title: Transcriptional regulation of surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-B by phorbol ester.
abstract: Phorbol esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) activate protein kinase C and have been previously shown to down-regulate surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-B in H441 adenocarcinoma cells. We used H441 cells and human fetal lung to further study the mechanism of TPA action and to examine physiologic relevance. In H441 cells, TPA (10 nM) treatment for 24 h decreased SP-A mRNA content to approximately 5% of control cells, with half-maximal effect at approximately 0.5 nM, and reduced SP-A gene transcription rate to 28% of control after 8 h exposure. In cells cultured in the presence of dexamethasone, which increases the low basal level of SP-B expression, TPA decreased both SP-B mRNA content (approximately 8% of control) and rate of transcription (7% of control). In cultured human fetal lung explants, TPA decreased SP-A and SP-B protein and mRNA in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, with half-maximal effect on mRNAs at approximately 3 nM and approximately 50% inhibition after 24 h of exposure, and similarly reduced SP-A and SP-B gene transcription (approximately 55% of control at 8-24 h). We conclude that TPA acts primarily at the level of gene transcription to down-regulate both SP-A and SP-B in H441 and fetal lung cells, and we speculate that inflammatory and other agents that act through PKC may modulate expression of the surfactant proteins and alter surfactant function in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Planer
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ballard
mesh_terms: D046508:Culture Techniques; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D010703:Phorbol Esters / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010703:Phorbol Esters; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D012333:RNA, Messenger