title: Transcriptional regulation of prostaglandin synthase 2 gene expression by platelet-derived growth factor and serum.
abstract: Prostaglandin synthase 2 (PGS2) is an immediate-early gene induced in a variety of cellular contexts. We investigate here the transcriptional activation of the murine PGS2 gene in NIH 3T3 cells, in response to the mitogens platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or serum. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments demonstrate that a consensus cyclic AMP response element (CRE) in the murine PGS2 promoter is essential for optimal PGS2 gene expression in response to PDGF or to serum. Overexpression of c-Jun potentiates PDGF- or serum-induced luciferase expression from a reporter construct containing the first 371 nucleotides of the PGS2 promoter. In contrast, overexpression of other transcription factors binding to the CRE element of the PGS2 gene inhibits induction by PDGF or serum. Moreover, positioning the c-Jun activation domain next to the minimal PGS2 promoter via a GAL4 DNA binding site rather than the CRE is sufficient to permit serum or PDGF stimulation of luciferase expression from this modified reporter construct. PDGF or serum treatment both activate c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), the mitogen-activated protein kinase responsible for phosphorylation and activation of c-Jun. Cotransfection of plasmids expressing dominant-negative Ras, Rac1, MEKK-1, or JNK along with the [PGS2][luciferase] reporter prevents induction by PDGF or serum, demonstrating that serum and PDGF induction of the PGS2 gene in NIH 3T3 cells requires activation of a Ras/Rac1/MEKK-1/JNK kinase/JNK signal transduction leading to phosphorylation of c-Jun. Additional cotransfection experiments with plasmids expressing dominant-negative Raf1 and ERK demonstrate that induction of PGS2 gene expression by PDGF and serum also requires activation of a Ras/Raf1/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK)/ERK signal transduction pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. harvey@LBES.medsch.ucla.edu
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Herschman
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D016758:Genes, jun; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D051379:Mice; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C077623:Ptgs2 protein, mouse; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D011494:Protein Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; C482127:Map2k1 protein, mouse; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases