title: Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and farnesyltransferase change the activities of several transcription factors.
abstract: Several types of cellular proteins can be modified by farnesylation and nitrosylation, of which the most significant is Ras. We used manumycin, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and L-NAME (Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester), a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, for characterization of Ras-dependent downstream targets activities. Our results suggest that change of the steady-state levels of nitric oxide and inhibition of farnesylation modified the activities of several transcription factors. We have found that the inhibition of farnesylation by manumycin decreased the DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, did not change the DNA-binding activities of STAT, Sp1, ATF-2, and CREB, and increased the activities of c-Fos, JunD, and c-Jun. Under such conditions, phosphorylation of Akt was decreased, whereas phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was increased and phosphorylation of JNK did not change. Furthermore, our results show that reduction of intracellular concentration of nitric oxides by L-NAME increases the activities of c-Fos, ATF-2 and JunD and decreases the activities of CREB, STAT, Sp1, and c-Jun. The activities of all of these transcription factors are restored to normal levels in the presence of manumycin, suggesting that simultaneous modifications of proteins by farnesylation and nitrosylation change the direction of Ras-controlled downstream pathways. Our results provide further evidence of the significance of posttranslational modifications of Ras for the specificity of transducing cascade networks and physiological outcome.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zhuravliova
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barbakadze
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Narmania
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramsden
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mikeladze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D051231:Farnesyltranstransferase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D011090:Polyenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011090:Polyenes; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D051231:Farnesyltranstransferase; D018631:ras Proteins; C054474:manumycin; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester