title: p38-dependent enhancement of cytokine-induced nitric-oxide synthase gene expression by heat shock protein 70.
abstract: Heat shock protein (hsp) 70 protects cells against stress by means of its ability to chaperone denatured proteins and to modulate stress-activated signaling pathways. Because inflammatory processes are often accompanied by hsp expression and because stress and cytokines share several signaling pathways, we investigated the possibility that hsp70 might modulate the cellular response to cytokines. We found that stable cell clones overexpressing hsp70, or cells shortly after transfection with hsp70, produced 2 times more nitric oxide and inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) protein and mRNA in response to cytokines than control cells expressing undetectable amounts of hsp70. Since mitogen-activated protein kinases participate in the activation of iNOS by cytokines, we investigated whether hsp70 affected the activation of these signaling pathways. hsp70 overexpression led to a specific enhancement of the activation of the p38 pathway by cytokines, producing little or no effect on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase or Jun N-terminal kinase. Blocking p38 activity with SB203580 totally abolished the enhancing effect of hsp70 on cytokine-induced endogenous iNOS mRNA accumulation or transcription of an iNOS promoter-driven luciferase gene, while having little effect on the cytokine response observed in control cells. We conclude that the p38 pathway acts as an enhancing factor in the activation of iNOS by cytokines and that hsp70 can modulate the cellular response to cytokines by acting on signaling elements upstream of p38.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de l'Université Laval, L'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, 9, rue McMahon, Québec (Qc) G1R 2J6, Canada. kerstin.bellmann@crhdq.ulaval.ca
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bellmann
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burkart
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruckhoff
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D007093:Imidazoles; D011725:Pyridines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C093642:SB 203580