, PKC downregulation for 24 h with TPA dramatically enhanced nuclear MAPKK as assessed by all three techniques. Cytosolic stimulated MAPKK was attenuated in PKC downregulation. Collectively these results show that in mesangial cells: (i) p42 MAPK and p45 MAPKK localize in both the cytosol and the nucleus, and (ii) PKC exerts a negative effect on nuclear MAPKK activity as documented by PKC downregulation, which augments p45 MAPKK nuclear mass and activity. These results indicate that the dual regulation of these two kinases is under differential control in the cytosol and the nucleus.     

A Pseudomonas syringae ADP-Ribosyltransferase Inhibits Arabidopsis Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases

The successful recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) as a danger signal is crucial for plants to fend off numerous potential pathogenic microbes. The signal is relayed through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) cascades to activate defenses. Here, we show that the Pseudomonas syringae type III effector HopF2 can interact with Arabidopsis thaliana MAP KINASE KINASE5 (MKK5) and likely other MKKs to inhibit MPKs and PAMP-triggered immunity. Inhibition of PAMP-induced MPK phosphorylation was observed when HopF2 was delivered naturally by the bacterial type III secretion system. In addition, HopF2 Arg-71 and Asp-175 residues that are required for the interaction with MKK5 are also necessary for blocking MAP kinase activation, PAMP-triggered defenses, and virulence function in plants. HopF2 can inactivate MKK5 and ADP-ribosylate the C terminus of MKK5 in vitro. Arg-313 of MKK5 is required for ADP-ribosylation by HopF2 and MKK5 function in the plant cell. Together, these results indicate that MKKs are important targets of HopF2.     

Disentangling the Complexity of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases and Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling

We report here on the identification of the major plasma membrane (PM) ascorbate-reducible b-type cytochrome of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max) hypocotyls as orthologs of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) AIR12 (for auxin induced in root cultures). Soybean AIR12, which is glycosylated and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored to the external side of the PM in vivo, was expressed in Pichia pastoris in a recombinant form, lacking the glycosylphosphatidylinositol modification signal and purified from the culture medium. Recombinant AIR12 is a soluble protein predicted to fold into a β-sandwich domain and belonging to the DOMON (for dopamine β-monooxygenase N terminus) domain superfamily. It is shown to be a b-type cytochrome with a symmetrical α-band at 561 nm, fully reduced by ascorbate, and fully oxidized by monodehydroascorbate radical. AIR12 is a high-potential cytochrome b showing a wide bimodal dependence from the redox potential between +80 mV and +300 mV. Optical absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis indicate that AIR12 binds a single, highly axial low-spin heme, likely coordinated by methionine-91 and histidine-76, which are strongly conserved in AIR12 sequences. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that the auxin-responsive genes AIR12 represent a new family of PM b-type cytochromes specific to flowering plants. Circumstantial evidence suggests that AIR12 may interact with other redox partners within the PM to constitute a redox link between cytoplasm and apoplast.Complex interactions between plant cells and the environment are mediated by the apoplast. The apoplastic liquid phase permeating the cell wall contains relatively low concentrations of solutes (Dietz, 1997). Its composition, although largely determined by the protoplast, is easily perturbed by environmental challenges that can thus be perceived by the apoplast and translated into signals that trigger cell responses (Pignocchi and Foyer, 2003; Foyer and Noctor, 2005). Environmental challenges affecting the apoplast commonly result in an oxidative load, caused, for instance, by pollutants (e.g. ozone; Sandermann, 2008) or by endogenously generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Several enzymatic and nonenzymatic systems are able to generate ROS in the apoplast (Fry, 1998; Apel and Hirt, 2004), an event that is not restricted to biotic or abiotic stresses (Torres and Dangl, 2005), but also involved in diverse physiological conditions, including stomata closure and cell growth (Foreman et al., 2003; Mori and Schroeder, 2004; Gapper and Dolan, 2006; Schopfer and Liszkay, 2006).Apoplastic reductants not only act as an antioxidant barrier, but they could also modulate oxidative signals, thus actively contributing to plant adaptation to the environment. Ascorbate occurs at 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻³ m concentrations in the apoplast, where it represents the major pool of low-molecular-mass antioxidants (Dietz, 1997; Pignocchi and Foyer, 2003; Padu et al., 2005). Maintenance of the apoplastic ascorbate pool depends on transport systems of the plasma membrane (PM; Horemans et al., 2000). The redox state of the ascorbate in the apoplast is relatively flexible and typically more oxidized than in the symplast (Cordoba-Pedregosa et al., 2003, 2005; de Pinto and De Gara, 2004; Padu et al., 2005; Pignocchi et al., 2006). Ascorbate oxidation can be effected enzymatically by ascorbate oxidase or ascorbate peroxidase, and nonenzymatically by direct interaction with ROS (including ozone; Sandermann, 2008), transition metals (e.g. iron, copper; Fry, 1998), or phenolic radicals (Takahama, 1993). Oxidation of ascorbate gives rise to the monodehydroascorbate (MDA) radical, which can disproportionate into ascorbate and fully oxidized dehydroascorbate. In addition, the apoplastic MDA radical can be reduced back to ascorbate by a trans-PM redox system that uses cytosolic ascorbate as a reductant and involves a high-potential cytochrome b (Horemans et al., 1994). The latter has escaped molecular identification thus far (Trost et al., 2000; Bérczi et al., 2003; Griesen et al., 2004; Preger et al., 2005).It was suggested (Asard et al., 2001) that the trans-PM electron transfer from cytosolic ascorbate to apoplastic MDA may be effected by a cytochrome b561, in analogy to the electron transfer of animal chromaffin vesicles (Kelley and Njus, 1986). Cytochromes b561 are high-potential, transmembrane redox proteins of about 25 kD made of six membrane-spanning α-helices, which bind two hemes b. One heme is predicted to be close to an ascorbate binding site facing the cytosol, whereas the second heme faces the opposite side of the membrane and can be oxidized by either MDA or ferrichelates (Tsubaki et al., 1997; McKie et al., 2001; Bérczi et al., 2005; Kamensky et al., 2007). Plants contain several orthologous genes to animal cytochrome b561 (Asard et al., 2000; Bashtovyy et al., 2003). Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains four genes belonging to this family (Tsubaki et al., 2005) and one of these (At4g25570, CYBASC1), expressed in recombinant form, showed similar biochemical properties to animal cytochrome b561 (Bérczi et al., 2007). However, the localization in vivo of plant cytochrome b561 is controversial. Arabidopsis CYBASC1 was found to be associated with the tonoplast membrane (Griesen et al., 2004) and annotated in proteomic studies as either a tonoplast protein (Carter et al., 2004; Shimaoka et al., 2004) or a chloroplast protein (Zybailov et al., 2008). Tonoplast localization was also reported for bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) CYBASC1 in etiolated hypocotyls (Preger et al., 2005), whereas a GFP construct of CYBASC1 from wild watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) was shown to be targeted to the PM in transformed onion (Allium cepa) epidermal cells (Nanasato et al., 2005). No data are available for any other isoform of cytochrome b561 in plants.An ascorbate-reducible cytochrome b from enriched PM preparations was purified as a glycosylated protein of 55 to 63 kD (bean hypocotyls; Trost et al., 2000) or 120 kD (Arabidopsis; Bérczi et al., 2003) in SDS-PAGE. The association to the PM of the bean hypocotyl cytochrome was confirmed by analytical Suc gradient centrifugation (Preger et al., 2005). Based on potentiometric redox titrations, both bean and Arabidopsis cytochrome b preparations were suggested to bind two hemes with distant redox potentials (E_m7 +135 and +180/+200 mV). However, the nature of this high-potential cytochrome b of plant PM remained elusive, although clearly different from tonoplast cytochrome b561 (Preger et al., 2005).In this article, we report on the purification, molecular identification, cloning, and biochemical characterization of the major ascorbate-reducible cytochrome b associated with the PM of soybean (Glycine max) etiolated hypocotyls. The coding gene, known as AIR12 (for auxin induced in root cultures), is early expressed during auxin-induced lateral root formation in Arabidopsis (Laskowski et al., 2006). We demonstrate that AIR12 is a member of a new family of ascorbate-reducible cytochromes b specific to flowering plant species. The protein is glycosylated and hydrophilic and predicted to be associated in vivo with the external face of the PM by means of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor (Borner et al., 2003). AIR12 has been found to be associated with lipid rafts together with other redox proteins (Lefebvre et al., 2007), which may act as its partners in a possible electron link between apoplast and symplast.     

A Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Assay for Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphatases Using Peptide Substrates

A novel procedure for detection and assay of protein kinase and phosphatase activities in complex biological mixtures was developed. By means of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) methodology, the phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of the peptide Kemptide, a 46-amino-acid fragment from protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 and a peptide fragment corresponding to the R_II subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), were rapidly resolved. This facilitated nonradioactive detection of PKA and protein phosphatase-2B (calcineurin) in rabbit skeletal muscle extracts. In addition, the CZE procedure enabled a site-specific assay of a 14-amino-acid peptide from the glycogen-binding subunit of protein phosphatase-1 monophosphorylated on distinct sites by PKA and casein kinase-II. These results suggest that CZE may prove to be extremely useful for the analysis of peptides that are phosphorylated at multiple sites in vivo.     

Opposing Effects of Jun Kinase and p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases on Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy

c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and p38, two distinct members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family, regulate gene expression in response to various extracellular stimuli, yet their physiological functions are not completely understood. In this report we show that JNK and p38 exerted opposing effects on the development of myocyte hypertrophy, which is an adaptive physiological process characterized by expression of embryonic genes and unique morphological changes. In rat neonatal ventricular myocytes, both JNK and p38 were stimulated by hypertrophic agonists like endothelin-1, phenylephrine, and leukemia inhibitory factor. Expression of MAP kinase kinase 6b (EE), a constitutive activator of p38, stimulated the expression of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), which is a genetic marker of in vivo cardiac hypertrophy. Activation of p38 was required for ANF expression induced by the hypertrophic agonists. Furthermore, a specific p38 inhibitor, SB202190, significantly changed hypertrophic morphology induced by the agonists. Surprisingly, activation of JNK led to inhibition of ANF expression induced by MEK kinase 1 (MEKK1) and the hypertrophic agonists. MEKK1-induced ANF expression was also negatively regulated by expression of c-Jun. Our results demonstrate that p38 mediates, but JNK suppresses, the development of myocyte hypertrophy.     

三叶木通促分裂原活化蛋白激酶基因mapk3的克隆及表达分析

植物MAPK信号途径在植物生长发育以及多种逆境胁迫响应和激素调控过程中发挥着至关重要的作用。本文利用RACE-PCR技术克隆三叶木通促分裂原活化蛋白激酶基因mapk3的全长c DNA序列,并对其进行生物信息学分析和时空表达分析。克隆所得的Aktmapk3基因的ORF全长序列为1 164 bp,编码387个氨基酸,其编码的蛋白具有ATP结合位点,MAPK激酶保守结构和丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶激活位点,推测其可能通过被磷酸化而激活以及通过磷酸化下游蛋白而执行生理功能。实时荧光定量PCR结果显示,Aktmapk3基因在三叶木通各组织器官均有表达,在芽成熟叶片以及花中表达量比较高,在茎、幼叶和果肉中的表达量最低,暗示该基因可能参与了三叶木通芽的形成和花的发育。     

High-Resolution Protein Interaction Map of the Drosophila melanogaster p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Reveals Limited Functional Redundancy

Functional redundancy is a pivotal mechanism that supports the robustness of biological systems at a molecular, cellular, and organismal level. The extensive prevalence of redundancy in molecular networks has been highlighted by recent systems biology studies; however, a detailed mechanistic understanding of redundant functions in specific signaling modules is often missing. We used affinity purification of protein complexes coupled to tandem mass spectrometry to generate a high-resolution protein interaction map of the three homologous p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in Drosophila and assessed the utility of such a map in defining the extent of common and unique functions. We found a correlation between the depth of integration of individual p38 kinases into the protein interaction network and their functional significance in cultured cells and in vivo. Based on these data, we propose a central role of p38b in the Drosophila p38 signaling module, with p38a and p38c playing more peripheral, auxiliary roles. We also present the first in vivo evidence demonstrating that an evolutionarily conserved complex of p38b with glycogen synthase links stress sensing to metabolic adaptation.     

Role of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Stimulation of Smooth Muscle Cell Migration by Urokinase

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator, or urokinase, stimulates proliferation, adhesion, and migration of different type cells both due to its proteolytic activity and by activation of intracellular transduction pathways after interaction with the external cell surface. It is suggested that activation of p42/p44^erk1,2 MAP-kinases in response to specific receptor binding to the urokinase N-terminal domain is the key event in initiation of cell migration. However, we have found that the central kringle-domain of urokinase has its own target on the cell surface, and that its binding causes a migration response of human smooth muscle cells (SMCs). In the present study, we have shown that the urokinase kringle-domain is required to activate the p38 MAP kinase cascade, and that its inhibition leads to suppression of the migration response of SMCs. On the contrary, stimulation of the p42/p44^erk1,2 MAP-kinase cascade is determined only by proteolytic activity of urokinase and does not depend on its binding to SMCs. Selective inhibition of the p42/p44^erk1,2 MAP-kinase cascade produced a depression of the SMC migration induced by catalytically active urokinase, but did not affect the migration induced by non-active urokinase. It is concluded that binding of the urokinase kringle-domain to a yet unidentified target at the SMC surface is required for activation of the p38 MAP-kinase cascade and of the cell migration. Urokinase was shown to stimulate phosphorylation and activation of regulatory light myosin chains that are required to increase the cytoskeleton dynamics and SMC motility. The participation of p42/p44^erk1,2 and p38 MAP-kinase cascade in the realization of this effect is discussed.     

Regulation of Synaptotagmin I Phosphorylation by Multiple Protein Kinases

Synaptotagmin I has been suggested to function as a low-affinity calcium sensor for calcium-triggered exocytosis from neurons and neuroendocrine cells. We have studied the phosphorylation of synaptotagmin I by a variety of protein kinases in vitro and in intact preparations. SyntagI, the purified, recombinant, cytoplasmic domain of rat synaptotagmin I, was an effective substrate in vitro for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), protein kinase C (PKC), and casein kinase II (caskII). Sequencing of tryptic phosphopeptides from syntagI revealed that CaMKII and PKC phosphorylated the same residue, corresponding to Thr112, whereas caskII phosphorylated two residues, corresponding to Thr125 and Thr128. Endogenous synaptotagmin I was phosphorylated on purified synaptic vesicles by all three kinases. In contrast, no phosphorylation was observed on clathrin-coated vesicles, suggesting that phosphorylation of synaptotagmin I in vivo occurs only at specific stage(s) of the synaptic vesicle life cycle. In rat brain synaptosomes and PC12 cells, K+-evoked depolarization or treatment with phorbol ester caused an increase in the phosphorylation state of synaptotagmin I at Thr112. The results suggest the possibility that the phosphorylation of synaptotagmin I by CaMKII and PKC contributes to the mechanism(s) by which these two kinases regulate neurotransmitter release.