title: Sphingosine-1-phosphate promotes mouse melanocyte survival via ERK and Akt activation.
abstract: In this study, we investigated the signalling pathways induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) and the effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate on UVB-induced apoptosis of mouse melanocytes, Mel-Ab, and observed the cytoprotective effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate on UVB-induced apoptosis. Since sphingosine-1-phosphate is a well-known mitogenic agent, we thought it possible that the mitogenic effect of sphingosine-1-phosphate might contribute to cell survival. However, we found that sphingosine-1-phosphate significantly inhibits DNA synthesis. We next examined the regulation of the three major subfamilies of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and of the Akt pathway by sphingosine-1-phosphate against UVB-induced apoptosis. UVB irradiation resulted in the remarkable and sustained activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), while p38 MAP kinase was only transiently activated. The basal level of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) phosphorylation decreased 30 min after UVB irradiation, whereas the basal level of Akt phosphorylation was unaffected by UVB. We also found that sphingosine-1-phosphate potently stimulates the phosphorylation of both ERK and Akt, which are involved in the cell survival-signalling cascade. Furthermore, the specific inhibition of the ERK and Akt pathways by PD98059 and LY294002, respectively, restored the cytoprotective effect induced by sphingosine-1-phosphate. On the other hand, the p38 inhibitor SB203580 additively enhanced the cytoprotective effect on sphingosine-1-phosphate. Based on these results, we conclude that the activation of p38 MAP kinase plays an important role in UVB-induced apoptosis, and that sphingosine-1-phosphate probably exert its cytoprotective effect in Mel-Ab cells through ERK and Akt activation.
authors.affiliation: Research Division for Human Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-744, South Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Seok
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eui-Soo
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jai-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyoung-Chan
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D019610:Cytoprotection; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D008246:Lysophospholipids; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D051379:Mice; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts / Q000737:chemistry; D013936:Thymidine / Q000032:analysis; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D008246:Lysophospholipids; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; C060506:sphingosine 1-phosphate; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D013110:Sphingosine; D013936:Thymidine