Functional antagonism between c-Jun and MyoD proteins: a direct physical association

The product of the proto-oncogene Jun inhibits myogenesis. Constitutive expression of Jun in myoblasts interferes with the expression and the function of MyoD protein. In transient transfection assays Jun inhibits transactivation of the MyoD promoter, the muscle creatine kinase enhancer, and a reporter gene linked to MyoD DNA-binding sites. Conversely, MyoD suppresses the transactivation by Jun of genes linked to an AP-1 site. We demonstrate that both in vivo and in vitro MyoD and Jun proteins physically interact. Mutational analysis suggests that this interaction occurs via the leucine zipper domain of Jun and the helix-loop-helix region of MyoD.

Okadaic acid mimics multiple changes in early protein phosphorylation and gene expression induced by tumor necrosis factor or interleukin-1

Okadaic acid, a phosphatase inhibitor from a marine organism, mimics tumor necrosis factor/interleukin-1 (TNF/IL-1) in inducing changes in early cellular protein phosphorylation. A total of approximately 116 proteins exhibit significant and concordant changes in phosphorylation or dephosphorylation within 15 min in human fibroblasts activated by either okadaic acid, TNF, or IL-1. The fidelity of this mimicry by okadaic acid extends to the phosphorylation of the 27 hsp complex, stathmin, eIF-4E, myosin light chain, nucleolin, epidermal growth factor receptor, and other cdc2-kinase substrates (c-abl, RB, and p53). The okadaic acid-induced pattern of protein phosphorylation is distinct from that observed in cells treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or with ligands like epidermal growth factor, cyclic AMP agonists, bradykinin, or interferons. Like TNF, okadaic acid also induces the transcription of immediate early response genes like c-jun and Egr-1 as well as the interleukin-6 genes. The overall early effects of okadaic acid uniquely parallel those of TNF/IL-1 and not those of other cytokines or ligands. Regulation of protein phosphatase inhibition is discussed as a mechanism for TNF/IL-1 signal transduction.

Transcriptional regulation of the c-jun gene by retinoic acid and E1A during differentiation of F9 cells

Differentiation of mouse F9 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells can be induced by exposure to retinoic acid (RA) or by expression of adenovirus E1A. The transcription of the c-jun gene is stimulated by either RA or E1A. We report here that both RA and E1A strongly induce the expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) from c-jun promoter/CAT reporter construct (c-jun/CAT), which is stably integrated into F9 cells, in a manner that is independent of both copy number and integration locus. The induction of c-jun/CAT expression is observed in undifferentiated F9 cells, but not in differentiated F9 cells, adenovirus-infected F9 cells or HeLa cells. Deletion analysis of the promoter region of the c-jun gene indicates that the sequence elements required for the RA- and E1A-mediated induction are identical and they have been defined as a region of 145 bp between -190 and -46 of the 5' flanking region of c-jun. This RA and E1A response element (RERE) contains five variants of the motif CGCGGTGACGNT. The upstream two motifs are adjacent and extend in opposite directions, creating an imperfect palindrome. The downstream four motifs are located at 35 or 36 bp intervals in the same orientation. Substitution and insertion analysis indicates that these motifs and their regular intervals are important for the activity of the RERE.

Oncogene and growth factor expression in ovarian cancer

The varying tumor-biological behavior of ovarian carcinomas probably influences both their operability and response to chemotherapy, which are the most relevant prognostic factors. The phenotype of different ovarian carcinomas is obviously associated with an activation of the EGF/TGF-alpha signal pathway, including c-myc and c-jun expression. Analysis of EGF-R, TGF-alpha, c-myc and c-jun expression in 33 stage III/IV, and 2 stage I/II ovarian carcinomas with biochemical, molecular-chemical and immunohistochemical methods showed a correlation between the mRNA and protein levels of EGF-R and TGF-alpha for tumors with low or high expressing rates. However, the concentration of measurable free EGF-Rs seems to depend on the amount of TGF-alpha expression by the tumors. The EGF-R binding ligand TGF-alpha is produced by epithelial tumor cells; stromal cells are usually TGF-alpha-negative, as shown by immunohistochemistry. High expression rates of EGF-R. TGF-alpha and c-myc were detected in 6, 7, and 10 out of 35 ovarian carcinomas, respectively. C-jun mRNA was detected in 18/19 cases studied. Non-malignant tissues originating from myometrium or ovary expressed no (or only small amounts of) EGF-R or TGF-alpha mRNA, whereas a high c-myc expression was found in 1/7 normal myometria, and in 2/5 normal ovaries. There was no strong correlation between EGF-R/TGF-alpha and c-myc/c-jun expression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Up-regulation of Jun/AP-1 during differentiation of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells

Neuroblastoma cell lines isolated from neuroblastoma tumors can be induced to differentiate into neuronal cell types by treatment with chemical agents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide and retinoic acid. The molecular mechanisms underlying this differentiation process, however, are completely obscure. In this paper, we show that neuronal differentiation of mouse N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells by dimethyl sulfoxide is accompanied by a prolonged rise in c-jun, junB, and junD expression and AP-1 activity. Multiple sequence elements in the Jun promoters are involved in this process. Furthermore, we show that c-jun and junD, but not junB, are expressed at high levels in the neuronal cell types obtained after dimethyl sulfoxide treatment. These results suggest an important role for c-jun and junD in neuronal differentiation of N1E-115 cells.

The ste4+ gene, essential for sexual differentiation of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, encodes a protein with a leucine zipper motif

Ste4- mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe are unable to undergo both mating and meiosis. We have cloned the ste4+ gene and its cDNA. The gene encodes a 264 amino acid protein with a typical leucine zipper motif homologous with the jun family. However, unlike the jun family, this protein does not have a typical basic region that precedes the leucine zipper. The transcription of this gene absolutely depends on the ste11+ gene and increases several fold upon nitrogen starvation, a general signal for sexual differentiation. Whereas ste4+ is essential for mating and meiosis, its overexpression inhibits these processes.

C-jun and jun-B oncogene expression during placental development

During embryogenesis, growth and differentiation occur in a sequential, predetermined order suggesting that specific genes are turned on and off in a precise and well-regulated manner. Placental development, which is characterized by massive proliferation and differentiation of multiple cell types, must be similarly regulated. Early response protooncogenes, such as c-jun and jun-B, have been associated with both proliferation and differentiation of different cell types. In this study, using Northern blot analysis, we found that c-jun and jun-B expression occurred in human placentas throughout gestation. Maximal expression of c-jun occurred in early gestation, and maximal expression of jun-B occurred in late gestation. We speculate that peak expression of c-jun in human placenta at early gestation may be related to cytotrophoblastic proliferation and that peak expression of jun-B in late gestation may be related to further terminal differentiation of trophoblastic cells.

junD mRNA expression differs from c-jun and junB mRNA expression during male germinal cell differentiation

The members of the jun family of protooncogenes (junB, c-jun, and junD) share a high degree of sequence homology and function as transcriptional regulators. Here we compare the pattern of junD mRNA expression during spermatogenesis to that of junB and c-jun (Alcivar et al.: J Biol Chem 265:20160-20165, 1990). junD transcripts are present at high levels in total RNA obtained from both prepuberal and adult intact testes, with the highest levels at stages containing predominantly premeiotic and postmeiotic germ cells. Analyses of cells isolated from testes of 8-day-old mice indicate that the level of the 1.8 kb junD mRNA is higher in type B spermatogonia than in type A spermatogonia. In testes of 17-day-old mice, the highest junD mRNA levels are detected in preleptotene spermatocytes compared to leptotene/zygotene and prepuberal pachytene spermatocytes. In cells from adult testes, the junD mRNA levels are higher in postmeiotic round spermatids and residual bodies/cytoplasts than in meiotic pachytene spermatocytes. An additional junD transcript of about 1.6 kb is detected in postmeiotic cells. Analyses of polysomal and nonpolysomal RNAs prepared from isolated testicular cells indicate that in early meiotic cell types the junD transcript is more efficiently loaded onto polysomes than in later cell types. In summary, the pattern of expression of junD differs from that of junB and c-jun during spermatogenesis most notably in that 1) junD mRNA levels do not increase following dissociation of testicular cells and 2) in contrast to the nearly undetectable levels of junB and c-jun mRNAs in adult postmeiotic testicular cells, high levels of junD mRNAs are seen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Protein kinase C regulates proliferation of mast cells and the expression of the mRNAs of fos and jun proto-oncogenes during activation by IgE-Ag or calcium ionophore A23187

Short-term stimulation (up to 16 hours) of interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells, Abelson transformed mouse liver-derived mast cells, or rat basophilic leukemia cells by either IgE-Ag or calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in inhibition of their proliferation as measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTT (tetrazolium) assays, and in accumulation of the mRNAs of c-fos, c-jun, junB and slightly of junD proto-oncogenes. The involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in these responses was investigated by using several approaches of enzyme activity regulation. Direct activation of the PKC was achieved by short-term exposure of the cells to the PKC-specific activator phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Inhibition of PKC activity was obtained by either prolonged treatment of the cells with PMA or by exposure of the cells to the PKC inhibitors H-7 and staurosporine. The results showed the following: (1) Short-term exposure of mast cells to PMA was sufficient to induce inhibition of proliferation. (2) An increase in PKC activity was associated with a decrease in the proliferation of IgE-dinitrophenol (DNP) or calcium ionophore A23187-stimulated cells. (3) A direct correlation was found between the increase in PKC activity and the increase in the level of the mRNAs of the jun proto-oncogenes in cells activated by both stimuli mentioned. (4) While an increase in PKC activity was associated with the upregulation of the level of c-fos mRNA during calcium ionophore A23187 stimulation, it showed the opposite effect on the expression of the mRNA of this proto-oncogene when the cells were triggered by IgE-DNP. Therefore, we concluded that PKC plays various roles in the expression of the mRNA of c-fos in activated mast cells depending on the stimulus involved. In addition, the expression of the mRNA of c-jun and junB proto-onogenes is not coordinately regulated with that of c-fos during immunologic stimulation. This discordancy, which is associated with the increase in PKC activity in mast cells, may play a role in the regulation of the transcription of AP-1-responsive genes, and therefore could be associated with the regulation of proliferation of these cells.

Transcriptional activation of early-response genes by hydrogen peroxide in a mouse osteoblastic cell line

H2O2, like other oxidants, is known to act as a mitogen at low concentrations in resting Balb/3T3 or mouse epidermal JB6 cells. We described previously that H2O2 induces some early response genes in Balb/3T3 cells. We extended these observations using another cell line, MC3T3 (mouse osteoblastic) cells by examination of transcriptional activity of these genes and by using inhibitors of protein kinases. H2O2 increased the expressions of c-fos, c-jun, egr-1 and JE genes which are known to be early response genes and are induced by mitogenic stimuli in many types of cells. Exogenous addition of H2O2 increased the mRNA levels of these genes, the kinetics of increase being similar to those of their inductions by a phorbol ester or serum. Nuclear run-on transcription showed that this induction occurred at the transcriptional level. H2O2 at 0.1-0.2 mM induced maximal expressions of c-fos and c-jun, whereas 0.3 mM H2O2 was required for induction of stress-induced heme oxygenase mRNA. The inductions of c-fos and c-jun were inhibited by 50 microM H7, a protein kinase inhibitor that is relatively specific for protein kinase C, but were not affected by H9, relatively specific for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In cells pretreated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, however, in which protein kinase was supposed to be downregulated, H2O2 induced c-fos and heme oxygenase as efficiently as in untreated cells. H2O2 did not increase the phosphorylation of p80 protein, which is known to be a substrate for protein kinase C. Thus, H2O2 seemed to induce c-fos and c-jun by activating protein kinases distinct from protein kinase C. Activity of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene under control of the serum-response element of human c-fos genes was increased by H2O2 treatment, whereas that under control of cAMP-response element was not affected. These results indicate that the inductions by H2O2 of c-fos and possibly other early response genes are mediated through activation of the serum-response element in their enhancer.

Jun B, c-jun, jun D and c-fos mRNAs in nucleus caudalis neurons: rapid selective enhancement by afferent stimulation

In situ hybridization using cDNAs complementary to specific regions of the mRNAs encoding 3 members of the jun transcription factor gene family and c-fos reveals modest levels of hybridization over superficial laminae of the nucleus caudalis of the spinal tract of the trigeminal in sections taken from unstimulated brains. Jun B expression is markedly and rapidly enhanced ipsilateral to electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion. C-fos mRNA levels also show changes, especially after higher intensity stimulation. Smaller alterations in c-jun (jun A) and jun D do not reach statistical significance. In each instance of altered expression, more neurons express hybridization densities above background levels after stimulation. Parallels between these alterations and changes in the expression of preproenkephalin in these same neuronal populations are discussed.

Differential expression of immediate early genes in the hippocampus in the kindling model of epilepsy

Kindling is a phenomenon in which brief afterdischarges (ADs) evoked by periodic electrical stimulation of the brain eventually result in generalized clonic motor seizures. Once present, the enhanced sensitivity to electrical stimulation is lifelong. The mechanism by which brief ADs produce this long-lasting effect may involve a change in gene expression. To begin to investigate changes in gene expression that occur during kindling, we used in situ hybridization histochemistry to examine the time course of expression of mRNAs of the immediate early genes (IEGs) c-fos, c-jun, NGFI-A, and c-myc within the dorsal hippocampus of rats following a kindling AD. Three principal findings resulted from this study. First, the expression of all mRNAs except c-myc was significantly increased (P less than 0.05) within discrete neuronal populations. Second, the time course of expression of the IEGs differed markedly within the same neuronal population. Third, for a given IEG, the time course and anatomic pattern of expression were strikingly different among different neuronal populations of the hippocampus. The prolonged and distinctly different patterns of IEG expression suggest that target genes are differentially regulated in these neuronal populations for prolonged periods following a kindling AD.