title: Modulation of transcription factor AP-1 activity in murine EL-4 thymoma cells by vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol).
abstract: Trichothecene mycotoxins have been reported to suppress or superinduce cytokine mRNA expression by leukocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Modulation of transcription factor activities may be critical for these observations. Here, the effect of trichothecene vomitoxin (VT, deoxynivalenol) on activator protein-1 (AP-1) activity was determined in the murine EL-4 thymoma. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that VT modulated AP-1 binding activity in a concentration- and time-dependent manner when using a synchronous model in which VT was added concurrently with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin (ION) to EL-4 cells. Induction of AP-1 binding activity by PMA/ION was suppressed in the presence of VT for a short period (1 to 12 h), but was enhanced upon prolonged VT exposure (48 to 72 h). VT also enhanced AP-1 binding activity when added to the cell culture 12 h after PMA/ION activation (delayed synchronous model). Using specific antibodies against AP-1 complex proteins, it was demonstrated by gel supershift assay that VT preferentially affected phosphorylated c-Jun, Jun B, c-Fos, and Fra-2 binding activities, whereas it did not alter Jun D and Fra-1 binding. A transient transfection assay demonstrated that these increased binding activities are associated with enhanced AP-1 transactivation potential. Elevation of AP-1 activity may contribute to cytokine dysregulation and immunotoxic effects associated with exposure to trichothecene mycotoxins such as VT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pestka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D051921:Fos-Related Antigen-2; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D010766:Phosphorylation; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051921:Fos-Related Antigen-2; C497873:Fosl2 protein, mouse; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014255:Trichothecenes; D015759:Ionomycin; C007262:deoxynivalenol; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate