cAMP-dependent transcription of steroidogenic genes in the human adrenal cortex requires a dual-specificity phosphatase in addition to protein kinase A.

Steroid hormone biosynthesis in the adrenal cortex is controlled by the peptide hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which acts to increase intracellular cAMP and results in the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) and subsequent increase in steroidogenic gene transcription. Protein phosphorylation by PKA activates transcription of genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes; however the precise proteins which are phosphorylated remain to be determined. We have recently shown that phosphoprotein phosphatase (PP) activity is essential for cAMP-dependent transcription of the human CYP17 (hCYP17) gene in H295R adrenocortical cells. The aim of our current studies was to determine if inhibition of PP activity attenuates cAMP-dependent mRNA expression of other steroidogenic genes in H295R cells. Using various inhibitors of serine/threonine and tyrosine PPs, we examined the role of phosphatase activity on cAMP-dependent transcription of steroidogenic genes in the adrenal cortex. CYP11A, CYP11B1/2, CYP21, and adrenodoxin also require PP activity for cAMP-stimulated gene expression. Inhibition of both serine/threonine and tyrosine PP activities suppresses the cAMP-dependent mRNA expression of several steroidogenic genes, suggesting that a dual-specificity PP is essential for conveying ACTH/cAMP-stimulated transcription. We propose that PKA phosphorylates and activates a dual-specificity phosphatase, which mediates steroidogenic gene transcription in response to ACTH/cAMP.

Transcriptional complexes at the CYP17 CRS.

Steroid hormone biosynthesis in the adrenal cortex is controlled by the peptide hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which acts to increase intracellular cAMP, resulting in the activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and subsequent increase in steroidogenic gene transcription. We have identified three proteins interacting with the human CYP17 cAMP responsive sequence (CRS): steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1), p54nrb, and polypyrimidine tract-binding protein-associated splicing factor (PSF). Nuclear extracts isolated from cAMP stimulated of H295R cells showed cAMP-inducible binding to the human CYP17 (hCYP17) CRS. This cAMP-inducible binding was dependent on a dual-specificity phosphatase (DSP). DSP activity was subsequently shown to be is essential for conveying ACTH/cAMP-stimulated transcription of several steroidogenic genes in the human adrenal cortex. We report here that the transactivation potential of SF-1 is also dependent on phosphatase activity; suggesting that SF-1 is dephosphorylated in response to ACTH/cAMP stimulation. Finally, we demonstrate a role for mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP-1), a nuclear DSP, in conveying SF-1-dependent transcription of an hCYP17 promoter-reporter construct in the H295R human adrenocortical cell line. We conclude that a DSP, possibly MKP-1, is essential for enhancing hCYP17 transcription in the adrenal cortex by desphosphorylating of SF-1, thereby increasing the binding affinity of SF-1, p54nrb, and PSF for the hCYP17 promoter.

Characterization of CYP4A induction in rat liver by inflammatory stimuli: dependence on sex, strain, and inflammation-evoked hypophagia.

Acute treatment of rats with bacterial endotoxin or particulate irritants induces the expression of CYP4A mRNAs in rat liver and kidney. To determine whether all or part of these effects could be caused by hypophagia associated with the treatments, we pair-fed saline-injected rats to rats injected with endotoxin or the particulate irritant BaSO(4). The effects of endotoxin on hepatic or renal CYP4A1, CYP4A2, or CYP4A3 expression 24 h after injection were clearly distinguishable in kinetics and magnitude from those of pair feeding, indicating that the effects of endotoxin are not caused by hypophagia. Conversely, BaSO(4) treatment caused a more profound hypophagia, and pair feeding to these animals produced effects similar to those of the irritant treatment, indicating that CYP4A induction by BaSO(4) is mainly caused by reduced food intake. To gain further insight into the mechanism of induction of CYP4A by these inflammatory agents, we studied the sex dependence of their effects in Fischer 344 and Sprague-Dawley rats. No significant strain differences were observed, but the induction of hepatic CYP4A mRNAs by endotoxin or BaSO(4) was either absent in females or significantly lower than in males. This sex specificity of induction of hepatic CYP4As has been reported previously for peroxisome proliferators, and thus our results are consistent with a role for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha in the induction of hepatic CYP4As by inflammatory agents.

Modulation of cytochrome P-450 gene expression in endotoxemic mice is tissue specific and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha dependent.

