The kinases of the Raf family have been intensively studied as activators of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase͞extra-cellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) module in regulated and deregulated proliferation. Genetic evidence that Raf is required for ERK activation in vivo has been obtained in lower organisms, which express only one Raf kinase, but was hitherto lacking in mammals, which express more than one Raf kinase. Ablation of the two best studied Raf kinases, B-Raf and Raf-1, is lethal at midgestation in mice, hampering the detailed study of the essential functions of these proteins. Here, we have combined conventional and conditional gene ablation to show that B-Raf is essential for ERK activation and for vascular development in the placenta. B-Rafdeficient placentae show complete absence of phosphorylated ERK and strongly reduced HIF-1␣ and VEGF levels, whereas all these parameters are normal in Raf-1-deficient placentae. In addition, neither ERK phosphorylation nor development are affected in B-raf-deficient embryos that are born alive obtained by epiblastrestricted gene inactivation. The data demonstrate that B-Raf plays a nonredundant role in ERK activation during extraembyronic mammalian development in vivo.T he placenta is the first organ to develop during embryogenesis, and it supports the growth of the developing embryo by mediating the exchange of nutrients and wastes between the fetal and maternal circulatory systems. Placentation includes extensive angiogenesis, and reduced placental vascular development is associated with early embryonic mortality. Genetic studies have demonstrated a crucial role of VEGF, FGF, and their receptors in placental angiogenesis. In addition, the ablation of several signaling molecules operating downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases results in defects in placentation, often at the stage of labyrinth formation (1).The Raf kinases (A-Raf, B-Raf, and Raf-1) relay signals from tyrosine kinase receptors to the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)͞extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling module. Although most of the early work on the activation of the MEK͞ERK module was focused on Raf-1, evidence has accumulated that B-Raf is the main MEK kinase. Raf kinases from lower organisms (Caenorhabditis elegans lin-45 and Drosophila D-Raf ) are more similar to B-Raf than to the other two mammalian Raf kinases. Biochemical studies have indicated that B-Raf is the main MEK kinase found in fibroblast and brain lysates (2-5). Consistently, among the three Raf kinases, B-Raf binds best to MEK (6) and has the highest basal MEK kinase activity, both in vitro (7) and in fibroblasts, when expressed as a conditionally oncogenic form (8). Finally, B-Raf mutations resulting in increased MEK͞ERK activation have been discovered in a broad range of human tumors (9). All these observations hint at B-Raf as the archetypal mammalian MEK kinase, whereas Raf-1 and A-Raf have probably diverged to perform other functions. Growth-factor-stimulated ERK activation is reduced...
To define the role of the Raf serine/threonine kinases in nervous system development, we conditionally targeted B-Raf and C-Raf, two of the three known mammalian Raf homologs, using a mouse line expressing Cre recombinase driven by a nestin promoter. Targeting of B-Raf, but not C-Raf, markedly attenuated baseline phosphorylation of Erk in neural tissues and led to growth retardation. Conditional elimination of B-Raf in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons did not interfere with survival, but instead caused marked reduction in expression of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor Ret at postnatal stages, associated with a profound reduction in levels of transcription factor CBF-beta. Elimination of both alleles of Braf, which encodes B-Raf, and one allele of Raf1, which encodes C-Raf, affected DRG neuron maturation as well as proprioceptive axon projection toward the ventral horn in the spinal cord. Finally, conditional elimination of all Braf and Raf1 alleles strongly reduced neurotrophin-dependent axon growth in vitro as well as cutaneous axon terminal arborization in vivo. We conclude that Raf function is crucial for several aspects of DRG neuron development, including differentiation and axon growth.
Raf kinases are downstream effectors of Ras and upstream activators of the MEK-ERK cascade. Ras and MEK-ERK signaling play roles in learning and memory (L&M) and neural plasticity, but the roles of Raf kinases in L&M and plasticity are unclear. Among Raf isoforms, B-raf is preferentially expressed in the brain. To determine whether B-raf has a role in synaptic plasticity and L&M, we used the Cre-LoxP gene targeting system to derive forebrain excitatory neuron B-raf knockout mice. This conditional knockout resulted in deficits in ERK activation and hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and impairments in hippocampus-dependent L&M, including spatial learning and contextual discrimination. Despite the widespread expression of B-raf, this mutation did not disrupt other forms of L&M, such as cued fear conditioning and conditioned taste aversion. Our findings demonstrate that B-raf plays a role in hippocampal ERK activation, synaptic plasticity, and L&M.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.