Phosphorylation of the small heat-shock protein is regulated by interleukin 1, tumour necrosis factor, growth factors, bradykinin and ATP

Interleukin-1 activates a novel protein kinase cascade that results in the phosphorylation of Hsp27

An IL-1-stimulated protein kinase cascade resulting in phosphorylation of the small heat shock protein hsp27 has been identified in KB cells. It is distinct from the p42 MAP kinase cascade. An upstream activator kinase phosphorylated a 40 kDa kinase (p40) upon threonine and tyrosine residues, which in turn phosphorylated a 50 kDa kinase (p50) upon threonine (and some serine) residues. p50 phosphorylated hsp27 upon serine. p40 and p50 were purified to near homogeneity. All three components were inactivated by protein phosphatase 2A, and p40 was inactivated by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. The substrate specificity of p40 differed from that of p42 and p54 MAP kinases. The upstream activator was not a MAP kinase kinase. p50 resembled MAPKAPK-2 and may be identical.

A novel kinase cascade triggered by stress and heat shock that stimulates MAPKAP kinase-2 and phosphorylation of the small heat shock proteins

MAPK-activated protein kinase-2 (MAPKAP kinase-2) is activated in vitro by the p42 and p44 isoforms of MAPK (p42/p44MAPK). In several cell lines, however, MAPKAP kinase-2 is activated by sodium arsenite, heat shock, or osmotic stress and not by agonists that activate p42/p44MAPK. We have identified a MAPK-like enzyme that acts as a MAPKAP kinase-2 reactivating kinase (RK). RK is recognized by an antiserum raised against a Xenopus MAPK (Mpk2), which is most similar to HOG1 from S. cerevisiae. We also identified a RK kinase (RKK) on the basis of its ability to activate either RK or a GST-Mpk2 fusion protein. The RKK, RK, and MAPKAP kinase-2 constitute a new stress-activated signal transduction pathway in vertebrates that is distinct from the classical MAPK cascade.

Oxidant-sensitive protein phosphorylation in endothelial cells

Reactive oxygen is an important regulator of vascular cell biology; however, the mechanisms involved in transducing signals from oxidants in endothelial cells are poorly defined. Because protein phosphorylation is a major mechanism for signal transduction, cultured aortic endothelial cells were exposed to nonlethal concentrations of H2O2 to examine oxidant-sensitive changes in phosphorylation state. Addition of H2O2 increases the phosphorylation of the heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) within 2 min. This response is maximal by 20 min and remains constant for more than 45 min. Levels of intracellular free Ca2+ in endothelial cells did not change following addition of 100 microM H2O2, nor did the ability of the cells to respond to bradykinin. H2O2-induced phosphorylations were either not affected or were slightly increased in cells pretreated with PKC inhibitors (H-8, staurosporin, or calphostin c). Two-dimensional analysis of phosphoproteins from homogenates of 32P-labeled cells revealed that phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) did not cause the same degree of HSP27 phosphorylation as H2O2. Simultaneous addition of 10 eta M PMA and 50 microM H2O2 decreased the oxidant-stimulated phosphorylation of the most acidic HSP27 isoform. These data suggest that signal transduction for H2O2-sensitive endothelial cell responses are not only independent of PKC, but may also be suppressed by the action of the kinase.

The serum-induced phosphorylation of mammalian hsp27 correlates with changes in its intracellular localization and levels of oligomerization

The oligomeric small heat-shock protein hsp27, also denoted hsp28, is constitutively expressed in several mammalian cells and displays a phosphorylation status that is related to cellular growth and differentiation. This protein is related to alpha-crystallin and has strong sequence similarity with an in vitro inhibitor of actin polymerization. Here, we have analyzed hsp27 phosphorylation, cellular localization and structural organization following serum stimulation of serum-starved HeLa cells. hsp27 is dephosphorylated in starved cells and quantitatively recovered in the form of small structures (< 200 kDa) present in the soluble phase of the cytoplasm. Immediately after the addition of serum to starved cells, a rapid phosphorylation and complex changes in the intracellular distribution and structural organization of hsp27 are observed. Phosphorylation essentially occurs at the level of small hsp27 structures (< 200 kDa) and is concomitant with the increased molecular mass (up to 700 kDa) of a fraction of this protein. Serum treatment also induced the detergent-sensitive association of another fraction of hsp27, still in the form of small and dephosphorylated structures, with cellular particulate fractions. Contrasting with these observations, hsp70 had the tendency to concentrate into nucleoli during serum starvation.

The molecular chaperones HSP28, GRP78, endoplasmin, and calnexin exhibit strikingly different levels in quiescent keratinocytes as compared to their proliferating normal and transformed counterparts: cDNA cloning and expression of calnexin

We have identified nine molecular chaperones in human keratinocytes by one or a combination of three methods: (i) reaction with antibodies raised against the purified proteins, (ii) microsequencing of two-dimensional (2-D) gel purified proteins, or (iii), by cloning of the cDNA and expression of its encoded protein in transformed human amnion cells using the vaccinia virus expression system. The expression levels of each of the molecular chaperones were analyzed in quiescent, normal proliferating, and simian virus SV40 transformed K14 keratinocytes by cutting the corresponding protein spots from dried 2-D gels and counting the radioactivity by liquid scintillation. The most striking observation was the strong up-regulation (936%) of the small heat shock protein HSP28 in the quiescent keratinocytes, a fact that is in line with recent data indicating that the murine homologue (HSP25) may act as a growth inhibitor. Several chaperones that localize to the endoplasmic reticulum and that are involved in the secretory pathway (GRP78, GRP78v, endoplasmin, and calnexin) were expressed at approximately similar levels in normal proliferating and K14 keratinocytes but were down-regulated by 50% or more in the quiescent cells, implying that these cells may possess an impaired ability to secrete certain proteins. Both GRP78 and endoplasmin genes have similar sequences in the promoter regions, suggesting that they may be partly co-regulated at the transcriptional level (McCauliffe et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1992, 267, 2557-2562).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dynamic changes in intracellular localization and isoforms of the 27-kD stress protein in human keratinocytes

We have begun to characterize the low molecular weight, 27-kD heat shock or stress protein (HSP27) in normal keratinocytes and in HaCaT, a spontaneously transformed keratinocyte line. The presence and location of HSP27 was determined by indirect immunofluorescence on fixed whole cells and immunoblot analysis of cytosolic, membrane, nuclear, and cytoskeletal cell fractions. HSP27 is localized throughout the cytoplasm of cells at 37 degrees C. After heating at 42 degrees C, there is a rapid (within 10 min) increase in nuclear HSP27. Two-dimensional gel analysis of whole cell HaCaT lysates identified multiple isoforms of HSP27 with different isoelectric points. The function of HSP27 is largely unknown but its presence throughout the cytoplasm of cells at 37 degrees C, its translocation to the nucleus after cellular stress, and the presence of multiple isoforms suggest a biologic role in both stressed and unstressed human keratinocytes.

The interleukin-1-stimulated protein kinase that phosphorylates heat shock protein hsp27 is activated by MAP kinase

In KB cells, interleukin-1 (IL-1), epidermal growth factor and phorbol ester transiently activated both MAP kinase and a serine kinase which phosphorylated the heat shock protein hsp27. Extracts made from IL-1-stimulated KB cells phosphorylated recombinant hsp27, in vitro, on serine residues 78 and 82 which are contained within Arg-X-X-Ser motifs similar to those phosphorylated by the ribosomal protein S6 kinases. Upon size exclusion chromatography, however, hsp27 kinase eluted as a single peak of activity at 50-60 kDa, clearly separated from ribosomal protein S6 kinases. Treatment of partially purified hsp27 kinase with protein phosphatase-2a reduced its activity by 80%. De-phosphorylated hsp27 kinase could be approximately 50% reactivated by a factor present in IL-1-treated cell extracts in the presence of ATP. This factor co-eluted with MAP kinase after partial purification by DEAE-cellulose, phenyl Sepharose, and size exclusion chromatography. Purified sea star p44mpk and recombinant ERK2 MAP kinases were also capable of re-activating hsp27 kinase to a similar extent. These data suggest that hsp27 kinase is downstream from, and probably a direct target of MAP kinase.

The substrate specificity and structure of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-activated protein kinase-2

The substrate specificity of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-activated protein kinase-2 (MAPKAP kinase-2) was investigated by using synthetic peptides related to the N-terminus of glycogen synthase. The minimum sequence required for efficient phosphorylation was found to be Xaa-Xaa-Hyd-Xaa-Arg-Xaa-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Xaa, where Hyd is a bulky hydrophobic residue (Phe > Leu > Val >> Ala), and the peptide Lys-Lys-Phe-Asn-Arg-Thr-Leu-Ser-Val-Ala was phosphorylated with a Km of 9.3 microM and Vmax. of 10 mumol/min per mg. MAPKAP kinase-1 (a homologue of ribosomal protein S6 kinase) also requires an arginine three residues N-terminal to the serine (position n-3), but not a hydrophobic residue at position n-5. Neither MAPKAP kinase-1 nor MAPKAP kinase-2 could tolerate a proline residue at position n + 1, indicating that their specificities do not overlap with that of MAP kinase. The specificity of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-II resembled that of MAPKAP kinase-2, except that it could tolerate replacement of the arginine by a lysine and the phosphorylation-site serine by a threonine residue. Partial cDNAs encoding MAPKAP kinase-2 were isolated from rabbit and human skeletal muscle and human teratocarcinoma libraries, and Northern-blotting experiments revealed a single 3.3 kb mRNA transcript present at similar levels in six human tissues examined. The catalytic domain was most similar (35-40% identity) to calmodulin-dependent protein kinases II and IV, phosphorylase kinase, putative serine kinase H1 and the C-terminal domain of MAPKAP kinase-1, which form one branch of the protein kinase phylogenetic tree. The sequence N-terminal to the catalytic domain is proline-rich and contains two putative SH3-binding sites. The threonine residue phosphorylated by MAP kinase lies immediately C-terminal to the catalytic domain and is followed by a nuclear localization signal, Lys-Lys-(Xaa)10-Lys-Arg-Arg-Lys-Lys, near the C-terminus.

Interleukin 1 and tumour necrosis factor activate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase in cultured cells

Interleukin 1 (IL1) activated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase in human gingival and foreskin fibroblasts and KB cells. Maximal activity was found in cytosolic extracts made after stimulating cells for 15 min. On anion-exchange chromatography two differently charged forms of MAP kinase kinase were identified, both phosphorylated a kinase-defective mutant MAP kinase, and activated recombinant wild type MAP kinase to phosphorylate MBP. Both were inhibited by an antiserum to recombinant MAP kinase kinase and the less acidic form was identified on Western blotting as an antigen of approximately 43 kDa. Indistinguishable forms were very much more strongly induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). TNF had a similar effect to that of IL1.

Transforming growth factor beta exerts opposite effects from interleukin-1 beta on cultured rabbit articular chondrocytes through reduction of interleukin-1 receptor expression

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to determine whether transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) modulates the effects and the receptor expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in rabbit articular chondrocytes (RAC).

METHODS

Collagen, glycosaminoglycan, and collagenase production, together with 125I-labeled IL-1 binding, were analyzed in RAC cultures.

RESULTS

TGF beta reduced both IL-1 effects on matrix metabolism and IL-1 receptor expression.

CONCLUSION

TGF beta acts as an antagonist of the effects of IL-1 through down-regulation of its receptor expression.

Identification of MAPKAP kinase 2 as a major enzyme responsible for the phosphorylation of the small mammalian heat shock proteins

MAP kinase-activated protein kinase-2 (MAPKAP kinase-2) phosphorylates the serine residues in murine heat shock protein 25 (hsp25) and human heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) which are phosphorylated in vivo in response to growth factors and heat shock, namely Ser15 and Ser86 (hsp25) and Ser15, Ser78 and Ser82 (hsp27). Ser86 of hsp25 and the equivalent residue in hsp27 (Ser82) are phosphorylated preferentially in vitro. The small heat shock protein is present in rabbit skeletal muscle and hsp25 kinase activity in skeletal muscle extracts co-purifies with MAPKAP kinase-2 activity throughout the purification of the latter enzyme. These results suggest that MAPKAP kinase-2 is the enzyme responsible for the phosphorylation of these small heat shock proteins in mammalian cells.

Over-expression of the small heat-shock protein, hsp25, inhibits growth of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

hsp25 is a small, growth-related, mammalian stress protein which is highly accumulated in the stationary phase of Ehrlich ascites tumor in vivo. Ehrlich ascites cells cultivated in vitro under conditions of continuous exponential growth express hsp25 only at a low level. These cells were stably transfected with an eukaryotic expression vector carrying the coding sequence of the small heat-shock protein, hsp25, under control of the murine metallothionein promoter. The resulting cell lines (EAT II6 and EAT II8) exhibit constitutive over-expression of the small heat-shock protein, hsp25, which can be further increased by induction with cadmium. Both cell lines show increased thermoresistance. The in vitro proliferation rate of the transfected cell lines EAT II6 and EAT II8 is significantly decreased depending on the degree of cadmium-regulated over-expression of hsp25. Furthermore, a significant delay in Ehrlich ascites tumor growth in mice using the hsp25 over-expressing cells for primary inoculation could be demonstrated.

Expression of heat shock genes during differentiation of mammalian osteoblasts and promyelocytic leukemia cells

The progressive differentiation of both normal rat osteoblasts and HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells involves the sequential expression of specific genes encoding proteins that are characteristic of their respective developing cellular phenotypes. In addition to the selective expression of various phenotype marker genes, several members of the heat shock gene family exhibit differential expression throughout the developmental sequence of these two cell types. As determined by steady state mRNA levels, in both osteoblasts and HL-60 cells expression of hsp27, hsp60, hsp70, hsp89 alpha, and hsp89 beta may be associated with the modifications in gene expression and cellular architecture that occur during differentiation. In both differentiation systems, the expression of hsp27 mRNA shows a 2.5-fold increase with the down-regulation of proliferation while hsp60 mRNA levels are maximal during active proliferation and subsequently decline post-proliferatively. mRNA expression of two members of the hsp90 family decreases with the shutdown of proliferation, with a parallel relationship between hsp89 alpha mRNA levels and proliferation in osteoblasts and a delay in down-regulation of hsp89 alpha mRNA levels in HL-60 cells and of hsp89 beta mRNA in both systems. Hsp70 mRNA rapidly increases, almost twofold, as proliferation decreases in HL-60 cells but during osteoblast growth and differentiation was only minimally detectable and showed no significant changes. Although the presence of the various hsp mRNA species is maintained at some level throughout the developmental sequence of both osteoblasts and HL-60 cells, changes in the extent to which the heat shock genes are expressed occur primarily in association with the decline of proliferative activity. The observed differences in patterns of expression for the various heat shock genes are consistent with involvement in mediating a series of regulatory events functionally related to the control of both cell growth and differentiation.