title: Induction of stress-activated protein kinases/c-Jun N-terminal kinases by the p55 tumour necrosis factor receptor does not require sphingomyelinases.
abstract: Ceramide has been implicated in the activation of stress-activated protein kinases/c-Jun N-terminal kinases (SAPK/JNK). Binding of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) to its 55 kDa receptor (TR55) leads to the generation of ceramide through activation of either acid or neutral sphingomyelinase (A/N-SMase) as well as to potent activation of SAPK/JNK. We have examined a putative role of both N- and A-SMase in the TR55-dependent activation of SAPK/JNK. The analysis of TR55 deletion mutants expressed in 70Z/3 pre-B cells revealed that activation of SAPK/JNK occurs independently of N-SMase. Although both SAPK/JNK and A-SMase are activated by the death domain of TR55, pharmacological prevention of the TR55-dependent activation of A-SMase, or proteolytic degradation of A-SMase in 70Z/3 cells, did not impair SAPK/JNK activation, indicating that SAPK/JNK are not secondary to A-SMase. In addition, proteolytic degradation of A-SMase also did not affect SAPK/JNK activation by ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiation, arguing against a general role of A-SMase in stress-mediated responses. Furthermore, fibroblasts from Niemann-Pick A patients deficient in A-SMase did not show altered activation of SAPK/JNK in response to either TNF or UV-C. These results suggest that TR55 can activate SAPK/JNK without direct participation of sphingomyelinases or ceramide.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Immunologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Brunswiker Str. 4, 24105 Kiel, Germany. adam@immunologie.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruff
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strelow
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiegmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krönke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002518:Ceramides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D009542:Niemann-Pick Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D002518:Ceramides; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase