Induction of fos and jun proto-oncogenes by the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH): possible biological implications

ACTH induces the expression of fos and jun proto-oncogene family members in the mouse Y-1 adrenocortical cell fine. PMA (phorbol-12-myristate-l3-acetate) closely mimics these inductive effects of ACTH. On the other hand, cAMP derivatives are not effective in inducing the fos and jun genes. These results suggest that ACTH receptors are likely to activate signaling routes other than the classical cAMP/protein kinase A in order to induce FOS and JUN proteins. We hypothesize that induction of FOS and JUN proteins is likely to be important in the trophic response of adrenocortical cells to ACTH.