Administration of the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes induction of cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 4A mRNAs in rat liver and kidney. Because induction of the CYP4A subfamily by chemicals requires peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha), we determined whether CYP4A induction by LPS also requires PPARalpha by comparing the responses of PPARalpha-null (-/-) and wild-type (+/+) mice. Renal expression of CYP4A10, CYP4A14, and acyl-CoA oxidase was induced by LPS treatment in (+/+) mice, and these effects were absent in the (-/-) mice. In contrast, hepatic expression of CYP4A10 was down-regulated in the (+/+) animals, and no significant induction of acyl-CoA oxidase or CYP4A14 was detected in liver. Expression of the peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme was not significantly affected by LPS treatment. These results indicate that PPARalpha is activated in mouse kidney after LPS treatment and that this leads to modulation of some PPARalpha-regulated genes. However, the species and tissue specificity of these effects suggest that inflammatory pathways may modulate the induction via PPARalpha. Mice pair fed with LPS-treated mice showed no induction of renal CYP4A10 or CYP4A14, indicating that renal CYP4A induction during endotoxemia is not due to hypophagia. Down-regulation of CYP2A5, CYP2C29, and CYP3A11 by LPS was attenuated or blocked in the (-/-) mice, suggesting a role for PPARalpha in CYP down-regulation as well. Finally, we found that clofibrate caused an acute induction of two hepatic acute-phase mRNAs that was only partially dependent on PPARalpha.

Modulation of drug metabolism in infectious and inflammatory diseases.

During inflammation, expression of various P450 genes is modulated differentially. Both the downregulation of some P450s and the induction of others may be the result of a complex interaction involving inflammatory cytokines, stress hormones, and metabolic perturbations. Our results suggest that NO is not an important mediator for the downregulation of CYP2C11 in rat liver.

Physiological and pathophysiological regulation of cytochrome P450.

This article is a report on a symposium sponsored by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and held at the April 1998 Experimental Biology '98 meeting in San Francisco. The presentations focused on the mechanisms of regulation of cytochrome P450 gene expression by developmental factors and by hormones and cytokines, as well as on the interplay between physiological and chemical regulation. Approaches and systems used to address these questions included conditional gene knockouts in mice, primary hepatocyte cultures, immunofluorescence imaging of cells, and cell lines stably expressing reporter gene constructs.

Down-regulation of the expression of three major rat liver cytochrome P450S by endotoxin in vivo occurs independently of nitric oxide production.

Endotoxemia results in both the down-regulation of multiple cytochrome P450 genes and the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2). The nitric oxide (NO) released during inflammation has been implicated as the mediator of the decreased catalytic activity and expression of several cytochrome P450 isozymes. We examined the role of NO in the decreases of both gene expression and activity of three major P450s in the endotoxemic Fischer 344 rat. Endotoxin (LPS) treatment suppressed both mRNA and protein expression of P450 2C11, 2E1, and 3A2. Coadministration of the NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine to LPS-treated rats completely inhibited the release of NO into the plasma but did not reverse the down-regulation of expression of any of the P450s examined at three time points. LPS treatment had a biphasic effect on some P450 catalytic activities. The hydroxylation of testosterone at the 2alpha-, 16alpha- and to a lesser extent 6beta-positions, was inhibited 6 hr after LPS treatment and returned to normal by 12 hr. The role of NO in the 6 hr effects could not be assessed due to effects of the aminoguanidine treatment itself. The second phase of decreased P450 activities seen after 24 hr was attributed to the NO-independent decrease in gene expression. Our results suggest that NO is not required for the LPS-evoked down-regulation of P450 2C11, 2E1 and 3A2 mRNA or protein expression. We cannot rule out a possible role for NO in the decreases in P450 activities seen early in the response.

Down-regulation of cytochrome P450 mRNAs and proteins in mice lacking a functional NOS2 gene.

Endotoxemia results in both the down-regulation of multiple cytochrome P450 genes and the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2). The nitric oxide (NO) released during inflammation has been implicated as the mediator of the decreased catalytic activity and expression of several cytochrome P450 isozymes. We examined the role of NO in the decreases in both gene expression and activity of three P450s in endotoxemic parental and NOS2 knockout mice. Twenty-four hours of endotoxin (LPS) treatment significantly suppressed CYP2C29 and CYP3A11 mRNA expression in both the parental and NOS2 knockout strains. Microsomal CYP2E1, CYP2C-like, and CYP3A-like protein levels were also decreased in both strains of mouse. Similar results were obtained in parental strain endotoxemic mice co-administered the NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine. Six hours after LPS treatment, there was an NO-dependent decrease in testosterone 6beta-hydroxylase activity, because no decreases in activity were observed in the NOS2 knockout mice or in mice co-administered aminoguanidine. LPS also evoked decreases in testosterone 15alpha- and 16beta-hydroxylase activity after 24 hr that were observed in the parental strain and not in NOS2 knockout mice. Our results demonstrate that the down-regulation of CYP2C-like, CYP3A-like and CYP2E1 proteins and mRNAs, in the endotoxemic mouse can occur independently of NO production. We do, however, show that the NO released during endotoxemia is capable of causing decreases in some cytochrome P450 catalytic activities.

Nitric oxide-independent suppression of P450 2C11 expression by interleukin-1beta and endotoxin in primary rat hepatocytes.

Hepatic expression of multiple cytochrome P450 genes is suppressed in the livers of rats undergoing an inflammatory response. Nitric oxide (NO) released during inflammation has been implicated in the decreased activities and expression of several cytochrome P450 isozymes. We examined the role of cytokine-mediated NO release on cytochrome P450 2C11 expression in rat hepatocytes cultured on Matrigel. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), but not interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), suppressed the expression of P450 2C11 mRNA. Neither IL-6 nor IFN-gamma caused NO release into the medium or induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA. IL-1beta and LPS were the most effective in causing NO release and iNOS induction, and in down-regulating P450 2C11 mRNA expression. Combinations of the cytokines, IFN-gamma, and LPS produced an additive release of NO but did not synergize to further suppress P450 2C11 mRNA. To investigate the role of NO in the IL-1beta- or LPS-mediated suppression of P450 2C11, N-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMA) was administered at concentrations ranging from 30 to 300 microM. Three hundred micromolar NMA returned NO release back to control levels, but did not affect the IL-1beta- or LPS-mediated down-regulation of P450 2C11 mRNA or protein expression. Our results suggest that NO is not required for IL-1beta- or LPS-mediated down-regulation of P450 2C11 expression in cultured hepatocytes.

Differential inductive and suppressive effects of endotoxin and particulate irritants on hepatic and renal cytochrome P-450 expression.

Inflammatory stimuli such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) have been shown to down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of hepatic cytochrome P-450 (P-450) isozymes 2C11, 2C12, 2E1 and 3A2 and to induce the mRNA expression of the P-450 4A subfamily. In this study, we examined the effects of irritants on the hepatic and renal expression of P-450 2C11, 2E1 and 3A2 and the 4A subfamily in the rat. Fischer 344 rats were administered doses of SiO2 (Celite), BaSO4, kaolin and LPS intraperitoneally and killed after different times for hepatic and renal RNA and microsome isolation. The administration of each irritant was found to suppress hepatic P-450 2C11 mRNA and protein and to induce P-450 4A1, 4A2 and 4A3 mRNA expression while having no significant effect on P-450 2E1 or 3A2. P-450 4A2, 4A3 and 2E1 mRNAs were all induced in the kidney cortices of the irritant- and LPS-treated rats. The effects of BaSO4 and SiO2 were found to be dose dependent. Chlorzoxazone-6-hydroxylase activity increased in the kidneys of irritant-treated rats, which is consistent with an increased expression of P-450 2E1. All irritants were found to induce the mRNA for the acute-phase protein fibrinogen; however, in contrast to LPS treatment, none of the irritants that were tested induced hepatic inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression. These findings demonstrate the induction of renal P-450 isozymes after irritant and LPS administration. The findings of this study also suggest that different inflammatory stimuli affect the individual P-450 isozymes differentially.

Endotoxemia in rats is associated with induction of the P4504A subfamily and suppression of several other forms of cytochrome P450.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been previously shown to down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of the hepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) isozymes 2C11 and 2C12. In this study, we examined the effects of LPS on the constitutive expression of P4503A2, P4502E1, and the P4504A subfamily in the rat. Fischer 344 and Sprague-Dawley rats were each administered 1 mg/kg LPS intraperitoneally and killed for hepatic RNA and microsome isolation at different times. LPS treatment was found to suppress P4502C11, P4503A2, and P4502E1 protein and mRNA expression in both strains of rat. Total microsomal P450 levels decreased by 30%, which was smaller than the effects on the levels of individual isozymes. The magnitude of suppression exhibited in the Sprague-Dawley rats, however, seemed to be more variable than that in the F344 strain. The mRNAs of all three of the P4504A subfamily members were induced 2- to 6-fold in the F344 rat livers after LPS administration. P4504A3 protein expression increased 2-fold, whereas P4504A1/2 protein levels decreased by 30%. Lauric acid omega-hydroxylase activity increased 1.6-fold in LPS-treated Fischer 344 rats and omega-1-hydroxylase activity decreased by 38%. In the Sprague-Dawley strain, however, decreases were seen in both omega- and omega-1-hydroxylase activities after LPS treatment. Our data demonstrate that LPS administration induces P4504A subfamily mRNA and P4504A3 protein expression. Furthermore, our findings also suggest strain differences in both suppression and induction of P450s between the Sprague-Dawley and F344 rats.