Quercetin-3-methyl ether suppresses proliferation of mouse epidermal JB6 P+ cells by targeting ERKs.

Chemoprevention has been acknowledged as an important and practical strategy for the management of skin cancer. Quercetin-3-methyl ether, a naturally occurring compound present in various plants, has potent anticancer-promoting activity. We identified this compound by in silico virtual screening of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database using extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) as the target protein. Here, we showed that quercetin-3-methyl ether inhibited proliferation of mouse skin epidermal JB6 P+ cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner by inducing cell cycle G(2)-M phase accumulation. It also suppressed 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced neoplastic cell transformation in a dose-dependent manner. Its inhibitory effect was greater than quercetin. The activation of activator protein-1 was dose-dependently suppressed by quercetin-3-methyl ether treatment. Western blot and kinase assay data revealed that quercetin-3-methyl ether inhibited ERKs kinase activity and attenuated phosphorylation of ERKs. Pull-down assays revealed that quercetin-3-methyl ether directly binds with ERKs. Furthermore, a loss-of-function ERK2 mutation inhibited the effectiveness of the quercetin-3-methyl ether. Overall, these results indicated that quercetin-3-methyl ether exerts potent chemopreventive activity by targeting ERKs.

7,3',4'-Trihydroxyisoflavone, a metabolite of the soy isoflavone daidzein, suppresses ultraviolet B-induced skin cancer by targeting Cot and MKK4.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is one of the most frequently occurring cancers in the United States. Chronic exposure to UVB irradiation is a major cause of this cancer. Daidzein, along with genistein, is a major isoflavone found in soybeans; however, little is known about the chemopreventive effects of daidzein and its metabolites in UVB-induced skin cancer. Here, we found that 7,3',4'-trihydroxyisoflavone (THIF), a major metabolite of daidzein, effectively inhibits UVB-induced cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression through the inhibition of NF-κB transcription activity in mouse skin epidermal JB6 P+ cells. In contrast, daidzein had no effect on COX-2 expression levels. Data from Western blot and kinase assays showed that 7,3',4'-THIF inhibited Cot and MKK4 activity, thereby suppressing UVB-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Pull-down assays indicated that 7,3',4'-THIF competed with ATP to inhibit Cot or MKK4 activity. Topical application of 7,3',4'-THIF clearly suppressed the incidence and multiplicity of UVB-induced tumors in hairless mouse skin. Hairless mouse skin results also showed that 7,3',4'-THIF inhibits Cot or MKK4 kinase activity directly, resulting in suppressed UVB-induced COX-2 expression. A docking study revealed that 7,3',4'-THIF, but not daidzein, easily docked to the ATP binding site of Cot and MKK4, which is located between the N- and C-lobes of the kinase domain. Collectively, these results provide insight into the biological actions of 7,3',4'-THIF, a potential skin cancer chemopreventive agent.

SAG/ROC2 E3 ligase regulates skin carcinogenesis by stage-dependent targeting of c-Jun/AP1 and IkappaB-alpha/NF-kappaB.

Sensitive to apoptosis gene (SAG)/regulator of cullins-2-Skp1-cullin-F-box protein (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase regulates cellular functions through ubiquitination and degradation of protein substrates. We report that, when expressed in mouse epidermis driven by the K14 promoter, SAG inhibited TPA-induced c-Jun levels and activator protein-1 (AP-1) activity in both in vitro primary culture, in vivo transgenic mice, and an AP-1- luciferase reporter mouse model. After AP-1 inactivation, epidermal proliferation induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)-anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate at the early stage of carcinogenesis was substantially inhibited. Later stage tumor formation was also substantially inhibited with prolonged latency and reduced frequency of tumor formation. Interestingly, SAG expression increased tumor size, not because of accelerated proliferation, but caused by reduced apoptosis resulting, at least in part, from nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. Thus, SAG, in a manner depending on the availability of F-box proteins, demonstrated early-stage suppression of tumor formation by promoting c-Jun degradation, thereby inhibiting AP-1, and later-stage enhancement of tumor growth, by promoting inhibitor of kappaBalpha degradation to activate NF-kappaB and inhibit apoptosis.

Activation of p38 MAP kinase and JNK pathways by UVA irradiation.

There are more than two million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) diagnosed each year in the United States of America. The clear etiological factor is chronic exposure to solar radiation from the sun. The wavelengths of solar light that reach the earth's surface include UVB (280-320 nm), which accounts for 1-10%, and UVA (320-400 nm), which accounts for 90-99% of the radiation. While most published research has focused on the effects of UVB, little is known concerning UVA-mediated signal transduction pathways, and their role in skin tumor promotion and progression, giving rise to squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Here, we focus on UVA-mediated activation of p38 MAP kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and their roles in activator protein-1 (AP-1) mediated transcription, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and Bcl-XL expression. Since p38 MAP kinase and JNK play major roles in the expression of UVA-induced AP-1, COX-2 and Bcl-XL, pharmacological inhibitors of these kinases may be useful in the chemoprevention of SCC skin cancer.

p38 MAP kinase plays a functional role in UVB-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis.

UVB irradiation of epidermal keratinocytes results in the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and subsequently activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor activation and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. AP-1 and COX-2 have been shown to play functional roles in UVB-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis. In this study, the experimental approach was to express a dominant negative p38α MAPK (p38DN) in the epidermis of SKH-1 hairless mice and assess UVB-induced AP-1 activation, COX-2 expression, and the skin carcinogenesis response in these mice compared to wild-type littermates. We observed a significant inhibition of UVB-induced AP-1 activation and COX-2 expression in p38DN transgenic mice, leading to a significant reduction of UVB-induced tumor number and growth compared to wild-type littermates in a chronic UVB skin carcinogenesis model. A potential mechanism for this reduction in tumor number and growth rate is an inhibition of chronic epidermal proliferation, observed as reduced Ki-67 staining in p38DN mice compared to wild-type. Although we detected no difference in chronic apoptotic rates between transgenic and nontransgenic mice, analysis of acutely irradiated mice demonstrated that expression of the p38DN transgene significantly inhibited UVB-induced apoptosis of keratinocytes. These results counter the concerns that inhibition of p38 MAPK in a chronic situation could compromise the ability of the skin to eliminate potentially tumorigenic cells. Our data indicate that p38 MAPK is a good target for pharmacological intervention for UV-induced skin cancer in patients with sun damaged skin, and suggest that inhibition of p38 signaling reduces skin carcinogenesis by inhibiting COX-2 expression and proliferation of UVB-irradiated cells.

UVB irradiation regulates Cox-2 mRNA stability through AMPK and HuR in human keratinocytes.

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that UVB irradiation is a strong carcinogen for nonmelanoma skin cancer. Up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) has been shown to be a crucial event in human keratinocytes in their responses to UVB irradiation. To further understand the molecular mechanisms governing Cox-2 regulation, we found that UVB irradiation significantly increased Cox-2 mRNA stability by inducing cytoplasmic localization and protein abundance of human antigen R (HuR). We also found that AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) mediates these events and that UVB reduces AMPK activity by down-regulating LKB1 kinase. Finally, we propose a novel model in which UVB regulates Cox-2 mRNA stability through the LKB1/AMPK pathway.

Carbazole is a naturally occurring inhibitor of angiogenesis and inflammation isolated from antipsoriatic coal tar.

Coal tar is one of the oldest and an effective treatment for psoriasis. Coal tar has been directly applied to the skin, or used in combination with UV light as part of the Goeckerman treatment. The use of coal tar has caused long-term remissions in psoriasis, but has fallen out of favor because the treatment requires hospitalization and coal tar is poorly acceptable aesthetically to patients. Thus, determining the active antipsoriatic component of coal tar is of considerable therapeutic interest. We fractionated coal tar into its components, and tested them using the SVR angiogenesis inhibitor assay. Treatment of SVR endothelial cells with coal tar fractions resulted in the isolation of a single fraction with antiangiogenic activity. The active antiangiogenic compound in coal tar is carbazole. In addition to antiangiogenic activity, carbazole inhibited the production of inflammatory IL-15 by human mononuclear cells. IL-15 is elevated in psoriasis and is thought to contribute to psoriatic inflammation. Carbazole treatment also reduced activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which is proinflammatory and elevated in psoriasis. The effect of carbazole on upstream pathways in human psoriasis was determined, and carbazole was shown to inhibit signal transducer and activator of transcription (stat)3-mediated transcription, which has been shown to be relevant in human psoriasis. IL-15, iNOS, and stat3 activation require the activation of the small GTPase rac for optimal activity. Carbazole was found to inhibit rac activation as a mechanism for its inhibition of downstream inflammatory and angiogenic pathways. Given its antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory activities, carbazole is likely a major component of the antipsoriatic activity of coal tar. Carbazole and derivatives may be useful in the therapy of human psoriasis.

Catalase reverses tumorigenicity in a malignant cell line by an epidermal growth factor receptor pathway.

We have used a keratinocyte in vivo/in vitro cell model to test the hypothesis that hydrogen peroxide acts as a signaling molecule, contributing to proliferation and tumorigenesis. A cell line, 6M90, that produces squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), has high levels of ROS and low levels of catalase. A new cell line, MTOC2, generated from parental 6M90 cells by introduction of a Tet-responsive catalase transgene, effectively expressed higher peroxisomal catalase. Increased catalase expression diminished constitutive ROS and enhanced viability after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Protein tyrosine phosphatase activity was higher in the MTOC2 cells with high catalase, consistent with detection of a lower level of phosphorylation at tyrosine 1068 of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). Transcription of downstream c-fos, AP-1 transactivation and cell proliferation were higher in the low catalase cells. An EGF-R inhibitor, AG1478, blocks the higher AP-1 transactivation and cell proliferation of the low catalase 6M90 cells. Tumorigenesis in SCID mice was greatly diminished in the high catalase cells. Our data suggest that hydrogen peroxide functions as a signaling molecule that can modulate activity of a protein tyrosine phosphatase/(s) resulting in phosphorylation of tryrosine/(s) on the EGF-R. Therefore, catalase acts as a tumor-suppressor gene in part by decreasing EGF-R signaling.

Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases and protein kinase C in regulation of antioxidant response element activity in human keratinocytes.

Antioxidant response element (ARE) is a unique cis-acting regulatory sequence located in the upstream regions of many genes encoding anticarcinogenic/antioxidant proteins. Induction of ARE dependent genes plays an important role in protection of cells against oxidative damage. However, the signaling mechanism(s) involved in regulating transcription of ARE dependent gene expression has not been clearly defined. In this study, we identified protein kinases that are involved in regulation of ARE activity by using specific pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinases in engineered human HaCaT keratinocytes, which stably express the ARE-driven green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter. When HaCaT/GFP cells were treated with tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a well-known ARE activator, GFP expression was up-regulated in time and dose dependent manner, indicating that tBHQ activates the ARE in these cells. Treatment of cells with SB202190 (a specific inhibitor of p38), staurosporine (a wide-spectrum inhibitor of PKC) or rottlerin (a specific inhibitor of PKCdelta) all augmented ARE activation by tBHQ. These results suggest that p38 and PKC, especially PKCdelta, play inhibitory roles in ARE activation in human keratinocytes. Furthermore, UVB irradiation minimally affects the basal ARE activity but significantly suppresses tBHQ induced ARE activation, indicating that UVB irradiation interrupts tBHQ signaling. Interestingly, treatment of HaCaT/GFP cells with SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of JNK) could reverse UVB mediated suppression of ARE activation by tBHQ. This suggests that the suppressive effect of UVB on ARE activation by tBHQ is mediated by a JNK pathway(s). These findings provide useful information for developing novel strategies for skin cancer chemoprotection through ARE activation.

The role of Rac1 in maintaining malignant phenotype of mouse skin tumor cells.

