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Advances in Brief |
Departments of Cancer Biology [Y. D. J., K. N., W. L., G. E. G., L. M. E.] and Surgical Oncology [L. M. E.], The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030
| ABSTRACT |
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| Introduction |
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| Materials and Methods |
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To examine whether inhibition of Erk-1/2 activity would inhibit VEGF mRNA expression, HT29 cells were grown in serum-free medium and treated with or without 50 µM PD98059 [2-(2'-amino-3'-methoxyphenyl)-oxanaphthalen-4-one], a specific inhibitor of MAPKK (MEK1) (New England Biolabs Inc., Beverly, MA), and an upstream effector of Erk-1/2 (6) . Levels of VEGF mRNA were then measured by Northern blotting as described below. To confirm that PD98059 could inhibit the phosphorylation of Erk-1/2 while simultaneously blocking VEGF induction, cells were treated with PD98059 1 h prior to being exposed to serum-free medium, and total and phosphorylated protein levels were determined.
Western Blot Hybridization.
Prior to lysis, cells were rinsed twice with ice-cold PBS and lysed with protein lysis buffer [20 mM sodium phosphate (pH 7.4), 150 mM sodium chloride, 1% Triton X-100, 5 mM EDTA, 5 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1% aprotinin, 1 µg/ml leupeptin, and 500 µM Na3VO4]. Protein was quantitated spectrophotometrically. Aliquots (100 µg) of the protein were subjected to electrophoresis on 8% polyacrylamide gels. The protein was then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, NH) by electrotransfer. Following blocking with 5% milk in 0.5% Tween 20 in PBS, the membrane was probed with the primary antibody [1:1000 dilution of rabbit polyclonal antiphosphospecific p44/42 MAPK (Erk-1/2) antibody, antiphosphospecific P38 MAPK antibody, antiphosphospecific Akt antibody, or antiphosphospecific JNK antibody (New England Biolabs Inc.)]. The membranes were then washed and treated with the secondary antibody labeled with horseradish peroxidase (antirabbit immunoglobulin from donkey at a 1:3000 dilution; Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Arlington Heights, IL). Using a commercially available chemiluminescence kit (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech), protein bands were visualized. For assaying total protein levels, the membrane was washed with stripping solution [100 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 2% SDS, and 62.5 mM Tris-HCl (pH 6.7)] for 30 min at 50°C and reprobed with rabbit polyclonal anti-p44/42, anti-p38, anti-Akt, or anti-JNK antibody (all at a 1:1000 dilution).
mRNA Extraction and Northern Blot Analysis.
Total RNA was extracted from cells using TRI-Reagent (Molecular Research Center, Inc., Cincinnati, OH). Northern blot hybridization was performed as previously described (4)
. A human VEGF specific 204-bp cDNA probe was a gift of Dr. Brygida Berse (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA), and a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase probe was purchased from the American Type Culture Collection. The VEGF probe identifies all alternatively spliced forms of VEGF mRNA transcripts. Probes were purified by agarose gel electrophoresis using a QIAEX gel extraction kit (Qiagen, Inc., Chatworth, CA). Each cDNA probe was radiolabeled with [
-32P]deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate by the random-priming technique using the Rediprime labeling system (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). Aliquots (25 µg) of total RNA were subjected to electrophoresis in 1% denaturing formaldehyde-agarose gels. The RNA was transferred to a Hybond-N+ positively charged nylon membrane (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) overnight by capillary elution and UV cross-linked at 120,000 µJ/cm2 by using an UV Stratalinker 1800 (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). After prehybridization of blots for 34 h at 65°C in Rapid-hybridization buffer (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech), the membranes were hybridized overnight at 65°C with the cDNA probe for VEGF or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The probed nylon membranes were washed and exposed to radiographic film (Life Technologies, Inc., Grand Island, NY).
VEGF Promoter-Reporter Activity in Response to Serum Starvation.
The role of transcriptional regulation of VEGF by serum starvation was examined using transient transfection with a VEGF promoter (luciferase)-reporter construct (full-length VEGF promoter cDNA was kindly provided by J. Abraham, Scios Nova Inc., Mountain View, CA, and was subcloned into pGL3 using standard techniques; Ref. 5
). The following plasmids were used: pGL3-VEGF (containing the human VEGF promoter linked to the firefly luciferase reporter gene; Promega, Madison, WI), pRLTK (an internal control plasmid containing the herpes simplex thymidine kinase promoter linked to a constitutively active Renilla luciferase reporter gene), and pGL3 (plasmid vector alone as a negative control). HT29 cells (0.51.0 x 106) were seeded in six-well plates, and the pRLTK and pGL3-VEGF constructs were cotransfected into cells using the Lipofectin method (Life Technologies, Inc.) or FuGENE 6 transfection reagent (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Indianapolis, IN) as outlined by the manufacturers. pRLTK and pGL3 were cotransfected as an negative control. After cells were incubated in the transfection medium for 20 h, the medium was changed to standard medium, and cells were incubated for 24 h. Cells were then incubated under serum-free condition for various time periods. To determine whether MEK1 inhibition by PD98059 could inhibit the increase in VEGF promoter activity, cells were treated with PD98059 1 h prior to being exposed to serum-free medium as described above. Cells were harvested with passive lysis buffer (Dual-Luciferase reporter assay system; Promega), and luciferase activity was determined using a single sample luminometer, as outlined in the manufacturers protocol.
| Results |
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Effect of Erk-1/2 Inhibition on Serum Starvation Induction of VEGF.
To examine the specific role of Erk-1/2 on VEGF induction, HT29 cells were pretreated with PD98059 and then subjected to serum-free growth conditions. PD98059 at the doses used did not affect cell viability. PD98059 [an inhibitor of MEK1 (which is an upstream effector of Erk-1/2)] inhibited the phosphorylation of Erk-1/2 by more than 50% (Fig. 2)
. Importantly, P38 phosphorylation and Akt phosphorylation were unaffected by PD98059 (Fig. 2)
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Growth under serum-free conditions in the presence or absence of PD98059 inhibited the induction of VEGF mRNA by serum starvation (Fig. 3)
. These results suggest that whereas serum starvation induces multiple MAPKs (Erk-1/2 and P38) and Akt, only activation of Erk-1/2 is required for serum starvation induction of VEGF. These results are consistent with PD98059s inhibiting MAPKK, as reported by others (7)
. VEGF induction was examined after PD98059 addition and serum-free incubation; no increase in VEGF expression was observed under these conditions (data not shown).
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| Discussion |
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In the present study, we examined the effects of serum starvation, one of the many consequences of vascular insufficiency, on VEGF expression. Previous work has demonstrated that serum starvation induces increased VEGF expression (5)
. For this study, we used the well-characterized colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT29 to assess the signaling intermediates that might be responsible for increased VEGF mRNA expression. Specifically, we focused on MAPKs, as general mediators of a variety of signal transduction pathways, and on Akt, for its known role in mediating VEGF expression. Of the MAPKs, Erk-1/2 and P38 were activated by serum starvation. These results are not surprising, given the complex reaction of cells to this stress. Serum starvation has been shown variously to activate apoptosis pathways through NF-
B (14)
, to up-regulate IFN regulatory factor in cultured Swiss 3T3 cells (15)
, and to up-regulate expression of cyclins D and E in rat fibroblasts (16)
. Our study also demonstrated increased phosphorylation of Akt after serum starvation, consistent with activation of stress pathways mediated by this kinase.
However, when cells were cultured in the presence of the specific MAPKK inhibitor PD98059, the induction of VEGF mRNA under serum-free growth conditions was blocked. Phosphorylation of Erk-1/2 was also blocked, but phosphorylation of P38 and phosphorylation of Akt were unaffected. These data suggest that Erk-1/2 activation, but not that of P38 or Akt, is required for induction of VEGF mRNA by serum starvation. Erk-1/2 became phosphorylated at relatively early time points, but VEGF mRNA expression did not increase until 24 h after serum starvation. We therefore examined the effects of serum starvation on VEGF promoter activity to better characterize the kinetics of these observations. VEGF promoter activity increased at time points temporally following Erk-1/2 activation. The MEK inhibitor, PD98059, completely blocked the increase of the VEGF promoter activity by serum starvation (Fig. 4)
. These data support the hypothesis that serum starvation up-regulates VEGF expression by induction of transcription of the VEGF gene via Erk-1/2 activation.
Although Erk-1/2 are generally considered mediators of the mitogenic response, Shimizu et al. (17) , in a rat model of myocardial infarction, have shown that Erk-1/2 activity is increased more than 4-fold in the myocardium after coronary artery ligation. This in turn leads to an increase in AP-1 binding activities. In other studies (18) , VEGF mRNA was also induced in the myocardium after infarction. The VEGF promoter has four AP-1 binding sites (19) . It is known that Erk-1/2 can activate the AP-1 pathway and thus may induce VEGF expression (20) . Studies in rat fibroblasts have demonstrated that Raf activation of Erk-1/2 leads to induction of VEGF, directly demonstrating that the mitogenic pathway is but one of several pathways that mediate VEGF induction (12) . Whether or not serum starvation uses this pathway remains to be determined.
Several of the binding motifs for transcription factors implicated as being stimulated by Erk-1/2 activation are also present in the 5' flanking region of the VEGF gene, including Ets, p300, SP-1, and Myc. Thus, the regulation of VEGF mRNA by environmental stimuli is likely to be very complex and involve the coordinate induction of several transcription factors.
In summary, multiple environmental stimuli important to tumor growth and metastasis may regulate the expression of VEGF mRNA. Some effects may be additive (12) , whereas others may be mediated by common pathways. A better understanding of the signaling pathways activated in response to environmental stimuli may be important to therapeutic strategies that target angiogenesis of tumor cells.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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1 Supported in part by the Elvira Krause Fund for Cancer Research (to Y. D. J.), the Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation (to G. E. G. and L. M. E.), and NIH R-01 Grant CA65527 (to G. E. G.). ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Surgical Oncology, Box 106, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030. Phone: (713) 792-6926; Fax: (713) 792-4689; E-mail: lellis{at}mdanderson.org ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; Erk, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; MAPKK, MAPK kinase; MEK, mitogen-activated protein/Erk kinase; MEM, minimal essential medium. ![]()
Received 7/ 9/99. Accepted 8/17/99.
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