title: Chemoattractant-stimulated NF-kappaB activation is dependent on the low molecular weight GTPase RhoA.
abstract: Chemoattractants bind to seven transmembrane-spanning, G-protein-coupled receptors on monocytes and neutrophils and induce a variety of functional responses, including activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. The signaling mechanisms utilized by chemoattractants to activate NF-kappaB in human peripheral blood monocytes are poorly defined. We previously demonstrated that fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLP) stimulates NF-kappaB activation, and this function of fMLP requires phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Here we present evidence that fMLP activates RhoA and that fMLP-induced NF-kappaB activation requires this small GTPase. Stimulation of monocytes with fMLP rapidly activated RhoA as well as NF-kappaB, and their activation was markedly reduced by pertussis toxin treatment. Pretreatment of monocyte with a RhoA inhibitor, C3 transferase from Clostridium botulinum, effectively blocked fMLP-induced NF-kappaB activation as well as interleukin-1beta gene expression. A dominant negative form of RhoA (T19N) also inhibited fMLP-stimulated reporter gene expression in a kappaB-dependent manner. Cotransfection of the monocytic THP1 cells with a constitutively active form of RhoA (Q63L) with the promoter reporter plasmid results in a marked increase in NF-kappaB-mediated reporter gene expression. Furthermore, the PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 block RhoA activation induced by fMLP. These results demonstrate that low molecular weight GTPase RhoA is a novel signal transducer for fMLP-induced NF-kappaB activation and Galpha(i) or Galpha(o) class of heterotrimeric G proteins likely mediate RhoA activation via PI3K in human peripheral blood monocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zuraw
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Z K
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D044042:Receptors, Formyl Peptide; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000378:metabolism; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016328:NF-kappa B; D044042:Receptors, Formyl Peptide; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein