title: Integration of Caenorhabditis elegans MAPK pathways mediating immunity and stress resistance by MEK-1 MAPK kinase and VHP-1 MAPK phosphatase.
abstract: The p38 and JNK classes of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have evolutionarily conserved roles in the control of cellular responses to microbial and abiotic stresses. The mechanisms by which crosstalk between distinct p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) MAPK pathways occurs with resultant integration of signaling information have been difficult to establish, particularly in the context of whole organism physiology. In Caenorhabditis elegans a PMK-1 p38 MAPK pathway is required for resistance to bacterial infection, and a KGB-1 JNK-like MAPK pathway has recently been shown to mediate resistance to heavy metal stress. Here, we show that two components of the KGB-1 pathway, MEK-1 MAPK kinase (MAPKK), a homolog of mammalian MKK7, and VHP-1 MAPK phosphatase (MKP), a homolog of mammalian MKP7, also regulate pathogen resistance through the modulation of PMK-1 activity. The regulation of p38 and JNK-like MAPK pathways mediating immunity and heavy metal stress by common MAPKK and MKP signaling components suggests pivotal roles for MEK-1 and VHP-1 in the integration of diverse stress signals contributing to pathogen resistance in C. elegans. In addition, these data point to mechanisms in multicellular organisms by which signals transduced by distinct MAPK pathways may be subject to physiological integration at the level of regulation of MAPK activity by MAPKKs and MKPs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Nicole T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Liberati
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hisamoto
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Frederick M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ausubel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D007700:Kinetics; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C463460:Pmk-1 protein, C elegans; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases