Serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25): a novel negative regulator of lipid and glucose metabolism in rodent and human skeletal muscle.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study investigates the role of serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25), a member of the sterile 20 (STE20) superfamily of kinases, in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. METHODS: The effect of depleting STK25 in muscle cells was studied by reducing the mRNA and protein content of this target in the rat myoblast cell line L6 by small interfering (si)RNA. The changes in the mRNA and protein levels of several members of the fatty acid oxidative and glucose metabolic pathways were measured by quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR and western blot. The rate of palmitate oxidation and glucose uptake was measured after transfection with siRNA for Stk25. Expression of STK25 was also evaluated in skeletal muscle biopsies from 41 white Europid men and women with normal and impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: We demonstrate that partial depletion of STK25 increases the expression of uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3), accompanied by increased lipid oxidation, in myoblasts. In addition, a reduced level of STK25 enhances the expression of Slc2a1 (also known as Glut1), Slc2a4 (also known as Glut4) and hexokinase 2, and correspondingly, improves insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscle cells. Consistent with these results, significantly higher STK25 levels were observed in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic patients, compared with individuals with normal glucose tolerance. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This is the first study indicating a possible role for STK25 in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in L6 myoblasts. This kinase appears to be an interesting new mediator to be evaluated for therapeutic intervention in type 2 diabetes and related complications, as controlled increase in lipid oxidation and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is favourable and can restore energy balance in metabolically compromised states.

AMP-activated protein kinase inhibits IL-6-stimulated inflammatory response in human liver cells by suppressing phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

AIM/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the study was to examine the possible role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the regulation of the inflammatory response induced by cytokine action in human liver cells. METHODS: IL-6-stimulated expression of the genes for acute-phase response markers serum amyloid A (SAA1, SAA2) and haptoglobin (HP) in the human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2 were quantified after modulation of AMPK activity by pharmacological agonists (5-amino-4-imidazole-carboxamideriboside [AICAR], metformin) or by using small interfering (si) RNA transfection. The intracellular signalling pathway mediating the effect of AMPK on IL-6-stimulated acute-phase marker expression was characterised by assessing the phosphorylation levels of the candidate protein signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in response to AMPK agonists. RESULTS: AICAR and metformin markedly blunt the IL-6-stimulated expression of SAA cluster genes as well as of haptoglobin in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the repression of AMPK activity by siRNA significantly reversed the inhibition of SAA expression by both AICAR and metformin, indicating that the effect of the agonists is dependent on AMPK. For the first time we show that AMPK appears to regulate IL-6 signalling by directly inhibiting the activation of the main downstream target of IL-6, STAT3. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We provide evidence for a key function of AMPK in suppression of the acute-phase response caused by the action of IL-6 in liver, suggesting that AMPK may act as an intracellular link between chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic regulation in peripheral metabolic tissues.

Gene expression profiling identifies STAT3 as a novel pathway for immunomodulation by cholera toxin adjuvant.

Earlier studies have reported on both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory activities of cholera toxin (CT). As CT is a powerful adjuvant, we were interested in identifying genes with a possible involvement in these functions. A global gene expression analysis in mouse B cells showed that CT regulated <100 annotated genes, which encoded transcription factors, G proteins, cell-cycle regulators, and immunoregulating molecules. Interestingly, CT regulated the expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 gene and influenced the level and activation of both isoforms STAT3 alpha and STAT3 beta, in vitro in a B-cell line and in Peyer's patch (PP) B cells and in vivo in freshly isolated splenic B cells from CT-treated mice. This effect was cAMP dependent and was not seen with CTB. B cells pre-exposed to CT were significantly more susceptible to the activation of STAT3 by interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10. This exerted a stronger inhibitory effect of IL-10 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated B-cell proliferation and cytokine production (IL-6). Moreover, IgG1 and IgA production induced by LPS and IL-10 were enhanced by the addition of CT to cultures of PP or splenic B cells. This is the first study to provide a molecular mechanism that can reconcile previous findings of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects by CT adjuvant.

Domains of the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) involved in the transactivation of the latent membrane protein 1 and the EBNA Cp promoters.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) is one of the first EBV-encoded gene products expressed after infection of primary B lymphocytes. EBNA2 is essential for the growth-transforming potential of the virus and it functions as a transcriptional activator of a set of viral and cellular genes. Sequence-specific DNA-binding by EBNA2 has not been demonstrated but the molecule is targeted to specific DNA regions by a cellular protein, RBP-J kappa, which recognizes the GTGGGAA sequence present in the regulatory region of all EBNA2-responsive promoters defined so far. We have determined the contribution of a RBP-J kappa recognition sequence, an adjacent interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE) motif and a PU.1-binding site in the LMP1 regulatory sequence (LRS) to EBNA2-induced transactivation of the promoter by site-directed mutagenesis of LRS-carrying reporter plasmids. EBNA2 responsiveness was reduced by approximately twofold when either or both of the RBP-J kappa-binding and ISRE sequences were mutated. ISRE seemed to function as an EBNA2-independent positive element. On the other hand, mutation of the PU box resulted in a drastic reduction of EBNA2 responsiveness, irrespective of whether the RBP-J kappa site or the ISRE motif was present. A comparative study by deletion mutation identified regions of EBV B95-8 EBNA2 involved in the transactivation of the LMP1 and the EBNA Cp promoters. Two domains of EBNA2 defined by deletion of amino acids 247-337 and 437-476 were found to be important for the activation of both promoters, while two different domains corresponding to residues 4-18 and 118-198 were required solely for the LMP1 promoter. Thus, EBNA2 must activate the LMP1 and Cp promoters by different mechanisms. All deletions involved in transcriptional activation of the two promoters contained regions that are conserved in EBNA2 of B95-8 EBV (type 1), AG876 EBV (type 2) and herpesvirus papio origin.