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Molecular and Cellular Biology, November 2000, p. 8026-8034, Vol. 20, No. 21
0270-7306/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
ets-2 Is a Target for an Akt (Protein Kinase B)/Jun
N-Terminal Kinase Signaling Pathway in Macrophages of
motheaten-viable Mutant Mice
James L.
Smith,1
Alicia E.
Schaffner,1
Joseph K.
Hofmeister,1,2
Matthew
Hartman,1
Guo
Wei,1
David
Forsthoefel,1
David A.
Hume,3 and
Michael C.
Ostrowski1,*
Department of Molecular Genetics and the
Comprehensive Cancer Center1 and
Division of Hematology & Oncology,2 Ohio
State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, and Departments of
Biochemistry and Microbiology and Centre for Molecular and Cellular
Biology, University of Queensland, Brisbane,
Australia3
Received 20 March 2000/Returned for modification 4 May
2000/Accepted 8 August 2000
 |
ABSTRACT |
The transcription factor ets-2 was phosphorylated at residue
threonine 72 in a colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1)- and
mitogen-activated protein kinase-independent manner in macrophages
isolated from motheaten-viable (me-v) mice. The
CSF-1 and ets-2 target genes coding for Bcl-x, urokinase plasminogen
activator, and scavenger receptor were also expressed at high levels
independent of CSF-1 addition to me-v cells. Akt (protein
kinase B) was constitutively active in me-v macrophages,
and an Akt immunoprecipitate catalyzed phosphorylation of ets-2 at
threonine 72. The p54 isoform of c-jun N-terminal
kinase-stress-activated kinase (JNK- SAPK) coimmunoprecipitated with
Akt from me-v macrophages, and treatment of
me-v cells with the specific phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
inhibitor LY294002 decreased cell survival, Akt and JNK kinase
activities, ets-2 phosphorylation, and Bcl-x mRNA expression.
Therefore, ets-2 is a target for phosphatidylinositol
3-kinase-Akt-JNK action, and the JNK p54 isoform is an ets-2 kinase
in macrophages. Constitutive ets-2 activity may contribute to the
pathology of me-v mice by increasing expression of genes
like the Bcl-x gene that promote macrophage survival.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Macrophage colony-stimulating factor
1 (CSF-1) and its cognate receptor tyrosine kinase c-fms control the
proliferation, differentiation, and survival of cells of the
mononuclear phagocyte cell lineage by activating multiple signaling
pathways (reviewed in reference 35). One effect of
these signaling events in macrophages is the stable, persistent
expression of specific genes. For example the urokinase plasminogen
activator (uPA) gene (41), the scavenger receptor A (SR)
gene (48), and the Bcl-x gene (38) are all targets of CSF-1 action. The ETS family member ets-2 regulates these
three CSF-1 target genes (38, 48, 49).
ets-2 is activated by ras-dependent phosphorylation of
threonine residue 72, and CSF-1-c-fms signaling leads to persistent phosphorylation of this site (16, 49). Activation of the
ras-raf-MEK-1-Erk protein kinase cascade by CSF-1 leads to rapid and
persistent phosphorylation of ets-2 in fibroblasts engineered to
express exogenous c-fms as well as in macrophage cell lines or primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). The MEK inhibitor PD98059 abrogates ets-2 phosphorylation in response to CSF-1-c-fms signaling in the fibroblast model system (16).
One unanswered question is the precise role of ets-2 in CSF-1-c-fms
signaling. Does activation of ets-2 by CSF-1 contribute to mitogenic
growth, differentiation, or cell survival? Expression of a
dominant-negative ets-2 protein in macrophages in transgenic mice
resulted in accelerated apoptosis following CSF-1 deprivation (24). In the macrophage cell line BAC1.2F5, overexpression
of ets-2 promoted survival of cells in the absence of CSF-1
(38). These observations indicate that ets-2 may be involved
in CSF-1-dependent survival of macrophages.
The mouse motheaten (me) and
motheaten-viable (me-v) mutants are the result of
point mutations that affect splicing of transcripts encoded by the
src-homology 2 tyrosine phosphatase 1 gene (SHP-1, also termed
hematopoietic cell phosphatase) and lead to expression of proteins with
greatly diminished tyrosine phosphatase activity (39, 44).
These mutant mice accumulate massive numbers of macrophages and
neutrophils in the peripheral tissues, including skin, spleen and lung,
and subsequently succumb to an interstitial pneumonia (reviewed in
reference 7). The me-v mutant mice also develop an inflammatory disease resembling rheumatoid arthritis (30). SHP-1 apparently plays a central role in cell
signaling events that regulate macrophage-dependent inflammatory responses.
SHP-1 may be a negative regulator of CSF-1 signaling (10).
SHP-1 is phosphorylated on tyrosine following CSF-1 stimulation of
macrophages, but does not directly bind to ligand-activated c-fms
(50). CSF-1 treatment of primary macrophages obtained from
me mice is reported to result in c-fms hyperphosphorylation, increased phosphorylation of signaling molecules known to be downstream of c-fms, and an increased rate of macrophage proliferation
(10). However, another group reported that CSF-1 mitogenic
signaling is unaffected in macrophages obtained from me or
me-v mice, but that granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF
mitogenic signaling is hyperactivated in such macrophages
(23). SHP-1 forms a complex with Janus kinase family
members, including JAK2 (22), and also forms a complex with
two members of a family of receptors involved in negative regulation in
the immune system, PIR-B (p91A) and SHPS-1 (BIT) (6, 42,
46). Integrin-mediated adhesion is reported to be altered in
me-v macrophages, and this change in cell adhesion correlates with a two- to fivefold increase in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity in me-v cells compared to
wild-type cells (33).
Interestingly, it has been reported that CSF-1 does not activate MEK-1
and Erks in primary macrophages obtained from mice homozygous for the
me-v mutation, implying a positive role for SHP-1 in CSF-1
activation of MEK-1 and Erks (31). This observation suggests
that studying the me-v mouse model might reveal
MEK/Erk-independent pathways leading to ets-2 phosphorylation and
activation in macrophages. To test this hypothesis, the phosphorylation
of ets-2 in primary macrophages derived from me-v mice was analyzed.
The studies reported here provide evidence for constitutive
phosphorylation of ets-2 by the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway in
me-v macrophages. These studies indicate that the p54
isoform of JNK (SAPK) can be found in a complex with Akt in macrophages
and that p54 JNK likely is an ets-2 kinase active in me-v
macrophages. Phosphorylation of ets-2 correlated with expression of
previously identified CSF-1 target genes, including the antiapoptotic
Bcl-x gene (38). In transient transfection assays, the
promoter for the mouse Bcl-x gene was superactivated over 90-fold by
the combination of ets-2 and a membrane-targeted form of Akt.
Phosphorylation of ets-2 and activation of target gene expression were
found to correlate with increased me-v macrophage survival.
In me-v macrophages, both ets-2 phosphorylation and
CSF-1-independent cell survival depend largely on a constitutive PI
3-kinase/Akt pathway. These results indicate that constitutive ets-2
activity may contribute to the pathology of me-v mice by
regulating expression of genes that promote cell survival in macrophages.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Cell culture, Northern analysis, and transfections.
The
methods for culturing RAW264 cells and for DNA-mediated transfection
have been described previously (16). RNA was isolated and
analyzed by Northern blotting as previously described (16). The method for deriving BMMs has been described previously
(41). Briefly, bone marrow cells were cultured in RPMI
containing 5% heat-denatured fetal calf serum and supplemented with 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml for 5 days. At this point, BMMs were deprived of CSF-1 for 8 to 24 h and then restimulated with CSF-1 (50 ng/ml) for various times as indicated. For experiments with the PI 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 (AG Scientific, Inc., San Diego, Calif.) cells were
treated with 100 µM drug for 15 min prior to stimulation.
The me-v mice were obtained from Jackson Laboratories. The
mutation is in the background C57BL/6J, and mice of this strain were
used as controls (wild type). All mice were genotyped by a method
involving PCR amplification of the region containing the
me-v point mutation (39) directly from genomic
DNA. The amplified DNA was hybridized to labeled 15-mers representing
the wild-type sequence and the me-v lesion. DNA from
wild-type or homozygous mutant mice hybridized to either one of these
probes, respectively, while DNA from mice heterozygous for the mutation hybridized to both.
Immunohistochemistry.
BMMs were cultured in Lab-Tek two-well
chamber slides (NUNC). Cells were deprived of CSF-1 for 24 h and
stimulated for 8 h with 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml. Cells were washed
in Tris-buffered saline (TBS) (50 mM Tris [pH 7.5], 150 mM NaCl),
fixed for 30 min in 4% paraformaldehyde, washed three times with TBS,
and permeabilized for 5 min with TBS containing 1% Triton X-100.
Endogenous peroxide activity was blocked by incubation with 0.1%
hydrogen peroxide and 10% methanol in TBS. Cells were washed and
treated with 2% normal goat serum in TBS. The affinity-purified
phosphothreonine 72-specific anti-ets-2 antibody (16) was
used at a 1:75 dilution for 2 h at room temperature and followed
by three washes with TBS containing 0.2% NP-40. Antirabbit
immunoglobulin G conjugated with biotin (Boehringer Mannheim) was
incubated for 1 h at a 1:200 dilution and washed as described
above. A 1:2,000 dilution of streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase
(Boehringer Mannheim) was used for 1 h and washed in TBS. Antibody
binding was detected with the metal-enhanced 3,3'-diaminobenzidine
substrate kit (Pierce Biochemicals).
Immune kinase assays and Western analysis.
Antibodies for
phosphotyrosine residues, Erks, Akt, and JNK were purchased
commercially (Upstate Biotechnology or Santa Cruz Biotechnology). Akt
assays were also confirmed with an antibody kindly provided by Phil
Tsichlis. The procedures for Erk immune kinase assays have been
described previously (16). The procedures for Akt kinase
assays have been described previously (21). The substrates
employed for Erk, Akt, and JNK assays were a recombinant ets-2 protein
corresponding to amino acids 60 to 167 (16), histone H2B
(Sigma), and a glutathione S-transferase-jun fusion protein representing amino acids 1 to 79 of c-jun (25).
Phosphorylated products produced in immune kinase assays were
quantitated with a Molecular Dynamics PhosphorImager. Western analysis
was performed as previously described (16) with a
Lumi-Imager for quantification (Boehringer Mannheim).
Cell apoptosis and viability assays.
Three assays were used
to determine cell apoptosis and cell viability. The first was a flow
cytometry assay that measured fragmented DNA indicative of apoptotic
cells (reviewed in reference 11). Briefly, cells
were fixed in 70% ethanol, fragmented DNA was extracted with
phosphate-buffered saline containing 1 mg of RNase per ml, 10 mM sodium
citrate, and 0.1% Triton X-100 (30 min at 37°C), and total DNA was
stained with propidium iodide (50 µg/ml) for 15 min. Samples were
analyzed by flow cytometry (Becton-Dickinson FACSCalibur). The peak of
DNA appearing just before the G1-specific peak (the
sub-G0 peak, or hypodiploid peak) was quantitated by using
ModFit LT; version 2.0 software (Verity Software House, Topsham,
Maine). The ratio of this sub-G0 DNA peak to the total DNA
recovered is equivalent to the fraction of apoptotic cells. The second
assay depended on the striking change in nuclear morphology that occurs
in macrophages undergoing apoptosis. Cells were fixed with 3.7%
paraformaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline and stained with 10 µM
bis-benzamide (Sigma) for 5 min at room temperature. Nuclear morphology
was examined by fluorescent microscopy with an Eclipse E800 microscope
(Nikon). Images were captured with MicroMax camera (Princeton
Instruments, Inc.). Two hundred to 300 cells were counted and scored as
viable or apoptotic based on nuclear morphology, and each experiment
was performed in duplicate. The third assay employed was a trypan blue
dye exclusion assay to measure cell viability. The results from all
three assays were identical.
 |
RESULTS |
Phosphorylation of ets-2 and expression of ets-2 target genes in
me-v macrophages are independent of exogenous CSF-1 and Erk
activity.
CSF-1 stimulates phosphorylation of ets-2 at threonine
residue 72 via the raf/MEK/Erk pathway (16). However, the
mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases Erk-1 and Erk-2 are reported
not to be responsive to CSF-1 stimulation of macrophages isolated from
me-v mice (31). To examine whether
Erk-independent phosphorylation of ets-2 can occur in macrophages, the
phosphorylation of ets-2 at threonine residue 72 was monitored in
primary macrophages isolated from mice homozygous for the
me-v mutation. For these experiments, a polyclonal antibody
that specifically recognizes the phosphothreonine 72-modified version
of ets-2 was employed (16). Immunohistochemistry with this
antibody demonstrated that low levels of phosphorylated ets-2 were
detected in wild-type BMMs deprived of CSF-1, but that nuclear
phospho-ets-2 could be readily detected in these cells treated with
CSF-1 (Fig. 1A). If nonimmune serum was
substituted in the analysis, no histochemical signal was detected (Fig.
1A). Experiments using BMMs derived from me-v mice produced
an unexpected result. In these cells, ets-2 was expressed and
phosphorylated in a manner independent of addition of exogenous CSF-1
(Fig. 1A).

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FIG. 1.
ets-2 is persistently phosphorylated at residue
threonine 72 in me-v macrophages. (A) Detection of
phosphorylated ets-2 by immunohistochemistry. Cells were grown for
24 h without CSF-1, fixed, and incubated with ets-2
phosphothreonine antibody ( CSF-1) or stimulated for 8 h with 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml prior to fixation and incubation with either the
same ets-2 antibody (+CSF-1) or nonimmune serum (NI). The dark nuclear
staining indicates reactivity for ets-2 phosphothreonine 72 antibody.
WT, wild type. (B) ets-2 phosphorylation detected in nuclear extracts
by Western analysis with the same ets-2 antibody as in panel A (top
panel) or an antibody that detects ets-2 regardless of phosphorylation
status (bottom panel). Extracts were prepared from BMMs derived from
wild-type cells (lanes 1 and 3), from BMMs pooled from three
me-v mice (lanes 2 and 4), or from spleen macrophages pooled
from three me-v mice (lanes 5 and 6). Cells were grown
without CSF-1 for 12 h (lanes 1 and 2) or 48 h (lanes 5) or
continuously with 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml (lanes 3, 4, and 6). (C) BMMs
derived from wild-type or me-v mice, as indicated, were
grown without CSF-1 for 16 h and then stimulated with 50 ng of
CSF-1 per ml for the times indicated. Erk immune kinase assays were
performed by using the ets-2 "pointed" domain recombinant protein
substrate. The phosphorylated ets-2 substrate was detected by
autoradiography (top panel), while Western blots using an anti-Erk
antibody demonstrated that equal amounts of Erks were
immunoprecipitated (bottom panel).
|
|
In order to confirm these results, extracts prepared from both
wild-type and
me-v macrophages that had been deprived of
CSF-1
for 12 h or grown continuously in the presence of CSF-1 were
analyzed
by Western blotting with the discriminating anti-phospho-ets-2
antibody or a nondiscriminating ets-2 antibody (Fig.
1B, top and
bottom
panels, respectively). For wild-type cells, the removal
of CSF-1 for
12 h resulted in a slight 1.8-fold decrease in ets-2
steady-state
levels and a more significant 8-fold decrease in
levels of
phosphothreonine 72 ets-2 (Fig.
1B, compare lanes 1
and lane 3). In
contrast, phosphorylated ets-2 levels in
me-v BMMs were
insensitive to withdrawal of CSF-1 for 12 h (Fig.
1B,
lanes 2 and
4). In addition, ets-2 was phosphorylated in primary
macrophages
derived from spleens of
me-v mice that had been cultured
in
the absence of CSF-1 for 48 h (Fig.
1B, lanes 5 and 6). Even
after
72 h of CSF-1 withdrawal, the amount of phosphorylated ets-2
detected in
me-v BMMs did not change (data not shown). The
level
of phosphorylated ets-2 in
me-v macrophages deprived
of CSF-1
was equivalent to the levels observed in CSF-1-treated
wild-type
cells (Fig.
1B, compare lanes 2 and
3).
Immune kinase assays using Erk-specific antibodies corroborated that
Erks were not transiently activated following 12 min
of CSF-1 treatment
of BMMs derived from
me-v mice (Fig.
1C, left
panel,
wild-type BMMs; right panel,
me-v BMMs) (
31).
Additionally,
persistent activation of Erks after 24 h of CSF-1
stimulation
(
16) was not observed in
me-v cells
(Fig.
1C).
Two well-defined target genes of the CSF-1/ets-2 pathway in macrophages
are those coding for uPA (
16,
41) and SR (
48).
As
demonstrated in Fig.
2, the levels of
expression of uPA and
SR mRNAs were approximately eightfold higher in
wild-type BMMs
grown in the presence of CSF-1 than those in cells
deprived of
CSF-1 (Fig.
2A and B, lane 2 versus lane 1). In
me-v BMMs, uPA
and SR mRNAs were expressed at high levels
whether or not CSF-1
was present (Fig.
2A and B, lanes 3 and 4). Levels
of expression
of uPA and SR mRNAs were also found to be CSF-1
independent in
primary spleen macrophages cultured from
me-v
mice (Fig.
2A and
B, lanes 5 and 6). The phosphorylation of ets-2 in
me-v macrophages
correlated with increased expression of
target genes.

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FIG. 2.
The ets-2 target genes coding for uPa and SR are
expressed in a CSF-1-independent fashion in me-v
macrophages. Pooled macrophages (three mice) were grown in medium
lacking CSF-1 for 24 h ( CSF) or stimulated with 50 ng of CSF-1
per ml for 8 h following cytokine starvation (+CSF). Total RNA was
prepared and analyzed by Northern blotting. (A) Expression of uPA mRNA
in wild-type (WT) BMMs (lanes 1 and 2), me-v (MeV) BMMs
(lane 3 and 4), or me-v spleen macrophages (lanes 5 and 6).
The arrow indicates the position of the 2.2-kb mRNA for uPA. (B)
Expression of SR mRNA in wild-type BMMs (lanes 1 and 2),
me-v BMMs (lane 3 and 4), or me-v spleen
macrophages (lanes 5 and 6). The arrows indicate the position of the SR
type I or type II mRNA (4 and 3.2 kb, respectively). Blots in both
panels were reprobed with a mouse -actin probe as a control for
sample loading (bottom panels).
|
|
An Akt immunoprecipitate catalyzes ets-2 phosphorylation in vitro,
and the PI 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 diminishes levels of
phosphorylated ets-2 in vivo.
The results presented above
indicated that Erk-independent phosphorylation and activation of ets-2
occurred in me-v macrophages. One potential candidate for
the Erk-independent pathway is the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway. The PI
3-kinase/Akt pathway can be activated in a ras-dependent or
ras-independent fashion (17, 34) and has been
implicated in growth, differentiation, and survival pathways in many
cell types, including myeloid cells (8, 32). Additionally, a
recent report demonstrated that membrane-associated PI 3-kinase levels
were two- to fivefold higher in me-v macrophages than in wild-type cells (33), a result that we have reproduced in
our laboratory (data not shown).
As a first step, Akt immunoprecipitates prepared from the macrophage
cell line RAW264 were assayed for ets-2 kinase activity
(Fig.
3A). For these experiments, either the
characterized Akt
substrate histone H2B or a recombinant ets-2
polypeptide corresponding
to the "pointed" domain (amino acids
67 to 170) (
16) was used
as a substrate. In immune kinase
assays, Akt immunoprecipitates
were able to phosphorylate either
histone H2B or the ets-2 substrate
following treatment of cells with
the cell-permeable tyrosine
phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate
(
3) (Fig.
3A, lane 2 versus
lane 1). Phosphorylation of both
histone H2B and ets-2 substrates
was inhibited by inclusion of the
specific PI 3-kinase inhibitor
LY294002 in addition to pervanadate
(
47) (Fig.
3A, lanes 3 and
4, 50 and 100 µM,
respectively).

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FIG. 3.
An Akt immunoprecipitate catalyzes phosphorylation of
ets-2 at position threonine 72, and LY294002 inhibits ets-2
phosphorylation in me-v macrophages. (A) Akt immune kinase
assays performed with RAW264 cells using histone H2B, ets-2 T72, and
ets-2 A72 as substrates (panels as indicated). Akt was isolated from
107 cells grown in normal medium (lane 1), treated for 5 min with 300 µM pervanadate (pervan) (lane 2), or treated for 5 min
with both 300 µM pervanadate and 50 or 100 µM PI 3-kinase inhibitor
LY294002 (LY) (lanes 3 and 4, respectively). The sample in lane 5 is a
control in which Akt antibody was not included. The bottom panel is a
Western blot performed with the Akt antibody to demonstrate that Akt
was present in all samples. (B) Akt immune kinase assays performed on
107 wild-type (lanes 1 to 4) or me-v primary
macrophages (lanes 5 to 8) with histone H2B or ets-2 substrates (as
labeled). Cells were grown without CSF-1 for 24 h and then
stimulated with 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml for the times indicated. LY294002
(100 µM) was included 30 min prior to addition of CSF-1 (lanes 4 and
8). The bottom panel is a Western blot of the immunoprecipitated
material probed with anti-Akt antibody. (C) The average of four
independent Akt immune kinase assays performed on wild-type (WT [open
bars]) or me-v (shaded bars) macrophages with the ets-2
substrate (including the experiment shown in 3B). The results are
presented relative to wild-type samples grown in the absence of CSF-1.
The error bars indicate the standard deviation. (D) Western analysis of
wild-type (lanes 1 and 2) or me-v (lanes 3 and 4)
macrophages by using the anti-ets-2 pT72-specific antibody (top panel).
Cells were grown in the presence of 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml and treated
with 100 µM LY294002 for 16 h (lanes 1 and 4). The blot shown
was reprobed with an anti-Erk antibody as a sample loading control
(bottom panel).
