title: Age-related decline in mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in epidermal growth factor-stimulated rat hepatocytes.
abstract: A number of studies have demonstrated that the proliferative capacity of cells declines with aging. In particular, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated DNA synthesis is reduced in hepatocytes from aged rats relative to young rats. Growth factor stimulation activates a genetic program in large part regulated by a family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) that phosphorylate and thereby activate transcription factors involved in controlling the expression of proliferation-associated genes. In the present study, we compared the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) MAPK in EGF-stimulated hepatocytes derived from young (6-month) and aged (24-month) rats. JNK activity was not appreciably altered by EGF treatment of cells from either age group. In contrast, ERK2 was highly activated by EGF treatment, but the magnitude of activation was significantly lower in hepatocytes of aged animals compared to those of young animals (7-fold versus 20-fold, respectively). The reduced ERK2 activity in response to EGF was associated with decreased c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression and lower levels of AP-1 transcription factor DNA binding activity in the aged hepatocytes. Finally, the basal expression of MAPK phosphatase 1, a MAPK-regulated gene involved in regulating MAPK activity, was higher in aged hepatocytes. Taken together, these findings suggest that an alteration in the balance between MAP kinase-phosphatase activities could contribute to the age-related decline in proliferative capacity.
authors.affiliation: Gene Expression and Aging Section and Molecular Physiology and Genetics Section, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, NIA, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: K Z
authors.initials: KZ
authors.lastname: Guyton
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorospe
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Kokkonen
authors.forename: Y D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Holbrook
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; C517021:Dusp1 protein, rat; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases