Role of receptor desensitization, phosphatase induction and intracellular cyclic AMP in the termination of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in UTP-stimulated EAhy 926 endothelial cells

P2Y2 receptor desensitization on single endothelial cells

Receptor desensitization, or decreased responsiveness of a receptor to agonist stimulation, represents a regulatory process with the potential to have a significant impact on cell behavior. P2Y(2), a G-protein-coupled receptor activated by extracellular nucleotides, undergoes desensitization at many tissues, including the vascular endothelium. Endothelial cells from a variety of vascular beds are normally exposed to extracellular nucleotides released from damaged cells and activated platelets. The purpose of the present study was to compare P2Y(2) receptor desensitization observed in endothelial cells derived from bovine retina, a model of microvascular endothelium, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), a model of a large blood vessel endothelium. P2Y(2) receptor desensitization was monitored by following changes in UTP-stimulated intracellular free Ca(2 +) in single cells using fura-2 microfluorometry. Both endothelial cell models exhibited desensitization of the P2Y(2) receptor after stimulation with UTP. However, the cells differed in the rate, dependence on agonist concentration, and percentage of maximal desensitization. These results suggest differential mechanisms of P2Y(2) receptor desensitization and favors heterogeneity in extracellular nucleotide activity in endothelial cells according to its vascular bed origin.

P2Y receptors activate MAPK/ERK through a pathway involving PI3K/PDK1/PKC-zeta in human vein endothelial cells

AIMS

In this study we investigated the effects of P2 receptors in the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

METHODS

Cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was measured using fura-2/AM, and MAPK/ ERK phosphorylation using Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

ATP, 2-meSATP, UTP and UDP cause a rapid and transitory increase in the phosphorylation of MAPK/ERK. In contrast, negligible response was seen for a,Beta-meATP, a general P2X receptors agonist. ATP-dependent activation of MAPK/ERK was prevented by pretreatment of HUVEC with pertussis toxin or MEK inhibitor PD98059. In addition, activation of the MAPK/ ERK cascade by ATP was blocked in cells pretreated with wortmannin and LY294002, but not by U73122, BAPTA or a Ca(2+)-free medium. Furthermore, an inhibition of ATP-dependent MAPK/ERK phosphorylation was observed in HUVEC pretreated with high doses of GF109203X or myristoylated PKC- zeta pseudosubstrate. Similar results were observed when cells were pretreated with the Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2. However, ATP-stimulated MAPK/ERK activation was unaffected in cells pretreated with AG1478 or perillic acid. We also found that ATP stimulates both the phosphorylation of 3- phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) and its translocation to plasma membrane in a time-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

These observations suggest that the effects mediated by ATP in HUVEC occur via PTX-sensitive G-protein-coupled P2Y receptors through PI3K-dependent mechanisms, in which PDK1 and PKC-zeta are two key molecules within signal cascade leading to MAPK/ERK activation.

Role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase in the aggressive tumor growth of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells

We have developed a model system of human fibrosarcoma cell lines that do or do not possess and express an oncogenic mutant allele of N-ras. HT1080 cells contain an endogenous mutant allele of N-ras, whereas the derivative MCH603 cell line contains only wild-type N-ras. In an earlier study (S. Gupta et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 20:9294-9306, 2000), we had shown that HT1080 cells produce rapidly growing, aggressive tumors in athymic nude mice, whereas MCH603 cells produced more slowly growing tumors and was termed weakly tumorigenic. An extensive analysis of the Ras signaling pathways (Raf, Rac1, and RhoA) provided evidence for a potential novel pathway that was critical for the aggressive tumorigenic phenotype and could be activated by elevated levels of constitutively active MEK. In this study we examined the role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in the regulation of the transformed and aggressive tumorigenic phenotypes expressed in HT1080 cells. Both HT1080 (mutant N-ras) and MCH603 (wild-type N-ras) have similar levels of constitutively active Akt, a downstream target of activated PI 3-kinase. We find that both cell lines constitutively express platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and PDGF receptors. Transfection with tumor suppressor PTEN cDNA into HT1080 and constitutively active PI 3-kinase-CAAX cDNA into MCH603 cells, respectively, resulted in several interesting and novel observations. Activation of the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway, including NF-kappaB, is not required for the aggressive tumorigenic phenotype in HT1080 cells. Activation of NF-kappaB is complex: in MCH603 cells it is mediated by Akt, whereas in HT1080 cells activation also involves other pathway(s) that are activated by mutant Ras. A threshold level of activation of PI 3-kinase is required in MCH603 cells before stimulatory cross talk to the RhoA, Rac1, and Raf pathways occurs, without a corresponding activation of Ras. The increased levels of activation seen were similar to those observed in HT1080 cells, except for Raf and MEK, which were more active than HT1080 levels. This cross talk results in conversion to the aggressive tumorigenic phenotype. This latter observation is consistent with our previous observation that overstimulation of the activity of endogenous members of Ras signaling pathways, activated MEK in particular, is a prerequisite for aggressive tumorigenic growth.

