title: Asbestos-mediated CREB phosphorylation is regulated by protein kinase A and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2.
abstract: Asbestos is a ubiquitous, naturally occurring fiber that has been linked to the development of malignant and fibrotic lung diseases. Asbestos exposure leads to apoptosis, followed by compensatory proliferation, yet many of the signaling cascades coupled to these outcomes are unclear. Because CREs (Ca(2+)/cAMP-response elements) are found in the promoters of many genes important for regulation of proliferation and apoptosis, CREB (CRE binding protein) is likely to play an important role in the development of asbestos-mediated lung injury. To explore this possibility, we tested the hypotheses that asbestos exposure leads to CREB phosphorylation in lung epithelial cells and that protein kinase A (PKA) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) are central regulators of the CREB pathway. Persistent CREB phosphorylation was observed in lung sections from mice following inhalation of crocidolite asbestos. Exposure of C10 lung epithelial cells to crocidolite asbestos led to rapid CREB phosphorylation and apoptosis that was decreased by the inhibition of PKA or ERK1/2 using the specific inhibitors H89 and U0126, respectively. Furthermore, crocidolite asbestos selectively induced a sustained increase in MAP kinase phosphatase-1 mRNA and protein. Silencing CREB protein dramatically reduced asbestos-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, yet significantly increased the number of cells undergoing asbestos-induced apoptosis. These data reveal a novel and selective role for CREB in asbestos-mediated signaling through pathways regulated by PKA and ERK1/2, further providing evidence that CREB is an important regulator of apoptosis in asbestos-induced responses of lung epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA.
authors.forename: Christy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.forename: Trisha F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Arti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Brooke T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Mossman
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lounsbury
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C492004:Creb1 protein, mouse; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D017638:Asbestos, Crocidolite; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054645:Protein Phosphatase 1; D054638:Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; C517020:Dusp1 protein, mouse; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases