MCB
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Winoto, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sohn, S. J.
Right arrow Articles by Winoto, A.
Molecular and Cellular Biology, October 2005, p. 8553-8566, Vol. 25, No. 19
0270-7306/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MCB.25.19.8553-8566.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Transcriptional Regulation of Tissue-Specific Genes by the ERK5 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

Sue J. Sohn, Dongling Li, Linda K. Lee, and Astar Winoto*

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 465 Life Science Addition, Berkeley, California 94720-3200

Received 28 March 2005/ Returned for modification 8 May 2005/ Accepted 7 July 2005

The ERK5 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) differs from other MAPKs in possessing a potent transcriptional activation domain. ERK5–/– embryos die from angiogenic defects, but the precise physiological role of ERK5 remains poorly understood. To elucidate molecular functions of ERK5 in the development of vasculature and other tissues, we performed gene profile analyses of erk5–/– mouse embryos and erk5–/– fibroblast cells reconstituted with ERK5 or ERK5(1-740), which lacks the transactivation domain. These experiments revealed several potential ERK5 target genes, including a proapoptotic gene bnip3, known angiogenic genes flt1 and lklf (lung Krüppel-like factor), and genes that regulate cardiovascular development. Among these, LKLF, known for its roles in angiogenesis, T-cell quiescence, and survival, was found to be absolutely dependent on ERK5 for expression in endothelial and T cells. We show that ERK5 drives lklf transcription by activating MEF2 transcription factors. Expression of erk5 short hairpin or a dominant-negative form of the ERK5 upstream activator, MEK5, in T cells led to downregulation of LKLF, increased cell size and upregulation of activation markers. Thus, through its kinase and transcriptional activation domains, ERK5 regulates transcriptional responses of cell survival and quiescence critical for angiogenesis and T-cell function.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 465 Life Science Addition, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200. Phone: (510) 642-0217. Fax: (510) 642-5741. E-mail: winoto{at}berkeley.edu.


Molecular and Cellular Biology, October 2005, p. 8553-8566, Vol. 25, No. 19
0022-538X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/MCB.25.19.8553-8566.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:




Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
J. Bacteriol. J. Virol. Eukaryot. Cell
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. Clin. Vaccine Immunol. All ASM Journals

Copyright © 2005 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.