Inactivation of JNK activity by mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-2 in EAhy926 endothelial cells is dependent upon agonist-specific JNK translocation to the nucleus

We have investigated the termination of agonist-stimulated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity in EAhy926 cells by MAP kinase phosphatase-2 (MKP-2). In cells expressing either wild-type (WT) or catalytically inactive (CI)-MKP-2, there was no significant differences in TNFalpha-stimulated JNK or p38 MAP kinase activity, however hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-stimulated JNK activity was substantially reduced in WT-MKP-2 expressing clones and enhanced in cells expressing CI-MKP-2. Consistent with these findings, we observed substantial nuclear translocation of JNK occurred in response to H2O2 but not TNFalpha. Using a phosphospecific anti-JNK antibody, we found that TNFalpha-stimulated JNK activity was associated principally with the cytosol while in response to H2O2, JNK activity was found within the nucleus. These results show that the role of MKP-2 in terminating JNK activity is determined by the translocation of JNK to the nucleus, which is under agonist-specific regulation and not a universal cellular response to stimulation.

Dissection of Ras-dependent signaling pathways controlling aggressive tumor growth of human fibrosarcoma cells: evidence for a potential novel pathway

Activation of multiple signaling pathways is required to trigger the full spectrum of in vitro and in vivo phenotypic traits associated with neoplastic transformation by oncogenic Ras. To determine which of these pathways are important for N-ras tumorigenesis in human cancer cells and also to investigate the possibility of cross talk among the pathways, we have utilized a human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080), which contains an endogenous mutated allele of the N-ras gene, and its derivative (MCH603c8), which lacks the mutant N-ras allele. We have stably transfected MCH603c8 and HT1080 cells with activating or dominant-negative mutant cDNAs, respectively, of various components of the Raf, Rac, and RhoA pathways. In previous studies with these cell lines we showed that loss of mutant Ras function results in dramatic changes in the in vitro phenotypic traits and conversion to a weakly tumorigenic phenotype in vivo. We report here that only overexpression of activated MEK contributed significantly to the conversion of MCH603c8 cells to an aggressive tumorigenic phenotype. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that blocking the constitutive activation of the Raf-MEK, Rac, or RhoA pathway alone is not sufficient to block the aggressive tumorigenic phenotype of HT1080, despite affecting a number of in vitro-transformed phenotypic traits. We have also demonstrated the possibility of bidirectional cross talk between the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway and the Rac-JNK or RhoA pathway. Finally, overexpression of activated MEK in MCH603c8 cells appears to result in the activation of an as-yet-unidentified target(s) that is critical for the aggressive tumorigenic phenotype.

P2Y receptor-mediated inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha -stimulated stress-activated protein kinase activity in EAhy926 endothelial cells

In the EAhy926 endothelial cell line, UTP, ATP, and forskolin, but not UDP and epidermal growth factor, inhibited tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)- and sorbitol stimulation of the stress-activated protein kinases, JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, and MAPKAP kinase-2, the downstream target of p38 MAP kinase. In NCT2544 keratinocytes, UTP and a proteinase-activated receptor-2 agonist caused similar inhibition, but in 13121N1 cells, transfected with the human P2Y(2) or P2Y(4) receptor, UTP stimulated JNK and p38 MAP kinase activities. This suggests that the effects mediated by P2Y receptors are cell-specific. The inhibitory effects of UTP were not due to induction of MAP kinase phosphatase-1, but were manifest upstream in the pathway at the level of MEK-4. The inhibitory effect of UTP was insensitive to the MEK-1 inhibitor PD 098059, changes in intracellular Ca(2+) levels, or pertussis toxin. Acute phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate pretreatment also inhibited TNFalpha-stimulated SAP kinase activity, while chronic pretreatment reversed the effects of UTP. Furthermore, the protein kinase C inhibitors Ro318220 and Go6983 reversed the inhibitory action of UTP, but GF109203X was ineffective. These results indicate a novel mechanism of cross-talk regulation between P2Y receptors and TNFalpha-stimulated SAP kinase pathways in endothelial cells, mediated by Ca(2+)-independent isoforms of protein kinase C.

Effects of UTP on Na+, Cl- and K+ transport in primary cultures from human sweat gland coils

Extracellular ATP and UTP can increase membrane permeability in the sweat gland, but the intracellular signalling regulating the response to these agonists is poorly understood. Stimulation of Cl- transport by nucleotides has been suggested as a pharmacological therapy to improve Cl- secretion in patients with cystic fibrosis. In the present study, regulation of Na+, Cl- and K+ transport in primary cultures of cells from the secretory coil of human sweat glands was investigated by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Stimulation with 200 microM UTP for 2 min at room temperature caused a significant increase in intracellular Na but did not affect Cl and K. After 5 min, the Na concentration was still increased, but now also a significant decrease in Cl and K was observed, indicating an increase in Cl- and K+ permeability. The effect of UTP on Cl- secretion was enhanced in Mg2+-deficient buffer, indicating that the response is elicited by the extracellular fully ionized form of UTP (UTP4+), but not by MgUTP2+. The effects of UTP were abolished in Ca2+-deficient buffer supplemented with EGTA. Alloxan, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, did not inhibit the response to UTP. These results indicate that the membrane Cl- and K+ permeability elicited by UTP in primary coil cell cultures is Ca2+-dependent. The response to UTP did not attenuate at 8 degrees C, suggesting that it could be activated, in part, via ligand-gated ion channels. The effect of UTP was not decreased in the presence of ouabain. Pre-treatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (24 h) had minor effects on Cl- secretion activated by UTP, indicating a role for G proteins in the UTP activation of Cl- secretion.

Tumour necrosis factor stimulates stress-activated protein kinases and the inhibition of DNA synthesis in cultures of bovine aortic endothelial cells

In this study, we examined the ability of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) to stimulate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase homologues p42/44 MAP kinase, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAP kinase and its effect upon DNA synthesis in primary cultures of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). TNF strongly stimulated p38 MAP kinase and JNK activity in both a time- and concentration-dependent manner. By contrast, TNF was a very poor activator of p42/44 MAP kinase relative to the known activator of p42/44 MAP kinase in endothelial cells, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). TNF-stimulated activation of p38 MAP kinase, and MAPKAP kinase-2, a known downstream target of p38 MAP kinase, was strongly inhibited by pre-incubation with the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580, whereas the minor activation of p42/44 MAP kinase was abolished by pre-incubation of the cell with the novel MAP kinase kinase 1 inhibitor PD098059. Addition of TNF resulted in a 50-60% decrease in DNA synthesis in BAECs. Pre-incubation with PD098059 or co-incubation with ATP failed to modify the inhibitory effect of TNF upon DNA synthesis. SB203580 reduced basal DNA synthesis by approximately 50%; however, if failed to modify the inhibition mediated by TNF. These results indicate that TNF strongly activates both p38 MAP kinase, JNK and, to a minor extent, p42/p44 MAP kinase. It is likely that only one of these kinases, JNK, plays a role in the regulation of DNA synthesis in these cells.

Cyclic AMP inhibitors inhibits PDGF-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in rat aortic smooth muscle cells via inactivation of c-Raf-1 kinase and induction of MAP kinase phosphatase-1

In rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC), pretreatment with forskolin inhibited the activation of p42/44 isoforms of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP) kinase stimulated in response to low concentrations of PDGF (10 ng/ml). This correlated with a strong inhibition of PDGF-stimulated MEK and C-Raf-1 kinase activity. However, the effect of forskolin could be surmounted by increasing the concentration of PDGF. Under such conditions forskolin was only effective against prolonged MAP kinase activation. The ability of forskolin to inhibit the late phase of MAP kinase activity was reversed by pretreatment of the cells with cycloheximide, suggesting the involvement of a protein synthesis step. This was not due to effects upstream of MAP kinase since PDGF-stimulated MEK activation was decreased by cycloheximide, an effect potentiated by forskolin. Forskolin stimulated the induction of the dual specific phosphatase MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), although this effect was small relative to levels induced by PDGF and angiotensin II. However, PDGF stimulated induction of MKP-1 was abolished by the protein kinase A inhibitor H89 and this correlated with the reversal of forskolin-mediated inhibition of PDGF-stimulated MAP kinase activity. These studies implicate a role for intracellular cyclic AMP in at least two aspects of MAP kinase signaling, including both the inhibition of Raf-1 activation and the induction of MKP-1.

Stimulation by extracellular ATP and UTP of the stress-activated protein kinase cascade in rat renal mesangial cells

1. Extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) have been shown to activate a nucleotide receptor (P2U receptor) in rat mesangial cells that mediates phosphoinositide and phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by phospholipases C and D, respectively. This is followed by an increased activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and cell proliferation. Here we show that ATP and UTP potently stimulate the stress-activated protein kinase pathway and phosphorylation of the transcription factor c-Jun. 2. Both nucleotides stimulated a rapid (within 5 min) and concentration-dependent activation of stress-activated protein kinases as measured by the phosphorylation of c-Jun in a solid phase kinase assay. 3. When added at 100 microM the rank order of potency of a series of nucleotide analogues for stimulation of c-Jun phosphorylation was UTP > ATP = UDP = ATP gamma S > 2-methylthio-ATP > beta gamma-imido-ATP = ADP > AMP = UMP = adenosine = uridine. Activation of stress-activated protein kinase activity by ATP and UTP was dose-dependently attenuated by suramin. 4. Down-regulation of protein kinase C-alpha, -delta and -epsilon isoenzymes by 24 h treatment of the cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate did not inhibit ATP- and UTP-induced activation of c-Jun phosphorylation. Furthermore, the specific protein kinase C inhibitors, CGP 41251 and Ro 31-8220, did not inhibit nucleotide-stimulated c-Jun phosphorylation, suggesting that protein kinase C is not involved in ATP- and UTP-triggered stress-activated protein kinase activation. 5. Pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin or the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, strongly attenuated ATP- and UTP-induced c-Jun phosphorylation. Furthermore, N-acetyl-cysteine completely blocked the activation of stress-activated protein kinase in response to extracellular nucleotide stimulation. 6. In summary, these results suggest that ATP and UTP trigger the activation of the stress-activated protein kinase module in mesangial cells by a pathway independent of protein kinase C but requiring a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein and tyrosine kinase activation.

Efficacy of agonist-stimulated MEK activation determines the susceptibility of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase to inhibition in rat aortic smooth muscle cells

In rat aortic smooth muscle cells, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulated a sustained activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) while the response to angiotensin II (AII) was transient. This was due to a relatively greater initial activation of MAP kinase kinase (MEK) and a correspondingly greater residual MEK activity at later time points. Pretreatment of cells with the novel MEK inhibitor PD 098059 reduced MEK activation at 5 min in response to each agonist by a similar proportion (70%); however, at this time point MAP kinase activation in response to PDGF was only marginally affected while the response to AII was substantially reduced. PD 098059 did, however, reduce PDGF-stimulated MEK activity after 30 min and this correlated with a loss in MAP kinase activity and DNA synthesis. Pretreatment with forskolin also caused a similar pattern of inhibition of agonist-stimulated MEK and MAP kinase activity. Only following protein kinase C down-regulation were both AII- and PDGF-stimulated MAP kinase activation substantially reduced and this correlated with the virtual loss of both MEK and c-Raf-1 activity in response to both agents. The differential inhibition of MAP kinase activation by forskolin was not due to specific activation of A-Raf by PDGF; both PDGF and AII stimulated A-Raf kinase and this activity was strongly inhibited by forskolin. These results suggest that the efficacy of MEK activation determines the duration of MAP kinase activation and the susceptibility of MAP kinase activation to inhibition by different agents. The results also argue against the selective activation of A-Raf by PDGF as a mechanism to explain the differences in the kinetics of MAP kinase activity stimulated by AII and PDGF.