|
|
||||||||
Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Submitted 16 February 2005 ; accepted in final form 22 April 2005
Extracellular signals may be transmitted to nuclear or cytoplasmic effectors via the mitogen-activated protein kinases. In the passive Heymann nephritis (PHN) model of membranous nephropathy, complement C5b-9 induces glomerular epithelial cell (GEC) injury, proteinuria, and activation of phospholipases and protein kinases. This study addresses the complement-mediated activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). C5b-9 induced ERK threonine202/tyrosine204 phosphorylation (which correlates with activation) in GEC in culture and PHN in vivo. Expression of a dominant-inhibitory mutant of Ras reduced complement-mediated activation of ERK, but activation was not affected significantly by downregulation of protein kinase C. Complement-induced ERK activation resulted in phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and was, in part, responsible for phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase-associated protein kinase-2, but did not induce phosphorylation of the transcription factor, Elk-1. Activation of ERK was attenuated by drugs that disassemble the actin cytoskeleton (cytochalasin D, latrunculin B), and these compounds interfered with the activation of ERK by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK). Overexpression of a constitutively active RhoA as well as inhibition of Rho-associated kinase blocked complement-mediated ERK activation. Complement cytotoxicity was enhanced after disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton but was unaffected after inhibition of complement-induced ERK activation. However, complement cytotoxicity was enhanced in GEC that stably express constitutively active MEK. Thus complement-induced ERK activation depends on cytoskeletal remodelling and affects the regulation of distinct downstream substrates, while chronic, constitutive ERK activation exacerbates complement-mediated GEC injury.
glomerular epithelial cell; inflammation; protein kinases; signal transduction
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
D. Cohen, J. Papillon, L. Aoudjit, H. Li, A. V. Cybulsky, and T. Takano Role of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 in complement-mediated glomerular epithelial cell injury Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, March 1, 2008; 294(3): F469 - F479. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Zhang, A. V. Cybulsky, L. Aoudjit, J. Zhu, H. Li, N. Lamarche-Vane, and T. Takano Role of Rho-GTPases in complement-mediated glomerular epithelial cell injury Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, July 1, 2007; 293(1): F148 - F156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Nangaku A Crry for polar shedding Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., July 1, 2006; 21(7): 1773 - 1775. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |