Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS), the hormone required for Müllerian duct regression in fetal males, is also expressed in both adult males and females, but its physiological role in these settings is not clear. The expression of the MIS type II receptor (MISRII) in ovarian cancer cells and the ability of MIS to inhibit proliferation of these cells suggest that MIS might be a promising therapeutic for recurrent ovarian cancer. Using an MISRII-dependent activity assay in a small-molecule screen for MIS-mimetic compounds, we have identified the c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor SP600125 as an activator of the MIS signal transduction pathway. SP600125 increased the activity of a bone morphogenetic protein-responsive reporter gene in a dose-dependent manner and exerted a synergistic effect when used in combination with MIS. This effect was specific for the MISRII and was not seen with other receptors of the TGFbeta family. Moreover, treatment of mouse ovarian cancer cells with a combination of SP600125 and paclitaxel, an established chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of ovarian cancer, or with MIS enabled inhibition of cell proliferation at a lower dose than with each treatment alone. These results offer a strong rationale for testing the therapeutic potential of SP600125, alone or in combination with already established drugs, in the treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer with a much-needed decrease in the toxic side effects of currently employed therapeutic agents.
Activin receptor-like kinase-2 (Alk2) has been shown to be a promiscuous type I receptor for the transforming growth factor b (TGFb) family of growth and differentiation factors, such as activin, bone morphogenetic proteins, and Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS). We have studied the putative role of Alk2 in activin signaling using MA-10 cells, a mouse transformed Leydig cell line, in which endogenous expression of cytochrome P450 c17 hydroxylase/C17-20 lyase mRNA is inhibited by both MIS and activin A. Overexpression of Alk2 in MA-10 cells inhibited the activation of the activinresponsive CAGA-luciferase reporter and, conversely, transfection of siRNA for Alk2 increased the response. In contrast, overexpression of the MIS type II receptor in MA-10 cells increased the activin-mediated induction of CAGA-luciferase approximately fivefold, which we hypothesized occurs by MIS type II receptor sequestering endogenous Alk2. Binding experiments with 125 I-labeled activin show that the underlying mechanism of Alk2-mediated inhibition of activin signaling involves Alk2 blocking the access of activin to its type II receptor, which we show can bind Alk2 in the absence of ligand. These results show that the complement of other type I receptors in addition to the ligand-specific type I receptor can provide an important mechanism for modulating cell-specific responses to members of the TGFb family.
Interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) plays an important role in the regulation of immune responses as well as in non-inflammatory events in different types of cells. Here we have investigated the involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade in IL-1alpha-induced steroidogenesis by primary cultures of immature rat Leydig cells. Our findings indicate that protein kinase C functions as an upstream component of signal transduction from the IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI) to the ERK cascade. It was observed that IL-1alpha upregulated both steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein expression and its phosphorylation when compared with controls. Selective inhibition of these mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) by UO126 enhanced both the expression and phosphorylation of the StAR protein, but suppressed androgen production by the immature Leydig cells as well as dissipating the mitochondrial electrochemical potential (Psim) in these cells. The evidence that water-soluble cholesterol but not 22R-hydroxycholesterol-stimulated steroidogenesis was inhibited by UO126 suggested that an intact Psim across the inner mitochondrial membrane is required for cholesterol translocation and is positively regulated by the ERK cascade. We propose that activation of ERKs by IL-1alpha plays a dual role in the regulation of steroidogenesis in immature Leydig cells: these MAPKs downregulate StAR expression and phosphorylation, while at the same time they support an intact Psim across the inner mitochondrial membrane, thereby promoting translocation of cholesterol into the mitochondria of the Leydig cell.
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