SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Genes, jun”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Cross-linking of concanavalin A receptors on cortical neurons induces programmed cell death.

The loss of neurons by programmed cell death is a normal feature of the nervous system during development and has recently been implicated as a major mechanism of cell death in neurodegenerative diseases. In some cases, programmed cell death is induced by the activation of membrane receptors and is referred to as activation-induced programmed cell death. Activation-induced programmed cell death has been previously described in cells from the immune system, in which the activation of receptors by receptor clustering leads to programmed cell death. To determine whether activation-induced programmed cell death occurs in neurons, Concanavalin A was used to cross-link membrane receptors on cortical neurons. Concanavalin A-induced neuronal death was dose dependent and effective at concentrations previously shown to induce activation-induced programmed cell death in lymphocytes. Programmed cell death was attenuated when Concanavalin A-specific binding to neurons was blocked with methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside. Succinyl Concanavalin A, which bound to Concanavalin A receptors but was ineffective at cross-linking them, did not induce programmed cell death. Concanavalin A-induced neuronal death exhibited many of the hallmarks associated with programmed cell death, such as membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation and margination, and internucleosomal DNA cleavage. In addition, neurons exposed to Concanavalin A displayed a rapid, robust, and persistent increase in the immediate early gene protein c-Jun. A similar increase in c-Jun precedes programmed cell death induced by beta-amyloid in neurons, and under some conditions an increase in c-Jun has been shown to be required for programmed cell death to occur in neurons. Increased expression of c-jun and other immediate early genes has also been correlated with activation-induced programmed cell death in lymphocytes. These observations suggest that Concanavalin A induces activation-induced programmed cell death in neurons via signals produced from the cross-linking of receptors on neuronal membranes. These results also raise the possibility that beta-amyloid induces programmed cell death in a similar manner, by causing the cross-linking of receptors on neuronal membranes. This mechanism may be relevant to neuronal programmed cell death that occurs during development and neurodegeneration.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

[Protective effects of ligustrazine against photoreceptor cell injury induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and its mechanism].

AIM: To study the protective effect of ligustrazine against photoreceptor cell injury induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS: Ligustrazine injections of different doses were injected intraperitoneally into 47-day female SD rats once a day and a single intraperitoneal injection of MNU 60 mg x kg(-1) was given to 50-day rats. At different intervals after MNU treatment,the animals were sacrificed. The apoptotic index of photoreceptor cells was calculated by TUNEL labeling at 24 h following MNU treatment; peripheral retinal damage was evaluated based on retinal thickness at the d 7 after MNU treatment, and the expression of c-jun and c-fos genes was detected by RT-PCR technique. RESULTS: Ligustrazine injection could remarkably increase total thickness of peripheral retina and decrease apoptotic index of photoreceptor cells induced by MNU in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with MNU-treated rats, the gene expression of c-jun and c-fos was time-dependently down-regulated in ligustrazine-treated group. CONCLUSION: Ligustrazine injection partially protects against MNU-induced retinal damage by down-modulating the expression of c-jun and c-fos genes to inhibit apoptosis of photoreceptor cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Elevation of AP1 activity during F9 cell differentiation is due to increased c-jun transcription.

The regulation of jun family genes and AP1 activity during the course of differentiation of F9 embryonal carcinoma stem cells was investigated. The induction of differentiation by retinoic acid (RA) leads to an accumulation of c-jun mRNA caused by increased c-jun transcription. This induction is an indirect response to RA and requires a functional AP1 binding site within the c-jun promoter. Expression of jun-B mRNA, however, is transiently induced but at a later time point is repressed by RA. The third member of the family, jun-D, is already active in undifferentiated cells and is only slightly induced after differentiation. Differentiation also converts c-jun from being refractory to phorbol esters to a highly inducible state. The development of this response is correlated with increased AP1 activity in RA-treated cells. By contrast, the induction of c-fos by phorbol esters or cAMP is greatly diminished after RA treatment. Transfection experiments indicate that, in the absence of c-Fos, only c-Jun is an effective transactivator. Hence, the major increase in AP1 activity is due to elevated c-jun expression and probably involves positive autoregulation by the c-Jun protein. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that AP1 activity can be stimulated by phorbol ester without concomitant c-fos induction. Forced expression of c-Jun and v-Jun results in activation of at least two differentiation marker genes, EndoB and tissue plasminogen activator, whose regulatory regions contain AP1 binding sites. Thus, the induction of c-jun transcription by RA, although indirect, can have an important role in the differentiation process.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Differential expression of the immediate early genes c-fos, c-jun, junB, and NGFI-B in the rat brain following transient forebrain ischemia.

The temporospatial expression pattern of four immediate early genes (IEGs) (c-fos, c-jun, junB, NGFI-B) following 30 min of global ischemia was investigated in rat brains by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry (c-fos). All examined IEG mRNAs, as well as Fos-like immunoreactivity, increased transiently in vulnerable and resistant brain regions following ischemia, but the induction profiles were distinct. Ischemia caused a post-ischemic early-onset, transient c-fos induction in wide-spread regions, as well as a late-onset induction restricted to vulnerable regions. Late-onset c-fos induction was observed in the CA1 region and the ventral thalamus but not in the striatum or neocortex, where neurons degenerate at a quicker pace. After recirculation, c-jun mRNA appeared to be initially coinduced with c-fos mRNA, but c-jun mRNA levels remained elevated or increased in various regions, including all vulnerable regions, when c-fos mRNA had already declined to near basal levels. Compared to c-fos and c-jun, junB induction was less pronounced and confined largely to the dentate gyrus. NGFI-B mRNA increased moderately and only in brain regions exhibiting the most dramatic c-fos increases and with similar kinetics. The differential activation of the investigated IEGs suggests that rather complex long-term adaptive processes may be initiated at the genomic level after global ischemia. The present findings provide further evidence that the activation of IEGs forms part of the brain's metabolic response to ischemia, but no simple correlation appears to exist between the induction of the investigated IEGs and the phenomenon of selective vulnerability.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Regulation of endothelin-1 gene expression by Fos and Jun.

The endothelin peptides constitute a family of potent vasoconstrictor molecules. Endothelin-1 (ET1) is secreted by vascular endothelial cells and may have a role in the regulation of vascular tone. To better understand the function of ET1, we have investigated the transcriptional regulation of the ET1 gene. Utilizing reporter gene transfection experiments, we have previously identified two promoter regions, located at base pairs -148 to -117 (Region A) and -117 to -98 (Region B) of the ET1 gene. Both regions are necessary for high level ET1 transcription in endothelial cells. A nuclear protein binding to the GATA motif in Region A has been identified and proven to be necessary for expression of the ET1 gene. However, the cis-acting sequences and their cognate binding proteins for Region B have not been investigated. To identify protein binding motifs in Region B we performed DNase I footprinting and gel mobility shift assays using a DNA fragment encoding base pairs -204 to -94 of the ET1 gene. Results from these studies indicated that the AP1 consensus sequence (GTGACTAA) in Region B as the only protein-binding motif. Site-directed mutagenesis of the ET1 AP1 site resulted in a 30-fold reduction in promoter activity, establishing the functional significance of this sequence. Additional experiments investigated the role of Jun and Fos in ET1 transcription. By employing antisera to Jun and Fos in gel mobility shift assays, both of these proteins were identified as endothelial cell nuclear proteins binding to the ET1 AP1 sequence. In trans-activation experiments, we showed that cotransfection of c-fos and c-jun expression plasmids markedly increased the transcription rate of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmids containing three synthetic ET1 AP1 sites. Taken together, these data indicate the importance of the AP1 recognition sequence, and the role of Fos and Jun proteins in the regulation of ET1 gene transcription.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Mutational status of the p53 gene modulates the basal level of jun N-terminal kinase and its inducibility by ultraviolet irradiation in A1-5 rat fibroblasts.

Exposure of mammalian cells to ultraviolet (UV) light and other DNA-damaging agents triggers the UV response which is characterized by induction of a large number of genes including c-fos, c-jun, and the genes for DNA repair enzymes and cell-cycle regulatory proteins such as p21 WAF1 and p53. Upon DNA damage, the p53 tumor suppressor protein transmits signals to restrict cell-cycle progression, thereby allowing time for DNA repair to occur. Cells also respond to genotoxic stress by activation of the jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/stress-activated protein kinase pathway. In this report we investigated the effects of modulation of the level of wild-type and mutant p53 protein on basal and UV-inducible JNK activity. We used the A1-5 rat fibroblast cell line, which contains a p53 gene coding for a temperature-sensitive p53 protein, which allows us to regulate the relative level of wild-type and mutant p53 protein produced in a cell. We measured the relative levels of JNK activity in sham-irradiated and UV-irradiated cells by using the immune complex kinase assay and then computed the fold induction of JNK after UV exposure. We demonstrated that cells expressing p53 protein in the wild-type conformation (when grown at 32 degrees C) exhibited a very low level of JNK activity that was induced 14- to 16-fold by UVC irradiation. When cells were grown at 37 degrees C or 39 degrees C to express predominantly mutant p53 protein, basal JNK activity was significantly higher than at 32 degrees C. UVC irradiation of cells expressing mutant p53 protein resulted in JNK activation, although the overall fold-induction was only two-fold because JNK1 activity was already high in the sham-treated controls. UVB irradiation also induced JNK1 activity, although we again observed a relatively high level of basal JNK activity in sham-irradiated cells expressing mutant p53 protein compared with cells expressing wild-type p53. Control experiments confirmed that JNK1 basal activity was not affected by temperature alone. Western blot analysis of cell extracts indicated that expression of p21 WAF protein was significantly higher in cells expressing wild-type p53 protein and was associated with low basal levels of JNK1 activity. In contrast, cells expressing mutant p53 protein and very low levels of p21 WAF1 protein were found to have a higher level of basal JNK1 activity. We also observed a reduced ability to induce JNK1 after UV irradiation of several other cell lines with p53-mutant or p53-null genotypes. Our results provide evidence for a novel connection between p53 status and the basal level of JNK1, a critical enzyme in the stress-activated protein kinase family. In addition, these studies suggest that the presence of mutant p53 protein in a cell not only affects basal activity of JNK1 but also affects the ability of a cell to respond to UV-induced stress by transmitting signals via induction or activation of the JNK1 cascade.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Programmed cell death in the absence of c-Fos and c-Jun.

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is a normal process in the development of a variety of embryonic and adult tissues, and is also observed in several pathological conditions. Several recent studies, using both expression and functional assays, have implicated the transcription factor, AP-1, in the regulation of programmed cell death, and specifically implicate the genes c-fos and c-jun, as well as some other family members. If the products of the c-fos and/or c-jun genes are essential components in the cascade of events that leads to programmed cell death in mammalian cells, it follows that cell death would not occur in mice lacking functional copies of these genes. We have made use of null mutations in the c-fos and c-jun genes that were produced by gene targeting (Johnson, R.S., Spiegelman, B.M. and Papaioannou, V.E. (1992). Cell 71, 577-586; Johnson, R.S., Van Lingen, B., Papaioannou, V.E. and Spiegelman, B.M. (1993). Genes Dev. 7, 1309-1317) to investigate this possibility. Cell death was assayed using an in situ apoptosis assay in c-fos null embryos and adults, c-jun null embryos, and c-fos/c-jun double null embryos compared with control mice. The occurrence of cell death in c-fos null mice was also assessed in two experimental conditions that normally lead to neuronal cell death. The first was unilateral section of the sciatic nerve in neonates, which leads to the death of anterior horn cells of the spinal cord on the operated side. The second was a genetic cross combining the weaver mutation, which causes death of cerebellar granule cells, with the c-fos mutation. Our results show that programmed cell death occurs normally in developing embryonic tissues and adult thymus and ovary, regardless of the absence of a functional c-fos gene. Furthermore, absence of c-fos had no effect on neuronal cell death in the spinal cord following sciatic nerve section, or in heterozygous weavers' cerebellae. Finally, the results show that programmed cell death can take place in embryos lacking both Fos and Jun.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Synergistic enhancement by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and dibutyryl cAMP of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 action in human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells.

We have reported that dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), an activator of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), potentiated the effects of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3(1,25-(OH)2D3)-induced 24-hydroxylation activity in HL-60 cells by increasing 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor (VDR). The present study demonstrated that 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a potent phorbol ester, also potentiated the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on HL-60 cells and that TPA and dbcAMP acted in a synergistic manner to enhance the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3. It is interesting that TPA induced 24-hydroxylation activity far more efficiently than dbcAMP, in addition to their effects in increasing VDR. TPA increased basal levels of c-fos mRNA to the maximum by 1 h after the treatment, whereas dbcAMP failed to affect c-fos gene expression. Together with the previous data indicating the presence of AP-1-like sequence in the promoter of 24-hydroxylase gene, it was suggested that TPA potentiated the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3 through an activation of c-fos gene expression. This notion was further supported by the data showing that TPA and dbcAMP also acted in a synergistic manner to activate c-fos gene expression. Neither TPA nor dbcAMP affected c-jun early response gene in the HL-60 clone used in the present study. The present study suggested that the activation of early c-fos response gene by TPA might be another mechanism to enhance the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3, besides up-regulation of VDR.

Bucladesine↗

PubMed1992

Stable induction of c-jun mRNA expression in normal human keratinocytes by agents that induce predifferentiation growth arrest.

A variety of agents can induce predifferentiation growth arrest (PGA) in human keratinocytes; these include transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and razoxane. We evaluated the ability of these and other agents to induce the expression of a variety of transcription factor genes including c-fos, c-myc, junB, and c-jun. The results show that both TGF-beta 1 and razoxane induce maximal c-jun mRNA expression 4 days after initiation of treatment concurrent with the development of PGA. In contrast, no detectable induction of c-fos, c-myc, or junB was observed. Keratinocytes maintained in the presence of TGF-beta 1 for an additional 3 days continued to show high levels of c-jun mRNA, indicating stable induction. Razoxane treatment also induces PGA and high c-jun mRNA levels for 4 days, but thereafter a decay of c-jun expression occurs. Run-off transcription experiments comparing rapidly growing cells with cells treated with TGF-beta 1 for 4 days demonstrated a significant increase in transcriptional activity of the c-jun gene. This result indicates that the increase in c-jun gene expression is due in part to a change in transcriptional regulation of c-jun. The stable induction of c-jun mRNA in keratinocytes at the PGA state is unique because the induction of this gene is usually transient. The finding that c-fos is not coinduced suggests that c-Jun homodimers or other AP-1 heterodimers may be formed at the PGA state to facilitate the stable induction of c-jun mRNA. This experimental system should therefore serve as a model system to study the molecular mechanisms for the stable control of c-jun gene expression and the control of AP-1-dependent gene expression during the process of keratinocyte differentiation.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed1997

Phosphorylation and high level expression of Fra-2 in v-src transformed cells: a pathway of activation of endogenous AP-1.

Chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) transformed with v-src were previously reported to revert to normal phenotype after the introduction of dominant-negative mutants of Fos or Jun, indicating that endogenous AP-1 activity is essential for the cellular transformation. The major changes in the expression levels of fos and jun family genes induced by v-src were the elevation of fra-2 and c-jun transcripts. We show here that extensive phosphorylation of the AP-1 component Fra-2 is a major qualitative change in v-src transformed CEF and that several Ser and Thr residues in a C-terminal region of Fra-2 (amino acids 266-323) are phosphorylated specifically. The induced kinase activity was detected at the position of 42 kDa by in gel kinase assay using the Fra-2 C-terminal region as a substrate, and it was identified as chicken ERK2. JNK1 and JNK2, other members of the MAP kinase family, were not significantly activated in v-src transformed CEF and Fra-2 was not a good substrate for JNKs. fra-2 promoter analysis indicated that this promoter activity is elevated in v-src transformed CEF via two AP-1 binding sites and CRE-like sequence. We propose that phosphorylation of Fra-2 by ERK2 converts it from an inefficient transcriptional activator to an active one and further that fra-2 expression is autoregulated in response to the phosphorylation status of its gene product.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Blocking of tumor promoter-induced AP-1 activity inhibits induced transformation in JB6 mouse epidermal cells.

AP-1 transcriptional activity is stimulated by the transformation promoters phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate ("12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate," TPA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in promotion-sensitive (P+) but not in promotion-resistant (P-) JB6 mouse epidermal cell lines. Although TPA stimulates expression of the jun and fos family genes, only c-jun expression shows higher elevation in P+ cells than in P- cells. The present study tests the hypothesis that induced AP-1 activity is required for tumor promoter-induced transformation in JB6 P+ cells. Both retinoic acid and the glucocorticoid fluocinolone acetonide inhibited basal and TPA-induced AP-1 activities that were tested with a stromelysin promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene in P+ cells. Since both retinoic acid and fluocinolone acetonide are active in inhibiting TPA-induced anchorage-independent transformation of P+ cells in the dose range that blocks TPA-induced AP-1 activity, their antipromoting effects may occur through inhibition of AP-1 activity. To test the hypothesis with a more specific inhibitor, stable clonal transfectants of P+ cells expressing dominant negative c-jun mutant encoding a transcriptionally inactive product were analyzed. All transfectants showed a block in TPA and EGF induction of AP-1 activity. All transfectants also showed inhibition of TPA-induced transformation, and most transfectants showed a block in EGF-induced transformation. These results indicate that AP-1 activity is required for TPA- or EGF-induced transformation. This work demonstrates that a specific block in induced AP-1 activity inhibits tumor promoter-induced transformation.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Maf and Jun nuclear oncoproteins share downstream target genes for inducing cell transformation.

The Maf oncoprotein is a basic leucine zipper (bZip)-bearing transcriptional activator that recognizes the Maf recognition element (MARE) DNA sequence. In this study, we investigated the role of Maf's transactivation function in cell transformation. Replacement of the conserved amino terminus transactivator domain of Maf by a heterologous and stronger transactivator domain (the acidic transactivator domain of VP16) resulted in enhanced transformation of chicken embryo fibroblast cells. In contrast, the fusing of a transcriptional repressor domain (Sin3 interaction domain of Mxi1) with the whole Maf protein masked the transactivator function of Maf, which in turn inhibited its transforming activity. Furthermore, the leucine zipper domain of Maf, which defines its dimer-forming specificity, was exchangeable with that of GCN4 yeast protein in terms of its transactivating and cell transforming activities. Thus, heterodimer formation with other bZip factors is not required for Maf's ability to transform. These results together suggest that transactivation through MARE is necessary for Maf-induced transformation and that there exist downstream target gene(s) for transformation. Since the MARE sequence overlaps with the recognition element of another bZip oncoprotein Jun, we assessed whether Jun and Maf induce cell transformation through activating the same genes. We thus constructed a mutated version of Jun that has a GCN4 leucine zipper and lacks the transactivator domain. This mutant repressed the cell transformation not only by Jun but also by Maf. Thus, Maf and Jun share downstream target gene(s) that are involved in cell transformation.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Direct inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in sympathetic neurones prevents c-jun promoter activation and NGF withdrawal-induced death.

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) regulate gene expression by phosphorylating transcription factors, such as c-Jun. Studies with JNK: knockout mice suggest that JNK activity may be required for excitotoxin-induced apoptosis in the adult hippocampus and for apoptosis in the developing embryonic neural tube. Here we investigate the role of JNKs in classical neurotrophin-regulated developmental neuronal death by using nerve growth factor (NGF)-dependent sympathetic neurones. In this system, NGF withdrawal leads to an increase in JNK activity, an increase in c-Jun protein levels and c-Jun N-terminal phosphorylation before the cell death commitment point, and c-Jun activity is required for cell death. To inhibit JNK activity in sympathetic neurones we have used two different JNK inhibitors that act by distinct mechanisms: the compound SB 203580 and the JNK binding domain (JBD) of JNK interacting protein 1 (JIP-1). We demonstrate that JNK activity is required for c-Jun phosphorylation, c-jun promoter activation and NGF withdrawal-induced apoptosis. We also show that ATF-2, a c-Jun dimerization partner that can regulate c-jun gene expression, is activated following NGF deprivation. Finally, by co-expressing the JBD and a regulatable c-Jun dominant negative mutant we demonstrate that JNK and AP-1 function in the same pro-apoptotic signalling pathway after NGF withdrawal.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

The protooncogene c-jun contains an unusual estrogen-inducible enhancer within the coding sequence.

Estrogens have previously been shown to induce c-jun mRNA levels in target cells during hormone induced proliferation, and this appears to be a primary hormonal response involving transcriptional activation. In this report we have now identified an estrogen dependent enhancer within the coding sequence of c-jun. This element has the sequence GCAGAnnnTGACC which is identical to the consensus estrogen response element GGTCAnnnTGACC in the second half site, but varies considerably in the first half site. Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing this jun sequence bind the estrogen receptor in cell-free studies using a competitive band shift assay with the consensus element. The jun element also confers hormone inducibility to reporter plasmids in yeast and mammalian based transcriptional systems. Structure-function studies illustrate that the TGACC half-site and its immediate flanking dinucleotides, but not the GCAGA half-site, are required for estrogen receptor binding. In contrast, both the GCAGA and TGACC half-sites are obligatory for hormone-inducible transcriptional activation. These results suggest a model in which the estrogen receptor functions as a heterodimer to regulate transcription of the c-jun protooncogene. Coupled with reports of estrogen response elements in c-fos and estrogenic induction of c-fos and c-jun in vivo, these findings also support a role for AP-1 components as early response genes in estrogen-induced proliferation.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

The expression of c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc genes is regulated by heat shock in human lymphoid cells.

The effect of heat shock on the expression of the nuclear protooncogenes c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc was studied in human lymphoid cells. Heat shock caused an increase in c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels and a decrease in c-myc mRNA levels in pre-B (Hyon) and T (DND-41) cell lines as well as in freshly isolated normal human thymocytes. The changes in the mRNA levels of these protooncogenes in Hyon cells were most pronounced at 42 and 43 degrees C; kinetic analysis demonstrated that the changes could be detected within 30 min of heat shock. Altered transcription of c-fos and c-myc genes was the primary effect of heat shock. Secondarily, heat shock of Hyon cells stabilized the c-myc mRNA level by increasing its half-life from 24 to 45 min. The overall effect of heat shock on c-myc mRNA level, however, was a marked inhibition of its transcription. These results demonstrate that the transcription of nuclear protooncogenes is regulated by heat shock indicating a role for nuclear protooncogenes in the stress response of lymphoid cells.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1999

Lysophosphatidylcholine phosphorylates CREB and activates the jun2TRE site of c-jun promoter in vascular endothelial cells.

Lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC), a polar phospholipid increased in atherogenic lipoproteins and atherosclerotic lesions, has been shown to induce transcription of a variety of endothelial genes relevant to atherogenesis. Lyso-PC has been shown to activate c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) and thereby stimulate transcription of the c-jun gene. Here we provide evidence that lyso-PC can phosphorylate cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) and thereby activate the jun2 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate response element (jun2TRE) site of the c-jun promoter, which appears to be the major molecular mechanism involved in lyso-PC-induced c-jun gene expression in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). Transient transfection of BAEC with a 1.6-kbp c-jun promoter and luciferase reporter fusion gene resulted in a 12.9-fold increase in luciferase activity by lyso-PC treatment. Serial deletion mutation in c-jun promoter and luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that the 5' promoter region between nucleotide numbers -268 and -127, which contains a jun2TRE binding sequence, was most crucial for lyso-PC-induced transcription. The 5' promoter region between -76 and -27, which contains an AP-1 site, also affected lyso-PC-induced transcription of the c-jun gene. Point mutation in the jun2TRE site reduced lyso-PC-induced transcription of the c-jun promoter-luciferase fusion gene by a 70.3% decrease in c-jun promoter activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed increased binding of (32)P-labeled oligonucleotides with jun2TRE in nuclear extracts isolated from lyso-PC-treated BAEC, which was abolished or supershifted by anti-CREB antibody. Immunoblotting with anti-phosphorylated CREB antibody showed rapid phosphorylation of this protein after lyso-PC treatment. These results indicate that lyso-PC phosphorylates CREB, which was then bound to the jun2TRE site of the c-jun promoter and activated transcription. Activation of jun2TRE may play a key role in the transcriptional activation of c-jun as well as other endothelial genes depending upon these transcription factors.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Neuronal regulation of c-fos, c-jun, and junB immediate-early genes in rat adrenal medulla.

We have applied in situ hybridization histochemistry, Northern analysis, and immunocytochemistry to study the regulation of the immediate-early gene (IEG) c-fos, c-jun, and junB mRNAs and the respective proteins in the rat adrenal medulla. Electrophoresis mobility shift assay was used to examine changes in AP-1 DNA binding activity. In nontreated rats the mRNA and protein levels for these three IEGs were low. Reflex stimulation of adrenal medulla elicited by a single capsaicin injection induced a rapid and marked elevation in the mRNA levels for these IEGs. Stimulation with nicotine also caused a drastic increase in the mRNA levels, whereas muscarine only induced moderate elevations. c-fos and c-jun were induced strongly in adrenaline cells and only weakly in noradrenaline cells. junB was upregulated mainly in adrenaline cells. The AP-1 DNA binding activity was low in control adrenals, whereas a marked increase was observed after nicotine treatment. Treatment of the animals with a nicotinic (chlorisondamine) or a muscarinic (atropine) receptor antagonist did not change the expression of IEGs studied. The combination of the two drugs, however elevated the mRNA levels for all three IEGs, especially for junB. Pretreatment of the rats with chlorisondamine alone or in combination with atropine diminished the capsaicin-induced increase in c-fos, whereas atropine alone was less efficient. Increase in c-jun mRNA was not affected by these drugs. The capsaicin-induced elevation of junB mRNA levels was not influenced by chlorisondamine or atropine alone, whereas both combined potentiated the effect of capsaicin. The present results demonstrate that neurotransmitters released from splanchnic nerve terminals induce expression of c-fos, c-jun, and junB in adrenal chromaffin cells which results in increased AP-1 DNA binding activity. Although stimulation of both nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors may mediate the induction of these IEGs, it is possible that also another neurotransmitter(s), in addition to ACh, released from splanchnic nerve terminals is involved in the regulation of their expression, especially of c-jun and junB.

Adrenal Medulla↗

PubMed1991

The immediate-early growth response in regenerating liver and insulin-stimulated H-35 cells: comparison with serum-stimulated 3T3 cells and identification of 41 novel immediate-early genes.

Liver regeneration provides a unique system for analysis of mitogenesis in intact, fully developed animals. Cellular immediate-early genes likely play an important role in cell cycle regulation and have been extensively studied in mitogen-stimulated fibroblasts lymphocytes but not in liver. We have begun to characterize the immediate-early growth response genes of mitogen-stimulated liver cells, specifically, regenerating liver and insulin-stimulated Reuber H-35 hepatoma cells, and to address differences in growth response between different cell types. Through subtraction and differential screening of cDNA libraries from regenerating liver and insulin-treated H-35 cells, we have extensively characterized 341 differentially expressed clones and identified 52 immediate-early genes. These genes have been partially sequenced and subjected to Northern (RNA) blot analysis, and 41 appear to be novel. Surprisingly, two-thirds of these genes are also expressed in BALB/c 3T3 cells, but only 10 were identified in previous studies of 3T3 cells, and of these, 6 include well-known genes like jun and fos, and only 4 are novel. Approximately one-third of the immediate-early genes identified in mitogen-stimulated liver cells or serum-stimulated NIH 3T3 cells are expressed in a tissue-specific fashion, indicating that cell type-specific regulation of the proliferative response occurs during the immediate-early period. Our findings indicate that the immediate-early response is unusually complex for the first step in a regulatory cascade, suggesting that multiple pathways must be activated. The abundance of immediate-early genes and the highly varied pattern of their expression in different cell types suggest that the tissue specificity of the proliferative response arises from the particular set of these genes expressed in a given tissue.

Animals↗