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|
To test whether an Akt immunoprecipitate catalyzed phosphorylation of
the ets-2 substrate at residue threonine 72, the wild-type
substrate
was compared to a substrate that had alanine substituted
for threonine
at position 72 (
16). While the threonine 72 ets-2
protein
was a substrate in the Akt immune kinase assay, the alanine
72 substrate was not (Fig.
3A, [ets-2 A72 panel]), indicating
that the
Akt-associated ets kinase activity phosphorylated the
same residue of
ets-2 as the raf/Erk pathway (
16).
To assess whether the Akt pathway could be responsible for the
constitutive phosphorylation of ets-2 observed in macrophages
isolated
from
me-v mice, Akt kinase activities were measured in
wild-type and
me-v macrophages (Fig.
3B). Both histone H2B
and
ets-2 substrates were used for this analysis, and identical results
were obtained for both substrates (Fig.
3B, top panel versus bottom
panel). Akt activity increased about threefold following restimulation
of wild-type macrophages deprived of CSF-1 in the representative
experiment presented (Fig.
3B, lane 2 versus lane 1) and then
returned
to basal levels following 30 min of CSF-1 treatment (Fig.
3B, lane 3).
Pretreatment of cells with LY294002 resulted in a
threefold inhibition
of CSF-1-dependent Akt activity (Fig.
3B,
lane 4). In comparison, Akt
activity in
me-v cells was already
2.8-fold greater than the
wild-type cell basal activity in the
absence of exogenous CSF-1 (Fig.
3B, lanes 5). Akt activity was
not significantly increased by treatment
of cells with CSF-1 for
5 or 30 min (Fig.
3B, lanes 6 and 7, respectively). Pretreatment
of cells with LY294002 resulted in a
threefold inhibition of CSF-1-independent
Akt activity with either of
the histone H2B or ets-2 substrates
(Fig.
3B, lane
8).
Four independent Akt immune kinase experiments with the ets-2 substrate
demonstrated that the results were reproducible, and
the differences
between wild-type and
me-v cells were significant
(Fig.
3C).
The analysis suggested that an Akt-associated kinase
can phosphorylate
ets-2 in a CSF-1-dependent, transient manner
in wild-type cells.
However, in
me-v cells, the Akt-associated
ets-2 kinase
activity was
constitutive.
To establish a direct link between PI 3-kinase-Akt activation and
ets-2 activation, the phosphorylation of ets-2 following
LY294002
treatment of macrophages was examined by Western analysis
(Fig.
3D, top
panel). This analysis revealed that 100 µM LY294002
caused an
approximately 1.5-fold reduction in phosphorylated ets-2
in wild-type
cells grown in the presence of CSF-1 (Fig.
3D, lane
1 versus lane 2).
The inability of LY294002 to inhibit ets-2 phosphorylation
in wild-type
cells likely reflected that Erks are fully active
and capable of
phosphorylating ets-2 (
16) (Fig.
1C). However,
treatment of
me-v cells with 100 µM LY294002 for 16 h diminished
the level of phosphorylated ets-2 about sixfold compared to that
in
untreated cells (Fig.
3D, lane 4 versus lane 3). The PI 3-kinase
inhibitor wortmannin also decreased ets-2 phosphorylation in
me-v cells (data not shown). ets-2 phosphorylation was
dependent on
the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway in
me-v BMMs.
JNK p54 isoform coimmunoprecipitates with Akt in me-v
macrophages and has ets-2 kinase activity.
The threonine 72 ets-2
phosphorylation site is a proline-directed site (PLLTP) that is closely
related to the optimal Erk phosphorylation site [PL(S/T)P]
(2). However, this site is distinct from the consensus Akt
substrate site [RXRXX(S/T) (hydrophobic residue)] (1).
This implied that ets-2 was probably not directly phosphorylated by
Akt, but rather by a kinase that coimmunoprecipitated with Akt. The
sequence of the ets-2 site suggested that another MAP kinase family
member might be a candidate for the Akt-associated kinase. JNKs were
selected as the most likely candidates, because there is evidence
linking JNK kinase activation to the PI 3-kinase pathway in several
cell types (4, 28, 43).
To determine if JNKs were in a complex with Akt in
me-v
macrophages, an anti-Akt antibody was used to immunoprecipitate Akt
and
associated proteins, and the complex was analyzed by Western
blotting
with an anti-JNK antibody that recognizes all three known
JNK family
members and their isoforms (see Materials and Methods).
The
immunoprecipitates were compared to a whole-cell extract prepared
from
me-v BMMs (Fig.
4A). The
analysis demonstrated that both
the p54 and p46 major isoforms of JNK
were expressed in BMMs and
that the p46 isoform was about twofold more
abundant than the
p54 isoform (Fig.
4A, lane 3). When an Akt
immunoprecipitate was
analyzed, the p54 JNK isoform was found to be
coimmunoprecipitated
with Akt, but the p46 isoform was not detected
(Fig.
4A, lanes
1 and 2). The association between Akt and JNK was
independent
of CSF-1 treatment of the cells.

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FIG. 4.
p54 JNK coimmunoprecipitates with Akt and is an ets-2
kinase in me-v macrophages. (A) Akt immunoprecipitates
(lanes 1 and 2) were analyzed by Western blotting with the anti-JNK
antibody. Cells were grown in the absence of CSF-1 for 24 h (lanes
1) or continuously in the presence of 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml (lanes 2).
Whole-cell extracts were also prepared and analyzed on a lane on the
same gel (lane 3). The positions of the p54 and p46 JNK isoforms are
indicated. (B) Akt (left panels) or JNK (right panels) immune kinase
assays performed on me-v macrophages using N-terminal c-jun,
ets-2 "pointed," and histone H2B substrates, as indicated. Cells
were grown continually in the presence of 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml and
treated with 100 µM LY294002 (LY) for 16 h as indicated. The
bottom panel is a Western blot with an anti-JNK antibody to demonstrate
that equivalent amounts of JNK were present in untreated and
LY294002-treated samples. IP, immunoprecipitate. (C) Wild-type BMMs
were deprived of CSF-1 for 24 h (lane 1) and then restimulated
with CSF-1 for 5 or 30 min (lanes 2 and 3, respectively). Cell extracts
were prepared and incubated with anti-Akt antibody. Half of the Akt
immunoprecipitate was analyzed by Western blotting with a JNK antibody
(top panel, p54). The other half was assayed for kinase activity by
using both the c-jun (middle panel) and histone H2B substrates (lower
panel).
|
|
Immune kinase assays were performed with both anti-Akt and anti-JNK
antibodies for immunoprecipitation (Fig.
4B). This analysis
demonstrated that the Akt immunoprecipitate contained c-jun N-terminal
kinase activity and that this activity was inhibited three- to
fourfold
by treatment of cells with 100 µM LY294002 (Fig.
4B,
top left panel).
The JNK immunoprecipitate had histone H2B kinase
activity that was
inhibited 2.5-fold by LY294002 treatment, indicating
that Akt could be
coprecipitated with JNK (Fig.
4B, right middle
panel). In addition, the
JNK immunoprecipitate contained ets-2
kinase activity that was
inhibited twofold by LY294002 treatment.
These results implied that the
p54 isoform of JNK is an ets-2
kinase found in a complex with Akt in
macrophages.
Extracts prepared from wild-type macrophages were examined in order to
establish if Akt and p54 JNK were in a complex in normal
as well as
me-v cells (Fig.
4C). The analysis revealed that Akt
and p54
JNK were in a complex in a CSF-1-independent fashion (Fig.
4C, top
panel, lane 1 versus lanes 2 and 3). Immune kinase assays
of the Akt
immunoprecipitate indicated that JNK activity, measured
with c-jun
substrate, was rapidly activated three- to fourfold
within 5 min of
CSF-1 stimulation of cells (Fig.
4C, lanes 2).
The Akt-associated JNK
activity returned to basal levels within
30 min (Fig.
4C, middle panel,
lanes 3). The activation of JNK
in the Akt immunoprecipitate in
wild-type cells paralleled histone
H2B kinase activity (Fig.
3B, lanes
1 to 3, and bottom panel,
4C, lanes 1 to 3), as well as ets-2 kinase
activity (Fig.
3B,
lanes 1 to
3).
CSF-1-independent survival of me-v cells depends on PI
3-kinase signaling.
The well-established role of the PI
3-kinase/Akt pathways in preventing cell apoptosis (12, 13,
27) suggested that me-v macrophages might be resistant
to cell death induced by withdrawal of exogenous CSF-1 when compared to
normal cells. To test this prediction, the survival of me-v
macrophages in response to CSF-1 withdrawal was studied (Fig.
5A). Following 72 h of CSF-1
withdrawal, less than 10% of wild-type BMMs survived, while 70 to 80%
of me-v cells were viable (Fig. 5A). The results shown were
obtained with the nuclear morphology assay to determine the extent of
cell apoptosis and were independently confirmed by using the
sub-G0 flow cytometry and cell viability assays (see
Materials and Methods; data not shown).

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|
FIG. 5.
Increased survival of me-v macrophages after
CSF-1 withdrawal dependent on the PI 3-kinase pathway. (A) BMMs derived
from normal and me-v mice were cultured in media lacking
CSF-1 for the indicated times (2 × 106 cells plated
per time point), fixed, and stained with 10 µM bis-benzimide.
Fluorescent microscopy was used to distinguish the nuclear morphology
of viable cells and apoptotic cells (see Materials and Methods).
Results of the average of three experiments are shown, presented as the
percentage of cells surviving. Error bars indicate the standard
deviation. WT, wild type. (B) Fraction of apoptotic cells (2 × 106 cells plated) following treatment with 100 µM
LY294002 for 24 h (hatched bars) in the presence or absence of 50 ng of CSF-1 per ml as indicated. Apoptosis was quantified by using the
flow cytometry sub-G0 assay (see Materials and Methods).
The average result of three experiments is represented. Error bars
indicate the standard deviation of measurements. (C) me-v
macrophages were grown continuously in the presence of CSF-1 (lane 1)
or in media lacking CSF-1 for 8, 12, 16, 24 (lanes 2 to 5), 48, or
72 h (lanes 7 and 8). Cells starved of CSF-1 for 24 h had
CSF-1 added to the medium for 10 min before harvest (lane 6). c-fms was
immunoprecipitated with a specific antibody. The immunoprecipitate was
divided in half and analyzed by Western blotting with either the c-fms
(fms) antibody (top panel) or antiphosphotyrosine (pTY) antibody
(bottom panel).
|
|
To assess whether
me-v macrophage survival depended on PI
3-kinase signaling, cells were treated with the drug LY294002, and
cell
apoptosis was determined (Fig.
5B). These experiments demonstrated
that
cell apoptosis was triggered in both wild-type and
me-v
cells
grown in the presence of CSF-1 following 24 h of LY294002
treatment,
with approximately 18 and 25% of macrophages, respectively,
found
to undergo apoptosis, compared to less than 2% of cells that
were
not treated with the drug (Fig.
5B). The effect of LY294002 on
me-v and wild-type macrophages grown in the absence of CSF-1
was
even more dramatic, with 64 and 40% of cells apoptotic after
24
h, respectively, in contrast to cells not treated with the PI
3-kinase inhibitor (Fig.
5B). The results shown were obtained
by using
the flow cytometry sub-G
0 assay and were independently
confirmed by using nuclear morphology as an index for apoptosis
(data
not shown). The results suggested that both wild-type and
me-v cells were dependent on PI 3-kinase signaling to
maintain
cell
survival.
The expression and activation of the CSF-1 receptor, c-fms, were
studied in
me-v cells grown in the absence of CSF-1 (Fig.
5C). The experiment indicated that c-fms was expressed; however,
tyrosine-phosphorylated c-fms was not detected in cells following
8 to
72 h of growth in the absence of CSF-1 (Fig.
5C, lanes 2
to 5, 7, and 8). Readdition of CSF-1 to cells grown in the absence
of CSF-1 for
24 h resulted in detection of phosphorylated tyrosine
residues
within 10 min (Fig.
5C, lane
6).
The Bcl-x gene is a target of Akt and ets-2 signaling.
How
might the phosphorylation of ets-2 by the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway
contribute to the survival of me-v cells? One hypothesis is
that PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway-dependent phosphorylation of ets-2 leads
to activation of genes that prevent apoptosis in me-v
macrophages. The Bcl-x gene was selected as a potential target gene for
Akt and ets-2 action in me-v cells, because this
antiapoptotic gene was reported to be an ets-2 target in the macrophage
cell line BAC-1.2F5 (38). Northern analysis of RNA isolated
from me-v macrophages revealed that Bcl-x RNA was expressed
independently of exogenous CSF-1 (Fig.
6A, lanes 3 to 6), unlike wild-type
cells, in which Bcl-x expression was dependent on CSF-1 (Fig. 6A, lanes 1 and 2).

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|
FIG. 6.
The mouse Bcl-x gene is a target of Akt-ets-2 action.
(A) Total RNA was isolated from wild-type or me-v BMMs (two
independent RNA samples each prepared from cells pooled from two mice).
Cells were cultured in medium lacking CSF-1 for 24 h (lanes 1, 3, and 5) or restimulated with CSF-1 for 16 h (lanes 2, 4, and 6).
RNA was analyzed by Northern blotting with a probe specific for mouse
Bcl-x cDNA. A major 2.6-kb Bcl-x mRNA species was detected. Blots were
reprobed with a mouse -actin probe as a sample loading control
(bottom panel). (B) Transient transfections were performed in RAW264
cells. In each experiment, 4 µg of the Bcl-x reporter pGL2-0.6R was
transfected in the presence or absence of 1 µg of the ets-2
expression vector pGCN-ets-2 (either wild-type T72 or mutated A72
forms, as indicated), 0.2 µg of a cytomegalovirus expression vector
for the myristylated form of Akt (myr-Akt), or the combination of both
ets-2 and myr-Akt as indicated. The average result of four experiments
is shown. Error bars indicate the standard deviation of the
measurements. (C) RNA was prepared from me-v BMMs that were
untreated (lane 1) or treated with 100 µM LY294002 for 16 h
(lane 2) and analyzed by Northern blotting. Blots were hybridized with
probes specific for uPA or Bcl-x, as indicated and then reprobed with
-actin (a loading control).
|
|
To examine whether the Bcl-x gene was directly regulated by ets-2 and
Akt, a mouse Bcl-x proximal promoter reporter was studied
in transient
cotransfection experiments with the combination of
a dominant-active
form of Akt and ets-2 (Fig.
6B). The Bcl-x sequences
studied comprised
the region located approximately 600 bp upstream
of the transcription
start site fused to a firefly luciferase
reporter gene (pGLK2-0.6R)
(
19). A myristylated, membrane-targeted
form of Akt was used
for the analysis (
5). This constitutively
active form of Akt
was able to activate the Bcl-x reporter around
3-fold (Fig.
6B), while
ets-2 alone stimulated the Bcl-x reporter
15-fold in this set of
experiments. The combination of membrane-targeted
Akt and ets-2 was
able to superactivate the Bcl-x reporter, with
an average induction of
97-fold observed (Fig.
6B [ets2-T72 panel]).
An ets-2 protein with
the phosphoacceptor site at threonine 72
mutated to alanine 72 was not
able to superactivate the Bcl-x
reporter in combination with
myristylated Akt in the transient
assay (Fig.
6B [ets2-A72 panel]).
The effect of LY294002 treatment on Ets-2 target gene expression was
analyzed in
me-v macrophages by Northern analysis (Fig.
6C).
The experiments demonstrated that 16 h after LY294002 treatment,
the levels of expression of uPA and Bcl-x mRNA were decreased
approximately eightfold in
me-v macrophages (Fig.
6C). Thus,
ets-2
phosphorylation and target gene expression correlated with PI
3-kinase-dependent cell survival in
me-v cells.
 |
DISCUSSION |
The finding that MEK-1 and Erks were not activated by CSF-1 in
me-v BMMs (31) suggested that the me-v
model system might provide a unique genetic background that would
facilitate identification of Erk-independent signaling pathways that
activate ets-2 in response to CSF-1. Analysis of macrophages derived
from me-v mice unexpectedly demonstrated that
phosphorylation of ets-2 was constitutive and independent of CSF-1 in
these cells. In addition, the well-characterized ets-2 target genes
coding for uPA, SR, and Bcl-x were constitutively expressed.
Erk-independent phosphorylation of ets-2 and activation of target genes
in me-v macrophages were linked to the constitutive activation of the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway and of an Akt-associated ets-2 (threonine 72) kinase activity. Furthermore, the p54 JNK isoform
coimmunoprecipitated with Akt in macrophages and immune kinase assays
demonstrated that JNK could catalyze phosphorylation of an ets-2
substrate dependent on PI 3-kinase signaling. Thus, in addition to
being a substrate for the Raf/Erk pathway (16), ets-2 is a
substrate for a novel PI 3-kinase/Akt/p54 JNK signaling pathway. The PI
3-kinase pathway is transiently activated by CSF-1 in wild-type cells,
but is constitutively active in me-v macrophages. These
results also highlight a difference between JNK p46 and p54 isoforms
and suggest that the extended C-terminal domain of the p54 isoform may
be involved in the association between Akt and JNK.
We have previously demonstrated that an epitope-tagged version of p54
JNK2 expressed in fibroblasts was incapable of catalyzing the
phosphorylation of ets-2 substrate under conditions in which the PI
3-kinase pathway was not activated (16). JNK2 is reported to
bind to the N-terminal portion of c-jun 25 times more efficiently than
JNK1, and this direct interaction increases phosphorylation of c-jun by
JNK2 relative to JNK1 (25). ets-2 was likely a poor substrate for JNK2 in the previously reported experiments, because it
does not directly form a complex with JNK2. Taken with the results
presented here, these data suggest the hypothesis that JNK substrate
specificity is altered by association with the Akt complex. An adapter
protein present in the Akt-JNK complex may recruit ets-2 and allow
direct phosphorylation by p54 JNK even in the absence of a
high-affinity interaction between ets-2 and JNK. Thus, the in vivo
substrate range for the 10 characterized JNK isoforms may be dictated
by the signaling complex with which they associate, in addition to
high-affinity physical interactions with substrates (20).
Further characterization of the Akt-JNK complex in macrophages will
determine if this model is valid.
Our results imply that SHP-1 is a negative regulator of the PI
3-kinase/Akt/JNK pathway in macrophages. However, the question of what
is the actual substrate for SHP-1 that lies upstream of the PI 3-kinase
pathway remains open. The alterations in signaling in cells deficient
in SHP-1 function are likely pleiotropic, reflecting that SHP-1
regulates multiple signaling pathways. In addition to c-fms
(10), the GM-CSF receptor (23), JAK-2
(22), and negative-signaling receptors p91/PIR-B and SHPS-12
(6, 42, 46) have all been reported as substrates for SHP-1
and all can potentially activate the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway. The
outcome of effects on multiple ligand-receptor pairs is likely aberrant signaling, leading not only to PI 3-kinase-Akt activation, but also to
abrogation of MEK-1-Erk signaling.
Recent work has revealed that, in some cell types, the PI 3-kinase/Akt
pathway can negatively regulate the raf/MEK-1/Erk pathway via
phosphorylation of regulatory sites within c-raf (36, 51). Our finding that the PI 3-kinase pathway is constitutively upregulated in me-v macrophages provides a molecular explanation for the
lack of CSF-1-dependent MEK-1 and Erk activity in me-v
macrophages. More interestingly, these results demonstrate an
additional level of cross talk between these two pathways, the
phosphorylation and activation of ets-2. At least one nuclear target of
raf-Erk signaling remains phosphorylated and active in spite of the
potential negative cross talk with the PI 3-kinase/Akt pathway in
me-v macrophages.
Why is ets-2 a target for both raf and Akt signaling pathways? The data
presented here indicate a link between the PI 3-kinase and Akt
signaling pathways that promote me-v macrophage survival and
ets-2 activation of antiapoptotic targets like Bcl-x. Perhaps the
raf/MEK/Erk and PI 3-kinase/Akt pathways share some common targets to
ensure that, under the physiological conditions that dictate negative
interactions between the two pathways, programmed cell death is not
triggered inappropriately. Work demonstrating that the proapoptotic
factor BAD may be a target for both of these signaling pathways
supports this idea (15, 37).
ets-2 is one of several transcription factors that have recently been
identified as targets of Akt action in mammalian cells, including
forkhead transcription factors, the cyclic AMP-responsive factor CREB,
and NF-
B (9, 14, 26, 29, 40). Our results indicate that
increased cell survival contingent on Akt-JNK activation of ets-2 may
in part account for the massive overaccumulation of macrophages and
subsequent pathology observed in me-v mice and therefore may
have implications for understanding the molecular basis of
macrophage-mediated damage in human inflammatory diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis (45).
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We acknowledge Lori Nelsen for expert technical assistance; Paul
Herman (Ohio State University [OSU]) for critical discussions; Clay
Marsh, Anil Jacobs, and Mark Coggeshall (OSU) for advice on Akt immune
kinase assays; Gabriel Nunez (University of Michigan) for the gift of
the mouse Bcl-x plasmids; Phil Tsichlis (Thomas Jefferson University)
for Akt antibody and plasmids; the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center; and
the Keck Genetic Facility.
J.K.H. was supported by a Fellowship from the Lymphoma Research
Foundation of America, Inc., and by T-32 Oncology Training grant CA
09338-21. This work was supported by NIH grant RO1-CA-53271 (M.C.O.).
J.L.S. and A.E.S. contributed equally to this work.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University, 484 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210. Phone: (614) 688-3824. Fax: (614) 688-8727. E-mail: ostrowski.4{at}osu.edu.
 |
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Molecular and Cellular Biology, November 2000, p. 8026-8034, Vol. 20, No. 21
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