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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 9, 5559-5566, March 3, 2006
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From the
Interdepartmental Program in Vascular Biology and Transplantation, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510 and the
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou S1008, Republic of China
Received for publication, November 16, 2005 , and in revised form, December 20, 2006.
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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(TNF) induce EC dysfunction by disturbing normal homeostasis, relaxation, and survival by triggering signal transduction and gene transcription (1). In addition to the NF-
B pathway, the stress-activated MAP kinases c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAPKs have been shown to be critical for TNF-induced gene expression of proinflammatory molecules such as E-selectin and VCAM-1 (2). Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) family, is an upstream activator of JNK/p38 MAPK cascades (3). Studies from our laboratory and others have demonstrated that ASK1 functions as an effector in TNF-induced inflammation in EC (46). Thus ASK1 can be activated by almost all inflammatory stimuli such as TNF, interleukin-1, and reactive oxygen species. In contrast, anti-inflammatory factors such as antioxidants and shear stress inhibit ASK1 activity (4, 6).
ASK1 is a 170-kDa protein that functionally is composed of an inhibitory N-terminal domain, an internal kinase domain, and a C-terminal regulatory domain. The C-terminal domain of ASK1 binds to the TRAF domain of TRAF2 and TRAF6 (7). We have recently shown that the association with TRAF2 followed by recruitment of AIP1 (ASK1-interacting protein-1, a Ras-GAP (GTPase-activating protein) family protein) is required for ASK1 activation by TNF (8). On the other hand, several cellular inhibitors including thioredoxin (Trx), glutaredoxin, and 14-3-3 bind to and inhibit ASK1 activity in resting cells (812). Specifically, redox sensors Trx and glutaredoxin in reduced forms bind to ASK1 and block cytokine/stress-induced ASK1 activation (4, 5, 9). 14-3-3, a phosphoserine-binding molecule, binds to ASK1 specifically via Ser-967 of ASK1 and inhibits ASK1-induced apoptosis (4, 12, 13). The mechanism by which ASK1 activity is regulated in EC is not fully understood. We have previously shown that TNF activates ASK1, in part, by dissociating preexisting complexes of ASK1 with 14-3-3 and Trx. In contrast, atheroprotective laminar flow inhibits TNF-induced ASK1 and JNK activation by preventing the release of ASK1 from 14-3-3 and Trx (4). Furthermore, we have shown that ASK1 is a labile protein and undergoes ubiquitination/degradation in resting EC. Although cellular inhibitors such as Trx promote ASK1 ubiquitination/degradation, proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF induce deubiquitination and stabilization of ASK1 (5). Thus regulation of ASK1 stability is a critical step in ASK1 activation. However, the mechanism for ASK1 degradation is not understood.
SOCS1, a member of the SOCS family of proteins, was first identified as an inhibitor of cytokine signaling. The role of SOCS1 in T cell function has been extensively studied (14, 15). SOCS1 deletion causes perinatal lethality with death by 23 weeks due to uncontrolled inflammation. Introducing an interferon-
(IFN-
) deficiency or introducing neutralizing antibody to IFN-
eliminates lethality, suggesting that lymphocyte-produced IFN-
is critical to SOCS1-associated perinatal lethality (15, 16). Thus SOCS1 functions as a feedback regulator in IFN-
signaling. Mechanistic studies suggest that SOCS1 via its N-terminal domain binds to and inhibits the kinase activities of all members of JAK kinase family (JAK13 and Tyk2), kinases critical for signaling in many cytokines in immune cells (17). Thus SOCS1 is generally considered as an anti-inflammatory molecule by suppressing cytokine production from T cells, macrophages, and antigen presentation from dendritic cells (17). Eight SOCS family members (CIS, SOCS17) have been identified and are defined by a characteristic structure composed of a highly variable N-terminal region, a central SH2 domain, and a highly conserved 4050-amino acid motif (called SOCS box) at the C terminus. SOCS1 also functions as an inhibitor in other cytokine signaling by various mechanisms. For example, SOCS1 attenuates insulin/IGF-1 signaling by binding to the insulin/IGF-1 receptors to inhibit the receptor kinase activity and by targeting insulin/IGF-1 receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) for proteasome degradation (18, 19). Besides IFN-
, other inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and interleukin-6 also induce SOCS1 in fat and muscle tissues and inhibit insulin/IGF-1 signaling (18, 19). Thus SOCS1 has been implicated in inflammation-induced insulin resistance. A general model has been proposed for SOCS protein-targeted protein degradation; SOCS box contains a conserved elongin BC-binding motif (BC box) and mediates interaction with elongin BC complex. In turn, the elongin complex associates with the putative ubiquitin ligase cullin-2. Signaling proteins (e.g. JAKs) associated with the N-terminal or SH2 domains of SOCS proteins could be ubiquitinated by cullin-2 and are targeted for degradation by the proteasome (20, 21). Recent data suggest that SOCS1 may also function as an inhibitor in TNF signaling. Thus SOCS1-knock-out (KO) mice or cells derived from the mice are hypersensitive to TNF (22). However, the mechanism by which SOCS1 suppresses TNF signaling is not known.
In the present study, we have shown that SOCS1 via its SH2 domain binds to the phosphotyrosine residues on ASK1 to induce ASK1 degradation in an elongin complex-dependent manner. TNF induced dephosphorylation of ASK1 and dissociation of ASK1 from SOCS1, resulting in ASK1-JNK activation. Moreover, SOCS1-KO mouse tissues and derived EC showed increased ASK1 expression and enhanced TNF-induced ASK1-JNK activation, gene expression of proinflammatory molecules, as well as apoptotic responses. We concluded that SOCS1 functions as a negative regulator in TNF-induced inflammatory signaling in EC.
| EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
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Cells and CytokinesBovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were purchased from Clonetics (San Diego, CA). Human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC) were from Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine Cell Culture Core, Yale University. Human recombinant TNF was purchased from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN) and used at 10 ng/ml, and HeLa cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum.
Cell TransfectionTransfection of BAEC was performed by Lipofectamine 2000 according to the manufacturer's protocol (Invitrogen). Cells were cultured at 90% confluence in 6-well plates and were transfected with total of 4 µg of plasmid constructs as indicated. Cells were harvested at 3648 h after transfection, and cell lysates were used for protein assays.
Isolation of SOCS1-deficient Mouse Lung EC (MLEC)SOCS1+/ and SOCS3+/ mice were from Dr. James Ihle (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN) (15, 24). MLEC isolation was performed as we described (25) followed by immunoselection and immortalization modified from the protocol described by Lim et al. (26). For immunoselection, 10 µl of beads (per T-75 of mouse lung cells) were washed three times with 1 ml of buffer A (phosphate-buffered saline +2% fetal bovine serum) and resuspended in 100 µl of buffer A. 10 µl (10 µg) of anti-mouse ICAM-2 or 10 µl (10 µg) of PECAM-1 were added and rocked at 4 °C for 2 h. Beads were washed three times and resuspended in 160 µl of buffer A. Confluent mouse lung cells cultured in a T-75 flask were placed at 4 °C for 5 min and incubated with the beads at 4 °C for 1 h. Cells were then washed with warm phosphate-buffered saline and treated with 3 ml of warm Trypsin/EDTA. When cells were detached, 7 ml of growth media were added. An empty 15-ml tube in the magnetic field was placed on the holder, and the cell suspension (
10 ml) was added slowly by placing the pipette on the wall of the tube so that the cells pass through the magnetic field. Cells were incubated for 5 min, and the media were carefully aspirated. The 15-ml tube was removed from the magnetic holder, and the beads/cells were resuspended in 10 ml of media. The selected cells were plated on 0.2% gelatin-coated flasks and cultured for 37 days. When the cells were confluent, another round of immunoselection was repeated.
Antibody Array ScreeningThe antibody array membranes were provided by Dr. Y. Eugene Chin (Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI) (27). 100 polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies, including those against SOCS family proteins, were immobilized on polyvinylidene difluoride membranes (5 by 5 cm) at predetermined positions. The antibody array membranes were then incubated with 5% milk at room temperature for 2 h followed by incubation with cell lysates from BAEC in the presence or absence of HA-tagged ASK1. After incubation for 2 h, the membranes were washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline with 0.1% Tween 20 and blotted with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-HA antibody (Roche Diagnosis) for 2 h followed by three washes and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) detection.
Immunoprecipitation and ImmunoblottingEC (HUVEC, BAEC, or MLEC) after various treatments were washed twice with cold phosphate-buffered saline and lysed in 1.5 ml of cold lysis buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 150 mM NaCl, 0.1% Triton X-100, 0.75% Brij 96, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 1 mM sodium fluoride, 1 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 10 µg/ml aprotinin, 10 µg/ml leupeptin, 2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1 mM EDTA) for 20 min on ice. Protein concentrations were determined with a Bio-Rad kit. For immunoprecipitation to analyze protein interaction in vivo, 400 µg of cell lysate supernatant were precleared by incubating with 5 µg of normal rabbit serum plus protein A/G-agarose beads on rotator at 4 °C overnight. The lysates were then incubated with 5 µg of the first protein-specific antiserum (e.g. anti-SOCS1 from Medical and Biological Laboratory) for 2 h with 50 µl of protein A/G-agarose beads. The immune complexes were collected after each immunoprecipitation by centrifugation at 14,000 x g for 10 min followed by four washes with lysis buffer. The immune complexes were subjected to SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblot (Immobilon P, Millipore, Milford, MA) with the second protein (e.g. ASK1)-specific antibody (H300, Santa Cruz Biotechnology). The chemiluminescence was detected using an ECL kit according to the instructions of the manufacturer (Amersham Biosciences). For detection of FLAG-tagged proteins (e.g. SOCS proteins), anti-FLAG M2 antibody (Sigma) was used for immunoblot. For detection of HA-tagged proteins (ASK1 and elongin B/C), anti-HA antibody (Roche Diagnostics) was used for immunoblot.
ASK1 and JNK Kinase AssaysASK1 and JNK assays were performed as described previously (4, 5) using GST-MKK4 and GST-c-Jun-(180) fusion protein as a substrate, respectively. Briefly, a total of 400 µg of cell lysates was immunoprecipitated with 5 µg of antibody against ASK1 or JNK1 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology). The immunoprecipitates were mixed with 10 µg of GST-MKK4 or GST-c-Jun-(180) suspended in the kinase buffer (20 mM Hepes, pH 7.6, 20 mM MgCl2, 25 mM
-glycerophosphate, 100 µM sodium orthovanadate, 2 mM dithiothreitol, 20 µM ATP) containing 1 µl (10 µCi) of [
-32P]ATP. The kinase assay was performed at 25 °C for 30 min. The reaction was terminated by the addition of Laemmli sample buffer, and the products were resolved by SDS-PAGE (12%) followed by protein transferring to a membrane (Immobilon P). The phosphorylated GST-MKK4 or GST-c-Jun-(180) was visualized by autoradiography. The membrane was further used for Western blot with anti-ASK1 or anti-JNK1.
GST-SOCS1 Pull-down AssayGST fusion protein preparation and GST pull-down assay were performed as described previously (4, 5). Briefly, GST-SOCS1 fusion proteins expressed in Escherichia coli XL-1 blue were affinity-purified on glutathione-Sepharose beads (Amersham Biosciences). 400 µg of cell lysates expressing HA-tagged ASK1 were incubated overnight at 4 °C with 10 µg of GST-SOCS1 bound to glutathione-Sepharose in the lysis buffer. The beads were washed four times with the lysis buffer before the addition of boiling Laemmli sample buffer. Bound ASK1 proteins were resolved on SDS-PAGE and detected by Western blot with anti-HA or anti-FLAG antibody.
Quantitation of Apoptotic CellCCell killing assays were performed as described previously with a modification (5, 8, 10, 13). The propidium iodide (PI) exclusion method for loss of integrity of cell membranes was used to assess viability. In brief, cells were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline containing 25 µg/ml PI for 5 min at 37 °C and then subjected to analytic flow cytometry on a FACSort (BD Biosciences) immediately after labeling. A light scatter gate was set up to eliminate cell debris from the analysis. The PI fluorescence signal was recorded on the FL3 channel and analyzed by using CellQuest software. Phosphatidylserine translocation, which precedes loss of PI exclusion in apoptotic cell death, was assessed by an annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate staining kit (Roche Diagnostics) following the manufacturer's protocol. For nuclear morphology, cells were stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, and apoptotic cell (nuclei condensation) were visualized under UV microscope.
RNA Isolation and Quantitative Real-time RT-PCRTotal RNA was isolated from EC with a Qiagen RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA) as recommended by the supplier. Total RNA was quantitated by OD at 260 using a Du-64 spectrophotometer (Beckman Instruments). Using an equal amount of total RNA (200 ng) from EC, stimulated under various conditions, mRNA was primed with random hexamers, and cDNA was synthesized from mRNA by TaqMan reverse transcription with MultiScribe reverse transcriptase (Applied Biosystems, Foster, CT) according to the manufacturer's description. The final cDNA product was used for subsequent cDNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction. cDNA was amplified and quantitated by using SYBR Green PCR reagents from Applied Biosystems according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, the cDNA for the specific genes (E-selectin, VCAM-1, SOCS1) and 18 S rRNA were amplified by AmpliTag Gold DNA polymerase using specific primers, which were synthesized by Yale Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Keck oligonucleotide synthetic facility (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT). The cDNA for 18 S rRNA was amplified by using a specific forward primer (5'-TTC CGA TAA CGA ACG AGA CTCT-3') and a specific reverse primer (5'-TGG CTG AAC GCC ACT TGTC-3'). The following specific forward and reverse primers were used to amplify the gene of interest: SOCS1, 5'-TCC GTT CGC ACG CCG ATT AC-3' and 5'-TCA AAT CTG GAA GGG GAA GG-3'; E-selectin, 5'-CAT CCA ACG AAC CAA AGA CTCG-3' and 5'-GGC ACT TGC AGG TGT AAC TATT-3'; VCAM-1, 5'-AGT TGG GGA TTC GGT TGT TCT-3' and 5'-CCC CTC ATT CCT TAC CAC CC-3' The PCR reaction mixture (final volume 25 µl) contained 5 µl of cDNA, 1 µl of 10 µM forward primer, 1 µl of 10 µM reverse primer, 2.5 µl of PCR 10x SYBR Green PCR buffer, 3 µl of 25 mM MgCl2,2 µl of dNTP mix (2.5 mM dATP, 2.5 mM dCTP, 2.5 mM dGTP, and 5 mM dUTP), 0.25 µl of AmpErase UNG (1 unit/µl uracil-N-glycosylase), 0.125 µl of AmpliTag Gold DNA polymerase (5 units/µl of AmpliTag Gold DNA polymerase), and 10.125 µl of H2O. The PCR reaction was performed in triplicate (3 wells of C96-well plate). The reaction was amplified with iCycler iQ multicolor real time PCR detector (Bio-Rad) for 37 cycles with melting at 94 °C for 30 s, an annealing at 58 °C for 30 s, and extension at 72 °C for 1 min in iCycler iQ PCR 96-well plates (Bio-Rad). The relative quantification values for the interest gene expression were calculated from the accurate CT, which is the PCR cycle at which an increase in reporter fluorescence from SYBR Green dye can be first detected obtained above a baseline signal. CT values for 18 S rRNA cDNA were subtracted from CT values for the interest gene cDNA for each well to calculate CT. The triplicate CT values for each sample were averaged. To calculate the fold induction of the interest gene mRNA in cells treated with cytokines over control cells, the averaged CT values calculated for control cells were subtracted from CT values calculated for cytokine-treated cells to calculate CT. Then, the fold induction for each well was calculated by using the 2 (CT) formula. The fold induction value for triplicate wells was averaged, and data are presented as the mean ± S.E. of triplicate wells.
