title: Tristetraprolin regulates the expression of the human inducible nitric-oxide synthase gene.
abstract: The expression of human inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is regulated both by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. Stabilization of mRNAs often depends on activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). In human DLD-1 cells, inhibition of p38 MAPK by the compound 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)1H-imidazole (SB203580) or by overexpression of a dominant-negative p38 MAPKalpha protein resulted in a reduction of human iNOS mRNA and protein expression, whereas human iNOS promoter activity was not affected. An important RNA binding protein regulated by the p38 MAPK pathway and involved in the regulation of the stability of several mRNAs is tristetraprolin. RNase protection, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot experiments showed that cytokines used to induce iNOS expression in DLD-1 cells also enhanced tristetraprolin expression. SB203580 incubation reduced cytokine-mediated enhancement of tristetraprolin expression. Overexpression or down-regulation of tristetraprolin in stably transfected DLD-1- or A549/8 cells consistently resulted in enhanced or reduced iNOS expression by modulating iNOS-mRNA stability. In UV cross-linking experiments, recombinant tristetraprolin did not interact with the human iNOS mRNA. However, coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed interaction of tristetraprolin with the KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP), which is known to recruit mRNAs containing AU-rich elements to the exosome for degradation. This tristetraprolin-KSRP interaction was enhanced by cytokines and reduced by SB203580 treatment. We conclude that tristetraprolin positively regulates human iNOS expression by enhancing the stability of human iNOS mRNA. Because tristetraprolin does not directly bind to the human iNOS mRNA but interacts with KSRP, tristetraprolin is likely to stabilize iNOS mRNA by capturing the KSRP-exosome complex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Obere Zahlbacher Strasse 67, 55101 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fechir
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linker
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pautz
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hubrich
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Förstermann
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Pascual
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kleinert
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004795:Enzyme Stability / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D020871:RNA Stability; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D051816:Tristetraprolin; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051816:Tristetraprolin; C497552:ZFP36 protein, human; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II