title: Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases in the induction of parathyroid hormone-related peptide.
abstract: Tumor production of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) is responsible for most cases of hypercalcemia of malignancy. The transplantable rat Leydig tumor H-500 is known to cause hypercalcemia in rats by the release of abundant PTHRP and to closely reproduce the human syndrome. We have demonstrated recently that Ras oncogene can stimulate PTHRP gene expression in Fr3T3 fibroblasts in vitro and cause hypercalcemia in vivo. Using rat Leydig tumor H-500 cells, we have investigated the role of effector pathways downstream of Ras in serum-induced PTHRP expression. The Ras inhibitors B-1086 and Lovastatin decreased PTHRP mRNA expression. i.p. administration of B-1086 (50-100 mg/kg/day) into H-500 tumor-bearing male Fischer rats resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in tumor volume, serum calcium, plasma PTHRP, and tumoral PTHRP mRNA expression. Transient transfection of dominant-negative Ras (Ras N17) and Raf (Raf C4B) reduced, whereas activated Raf-1 (Raf BXB) increased, basal expression of PTHRP in H-500 cells. A similar decrease in PTHRP production was seen with a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor (PD 098059), implicating the involvement of Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. In addition, stimulation with UV light, which can activate c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), or expression of an activated form of Rac (Rac V12) was sufficient to increase PTHRP mRNA. Moreover, a dominant-negative Rac (Rac N17) blocked serum-induced PTHRP gene expression. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PTHRP is induced via both Raf-ERK and Rac-JNK mediated pathways, effects which can be blocked by chemical inhibitors and dominant-negative mutants of these pathways in vitro and in vivo. Availability of selective inhibitors of Ras signaling molecules may therefore add to our existing armamentarium to control hypercalcemia of malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aklilu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gladu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goltzman
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rabbani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C108687:B 1086; D005419:Flavonoids; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003513:Cycloheximide; D008148:Lovastatin; D008715:Methionine; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein; D018631:ras Proteins; C093973:2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one; D002118:Calcium