ABSTRACT
ACTH signaling pathway includes the action of both protein kinases, mainly cAMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A, PKA), and serine/threonine and tyrosine phosphatases. MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) is a dual activity protein phosphatase involved in the dephosphorylation of MAPK. To determine whether MKP-1 is a component of ACTH cascade, here we investigate the expression levels of MKP-1 gene in Y1 mouse adrenocortical tumor cells under ACTH stimulation. ACTH transiently increased MKP-1 mRNA and protein levels. MKP-1 mRNA increase occurred at 30 min, peaked at 1 h (6-fold), and returned to basal levels thereafter. The ACTH-mediated mRNA increase was blunted by actinomycin D and enhanced by cycloheximide. A cell permeable cAMP analog, 8-bromo-cAMP, also transiently induced MKP-1 mRNA (4-fold) and the PKA inhibitor N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamid abolished this effect. In contrast, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamid only partially reduced the effect of ACTH, suggesting the participation of PKA-independent mechanisms in the hormone-induced MKP-1 expression. In addition, we show that the rise in intracellular Ca(2+) and protein kinase C activation had a potent synergic effect on ACTH- and 8-bromo-cAMP-mediated MKP-1 induction. In summary, our findings demonstrate that MKP-1 is another component of ACTH signaling cascade and indicate that this hormone may potentially down-regulate MAPKs.
Subject(s)
Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms , Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/pharmacology , Cell Cycle Proteins , Immediate-Early Proteins/genetics , Phosphoprotein Phosphatases , Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases/genetics , Sulfonamides , 8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate/pharmacology , Animals , Calcium Signaling/physiology , Cyclic AMP/metabolism , Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Cycloheximide/pharmacology , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1 , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Immediate-Early Proteins/metabolism , Isoquinolines/pharmacology , Mice , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1/metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Protein Phosphatase 1 , Protein Synthesis Inhibitors/pharmacology , Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases/metabolism , RNA, Messenger/analysis , Transcriptional Activation/drug effects , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
Although the role of arachidonic acid (AA) in the regulation of steroidogenesis is well documented, the mechanism for AA release is not clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the role of an acyl-CoA thioesterase (ARTISt) and an acyl-CoA synthetase as members of an alternative pathway in the regulation of the intracellular levels of AA in steroidogenesis. Purified recombinant ARTISt releases AA from arachidonoyl-CoA (AA-CoA) with a Km of 2 micro m. Antibodies raised against recombinant acyl-CoA thioesterase recognize the endogenous protein in both adrenal tissue and Y1 adrenal tumor cells by immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry and Western blot. Stimulation of Y1 cells with ACTH significantly stimulated endogenous mitochondrial thioesterases activity (1.8-fold). Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), an inhibitor of AA release known to affect steroidogenesis, affects the in vitro activity of recombinant ARTISt and also the endogenous mitochondrial acyl-CoA thioesterases. ACTH-stimulated steroid synthesis in Y1 cells was significantly inhibited by a synergistic effect of NDGA and triacsin C an inhibitor of the AA-CoA synthetase. The apparent IC50 for NDGA was reduced from 50 micro m to 25, 7.5 and 4.5 micro m in the presence of 0.1, 0.5 and 2 micro m triacsin C, respectively. Our results strongly support the existence of a new pathway of AA release that operates in the regulation of steroid synthesis in adrenal cells.
Subject(s)
Adrenal Glands/cytology , Arachidonic Acid/chemistry , Coenzyme A Ligases/metabolism , Escherichia coli Proteins/metabolism , Hormones/metabolism , Thiolester Hydrolases/metabolism , Acyltransferases/metabolism , Animals , Blotting, Western , Cholesterol/metabolism , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Immunohistochemistry , Kinetics , Masoprocol/pharmacology , Mice , Mitochondria/metabolism , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Triazenes/pharmacologyABSTRACT
We have previously purified and cloned a phosphoprotein, Arachidonic acid-Related Thioesterase Involved in Steroidogenesis (ARTISt), involved in steroid synthesis through Arachidonic Acid (AA) release. Arachidonic acid-related thioesterase involved in steroidogenesis resulted to be a member of a new family of acyl-CoA thioesterases. The protein was identified by its biocapacity to increase mitochondrial steroidogenesis in a cell free bioassay. In the present study we measure the activity of ARTISt using arachidonoyl-CoA (AA-CoA) as substrate. We demonstrate that ACTH significantly stimulates endogenous mitochondrial thioesterase activity as early as 5 min after ACTH stimulation of Y1 cells. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), an inhibitor of AA release known to affect steroidogenesis, affects the in vitro activity of recombinant ARTISt and also the endogenous mitochondrial acyl-CoA thioesterases. ACTH activation of the enzyme protected ARTISt to the inhibitory effect of NDGA. These results show that an enzyme that release AA from AA-CoA can be regulated in intact cells by steroidogenic hormones.
