title: Glucocorticoids inhibit MAP kinase via increased expression and decreased degradation of MKP-1.
abstract: Glucocorticoids inhibit the proinflammatory activities of transcription factors such as AP-1 and NF-kappa B as well as that of diverse cellular signaling molecules. One of these signaling molecules is the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk-1/2) that controls the release of allergic mediators and the induction of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression in mast cells. The mechanism of inhibition of Erk-1/2 activity by glucocorticoids is unknown. Here we report a novel dual action of glucocorticoids for this inhibition. Glucocorticoids increase the expression of the MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) gene at the promoter level, and attenuate proteasomal degradation of MKP-1, which we report to be triggered by activation of mast cells. Both induction of MKP-1 expression and inhibition of its degradation are necessary for glucocorticoid-mediated inhibition of Erk-1/2 activation. In NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, although glucocorticoids up-regulate the MKP-1 level, they do not attenuate the proteasomal degradation of this protein and consequently they are unable to inhibit Erk-1/2 activity. These results identify MKP-1 as essential for glucocorticoid-mediated control of Erk-1/2 activation and unravel a novel regulatory mechanism for this anti-inflammatory drug.
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, PO Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kassel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancono
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krätzschmar
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kreft
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stassen
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D010766:Phosphorylation; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D003907:Dexamethasone; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; C517020:Dusp1 protein, mouse; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex