Involvement of p38-betaTrCP-Tristetraprolin-TNFalpha axis in radiation pneumonitis

Abstract

Early release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) during radiotherapy of thoracic cancers plays an important role in radiation pneumonitis, whose inhibition may provide lung radioprotection. We previously reported radiation inactivates Tristetraprolin (TTP), a negative regulator of TNF-alpha synthesis, which correlated with increased TNF-alpha release. However, the molecular events involved in radiation-induced TTP inactivation remain unclear. To determine if eliminating Ttp in mice resulted in a phenotypic response to radiation, Ttp-null mice lungs were exposed to a single dose of 15 Gy, and TNF-alpha release and lung inflammation were analyzed at different time points post-irradiation. Ttp-/- mice with elevated (9.5+/-0.6 fold) basal TNF-alpha showed further increase (12.2+/-0.9 fold, p < 0.02) in TNF-alpha release and acute lung inflammation within a week post-irradiation. Further studies using mouse lung macrophage (MH-S), human lung fibroblast (MRC-5), and exogenous human TTP overexpressing U2OS and HEK293 cells upon irradiation (a single dose of 4 Gy) promoted p38-mediated TTP phosphorylation at the serine 186 position, which primed it to be recognized by an ubiquitin ligase (E3), beta transducing repeat containing protein (beta-TrCP), to promote polyubiquitination-mediated proteasomal degradation. Consequently, a serine 186 to alanine (SA) mutant of TTP was resistant to radiation-induced degradation. Similarly, either a p38 kinase inhibitor (SB203580), or siRNA-mediated beta-TrCP knockdown, or overexpression of dominant negative Cullin1 mutants protected TTP from radiation-induced degradation. Consequently, SB203580 pretreatment blocked radiation-induced TNF-alpha release and radioprotected macrophages. Together, these data establish the involvement of the p38-betaTrCP-TTP-TNFalpha signaling axis in radiation-induced lung inflammation and identified p38 inhibition as a possible lung radioprotection strategy.