title: Adenosine stimulates CREB activation in macrophages via a p38 MAPK-mediated mechanism.
abstract: Adenosine is an endogenously released autocoid that has potent receptor-mediated modulatory effects on macrophage function. The intracellular pathways mediating these effects are incompletely understood. Since adenosine receptor occupancy has been associated with activation of the cAMP-PKA system as well as of p38 MAPK and p42/44 MAPK, all of which can activate the CREB transcription factor system, we hypothesized that adenosine would activate CREB in macrophages. Using RAW 264.7 macrophages, we found that extracellular adenosine enhanced CREB transcriptional activity and increased phosphorylation of nuclear CREB. On the other hand, adenosine failed to alter CREB DNA binding. Adenosine stimulated both p38 and p42/44 MAPK activation. The p38 MAPK pathway inhibitor SB203580 but not the p42/44 MAPK pathway blocker PD98059 decreased adenosine-induced CREB activation, indicating that p38 MAPK but not p42/44 MAPK is an upstream mediator of CREB activation. Thus, some of the immunomodulatory effects of adenosine in macrophages may be explained by its augmenting effect on CREB activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
authors.forename: Zoltán H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Németh
authors.forename: S Joseph
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Leibovich
authors.forename: Edwin A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Deitch
authors.forename: Beáta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sperlágh
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Virág
authors.forename: E Sylvester
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Vizi
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haskó
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D000241:Adenosine