title: Activation of the RON receptor tyrosine kinase protects murine macrophages from apoptotic death induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide.
abstract: RON is a receptor tyrosine kinase activated by macrophage-stimulating protein. We demonstrate here that RON activation inhibits LPS-induced apoptosis of mouse peritoneal macrophages and Raw264.7 cells expressing RON or a constitutively active RON mutant. The antiapoptotic effect of RON was accompanied with the inhibition of LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO), a molecule responsible for LPS-induced cell apoptosis. This conclusion is supported by experiments using a chemical NO donor GSNO, in which RON activation directly blocked GSNO-induced apoptotic death of Raw264.7 cells and inhibited LPS-induced p53 accumulation. Furthermore, we showed that treatment of cells with wortmannin, which inhibits phosphatidylinositol (PI)-3 kinase, prevents the inhibitory effect of RON on LPS-induced macrophage apoptosis. These results were confirmed further by expression of a dominant inhibitory PI-3 kinase p85 subunit. These data suggest that by activating PI-3 kinase and inhibiting p53 accumulation, RON protects macrophage from apoptosis induced by LPS and NO. The antiapoptotic effect of RON might represent a novel mechanism for the survival of activated macrophages during inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, 80204, USA.
authors.forename: Yi-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yong-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ming-Hai
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009154:Mutation; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C080835:RON protein; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases