title: Rac is activated by tumor necrosis factor alpha and is involved in activation of Erk.
abstract: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) activates various signal transduction pathways including those involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (Erk), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases (JNK), and p38 kinases. Using the Rac binding domain of PAK (PAK-RBD) as an activation-specific probe, here we demonstrate that TNFalpha very rapidly and transiently activates the Rho family GTPase Rac in L929 cells. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 significantly inhibited TNFalpha activation of Rac as well as Erk and abolished that of the PI3K target Akt, without showing any inhibitory effects on JNK and p38 activation. Furthermore, TNFalpha activation of Erk was abolished by a dominant negative Rac mutant, Rac17N, or by an activated Rac mutant, Rac12V. These findings suggest that Rac is activated by a mechanism that is at least partly dependent on PI3K in TNFalpha stimulated cells and plays a critical role in activation of the Erk signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nosaka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sumimoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyasaka
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Miura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002867:Chromones / Q000494:pharmacology; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002867:Chromones; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007093:Imidazoles; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D009025:Morpholines; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D011725:Pyridines; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins; C085911:2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one; C093642:SB 203580