| RESULTS |
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The SH2 Domain of SOCS1 Is Critical for the Association with ASK1To define the critical domain of SOCS1 for ASK1 binding and degradation, we generated SOCS1 truncated mutants in GST- or FLAG-tagged constructs (5). SOCS1-DC contains a deletion of the C-terminal SOCS box, and SOCS1-DN contains a deletion of the N-terminal domain (Fig. 2a). Preliminary data indicated that both SOCS1-DC and SOCS1-DN bind to ASK1 in a GST pull-down assay (not shown), suggesting that the SH2 domain might be critical for ASK1 interaction. We then mutated the Arg-105 (to Lys) within the SH2 domain of SOCS1, which has been previously shown to be critical for phosphotyrosine binding (14, 28, 29). Association of ASK1 with SOCS1 was determined in a GST-SOCS1 pull-down assay with ASK1-containing cell lysates. Bound ASK1 was determined by Western blot with anti-ASK1. Results showed that ASK1 bound to SOCS1-WT and SOCS1-DC, but not SOCS1-RK, suggesting that the SH2 domain in SOCS1 is critical for ASK1 binding (Fig. 2b).
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The Phosphorylation of ASK1 at Tyrosine 718 Is Critical for the Association with SOCS1To map the critical phosphotyrosine residue(s) on ASK1 critical for SOCS1 binding, we mutated the tyrosine residues that are potentially phosphorylated (Tyr-321, Tyr-435, Tyr-625, Tyr-718, Tyr-983) to phenylalanine (YF mutants). BAEC were transfected with ASK1-WT or ASK1-YF in the presence of SOCS1, association of ASK1 with SOCS1 was determined by both co-immunoprecipitation (Fig. 3a) and GST-SOCS1 pull-down assays (Fig. 3b). A mutation of ASK1 at Tyr-718 (ASK1-Y718F) diminished the binding to SOCS1 in both assays. In contrast, mutations at other sites on ASK1 retained the ability in SOCS1 binding (Fig. 3, a and b). These data suggest that the Tyr-718 residues on ASK1 are potentially phosphorylated and are critical for the binding to SOCS1.
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To determine the mechanism by which TNF induces disruption of ASK1-SOCS1 complex in EC, we reasoned that TNF induces dephosphorylation of ASK1 at tyrosine residues. To test this hypothesis, we first determined the phosphotyrosine of ASK1 in EC. HUVEC were cultured in the absence of EC growth factors (ECGS) followed by treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor or IGF-1 (50 ng/ml) for 15 min, and the phosphotyrosine of ASK1 was determined by immunoprecipitation by anti-ASK1 followed by Western blot with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. Vascular endothelial growth factor and IGF-1 strongly induced phosphorylation of ASK1 (Fig. 4d). To determine the effect of TNF on ASK1 tyrosine phosphorylation, HUVEC were cultured in the presence of ECGS followed by treatment with TNF (10 ng/ml) for 15 min. Tyrosine phosphorylation in ASK1 was determined. Results showed that TNF significantly reduced the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation in ASK1 concomitant with increased ASK1 stabilization (Fig. 4e). Taken together, these data suggest that TNF induces dephosphorylation of ASK1, resulting in disruption of ASK1-SOCS1 complex leading to ASK1 stabilization and activation.
ASK1 Expression and Activity Are Elevated in SOCS1-deficient Mice and ECSOCS1-KO mice usually die at 23 weeks after birth due to uncontrolled inflammation and show hypersensitive to TNF (15, 16). We reasoned that hypersensitiveness to TNF is, at least in part, due to increased ASK1 expression and activity. To test this hypothesis, we compared the expression and activity of ASK1 in lung tissues from SOCS1-KO and normal C57BL/6 (WT) mice. The absence of SOCS1 protein in lung tissues from SOCS1-KO mice was confirmed by Western blot with anti-SOCS1 antibody (Fig. 5a). ASK1 expression and activity were determined by Western blot with anti-ASK1 and by an in vitro kinase assay using GST-MKK4 as a substrate, respectively. Results showed that ASK1 expression was up-regulated by 2-fold concomitant with a 4-fold increase in ASK1 activity (Fig. 5a). To determine the effect of SOCS-deficiency on ASK1 activity in EC, we isolated MLEC from SOCS1-KO mice, and the absence of SOCS1 expression in SOCS1-KO cells was confirmed by RT-PCR for mRNA (Fig. 5b) and Western blot with anti-SOCS1 antibody for protein (Fig. 5c). Endogenous ASK1 protein level was determined by Western blot with anti-ASK1 antibody. Results showed that the level of ASK1 in SOCS1-KO MLEC was significantly elevated when compared with that in MLEC from normal C57BL/6 mice (WT) (Fig. 5c). In contrast, TRAF2, an upstream activator of ASK1 implicated in TNF signaling and regulated by proteasomal degradation via a distinct (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (cIAP)-dependent) pathway (30), was not altered in SOCS1-KO cells (Fig. 5c). These data suggest a specificity of SOCS1 for ASK1. TNF-induced ASK1 and JNK activation was also examined in normal and SOCS1-KO MLEC. Cells were treated with TNF (10 ng/ml) for various time points (0, 5, 10, 15, 30 min), and activation of ASK1 and its downstream JNK was determined by an in vitro kinase assay using GST-MKK4 and GST-c-Jun as a substrate, respectively. Consistent with the observation in the tissue, ASK1 expression was up-regulated concomitant with an increase in ASK1 activity (Fig. 5d). The basal and TNF-induced activities of JNK were dramatically enhanced in SOCS1-KO MLEC when compared with normal MLEC (Fig. 5d), consistent with the ASK1 expression in these cells. However, TNF-induced activation of I
B
degradation (a marker for NF-
B activation) was not significantly altered in SOCS1-KO MLEC (Fig. 5d). Taken together, these data suggest that SOCS1 functions as a negative regulator in ASK1 expression and in TNF-induced ASK1-JNK signaling.
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11%) (Fig. 6c). Similar to TNF-induced ASK1-JNK signaling, TNF-induced apoptosis was also significantly enhanced in SOCS1-KO MLEC (
25%) (Fig. 6c). Similar data were obtained by PI exclusion and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate staining assay (data not shown). Taken together, these data confirm that SOCS1 functions as an endogenous inhibitor in TNF-induced inflammatory and apoptotic responses in EC. | DISCUSSION |
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SOCS1 has been implicated as a suppressor in TNF signaling from previous studies in different cell types. Chong et al. (33) showed that SOCS1 deficiency islet beta cells augmented TNF (+interferon-
)-induced gene expression and cytotoxicity. TNF-induced activation of the p38 MAP kinase and p38-dependent inducible nitric oxide synthase expression appear to mediate the TNF effect. However, the mechanism for the augmented p38 MAPK activation by TNF is not known. We have shown that SOCS1-KO EC have enhanced ASK1 activity, an upstream activator of p38 MAPK signaling. Furthermore, we have shown that SOCS1 directly binds to ASK1 and induces ASK1 degradation. It needs to be further determined whether SOCS1 also inhibits the kinase activity of ASK1. Nevertheless, our study provides the underlining mechanism by which SOCS1-KO mice display hypersensitivity to TNF (22). Dr. Kishimoto's group (34) reported that SOCS1 blocked TNF-induced apoptosis in murine embryonic fibroblast, and inhibition of TNF-induced JAK kinases by SOCS1 appeared to be critical in this cell type. In contrast to the results from beta cells (33) and EC (our data), TNF-induced p38 MAPK activation is blunted in SOCS1-KO murine embryonic fibroblast (22). It is likely that SOCS1 suppresses TNF-induced apoptosis through multiple signaling pathways in a cell type-dependent manner.
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It has been shown that tyrosine phosphorylations of Jak2 and IRS1/2 are critical for their degradation by SOCS1. Jak2 and IRS1/2 are not phosphorylated in resting state. However, cytokines induce phosphorylation of these signaling molecules, leading to enhanced associations with SOCS1, providing a negative feedback mechanism for the regulation of Jak2 and IRS1/2 (18, 19, 29, 35). A single phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr-1007) on JAK2 is involved in the interaction with SOCS1 (29). Similarly, a single phosphotyrosine on ASK1 (p-Tyr-718) appears to be critical for SOCS1 binding. Phosphotyrosine of ASK1 is readily detected in resting EC, indicating that ASK1 is basally phosphorylated in response to growth factors in the culture media. Moreover, TNF induces dephosphorylation of ASK1 at tyrosine residues, leading to dissociation of ASK1 from SOCS1. The kinase(s) and phosphatase(s) responsible for ASK1 phosphorylation/dephosphorylation at Tyr-718 are not known. It has been recently shown that IGF-1 receptor can directly bind to and phosphorylate ASK1, leading to inhibition of ASK1 activity (36). However, the phosphotyrosine site(s) on ASK1 induced by IGF-1R has not been identified, and the role of IGF-1R in regulating ASK1-SOCS1 complex and ASK1 stability needs to be determined. Defining the kinases and tyrosine phosphatases regulating ASK1-SOCS1 interaction will provide important information regarding ASK1 regulation in patho/physiological settings.
We have previously reported that overexpression of the cytosolic form of thioredoxin (Trx1) induced ASK1 ubiquitination/degradation (5). Our recent data suggest that Trx1 associates with ASK1-SOCS1 complex through ASK1. This was demonstrated in a GST-Trx1 pull-down assay in which Trx1 pull down SOCS1 in the presence of ASK1-WT but not of ASK1-C250S (a mutant defective in Trx1 binding). Furthermore, knockdown of Trx1 by RNA interference stabilized ASK1 protein in EC. Based on these data, it is conceivable that Trx1 retains ASK1 in an inactive state in complex with SOCS1 to facilitate the targeting of ASK1 to degradation machinery. ASK1-JNK signaling in EC has been linked to inflammatory responses (46). Thus almost all proinflammatory cytokines (TNF, interleukin-1, and reactive oxygen species) activated ASK1-JNK signaling in EC. In contrast, atheroprotective laminar flow retains ASK1 in a complex with its inhibitor Trx1 and 14-3-3 to suppress TNF signaling (4, 6). Our present study demonstrated that SOCS1 is another endogenous inhibitor in TNF-induced inflammatory responses. It is plausible that atheroprotective laminar flow, antioxidant protein Trx, and anti-inflammatory SOCS family proteins may cooperatively regulate cytokine signaling and chronic inflammation.
| FOOTNOTES |
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1 These authors contributed equally to this work. ![]()
2 An Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. To whom correspondence should be addrsessed: Interdepartmental Program in Vascular Biology and Transplantation, Dept. of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, BCMM 454, 295 Congress Ave., New Haven, CT 06510. Tel.: 203-785-6047; Fax: 203-737-2293; E-mail: wang.min{at}yale.edu.
3 The abbreviations used are: EC, endothelial cell; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; MAP, mitogen-activated protein; MAPK, MAP kinase; JAK, Janus kinase; Trx, thioredoxin; IFN, interferon; IGF, insulin-like growth factor; HUVEC, human umbilical vein EC; BAEC, bovine aortic EC; MLEC, mouse lung EC; ECGS, EC growth factors; HA, hemagglutinin; GST, glutathione S-transferase; PI, propidium iodide; SOCS, suppressor of cytokine signaling; TRAF, TNF reporter-associated factor; CIS, cytokine-inducible Src homology 2-containing protein; RT, reverse transcription; KO, knockout; WT, wild type; DN, dominant negative. ![]()
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