The antioxidant-responsive element (ARE) plays an important role in the induction of phase II detoxifying enzymes including NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). We report herein that activation of the human NQO1-ARE (hNQO1-ARE) by tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) is mediated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase), not extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk1/2), in IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cells. Treatment with tBHQ significantly increased NQO1 protein without activation of Erk1/2. In addition, PD 98059 (a selective mitogen-activated kinase/Erk kinase inhibitor) did not inhibit hNQO1-ARE-luciferase expression or NQO1 protein induction by tBHQ. Pretreatment with LY 294002 (a selective PI3-kinase inhibitor), however, inhibited both hNQO1-ARE-luciferase expression and endogenous NQO1 protein induction. In support of a role for PI3-kinase in ARE activation we show that: 1) transfection of IMR-32 cells with constitutively active PI3-kinase selectively activated the ARE in a dose-dependent manner that was completely inhibited by treatment with LY 294002; 2) pretreatment of cells with the PI3-kinase inhibitors, LY 294002 and wortmannin, significantly decreased NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation induced by tBHQ; and 3) ARE activation by constitutively active PI3-kinase was blocked completely by dominant negative Nrf2. Taken together, these data clearly show that ARE activation by tBHQ depends on PI3-kinase, which lies upstream of Nrf2.The antioxidant-responsive element (ARE) 1 plays an important role in transcriptional activation of several phase II detoxifying enzymes such as NADPH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) (1, 2). The consensus ARE core sequence in the human NQO1 gene (5Ј-TGACTCAGC-3Ј) is very similar to the DNA binding sequence for NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2, 5Ј-TGAGTCA-3Ј). Several lines of evidence suggest that Nrf2 binds to the ARE sequence (3-7). Nrf2 was originally cloned using an AP1-NF-E2 tandem repeat as a recognition site probe and belongs to the basic leucine zipper family of transcription factors (8). Itho et al. (9) suggest that Nrf2 is sequestered in the cytoplasm by Keap1 protein and that oxidative stress releases Nrf2 from the Nrf2-Keap1 complex, resulting in nuclear translocation of Nrf2. Recently our laboratory showed that activation of the human NQO1-ARE depends on Nrf2 and that tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) dramatically induces Nrf2 nuclear translocation in human neuroblastoma cells (10). Although the role of Nrf2 in ARE activation seems evident, the upstream regulatory mechanisms by which ARE-activating signals are linked to Nrf2 and how this transcription factor is released from the Nrf2-Keap1 complex remain to be elucidated.Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk1/2) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, a serine/threonine kinase family (11, 12). Erk1/2 plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation (13-16). Activation of Erk1/2 culminates in the phosphorylation of downs...

No abstract

No abstract

To identify novel molecular mechanisms by which ceramide regulates cell differentiation, we examined its effect on adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Hormonal stimulation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes induced formation of triacylglycerol-laden adipocytes over 7 days; in part, via the co-ordinated action of CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins alpha, beta and delta (C/EBP-alpha, -beta and -delta) and peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). The addition of exogenous N-acetylsphingosine (C2-ceramide) or increasing endogenous ceramide levels inhibited the expression of C/EBPalpha and PPARgamma, and blocked adipocyte development. C2-ceramide did not decrease the cellular expression of C/EBPbeta, which is required for expression of C/EBPalpha and PPARgamma, but significantly blocked its transcriptional activity from a promoter construct after 24 h. The ceramide-induced decrease in the transcriptional activity of C/EBPbeta correlated with a strong decrease in its phosphorylation, DNA-binding ability and nuclear localization at 24 h. However, ceramide did not change the nuclear level of C/EBPbeta after a period of 4 or 16 h, suggesting that it was not affecting nuclear import. CRM1 (more recently named 'exportin-1') is a nuclear membrane protein that regulates protein export from the nucleus by binding to a specific nuclear export sequence. Leptomycin B is an inhibitor of CRM1/exportin-1, and reversed the ceramide-induced decrease in nuclear C/EBPbeta at 24 h. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that ceramide may inhibit adipogenesis, at least in part, by enhancing dephosphorylation and premature nuclear export of C/EBPbeta at a time when its maximal transcriptional activity is required to drive adipogenesis.