Hepatocytes produce TNF-α following hypoxia-reoxygenation and liver ischemia-reperfusion in a NADPH oxidase- and c-Src-dependent manner.

Cell line studies have previously demonstrated that hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) leads to the production of NADPH oxidase 1 and 2 (NOX1 and NOX2)-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) required for the activation of c-Src and NF-κB. We now extend these studies into mouse models to evaluate the contribution of hepatocytes to the NOX- and c-Src-dependent TNF-α production that follows H/R in primary hepatocytes and liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). In vitro, c-Src-deficient primary hepatocytes produced less ROS and TNF-α following H/R compared with controls. In vivo, c-Src-KO mice also had impaired TNF-α and NF-κB responses following partial lobar liver I/R. Studies in NOX1 and p47phox knockout primary hepatocytes demonstrated that both NOX1 and p47phox are partially required for H/R-mediated TNF-α production. To further investigate the involvement of NADPH oxidases in the production of TNF-α following liver I/R, we performed additional in vivo experiments in knockout mice deficient for NOX1, NOX2, p47phox, Rac1, and/or Rac2. Cumulatively, these results demonstrate that NOX2 and its activator subunits (p47phox and Rac) control the secretion of TNF-α by the liver following I/R. Interestingly, in the absence of Kupffer cells and NOX2, NOX1 played a dominant role in TNF-α production following hepatic I/R. However, NOX1 deletion alone had little effect on I/R-induced TNF-α. Thus Kupffer cell-derived factors and NOX2 act to suppress hepatic NOX1-dependent TNF-α production. We conclude that c-Src and NADPH oxidase components are necessary for redox-mediated production of TNF-α following liver I/R and that hepatocytes play an important role in this process.

MKK6 phosphorylation regulates production of superoxide by enhancing Rac GTPase activity.

Rac-dependent NADPH oxidases generate reactive oxygen species used in cell signaling and microbial killing or both. Whereas the mechanisms leading to NADPH oxidase activation are fairly well studied, the mechanisms that control downregulation of this enzyme complex remain unclear. We hypothesized that reactive oxygen species produced by NADPH oxidase may autoregulate the complex by inhibiting Rac activity. To this end, we searched for binding partners of Rac1 and identified a tyrosine-phosphorylated fragment of MKK6 that bound to Rac1 under redox-stress conditions. Constitutively active MKK6 interacted directly with Rac1 in vitro, and this interaction was enhanced when MKK6 was phosphorylated on tyrosine 219. Both Rac1 and Rac2 immunoprecipitated an MKK6 fragment under conditions that elevate cellular peroxide levels in 293 and RAW cells, respectively. Constitutively active and wild-type MKK6 enhanced Rac-GTPase activity in vitro, and their overexpression inhibited PMA-induced NADPH oxidase activation in RAW cells. In contrast, a Y219F mutant of MKK6 only partially enhanced Rac1 GTPase activity, and its overexpression did not alter PMA-induced NADPH oxidase activation in RAW cells. Last, MKK6 deficiency led to an increase in Rac1-GTP levels in brain tissue. Our findings suggest that MKK6 downregulates NADPH oxidase activity by enhancing Rac-GTPase activity.

IkappaBalpha and IkappaBbeta possess injury context-specific functions that uniquely influence hepatic NF-kappaB induction and inflammation.

IkappaB proteins play an important role in regulating NF-kappaB induction following a diverse range of environmental injuries. Studies evaluating IkappaBbeta knock-in mice (AKBI), in which the IkappaBalpha gene is replaced by the IkappaBbeta cDNA, have uncovered divergent properties of IkappaBalpha and IkappaBbeta that influence their ability to activate hepatic NF-kappaB and subsequent downstream proinflammatory processes in a stimulus-specific manner. While AKBI mice demonstrated identical levels of hepatic NF-kappaB activation in response to endotoxin, a significantly reduced level of hepatic NF-kappaB activation was observed in AKBI mice after liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This reduced level of NF-kappaB activation in AKBI mice after liver I/R also correlated with decreased induction of serum TNF-alpha, reduced hepatic inflammation, and increased survival. In contrast, no differences in any of these indicators were observed between AKBI mice and WT littermates after a lethal injection of LPS. Molecular studies suggest that the specificity of IkappaBalpha, but not IkappaBbeta, to properly regulate NF-kappaB induction during the acute phase of I/R injury is due to injury context-specific activation of c-Src and subsequent tyrosine phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha on Tyr42. These results demonstrate that IkappaBalpha and IkappaBbeta play unique injury context-specific roles in activating NF-kappaB-mediated proinflammatory responses and suggest that strategies aimed at inhibiting IkappaBalpha gene expression may be of potential therapeutic benefit in hepatic I/R injury.

Characterization of Lef-1 promoter segments that facilitate inductive developmental expression in skin.

Lymphoid Enhancer Factor 1 (Lef-1) is an important developmental transcription factor required for the inductive formation of several epithelial-derived organs including hair follicles. Inductive expression of Lef-1 mRNA is tightly regulated during embryo development, suggesting the involvement of a highly regulated promoter. In vitro analysis of the Lef-1 gene has demonstrated the existence of at least two spatially distinct promoters with multiple transcriptional start sites that are responsive to the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Regions of the Lef-1 promoter required for inductive regulation in vivo, however, have yet to be determined. To this end, we utilized LacZ-reporter transgenic mice to define segments of the human Lef-1 promoter capable of reproducing mesenchymal- or epithelial-restricted transcriptional patterns of Lef-1 expression during hair and vibrissa follicle development. These studies have revealed that a 110 bp Wnt/beta-catenin-responsive element, contained within a minimal 2.5 kb Lef-1 promoter, plays an important role in regulating mesenchymal, and potentially epithelial, expression during follicle development in mouse embryos. This 2.5 kb Lef-1 promoter also demonstrated inductive mesenchymal expression during postnatal anagen stage hair-follicle cycling. Additionally, analysis of Lef-1 promoter expression revealed previously uncharacterized regions of endogenous Lef-1 expression seen in the sebaceous glands of vibrissa and hair follicles in transgenic lines harboring the minimal Lef-1 promoter and additional intronic sequences. In summary, these studies have begun to dissect the transcriptional diversity of the human Lef-1 promoter during the hair/vibrissa follicle and sebaceous gland formation.

Mechanisms of submucosal gland morphogenesis in the airway.

Submucosal glands (SMGs) are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of a number of hypersecretory lung diseases including cystic fibrosis, asthma, and chronic bronchitis. In such diseases, severe SMG hypertrophy and hyperplasia is characteristic of disease progression. Our laboratory has focused efforts on defining both the mechanism of SMG morphogenesis and the identification of SMG stem cells. To this end, we have identified a transcription factor (LEF1) that is temporally and spatially uniquely regulated in SMG progenitors during the initial stages of gland development. LEF1 expression is absolutely required for SMG development in mouse and ferret tracheas, but is insufficient to induce de novo gland development in the absence of other unknown co-factors. In an effort to delineate the transcriptional cascades responsible for inducing LEF1 expression and subsequent SMG development in the airway, we have begun to dissect the regulation of the LEF1 promoter using cell line and transgenic mouse models. Current efforts are focused on defining the cis-acting elements and transcriptional binding factors responsible for Wnt induction of the LEF1 promoter and determining whether the Wnt/beta catenin cascade plays a role in submucosal gland development in vivo.

Signaling components of redox active endosomes: the redoxosomes.

Subcellular compartmentalization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in transmitting cell signals in response to environmental stimuli. In this regard, signals at the plasma membrane have been shown to trigger NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS production within the endosomal compartment and this step can be required for redox-dependent signal transduction. Unique features of redox-active signaling endosomes can include NADPH oxidase complex components (Nox1, Noxo1, Noxa1, Nox2, p47phox, p67phox, and/or Rac1), ROS processing enzymes (SOD1 and/or peroxiredoxins), chloride channels capable of mediating superoxide transport and/or membrane gradients required for Nox activity, and novel redox-dependent sensors that control Nox activity. This review will discuss the cytokine and growth factor receptors that likely mediate signaling through redox-active endosomes, and the common mechanisms whereby they act. Additionally, the review will cover ligand-independent environmental injuries, such as hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, that also appear to facilitate cell signaling through NADPH oxidase at the level of the endosome. We suggest that redox-active endosomes encompass a subset of signaling endosomes that we have termed redoxosomes. Redoxosomes are uniquely equipped with redox-processing proteins capable of transmitting ROS signals from the endosome interior to redox-sensitive effectors on the endosomal surface. In this manner, redoxosomes can control redox-dependent effector functions through the spatial and temporal regulation of ROS as second messengers.

Wnt-3A/beta-catenin signaling induces transcription from the LEF-1 promoter.

Members of the Wnt family of secreted molecules have been established as key factors in determining cell fate and morphogenic signaling. It has long been recognized that Wnt induces morphogenic signaling through the Tcf/LEF-1 cascade by regulating free intracellular levels of beta-catenin, a co-factor for Tcf/LEF-1 transcription factors. In the present study, we have demonstrated that Wnt-3A can also directly induce transcription from the LEF-1 promoter. This induction was dependent on glycogen synthase kinase 3beta inactivation, a rise in free intracellular beta-catenin, and a short 110-bp Wnt-responsive element (WRE) in the LEF-1 promoter. Linear and internal deletion of this WRE led to a dramatic increase in constitutive LEF-1 promoter activity and loss of Wnt-3A responsiveness. In isolation, the 110-bp WRE conferred context-independent Wnt-3A or beta-catenin(S37A) responsiveness to a heterologous SV40 promoter. Studies expressing dominant active and negative forms of LEF-1, beta-catenin, GSK-3beta, and beta-catenin/LEF-1 fusions suggest that Wnt-3A activates the LEF-1 promoter through a beta-catenin-dependent and LEF-1-independent process. Wnt-3A expression also induced multiple changes in the binding of factors to the WRE and suggests that regulatory mechanisms may involve modulation of a multiprotein complex. In summary, these results provide evidence for transcriptional regulation of the LEF-1 promoter by Wnt and enhance the mechanistic understanding of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the regulation of LEF-1-dependent developmental processes.

Wnt-responsive element controls Lef-1 promoter expression during submucosal gland morphogenesis.

Regulated expression of lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (Lef-1) plays an obligatory role in the transcriptional control of epithelial bud formation during airway submucosal gland and mammary gland development. However, regions of the Lef-1 promoter required for spatial and temporal regulation during glandular development have yet to be defined. We hypothesized that a previously reported 110-bp Wnt-responsive element (WRE) in the Lef-1 promoter, which can be induced by Wnt-3a/beta-catenin signals, may also play a role in regulating Lef-1 expression during airway and mammary gland development. Here we show that the Lef-1 promoter is also responsive to Wnt-1 signals in both airway and mammary epithelial cell lines. To better understand the importance of the WRE in dynamically regulating Lef-1 promoter activation in these two types of epithelia in vivo, we utilized LacZ reporter transgenic mice to evaluate the significance of Wnt-responsive sequences in the Lef-1 promoter during glandular bud formation. A 2.5-kb Lef-1 promoter fragment partially reproduced endogenous Lef-1 expression patterns in a subset of cell types involved in both mammary gland and submucosal glandular bud development. Interestingly, removal of the 110-bp WRE from the Lef-1 promoter ablated expression in nasal and tracheal submucosal glandular buds while having no significant effect on developmental expression in mammary glandular buds. These findings suggest that Wnt regulation of the Lef-1 promoter at the WRE may play an important role during airway submucosal glandular bud formation.