title: Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases Erk-1 and Erk-2 by cell swelling in H4IIE hepatoma cells.
abstract: Hepatic metabolism and gene expression are among the factors controlled by the cellular hydration state, which changes within minutes in response to aniso-osmotic environments, cumulative substrate uptake, oxidative stress and under the influence of hormones such as insulin. The signalling events coupling cell-volume changes to altered cell function were studied in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Hypo-osmotic cell swelling resulted within 1 min in a tyrosine kinase-mediated activation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases Erk-1 and Erk-2, which was independent of protein kinase C and cytosolic calcium. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases was followed by an increased phosphorylation of c-Jun, which may explain our recently reported finding of an about 5-fold increase in c-jun mRNA level in response to cell swelling. Pretreatment of cells with pertussis or cholera toxin abolished the swelling-induced activation of Erk-1 and Erk-2, suggesting the involvement of G-proteins. Thus, a signal-transduction pathway resembling growth factor signalling is activated already by osmotic water shifts across the plasma membrane, thereby providing a new perspective for adaption of cell function to alterations of the environment.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik, Heinrich Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schliess
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Häussinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D048429:Cell Size; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019833:Genistein; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D019833:Genistein; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D002118:Calcium