Role of p38 and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases in the activation of ternary complex factors
UMass Chan Affiliations
Program in Molecular MedicineDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
1997-05-01Keywords
3T3 CellsAnimals
CHO Cells
Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
inhibitors
Cricetinae
DNA-Binding Proteins
Enzyme Activation
Enzyme Inhibitors
GTP-Binding Proteins
*GTPase-Activating Proteins
Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
Genes, fos
Interleukin-1
JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Macromolecular Substances
Mice
*Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Proto-Oncogene Proteins
Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
Signal Transduction
Transcription Factors
Transcription, Genetic
ets-Domain Protein Elk-1
p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The transcription factors Elk-1 and SAP-1 bind together with serum response factor to the serum response element present in the c-fos promoter and mediate increased gene expression. The ERK, JNK, and p38 groups of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases phosphorylate and activate Elk-1 in response to a variety of extracellular stimuli. In contrast, SAP-1 is activated by ERK and p38 MAP kinases but not by JNK. The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) activates JNK and p38 MAP kinases and induces the transcriptional activity of Elk-1 and SAP-1. These effects of IL-1 appear to be mediated by Rho family GTPases. To examine the relative roles of the JNK and p38 MAP kinase pathways, we examined the effects of IL-1 on CHO and NIH 3T3 cells. Studies of NIH 3T3 cells demonstrated that both the JNK and p38 MAP kinases are required for IL-1-stimulated Elk-1 transcriptional activity, while only p38 MAP kinase contributes to IL-1-induced activation of SAP-1. In contrast, studies of CHO cells demonstrated that JNK (but not the p38 MAP kinase) is required for IL-1-stimulated Elk-1-dependent gene expression and that neither JNK nor p38 MAP kinase is required for IL-1 signaling to SAP-1. We conclude that (i) distinct MAP kinase signal transduction pathways mediate IL-1 signaling to ternary complex transcription factors (TCFs) in different cell types and (ii) individual TCFs show different responses to the JNK and p38 signaling pathways. The differential utilization of TCF proteins and MAP kinase signaling pathways represents a potential mechanism for the determination of cell-type-specific responses to extracellular stimuli.Source
Mol Cell Biol. 1997 May;17(5):2360-71.Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/38586PubMed ID
9111305Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedCollections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
A mammalian scaffold complex that selectively mediates MAP kinase activationWhitmarsh, Alan J.; Cavanagh, Julie; Tournier, Cathy; Yasuda, Jun; Davis, Roger J. (1998-09-11)The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) group of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases is activated by the exposure of cells to multiple forms of stress. A putative scaffold protein was identified that interacts with multiple components of the JNK signaling pathway, including the mixed-lineage group of MAP kinase kinase kinases (MLK), the MAP kinase kinase MKK7, and the MAP kinase JNK. This scaffold protein selectively enhanced JNK activation by the MLK signaling pathway. These data establish that a mammalian scaffold protein can mediate activation of a MAP kinase signaling pathway.
-
Molecular determinants that mediate selective activation of p38 MAP kinase isoformsEnslen, Herve; Brancho, Deborah Marie; Davis, Roger J. (2000-03-16)The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) group is represented by four isoforms in mammals (p38alpha, p38beta2, p38gamma and p38delta). These p38 MAPK isoforms appear to mediate distinct functions in vivo due, in part, to differences in substrate phosphorylation by individual p38 MAPKs and also to selective activation by MAPK kinases (MAPKKs). Here we report the identification of two factors that contribute to the specificity of p38 MAPK activation. One mechanism of specificity is the selective formation of functional complexes between MAPKK and different p38 MAPKs. The formation of these complexes requires the presence of a MAPK docking site in the N-terminus of the MAPKK. The second mechanism that confers signaling specificity is the selective recognition of the activation loop (T-loop) of p38 MAPK isoforms. Together, these processes provide a mechanism that enables the selective activation of p38 MAPK in response to activated MAPKK.
-
Selective activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase isoforms by the MAP kinase kinases MKK3 and MKK6Enslen, Herve; Raingeaud, Joel; Davis, Roger J. (1998-01-27)The cellular response to treatment with proinflammatory cytokines or exposure to environmental stress is mediated, in part, by the p38 group of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. We report the molecular cloning of a novel isoform of p38 MAP kinase, p38 beta 2. This p38 MAP kinase, like p38 alpha, is inhibited by the pyridinyl imidazole drug SB203580. The p38 MAP kinase kinase MKK6 is identified as a common activator of p38 alpha, p38 beta 2, and p38 gamma MAP kinase isoforms, while MKK3 activates only p38 alpha and p38 gamma MAP kinase isoforms. The MKK3 and MKK6 signal transduction pathways are therefore coupled to distinct, but overlapping, groups of p38 MAP kinases.