Suppression of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced skin inflammation in mice by transduced Tat-Annexin protein

We examined that the protective effects of ANX1 on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol- 13-acetate (TPA)-induced skin inflammation in animal models using a Tat-ANX1 protein. Topical application of the Tat-ANX1 protein markedly inhibited TPAinduced ear edema and expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin- 1 beta (IL-1 β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Also, application of Tat-ANX1 protein significantly inhibited nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κ B) and phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signalregulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in TPA-treated mice ears. The results indicate that Tat-ANX1 protein inhibits the inflammatory response by blocking NF-κ B and MAPK activation in TPA-induced mice ears. Therefore, the Tat-ANX1 protein may be useful as a therapeutic agent against inflammatory skin diseases.     

Inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced mouse skin ornithine decarboxylase and protein kinase C by polyphenolics from grapes

Ornithine decarboxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, which are believed to play an essential role in diverse biological processes including cell proliferation and differentiation. We have previously reported [J. Bomser, K. Singletary, M. Wallig, M. Smith, Inhibition of TPA-induced tumor promotion in CD-1 mouse epidermis by a polyphenolic fraction from grape seeds, Cancer Letters 135 (1999) 151-157] that pre-application of a grape polyphenolic fraction (GPF) to mouse skin epidermis inhibits 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, as well as 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated, TPA-promoted mouse skin tumorigenesis. The present studies were designed to further characterize the effect of time and dose of application of GPF on TPA-induced ODC activity and protein expression, and on protein kinase C activity in mouse skin epidermis. In addition, the effect of GPF on ODC kinetics in vitro was examined. Application of 5, 10, and 20 mg of GPF 20 min prior to treatment with TPA resulted in a significant decrease in epidermal ODC activity of 54, 53, 90%, respectively, compared with controls. Yet, ODC protein levels (Western blot) in the 10 and 20 mg GPF groups were significantly increased by 1.8 and 1.9-fold, respectively, compared with controls. A similar response was observed with the ODC inhibitor 2-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), which served as a positive control. Application of grape polyphenolics (20 mg) at 60 and 30 min prior to treatment with TPA inhibited ODC activity by 62 and 68%, respectively, compared with controls (P<0.05). In contrast, application of grape polyphenolics (20 mg) at 60, 120 and 240 min after treatment with TPA resulted in no significant changes in ODC activity. A similar increase in epidermal ODC protein was observed in these GPF-treated animals, similar to that observed when GPF application preceded TPA. When applied to mouse skin prior to TPA, GPF was associated with a decrease in subsequent PKC activity compared with controls at 10 and 30 min following TPA treatment. The GPF-associated decrease in PKC activity preceded the decrease in ODC activity. In a separate in vitro study, kinetic analyses indicated that GPF is a competitive inhibitor of ODC activity. Collectively these data suggest that the grape polyphenolic fraction is effective as an inhibitor of ODC activity when applied before TPA, and that the magnitude of inhibition is independent of epidermal ODC protein content. In addition, GPF is a competitive inhibitor of ODC activity in vitro. The decrease in TPA-induced ODC activity due to GPF treatment is preceded by an inhibition of TPA-induced PKC activity. Thus, the polyphenolic fraction from grapes warrants further examination as a skin cancer chemopreventive agent that interferes with cellular events associated with TPA promotion.     

Lymphocyte activation by the tumor-promoting agent 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA).

TPA, a highly active tumor-promoting agent, is an effective mitogen for primate peripheral blood lymphocytes. Optimal stimulation of human lymphocytes was obtained 4 days after the addition of TPA at a concentration of 7.5 ng/ml. Lymphocyte fractionation experiments demonstrated that both T and B cells incorporated 3H-thymidine significantly in response to TPA. Lymphocyte blastogenesis was not due to the reactivation of latent herpesviruses by the tumor promoter, since similar responses to TPA were obtained with virus-genome positive or negative cells. Increased levels of DNA synthesis were observed when TPA was added to marmoset, baboon, rhesus monkey, or chimpanzee peripheral blood lymphocytes. Canine peripheral blood lymphocytes and spleen cells from guinea pigs, rats, and mice were not stimulated by TPA. These observations suggest that TPA-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis may be useful for studies of lymphocyte activation and of the molecular mechanisms of action of tumor-promoting phorbol esters.     

Laminin synthesis by NK cells and modulation of its expression by TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate)

Natural killer (NK) cells have been suggested to play a major role in resistance against metastatic spread of tumors. This study was aimed at understanding whether laminin (LM), a component of the extracellular matrix involved in the mechanism of tumor invasion and cell interaction, is expressed by NK cells. The results indicate that NK cells can synthesize and display on the cell surface LM and that TPA can modulate its expression. Our findings suggest that the presence of LM on NK cells could be relevant in the control of tumor invasion by NK cells.     

Stimulation of hepatic glycogenolysis by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) via a calcium requiring process

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) stimulated glycogenolysis in perfused rat liver which was perfused with Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate buffer containing 1 mM CaCl2 but no substrate. Verapamil (100 microM), diltiazem (100 microM) and trifluoperazin (100 microM), all inhibited the effect of TPA in the presence of CaCl2. Omission of CaCl2 from the perfusate or the addition of EGTA markedly attenuated the effect of TPA. TPA decreased net release of 45Ca from 45Ca-preloaded liver. The effect of maximal concentration of TPA (20 ng/ml) was not additive to that of 0.6 microM A23187. These data suggest that TPA increases calcium influx into hepatocytes and stimulates glycogenolysis through a calcium-calmodulin dependent mechanism.     

A 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-nonproliferative variant of 3T3 cells is resistant to TPA-enhanced gene amplification.

Barsoum and Varshavsky (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:5330-5334, 1983) suggest that polypeptide mitogens and the mitogenic tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) stimulate gene amplification by related pathways. I demonstrated that TPA and the polypeptide mitogen fibroblast growth factor (FGF) both increase the frequency of cadmium-resistant variants of Swiss-Webster 3T3 cells. The molecular basis for this phenomenon is the amplification of the metallothionein gene(s). To further characterize the relationship between mitogenesis and gene amplification, I examined the ability of TPA and FGF to increase the frequency of cadmium-resistant colonies in the 3T3 variant cell line 3T3-TNR9. Unlike 3T3 cells, 3T3-TNR9 cells cannot be stimulated by TPA to divide (E. Butler-Gralla and H. R. Herschman, J. Cell. Physiol. 107:59-68, 1981). TPA does not induce an increase in cadmium-resistant colonies of the TPA-nonproliferative 3T3-TNR9, variant, in contrast to its efficacy on 3T3 cells. FGF, a potent mitogen for 3T3-TNR9 cells as well as 3T3 cells, is equally effective for 3T3-TNR9 and 3T3 cells in inducing cadmium-resistant colonies. These data suggest that the pathways of TPA-induced gene amplification and TPA-stimulated mitogenesis share a common step(s). TPA caused transient inhibition of DNA synthesis in both dividing 3T3 and 3T3-TNR9 cells, suggesting that this latter response to TPA is not sufficient to enhance gene amplification.     

Tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induces a protein in human lymphocytes binding satellite DNA

Interactions between a satellite DNA fragment (SH3, 1.8 kb) cloned in pBR325 plasmid and DEAE-protein fractions from human lymphocytes treated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA) have been studied by filtration technique through nitrocellulose filters. The 0.3 M fraction was found to have a protein which binds SH3 DNA specifically. Cytogenetic studies have shown an increased frequency of chromosome endoreduplications which may be due to the binding of TPA-induced protein to centromeres.     

Effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), retinoic acid and diazepam on intercellular communication in a monolayer of rat liver epithelial cells

We have studied the influence of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), the vitamin A derivative retinoic acid and the benzodiazepine diazepam on intercellular communication via established gap junctions in a monolayer of rat liver epithelial cells (RLB) at various times of incubation. Intercellular communication was measured as the transfer of [3H]hypoxanthine-derived nucleotides between RLB hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase+ (HPRT+) and RLB HPRT- cells. TPA only showed transient inhibition of metabolic cooperation: after 4 h of treatment, intercellular communication was reduced to about 40% of the control and longer treatments showed progressively less effect until 24 h of treatment, when no difference was seen between TPA-treated and control preparations. Retinoic acid was a more effective inhibitor: both 3 X 10(-6) M applied for 24 h and 10(-4) M applied for 6.5 h, caused a 50% inhibition of label transfer. The junctional communication could only be blocked at very high concentrations (5 X 10(-4) M) in short-exposure experiments, but this is possibly a consequence of non-specific effects on the cell membrane. When the incubation time was 24 h, a considerable portion of the gap junctions appeared to persist in the 'open' state. Diazepam showed no significant inhibitory effect in the experiments performed.     

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) during mitosis in retinal progenitor cells

Most studies of c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) activation in retinal tissue were done in the context of neurodegeneration. In this study, we investigated the behavior of JNK during mitosis of progenitor cells in the retina of newborn rats. Retinal explants from newborn rats were kept in vitro for 3 hours and under distinct treatments. Sections of retinal explants or freshly fixed retinal tissue were used to detect JNK phosphorylation by immunohistochemistry, and were examined through both fluorescence and confocal microscopy. Mitotic cells were identified by chromatin morphology, histone-H3 phosphorylation, and location in the retinal tissue. The subcellular localization of proteins was analyzed by double staining with both a DNA marker and an antibody to each protein. Phosphorylation of JNK was also examined by western blot. The results showed that in the retina of newborn rats (P1), JNK is phosphorylated during mitosis of progenitor cells, mainly during the early stages of mitosis. JNK1 and/or JNK2 were preferentially phosphorylated in mitotic cells. Inhibition of JNK induced cell cycle arrest, specifically in mitosis. Treatment with the JNK inhibitor decreased the number of cells in anaphase, but did not alter the number of cells in either prophase/prometaphase or metaphase. Moreover, cells with aberrant chromatin morphology were found after treatment with the JNK inhibitor. The data show, for the first time, that JNK is activated in mitotic progenitor cells of developing retinal tissue, suggesting a new role of JNK in the control of progenitor cell proliferation in the retina.     

Proliferative effects of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and calcium ionophores on human large granular lymphocytes (LGL)

The proliferative responses of natural killer (NK) cells to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), which directly activates protein kinase c(PKC), and to the Ca2+ ionophores A23817 and ionomycin, known to enhance the intracellular calcium, have been investigated. Highly purified large granular lymphocytes (LGL) were cultured for 12-30 hr in the presence of TPA, ionomycin, or A23817. TPA alone (1-20 ng/ml) triggered rapid LGL proliferation, whereas the calcium ionophores were ineffective. The addition of either calcium ionophore to suboptimal doses or TPA (0.1-0.5 ng/ml) resulted in a synergistic effect on LGL proliferation. Under these conditions high levels of IL-2 activity were released by the LGL. Phenotypic analysis revealed the rapid loss of the Fc gamma receptors (CD16) on LGL and the induction of the expression of IL-2 (CD25) and transferrin receptors and of HLA-DR, but not of CD3. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ by addition of EGTA at the beginning of the culture greatly depressed LGL proliferation and IL-2 production, and blocked phenotypic changes, such as the expression of Tac antigen. Finally, progression to the proliferative phase of LGL, activated by TPA alone or with ionomycin, was completely abrogated by a hyperimmune anti-IL-2 antiserum.     

Cytochrome P450 induction by phenobarbital (PB) is inhibited by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA): evidence that protein kinase C regulates induction

The hepatic microsomal monooxygenase system was studied in hypophysectomized male rats exposed for 24 or 48 h to PB and/or TPA, an activator of kinase C. TPA attenuated basal and PB-induced levels of P450, aniline hydroxylase (ANH), ethylmorphine demethylase (EDM) and cytochrome c reductase. Hence, PB may effect induction via the inhibition of kinase C. Supporting this is spectral evidence that PB and TPA do not bind and the fact that TPA did not decrease P450 when co-incubated with O2 and NADPH. Hemin failed to increase P450 levels previously depressed by TPA indicating that TPA acts by lowering apocytochrome levels. This is consistent with its attenuation of PB-effected increases in hepatic RNA. TPA effects were associated with increased hepatic RNA and were blocked by puromycin.     

The role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in Parkinson's disease

Given the critical role that the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway plays in regulating many of the cellular processes which are affected in Parkinson's disease (PD), the possible importance of JNK in disease pathogenesis is being increasingly recognized. Here we review recent findings implicating the JNK signaling pathway in animal models of Parkinson's disease and discuss the relationship between this pathway and the prominent pathological processes observed in the disease state. We suggest that regulation of the JNK signaling pathway may be a central facet in potential treatments for the disease.     

c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling: Recent advances and challenges

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), first characterized as stress-activated members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, have become a focus of inhibitor screening strategies following studies that have shown their critical roles in the development of a number of diseases, such as diabetes, neurodegeneration and liver disease. We discuss recent advances in the discovery and development of ATP-competitive and ATP-noncompetitive JNK inhibitors. Because understanding the modes of actions of these inhibitors and improving their properties will rely on a better understanding of JNK structure, JNK catalytic mechanisms and substrates, recent advances in these areas of JNK biochemistry are also considered. In addition, the use of JNK gene knockout animals is continuing to reveal in vivo functions for these kinases, with tissue-specific roles now being dissected with tissue-specific knockouts. These latest advances highlight the many challenges now faced, particularly in the directed targeting of the JNK isoforms in specific tissues.     

c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling contributes to cystic burden in polycystic kidney disease

Polycystic kidney disease is an inherited degenerative disease in which the uriniferous tubules are replaced by expanding fluid-filled cysts that ultimately destroy organ function. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common form, afflicting approximately 1 in 1,000 people. It primarily is caused by mutations in the transmembrane proteins polycystin-1 (Pkd1) and polycystin-2 (Pkd2). The most proximal effects of Pkd mutations leading to cyst formation are not known, but pro-proliferative signaling must be involved for the tubule epithelial cells to increase in number over time. The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway promotes proliferation and is activated in acute and chronic kidney diseases. Using a mouse model of cystic kidney disease caused by Pkd2 loss, we observe JNK activation in cystic kidneys and observe increased nuclear phospho c-Jun in cystic epithelium. Genetic removal of Jnk1 and Jnk2 suppresses the nuclear accumulation of phospho c-Jun, reduces proliferation and reduces the severity of cystic disease. While Jnk1 and Jnk2 are thought to have largely overlapping functions, we find that Jnk1 loss is nearly as effective as the double loss of Jnk1 and Jnk2. Jnk pathway inhibitors are in development for neurodegeneration, cancer, and fibrotic diseases. Our work suggests that the JNK pathway should be explored as a therapeutic target for ADPKD.     

Contact-stimulated proliferation of cultured mouse epidermal cells by 3T3 feeder layers: Inhibition of proliferation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)

Mouse epidermal cells can be subcultured at 31°C onto an irradiated BALB/c 3T3 clone A31 feeder layer. A31 cells (supposedly derived from embryonic fibroblasts) were found to be specifically required for the optimal production of keratinizing epidermal colonies in secondary culture. This effect was not transmitted through the medium nor by the culture surface, since A31 cells plated on one end of a flask did not stimulate epidermal cell proliferation at the other end, even if the other end had previously held A31 cells. Epidermal cell contact with metabolizing A31 cells was probably necessary for the effect; fixed or freeze-thawed A31 cells were ineffective. The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, recently shown to interfere with contact-mediated transfer of label (metabolic cooperation) between Swiss 3T3 cells and cells of an established epidermal line in vitro, also blocked epidermal colony formation. The A31-epidermal cell interaction is apparently not a typical mesenchymal-epithelial interaction, since the basement membrane would prevent this contact in intact skin.     

TPA(12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate) as a carcinogen for mouse skin

Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathology - In order to study a possible dose/response relationship in the tumorigenic effect of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), groups of hairless mice were...