title: Regulation of the activity of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase by Akt in cancer and adenoviral protein E1A-mediated sensitization to apoptosis.
abstract: The adenoviral early region 1A (E1A) protein mediates sensitization to different stimulus-induced apoptosis, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, UV and gamma irradiation, and different categories of anticancer drugs. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying E1A-mediated sensitization to apoptosis are still not completely defined. Here, we show that E1A-mediated sensitization to apoptosis by the inactivation of a key survival factor Akt and the activation of a pro-apoptotic factor p38. Also, inactivation of Akt by either a specific inhibitor or a genetic knockout of Akt1 results in p38 activation, possibly through the release of the activity of p38 upstream kinases, including ASK1 and MEKK3. In addition, we showed that p38 phosphorylation is downregulated and Akt phosphorylation is upregulated in multiple human tumor tissues, and this correlates with tumor stage in human breast cancer. A deletion mutation of a conserved domain of E1A, which is required for E1A-induced downregulation of Akt activity, disrupts E1A-mediated upregulation of p38 activity and also eliminates E1A-mediated chemosensitization. Thus, activation of p38 and inactivation of Akt may have general implications for tumor suppression and sensitization to apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Mien-Chie
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hung
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017500:Adenovirus E1A Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017209:Apoptosis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002460:Cell Line; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D017500:Adenovirus E1A Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases