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Role of cyclic-AMP responsive element binding (CREB) proteins in cell proliferation in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is poorly understood in the regulation of normal and abnormal hepatic cell growth. In this study, we examined the regulation of intracellular cAMP levels and its effect on nuclear cAMP responsive elements (CREs) in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tumorigenic liver cells were cultured from an in vivo model of HCC and the role of cAMP in cell mitogenesis determined. These data demonstrated agents that elevate intracellular cAMP ([cAMP]i) levels caused significant dose-dependent inhibition of serum-stimulated mitogenesis in HCC cells. Cells were next analyzed for transcription factor expression and activity following increased [cAMP]i. These data demonstrated time- and dose-dependent increases in CRE binding protein (pCREB) activity, a maximal response occurring after 10-20 min before returning to basal levels within 60 min. In contrast, increased [cAMP]i levels led to sustained inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) II/IIgamma mRNA and protein induction. To understand these data in relation to the in vivo setting, HCC tumors were analyzed and compared to pair-matched normal liver (NL) samples. These studies demonstrated significantly elevated Gsalpha-protein expression in HCC versus NL in the absence of significant changes in basal cAMP levels. Analysis of total and active CREB demonstrated significantly increased total CREB/pCREB in HCC versus NL. Further analysis of CRE expression demonstrated significantly increased expression of ICER mRNA and protein in HCC versus sham operated (Sh). These data demonstrate cAMP, while capable of stimulating promitogenic CREB activation inhibits cell mitogenesis in HCC possibly via ICER induction.

Animals↗

Coupling cAMP signaling to transcription in the liver: pivotal role of CREB and CREM.

Transcriptional factors binding to cAMP-responsive elements (CREs) in the promoters of various genes belong to the basic domain-leucine zipper superfamily and are composed of three genes in mammals, CREB, CREM, and ATF-1. A large number of CREB, CREM, and ATF-1 proteins are generated by posttranscriptional events, mostly alternative splicing, and regulate gene expression by acting as activators or repressors. Activation is classically brought about by signaling-dependent phosphorylation of a key acceptor site (Ser133 in CREB) by a number of possible kinases, including PKA, CamKIV, and Rsk-2. Phosphorylation is the prerequisite for the interaction of CBP (CREB-binding protein), a co-activator that has also histone acetyltransferase activity. Repression may involve dynamic dephosphorylation of the activators and thus decreased association with CBP. Another pathway of transcriptional repression on CRE sites implicates the inducible repressor ICER (inducible cAMP early repressor), a product of the CREM gene. Being an inducible repressor, ICER is involved in autoregulatory feedback loops of transcription that govern the down-regulation of early response genes, such as the proto-oncogene c-fos. The liver represents a remarkable physiological setting where cAMP-responsive signaling plays a major role. Indeed, a finely tuned program of gene expression is triggered by partial hepatectomy, so that through specific checkpoints a coordinated regeneration of the tissue is obtained. Temporal kinetics of transcriptional activation after hepatectomy reveals a pattern of early induction for several genes, some of them controlled by the CREB/CREM transcription factors. An important role of CREM in liver physiology was suggested by the robust induction of ICER after partial hepatectomy. The delay in tissue regeneration in CREM-deficient mice confirmed the important function of this factor in regulating hepatocyte proliferation. As gene induction is accompanied by critical changes in chromatin organization, the deciphering of the specific modification codes that histones display during liver regeneration and physiology will provide exciting new insights into the dynamics of chromatin architecture.

Animals↗

Signal transduction in the rodent pineal organ. From the membrane to the nucleus.

The rodent pineal organ transduces a photoneural input into a hormonal output. This photoneuroendocrine transduction leads to highly elevated levels of the hormone melatonin at night-time which serves as a message for darkness. The melatonin rhythm depends on transcriptional, translational and posttranslational regulation of the arylalkylamine-N-acetyltransferase, the key enzyme of melatonin biosynthesis. These regulatory mechanisms are fundamentally linked to two second messenger systems, namely the cAMP- and the Ca(2+)-signal transduction pathways. Our data gained by molecular biology, immunohistochemistry and single-cell imaging demonstrate a time- and substance-specific activation of these signaling pathways and provide a framework for the understanding of the complex signal transduction cascades in the rodent pineal gland which in concert not only regulate the basic profile but also fine-tune the circadian rhythm in melatonin synthesis.

Animals↗

Signal transduction molecules in the rat pineal organ: Ca2+, pCREB, and ICER.

The mammalian pineal organ transduces light-dependent neural inputs into a hormonal output. This photoneuroendocrine transduction results in a largely elevated concentration of the pineal hormone melatonin at night. The rhythm in melatonin production and secretion depends on activation and inactivation of transcriptional, translational, and posttranslational mechanisms fundamentally linked to two second messenger systems, the cAMP- and the Ca(2+)-signal transduction pathways. Here we review molecular biological, immunocytochemical, and single-cell imaging studies, which demonstrate a time- and substance-specific activation of these signaling pathways in rat pinealocytes. The data provide a framework for understanding the complex interactions between second messengers (cAMP, Ca2+), transcription factors (CREB, ICER), and their role in regulation of melatonin synthesis. The data have proven the rat pinealocyte to be an interesting model to study transmembrane signaling pathways which may be common to both neuroendocrine and neuronal cells.

Animals↗

HTLV-1 oncoprotein Tax deregulates transcription of cellular genes through multiple mechanisms.

Infection of a human retrovirus HTLV-1 induces adult T cell leukemia and a neurological disease, HAM/TSP. Regulatory protein Tax of HTLV-1 is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis. We have studied the mechanism of transcriptional activation induced by Tax protein and identified two independent mechanisms: (a) binding to the enhancer-binding proteins, CREB, CREM, NF-kappa B and SRF, resulting in the activation of these factors through indirect binding to each specific DNA sequence, and (b) binding to I kappa B protein resulting in the suppression of the negative regulator I kappa B, which binds to NF-kappa B. In addition to these factors, a new protein GLI/THP is also involved in the transactivation. On the basis of these mechanisms, gene regulations in vitro and in vivo in HTLV-1-infected cells are discussed.

Base Sequence↗

Activation of the jun-D gene during treatment of human myeloid leukemia cells with 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine.

The jun-D gene is a member of the c-jun family of early response genes that code for DNA binding proteins. The present studies demonstrate that 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) increases jun-D expression in HL-525 myeloid leukemia cells. This induction by ara-C was maximal at 6 hr and transient. In contrast, ara-C had no detectable effect on the gene coding for the cAMP-responsive element binding protein 1. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that ara-C treatment is associated with an increased rate of jun-D transcription. The results also show that jun-D transcripts are stabilized at a posttranscriptional level in ara-C-treated cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that ara-C induces expression of the jun-D gene and that this effect is regulated by transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.

Activating Transcription Factor 2↗

CREM gene: use of alternative DNA-binding domains generates multiple antagonists of cAMP-induced transcription.

We isolated a gene from a mouse pituitary cDNA library that encodes a protein highly homologous to nuclear factor CREB, an activator of cAMP-responsive promoter elements (CREs). We demonstrate that while CREB is expressed uniformly in several cell types, this gene, termed CREM, shows cell-specific expression. CREM has a remarkable organization, since down-stream of the stop codon there is a second, out-of-frame DNA-binding domain. Using PCR and RNAase protection analysis, we have identified three mRNA isoforms that appear to be obtained by differential cell-specific splicing. Sequencing of the isoforms demonstrated alternative usage of the two DNA-binding domains. CREM proteins reveal the same efficiency and specificity of binding to CRE sequences as CREB, but in contrast to CREB, CREM acts as a down-regulator of cAMP-induced transcription.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transcriptional regulation of the murine brca2 gene by CREB/ATF transcription factors.

The brca2 gene encodes a nuclear protein which is mainly involved in DNA repair and, when mutated, is responsible for some of the hereditary breast cancers. However, brca2 expression is also deregulated in sporadic breast tumors. In the mouse brca2 gene we had earlier identified a region of 148bp upstream of the transcription start site sufficient to activate its expression. In the present report, we show that the -92 to -40bp region is essential for the transcription of brca2 in murine mammary cells and that this nucleotide sequence contains one putative CREB/ATF consensus site (cAMP responsive element: CRE). We demonstrated that the mutation of this binding site led to a highly significant reduction of the mouse brca2 transcription, and that CREB, CREM, and/or ATF-1 functionally bound to and regulated this promoter. Therefore, the regulation of the promoter of the mouse brca2 gene is driven by this family of transcription factors.

Activating Transcription Factors↗

Phosphorylation-dependent degradation of transgenic CREB protein initiated by heterodimerization.

The transcription factor CREB (cyclic AMP response element binding protein) is implicated in diverse brain functions and represents a prospective target in gene therapy for human disorders. However, the transgenic expression and stability of exogenously expressed CREB within the cell remains poorly characterized. Here we found that transient expression of a CREB dominant interfering mutant A-CREB or the inducible cAMP early repressor, ICER, led to the dramatic decrease of exogenously co-expressed CREB in 293 human embryonic kidney cells. Elevation of protein kinase A activity within the cells restored CREB protein levels. A-CREB did not effect the transient expression of a truncated CREB lacking the leucine zipper domain demonstrating a specific effect of heterodimerization on CREB protein stability. Somatic gene transfer into the rat brain using a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector provided robust expression of both transgenic CREB and ICER mRNAs under the control of a constitutive neuron specific enolase (NSE) promoter. In contrast to ICER, the expression of the transgenic CREB mRNA did not result in elevation of CREB protein levels within dentate granule cells of the hippocampus, suggesting its prompt degradation under basal conditions. However, following tetanization of the perforant pathway, which is known to induce CREB phosphorylation, there was a significant increase in the amount of transgenic CREB protein within dentate granule cells. Hence, heterodimerization of unphosphorylated CREB with either A-CREB or ICER triggers CREB protein degradation, whereas phosphorylation prevents CREB from such degradation both in vitro and in vivo.

Animals↗

Both integrated and differential regulation of components of the IL-2/IL-2 receptor system.

Interleukin-2 was discovered in 1976 as a T-cell growth factor. It was the first type I cytokine cloned and the first for which a receptor component was cloned. Its importance includes its multiple actions, therapeutic potential, and lessons for receptor biology, with three components differentially combining to form high, intermediate, and low-affinity receptors. IL-2Ralpha and IL-2Rbeta, respectively, are markers for double-negative thymocytes and regulatory T-cells versus memory cells. gamma(c), which is shared by six cytokines, is mutated in patients with X-linked severe-combined immunodeficiency. We now cover an under-reviewed area-the regulation of genes encoding IL-2 and IL-2R components, with an effort to integrate/explain this knowledge.

Animals↗

Expression and interaction of the transcriptional coregulators, CBP/p300, in the human myometrium during pregnancy and labor.

OBJECTIVE: In humans, the factors that govern the switch from myometrial quiescence to coordinated contractions at the initiation of labor are not well defined. Recent studies have highlighted a role for the coactivator, CREB binding protein (CBP), in the human myometrium during pregnancy and labor through its ability to acetylate histones. In the present study, the expression of CBP and its related coactivator, p300, were examined. METHODS: Levels and interactions of CBP and its paralogue p300 were determined by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments using myometrial biopsy samples from nonpregnant (NP), pregnant nonlaboring (P), and spontaneously laboring (SL) women. RESULTS: Levels of CBP were seen to increase in term P myometrial samples but were then greatly reduced in SL myometrium. In contrast, levels of p300 remained uniform between NP, P, and SL tissues. These observations were confirmed by immunhistochemical analyses. Immunoprecipitation experiments highlighted that CBP was able to interact with CREB, CREM, ATF-2, and p300 in P lower segment myometrium. CONCLUSION: Recent evidence suggests that competition for CBP plays an important role in regulating gene expression during cell growth. Consequently our data suggest that the increase in myometrial CBP levels during pregnancy may occur to meet this increase in CBP demand. Moreover, from coimmunoprecipitation experiments, this increase in CBP expression would be expected to facilitate the transactivation potential of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent transcription factors CREB, CREM, and ATF-2.

Adult↗

Regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression by iloprost in human vascular smooth muscle cells. Role of transcription factors CREB and ICER.

Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 (PGH-synthase) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is inducible by a variety of stimuli, e.g. inflammatory mediators, growth factors and hormones and is believed to be responsible for the majority of inflammatory prostanoid production. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that COX-2 contributes substantially to prostacyclin-synthesis in patients with atherosclerosis. In this study, we demonstrate an up-regulation of COX-2 mRNA, protein and product formation by the prostacyclin-mimetic iloprost in human vascular smooth muscle cells (hSMC). COX-2 mRNA expression was induced transiently between 1 and 6 hr and returned to basal levels after 16 hr of iloprost stimulation. COX-2 protein was induced concomitantly between 3 and 6 hr of iloprost stimulation. This was accompanied by an increase in PGI(2) formation. Forskolin, a direct activator of adenylyl cyclase, and dibutyryl cAMP, a cell-permeable cAMP analogue-induced COX-2 mRNA, suggesting a cAMP-dependent COX-2 expression in hSMC. Iloprost-induced COX-2 protein expression and PGI(2) formation was synergistically elevated by co-stimulation with the phorbolester PMA (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate). It is concluded, that the observed up-regulation of COX-2 with subsequent release of newly synthesized PGI(2) and the synergistic effect of iloprost and phorbolester on PGI(2) formation provide a positive feedback of prostaglandins on their own synthesizing enzyme. This might be important for control of hSMC proliferation, migration and differentiation as well as inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Cyclic AMP↗

A differential role of CREB phosphorylation in cAMP-inducible gene expression in the rat pineal.

In the rat pineal gland cAMP mediates nocturnal induction of the enzyme arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) as well as of transcription factors such as inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER), Fos-related antigen-2 (Fra-2) and JunB. Cyclic AMP stimulates the phosphorylation of the DNA binding protein cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). While cAMP-induced CREB phosphorylation appears to be a prerequisite for AA-NAT and ICER gene expression, it is not known whether CREB phosphorylation accounts for the full cAMP response of the two genes. Furthermore, the significance of CREB phosphorylation in cAMP-activated Fra-2 and JunB transcription is unknown. In the present in vitro study we used the serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA) to phosphorylate CREB without altering intrapineal cAMP concentration. It was observed that OA (10(-7) M) was less effective than dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP; 10(-3) M) in inducing AA-NAT mRNA and ICER mRNA, respectively. On the basis of this finding, it is concluded that CREB phosphorylation alone is apparently not sufficient for the full cAMP response of the two genes. By contrast, OA and dbcAMP equally stimulated the accumulation of the mRNAs of Fra-2 and JunB. Therefore cAMP may induce Fra-2 and JunB transcripts via CREB phosphorylation. Our observations suggest that CREB phosphorylation plays a critical role in diversification of cAMP-dependent gene induction in the rat pineal.

Animals↗

Overexpression of a dominant negative CREB protein in HT-1080 cells selectively disrupts plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 but not tissue-type plasminogen activator gene expression.

The tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) genes are differentially regulated by 12-phorbol 13-myristate acetate (PMA) in HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells. PMA transcriptionally down-regulates the t-PA gene in HT-1080 cells, while the PAI-2 gene is simultaneously induced by this agonist. The t-PA and PAI-2 gene promoters harbour a cAMP-response element (CRE) which influences the expression of both genes. We have compared the binding activity of nuclear factors that recognise these CRE sites. We show that CREB (CRE binding protein) recognises each CRE and that the degree of constitutive Ser119-phosphorylated t-PA CRE-bound CREB was greater than for PAI-2 CRE bound CREB. Stable transfection of HT-1080 cells with a plasmid containing a CREB that could not be phosphorylated on Ser119 (pCI-CREB(ala119)) did not influence PMA-mediated suppression of t-PA mRNA, but markedly impaired PMA-mediated induction of PAI-2 mRNA. Our results demonstrate that the Ser119 residue of CREB plays a crucial role in PMA-mediated induction of PAI-2 gene expression, whereas PMA-mediated suppression of t-PA in HT-1080 cells requires a different process.

Cyclic AMP Response Element Modulator↗

An AP-1 site in the promoter of the human IL-5R alpha gene is necessary for promoter activity in eosinophilic HL60 cells.

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) plays a crucial role in the proliferation, differentiation and activation of eosinophils. The IL-5 receptor is composed of an IL-5-specific alpha subunit, which is expressed by eosinophils and basophils, and a beta c-subunit shared with the receptors for IL-3 and GM-CSF. We identified an AP-1 element which is important for IL-5R alpha promoter activity in eosinophilic HL60 cells. The AP-1 site and the previously identified EOS1 site cooperate, since single mutation of either of the sites decreased promoter activity. We show that the AP-1 site of the IL-5R alpha promoter binds multiple proteins, including cJun, CREB, and CREM.

Base Sequence↗