We have previously developed an in vitro tumor progression model with mouse skin keratinocytes to study the molecular targets that mediate the tumor cell's progression from a benign to a malignant phenotype. The malignantly transformed cells were found to have elevated MAP kinase signaling and increases in AP-1, NFkappaB and cAMP response element (CRE) transcription factors activities compared to their benign counter-part. In this study, we showed that Rac1, a member of the Rho superfamily of small GTPases, functions as a key signaling molecule that mediates these malignant phenotypes. We used a doxycycline inducible system to express dominant negative Rac1 (N17 Rac1) in the squamous cell carcinomas producing 6M90 cell line. Conditional expression of the N17 Rac1 was able to decrease multiple markers of malignancy including: growth rate, colony formation, migration, invasion and most importantly, in vivo tumor growth. In addition, these phenotypic changes were accompanied by decreases in mitogenic signals, which include ERK1/2, JNK, and PI-3 kinase/Akt activation. Transactivation mediated by AP-1, NFkappaB, and CRE were also attenuated by expression of dominant negative Rac1. These observations led us to conclude that Rac1 signaling is required for the malignant phenotypes of the squamous cell carcinoma cells.

A dominant negative c-jun specifically blocks okadaic acid-induced skin tumor promotion.

Okadaic acid (OA) is a prototypical non-phorbol ester skin tumor-promoting agent that works by inhibiting protein phosphatases, leading to an increase in protein phosphorylation. Increased protein phosphorylation can lead to stimulated signaling through various signal transduction pathways. One or more of the pathways affected by OA leads to increased signaling via the activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor. Because AP-1 signaling has been shown to be required for skin tumor promotion by phorbol ester, studies were undertaken to determine whether AP-1 signaling is also required for 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-initiated/OA-promoted skin tumorigenesis. Transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative c-jun (TAM-67) controlled by the keratin 14 promoter in ICR mice were used to determine the effects of OA on AP-1 signaling. By crossing the TAM-67 mice with mice expressing an AP-1-responsive luciferase, it was shown that TAM-67 decreases AP-1 activation in response to OA treatment by 95%. After 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene initiation, the TAM-67 mice and nontransgenic littermates were promoted with twice weekly applications of OA. These experiments showed that TAM-67 expression decreased tumor multiplicity by 90%. Additional experiments with TAM-67 mice showed that the hyperplastic response to OA is not impaired in these mice, nor were there differences in OA-induced transcription of various genes known to be AP-1 responsive under other conditions. This result suggests that only a subset of AP-1-regulated genes is targeted by TAM-67 when it prevents tumor promotion by OA. A determination of the mechanism by which TAM-67 can block tumor promotion without affecting hyperplasia will be important.

The role of PI 3-kinase in the UVB-induced expression of c-fos.

The role of the PI 3-kinase signaling pathway in UVB-induced c-fos gene expression was investigated in a human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT. The enzymatic activity of PI 3-kinase was increased threefold by 250 J/m(2) UVB. Inhibition of PI 3-kinase activity, via expression of a mutant p85 subunit or treatment with wortmannin, resulted in decreased levels of c-fos promoter activity and c-fos protein. Two members of the PI 3-kinase signaling pathway, Akt and GSK-3beta, were also found to affect c-fos transactivation. Expression of dominant negative Akt or wild-type GSK-3beta significantly inhibited UVB-induced c-fos promoter activity. In addition, when GSK-3beta activity was inhibited by lithium chloride, both c-fos promoter activity and protein levels increased. These results demonstrate that both Akt activation and GSK-3beta inactivation are required in the UVB-induction of c-fos. Our results demonstrate for the first time that UVB induction of c-fos is in part mediated by the PI 3-kinase signaling pathway in the HaCaT cell line. By identifying the multiple signaling pathways that are induced by UVB and contribute to the induction of c-fos expression, more drug targets may be identified to aid attempts to prevent and treat skin cancer.

Expression of dominant negative c-jun inhibits ultraviolet B-induced squamous cell carcinoma number and size in an SKH-1 hairless mouse model.

UVB radiation is a complete carcinogen able to initiate, promote, and progress keratinocyte cells toward carcinogenesis. Exposure to UVB leads to the propagation of a number of signal transduction pathways resulting in increased DNA binding of transcription factors, including activator protein-1 (AP-1), and subsequent gene expression. To test the hypothesis that AP-1 activation plays a role in the promotion of UVB-induced skin tumors, a dominant negative c-jun (TAM67) mutant transgene was expressed in the epidermis of SKH-1 hairless mice and bred with mice expressing an AP-1 luciferase reporter gene. Single UVB exposure experiments showed a significant decrease in AP-1 activity, as measured by luciferase levels, in mice expressing TAM67 72 h postexposure. Transgenic and nontransgenic littermates were placed into a chronic UVB exposure experiment, three exposures per week for 25 weeks. Expression of TAM67 reduced the number of tumors per mouse by 58% and tumor sizes were 79% smaller than the tumors present in the nontransgenic study group. These tumors were histologically identified as squamous cell carcinomas. TAM67 had no effect on UVB-induced hyperplasia because comparable epidermal thickening was observed in both study groups over a 5-day period post-UVB exposure. Immunohistochemical analysis showed a reduction in the number of cyclin D(1)-expressing cells in squamous cell carcinoma samples removed from the TAM67 study group. These data show that TAM67 can inhibit UVB-induced squamous cell carcinoma formation, suggesting that AP-1 is a good candidate target for the development of new chemoprevention strategies to prevent sunlight-induced skin cancers.

Transcriptional repression of catalase in mouse skin tumor progression.

Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that the elevation of reactive oxygen species levels and the repression of the antioxidant enzyme, catalase, played a critical role in the in vitro progression of benign papilloma cells to malignant carcinoma cells. Catalase message, protein levels, and activity levels were found to be downregulated in the malignantly progressed cells. The goal of this study is to further characterize the repression of catalase in malignant progression of mouse skin tumors. To validate the in vitro observations, we examined catalase expression in tumor samples generated by the multistep chemical carcinogenesis protocol. Higher levels of catalase mRNA and protein were observed in benign papillomas versus malignant carcinomas. Nuclear run-on analysis showed that catalase repression in the cultured malignant cells was transcription-dependent. Results from luciferase reporter assays indicated that malignant cells have lower catalase promoter activities than benign papilloma cells, in part through the Wilm's tumor suppressor 1 (WT1) binding site within the proximal promoter region. The WT1 protein levels were found to be inversely correlated with the observed catalase promoter activities, with higher levels observed in the malignant cells versus the benign cells. These results led us to conclude that WT1 is acting as a transcription repressor in catalase gene regulation during tumor progression.

Ultraviolet B (UVB) induction of the c-fos promoter is mediated by phospho-cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) binding to CRE and c-fos activator protein 1 site (FAP1) cis elements.

The ultraviolet B (UVB) portion (280-320 nm) of the ultraviolet spectrum has been shown to contribute to the development of non-melanoma skin cancer in humans. Research in the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, revealed that UVB irradiation caused the upregulation of the transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1). The AP-1 complex formed in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells is specifically composed of c-fos and Jun D. c-Fos expression was induced in a manner that correlated with the UVB-induced activation of AP-1. To investigate how c-fos expression is regulated by UVB irradiation, the role of each of four cis elements within the c-fos promoter was evaluated. Clustered point mutations at the sis inducible element (SIE), serum response element (SRE), c-fos AP-1 site (FAP1), or cyclic AMP response elements (CRE) significantly inhibited UVB induction of the c-fos promoter. This indicated that all four cis elements are required for maximum promoter activity. The CRE and FAP1 elements were the two most active cis elements that mediate the UVB transactivation of c-fos. Homodimers of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) were induced by UVB irradiation to bind to each of these elements. Therefore, CREB may function as an important regulatory protein in the UVB-induced expression of c-fos.

Inhibitory effects of sodium salicylate and acetylsalicylic acid on UVB-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis.

We conducted an in vivo carcinogenesis experiment to determine the efficacy of topical aspirin and sodium salicylate (NAS) in preventing UVB-induced nonmelanoma skin cancer. Hairless SKH-1 mice were randomly divided into eight treatment groups. They were treated topically with either 40 or 10 micromol aspirin or NAS three times weekly before 9 kJ/m(2) UVB irradiation. The experiment was carried out over 25 weeks. Both dose levels of NAS significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) the rate of tumor formation when compared with vehicle control. The 40 micromol dose of aspirin significantly inhibited the rate of tumor formation (P < 0.05), whereas the 10 micromol dose had no inhibitory effect when compared with the vehicle control. To investigate the mechanism of this inhibition, we studied UVB-induced thymine dimer formation in the epidermis of the mouse skin. We found that NAS inhibited UVB-induced thymine dimer formation (P = 0.0001), whereas aspirin did not. Therefore, we conclude that NAS prevents UVB-induced tumor growth and formation through a sunscreen effect; whereas, the moderate inhibition of aspirin may be because of a molecular event, such as the inhibition of various UVB signaling pathways.

Molecular mechanism(s) for UV-B irradiation-induced glutathione depletion in cultured human keratinocytes.

Glutathione (GSH) plays a central role in maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis and protection against oxidative injury. Ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation-induced GSH depletion is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of several cutaneous disorders. In this study, the molecular mechanism(s) of UV-B-induced GSH depletion was investigated in cultured human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. We found that UV-B irradiation caused GSH depletion in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HaCaT cells. The mechanistic studies showed that UV-B-induced GSH depletion did not result from the GSH efflux. UV-B irradiation appeared to cause a slight decrease in enzymatic activity of gamma-glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), a rate-limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis. UV-B irradiation resulted in the GCL cleavage through the activation of a caspase cascade. Inhibition of total caspase activity by the general caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk, partially reversed the UV-B-induced GSH depletion. More importantly, we found that UV-B irradiation could dramatically decrease the cystine uptake through the functional inhibition of the system Xc(-), a cystine transporter on the cell membrane. The results suggest that the inactivation of cystine transporter system Xc(-) was a major contributor to the UV-B-mediated decrease of GSH levels in human keratinocytes.

Sunlight UV-induced skin cancer relies upon activation of the p38α signaling pathway.

The activation of cellular signal transduction pathways by solar ultraviolet (SUV) irradiation plays a vital role in skin tumorigenesis. Although many pathways have been studied using pure ultraviolet A (UVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, the signaling pathways induced by SUV (i.e., sunlight) are not understood well enough to permit improvements for prevention, prognosis, and treatment. Here, we report parallel protein kinase array studies aimed at determining the dominant signaling pathway involved in SUV irradiation. Our results indicated that the p38-related signal transduction pathway was dramatically affected by SUV irradiation. SUV (60 kJ UVA/m(2)/3.6 kJ UVB/m(2)) irradiation stimulates phosphorylation of p38α (MAPK14) by 5.78-fold, MSK2 (RPS6KA4) by 6.38-fold, and HSP27 (HSPB1) by 34.56-fold compared with untreated controls. By investigating the tumorigenic role of SUV-induced signal transduction in wild-type and p38 dominant-negative (p38 DN) mice, we found that p38 blockade yielded fewer and smaller tumors. These results establish that p38 signaling is critical for SUV-induced skin carcinogenesis.

Quercetin potentiates UVB-Induced c-Fos expression: implications for its use as a chemopreventive agent.

Quercetin (Qu) is currently being investigated as a chemopreventive agent for several cancers, including nonmelanoma skin cancer induced by UV light. We previously reported that Qu degradation has important consequences on signaling and cell biology. In the current study, we report that Qu induces c-Fos mRNA and protein expression through activation of p38 and cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), and Qu potentiates UVB-induced c-Fos expression. Inclusion of ascorbic acid (AA) in cell culture medium stabilizes Qu and completely prevents both Qu- and UVB-induced p38 and CREB activation, leading to a blockade of c-fos gene expression through reduced CREB/cAMP-responsive element binding. AA stabilizes c-Fos mRNA, increasing steady-state levels even when c-fos gene expression is suppressed, but this has no effect on c-Fos protein levels in either mock- or UVB-irradiated cells. We report that Qu blocks mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and inhibits c-Fos protein expression directly through this mechanism because cotreatment with Qu and AA resulted in the complete suppression of UVB-induced c-Fos protein expression even in the presence of significantly increased mRNA levels. We further confirmed that this was not due to increased protein turnover because inhibition of proteasome activity with MG-132 did not raise c-Fos protein levels in Qu+AA-treated cells. Together, these data indicate that although Qu has been reported to have some beneficial properties as a chemopreventive agent, it is also capable of inducing c-fos expression, a cellular event important for the promotion phase of tumor development, if it is not stabilized.