MKP2 suppresses TGF-β1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through JNK inhibition

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivonne Loeffler

Abstract Interstitial fibrosis is a typical feature of end-stage renal diseases, regardless of the initial cause of kidney injury. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a mechanism that is thought to play a role in generating the interstitial matrix-producing myofibroblasts and is prominently induced by the transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1). TGF-β1 signals through a variety of Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. In a study published in a recent issue of Clinical Science (Clin. Sci. (2018) 132(21),2339–2355), Li et al. investigated the potential role of the Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 2 (MKP2), also known as Dusp4, in the control of EMT and renal fibrosis. Based on results obtained with an animal model of kidney fibrosis and a proximal tubular epithelial cell line system, the authors put forward a role for MKP2 as a negative feedback regulator of TGF-β1-induced EMT and fibrosis in the kidney. Intriguingly, MKP2 is found to down-regulate activity of c-Jun, but not that of other MAPKs, extracellular signal-regulated kinases or p38, implying a role for c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent signaling in renal fibrosis. In this commentary, I discuss the findings of Li and co-workers in the context of the recent literature placing a focus on potential clinical/therapeutic implications.

2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (21) ◽  
pp. 2339-2355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenzhen Li ◽  
Xianghua Liu ◽  
Fengyan Tian ◽  
Ji Li ◽  
Qingwei Wang ◽  
...  

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenotypic conversion that plays a crucial role in renal fibrosis leading to chronic renal failure. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 2 (MKP2) is a member of the dual-specificity MKPs that regulate the MAP kinase pathway involved in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced EMT. However, the function of MKP2 in the regulation of EMT and the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. In the present study, we detected the expression of MKP2 in an animal model of renal fibrosis and evaluated the potential role of MKP2 in tubular EMT induced by TGF-β1. We found that the expression of MKP2 was up-regulated in the tubular epithelial of unilateral ureter obstruction rats. Meanwhile, we also demonstrated that TGF-β1 up-regulated MKP2 expression in NRK-52E cells during their EMT phenotype acquisition. Importantly, overexpression of MKP2 inhibited c-Jun amino terminal kinase (JNK) signaling and partially reversed EMT induced by TGF-β1. Moreover, reducing MKP2 expression enhanced JNK phosphorylation, promoted the E-cadherin suppression and induced α-SMA expression and fibronectin secretion in response to TGF-β1, which could be rescued by a JNK inhibitor. These results provide the first evidence that MKP2 is a negative feedback molecule induced by TGF-β1, and MKP2 overexpression inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT through the JNK signaling pathway. MKP2 could be a promising target to be used in gene therapy for renal fibrosis.


Open Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 130067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal P. Sapkota

The signalling pathways downstream of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) family of cytokines play critical roles in all aspects of cellular homeostasis. The phosphorylation and activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) has been implicated in TGFβ-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis. The precise molecular mechanisms by which TGFβ cytokines induce the phosphorylation and activation of p38 MAPK are unclear. In this study, I demonstrate that TGFβ-activated kinase 1 (TAK1/MAP3K7) does not play a role in the TGFβ-induced phosphorylation and activation of p38 MAPK in MEFs and HaCaT keratinocytes. Instead, RNAi -mediated depletion of MAP3K4 and MAP3K10 results in the inhibition of the TGFβ-induced p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Furthermore, the depletion of MAP3K10 from cells homozygously knocked-in with a catalytically inactive mutant of MAP3K4 completely abolishes the TGFβ-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, implying that among MAP3Ks, MAP3K4 and MAP3K10 are sufficient for mediating the TGFβ-induced activation of p38 MAPK.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Hedrick ◽  
Stephen Safe

ABSTRACT Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-induced migration of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells is dependent on nuclear export of the orphan receptor NR4A1, which plays a role in proteasome-dependent degradation of SMAD7. In this study, we show that TGF-β induces p38α (mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 [MAPK14]), which in turn phosphorylates NR4A1, resulting in nuclear export of the receptor. TGF-β/p38α and NR4A1 also play essential roles in the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and induction of β-catenin in TNBC cells, and these TGF-β-induced responses and nuclear export of NR4A1 are blocked by NR4A1 antagonists, the p38 inhibitor SB202190, and kinase-dead [p38(KD)] and dominant-negative [p38(DN)] forms of p38α. Inhibition of NR4A1 nuclear export results in nuclear export of TGF-β-induced β-catenin, which then undergoes proteasome-dependent degradation. TGF-β-induced β-catenin also regulates NR4A1 expression through formation of the β-catenin–TCF-3/TCF-4/LEF-1 complex on the NR4A1 promoter. Thus, TGF-β-induced nuclear export of NR4A1 in TNBC cells plays an essential role in cell migration, SMAD7 degradation, EMT, and induction of β-catenin, and all of these pathways are inhibited by bis-indole-derived NR4A1 antagonists that inhibit nuclear export of the receptor and thereby block TGF-β-induced migration and EMT.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Loboda ◽  
Mateusz Sobczak ◽  
Alicja Jozkowicz ◽  
Jozef Dulak

Renal fibrosis, irrespective of its etiology, is a final common stage of almost all chronic kidney diseases. Increased apoptosis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and inflammatory cell infiltration characterize the injured kidney. On the molecular level, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-Smad3 signaling pathway plays a central role in fibrotic kidney disease. Recent findings indicate the prominent role of microRNAs, small noncoding RNA molecules that inhibit gene expression through the posttranscriptional repression of their target mRNAs, in different pathologic conditions, including renal pathophysiology. miR-21 was also shown to play a dynamic role in inflammatory responses and in accelerating injury responses to promote organ failure and fibrosis. Understanding the cellular and molecular bases of miR-21 involvement in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases, including inflammatory reaction, could be crucial for their early diagnosis. Moreover, the possibility of influencing miR-21 level by specific antagomirs may be considered as an approach for treatment of renal diseases.


2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (12) ◽  
pp. 6412-6418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veerasamy Ravichandran ◽  
Peter N. Jensen ◽  
Eugene O. Major

ABSTRACT The multiplication of the human neurotropic polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) is regulated by cell membrane receptors and nuclear transcription factors. Signaling pathways also play a role in determining the extent to which JCV can productively infect cells. These data show that constitutively active MEK1 protein (CA-MEK1), overexpressed in cultures of human glia, supports a substantial increase in late JCV protein (Vp-1) synthesis. The specificity of this pathway was indicated by no significant enhancement of JCV multiplication through activation of other components of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways such as p38, Jun N-terminal protein kinase, and protein kinase A. Further evidence supporting the importance of signaling in JCV infection came from addition of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), which stimulated a 200% increase of Vp-1 expression. Specific MEK1/2 inhibitors, flavenoid PD98059 and U0126, decreased the basal and TGF-β1-stimulated Vp-1 expression by 95% or more. TGF-β1 is known to phosphorylate/activate Smad DNA binding proteins that could subsequently bind or increase binding to JCV promoter sequences, linking the effects of signaling with JCV transcriptional regulation. The effectiveness with which MEK1/2 inhibitors block JCV multiplication provides insight that may contribute to development of compounds directed against JCV.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Edlund ◽  
Shizhong Bu ◽  
Norbert Schuster ◽  
Pontus Aspenström ◽  
Rainer Heuchel ◽  
...  

The inhibitory Smad7, a direct target gene for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), mediates TGF-β1–induced apoptosis in several cell types. Herein, we report that apoptosis of human prostate cancer PC-3U cells induced by TGF-β1 or Smad7 overexpression is caused by a specific activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in a TGF-β–activated kinase 1 (TAK1)- and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3)-dependent manner. Expression of dominant negative p38, dominant negative MKK3, or incubation with the p38 selective inhibitor [4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)1H-imidazole], prevented TGF-β1–induced apoptosis. The expression of Smad7 was required for TGF-β–induced activation of MKK3 and p38 kinases, and endogenous Smad7 was found to interact with phosphorylated p38 in a ligand-dependent manner. Ectopic expression of wild-type TAK1 promoted TGF-β1–induced phosphorylation of p38 and apoptosis, whereas dominant negative TAK1 reduced TGF-β1–induced phosphorylation of p38 and apoptosis. Endogenous Smad7 was found to interact with TAK1, and TAK1, MKK3, and p38 were coimmunoprecipitated with Smad7 in transiently transfected COS1 cells. Moreover, ectopically expressed Smad7 enhanced the coimmunoprecipitation of HA-MKK3 and Flag-p38, supporting the notion that Smad7 may act as a scaffolding protein and facilitate TAK1- and MKK3-mediated activation of p38.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiping Guan ◽  
Wenqi Li ◽  
Lingling Xu ◽  
Yanmei Zeng ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
...  

The early growth response- (Egr-) 1 has been found to play a key role in organ fibrosis. Metformin has been shown to be effective in attenuating renal tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is involved in renal fibrosis. However, it is unknown whether metformin improves EMT via inhibiting Egr-1. In this study, rat renal tubular epithelial (NRK-52 E) cells, treated by transforming growth factor- (TGF-)β1 of 10 ng/ml with or without metformin of 1 mmol/l, were transfected by siEgr-1 or M61-Egr-1 plasmids to knock down or overexpress Egr-1, respectively. The gene and protein expressions of E-cadherin,α-SMA, fibronectin (FN), and Egr-1 were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, respectively. We observed that TGF-β1 significantly reduced E-cadherin expression and upregulated the expressions of FN,α-SMA, and Egr-1, which can be reversed by metformin. M61-Egr-1 transfection could exacerbate EMT, which can be reversed by metformin. Taken together, our data show that Egr-1 plays an important role in TGF-β1-induced EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells and metformin improves EMT while inhibiting Egr-1, which provides a potential novel target to combat renal fibrosis.


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