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(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2002;71:107-114.)
© 2002 by Society for Leukocyte Biology

Shiga toxin 1-induced activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and p38 in the human monocytic cell line THP-1: possible involvement in the production of TNF-{alpha}

Gregory H. Foster and Vernon L. Tesh

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Texas A & M University Health Science Center, College Station, Texas

Correspondence: Vernon L. Tesh, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Texas A & M University Health Science Center, Rm. 407 Reynolds Medical Building, College Station, TX 77843-1114. E-mail: tesh{at}medicine.tamu.edu


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ABSTRACT
 
Shiga toxin-producing enterohemorrhagic E. coli infections cause bloody diarrhea, which may progress to life-threatening complications such as the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS patients frequently have elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor {alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) detectable in urine. Thus, sequelae may develop following the localized production of proinflammatory cytokines within the kidneys. A possible source of these cytokines are macrophages, which respond to the toxins by producing TNF-{alpha}. We have shown previously that THP-1 cells produce soluble TNF-{alpha} in response to the toxins, whose production requires host-cell tyrosine-kinase activity and toxin-enzymatic activity. To further examine signaling pathways involved in TNF-{alpha} expression, we determined that JNK1 and -2 and p38, but not ERK1 or -2, were phosphorylated following toxin exposure. Blockade of p38 activation reduced TNF-{alpha} production following Shiga toxin 1 treatment. Finally, we present a model of the ribotoxic stress response triggered in human macrophages by Shiga toxins.

Key Words: cytokines • ERK • HUS • ribosome • signal transduction


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INTRODUCTION
 
Infection with Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli following ingestion of contaminated foods or water has recently emerged as a major health-care concern. Shiga toxin-producing bacteria are capable of causing widespread outbreaks of bloody diarrhea. The prodromal diarrheal disease may progress to life-threatening complications such as acute renal failure and neurological abnormalities [1 , 2 ]. Shiga toxins produced in the gut may be actively transported across the intestinal epithelium to enter the bloodstream and cause severe vascular lesions primarily localized to glomerular and central nervous system (CNS) capillaries [3 ].

A group of structurally and functionally related toxins comprise the Shiga toxin family, including the prototypical Shiga toxin (Stx) of Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 and toxins designated Stx1, Stx2, Stx2c, Stx2d, Stx2e, and Stx2f produced by E. coli [4 ]. All Shiga toxins are AB5 molecules that inhibit protein synthesis by catalyzing the depurination of a single adenine residue from the 28S ribosomal RNA, thereby inhibiting elongation factor-1-dependent peptide elongation [5 6 7 ]. The pentameric ring of B subunits mediates toxin binding to target cells through interaction with the neutral glycolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) [8 , 9 ]. Experiments using cultured human vascular endothelial cells derived from a variety of sources demonstrated that the cells were markedly sensitized to the cytotoxic action of Shiga toxins by stimulation with the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor {alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) or interleukin (IL)-1ß [10 11 12 ]. The sensitization phenomenon was associated with the up-regulated expression of Gb3 on the cell surface leading to increased toxin binding and internalization [11 ]. Monocytes or macrophages exposed to purified Shiga toxins in vitro respond by increased expression and secretion of TNF-{alpha} and IL-1ß, suggesting that cells of the myeloid lineage found within the kidneys and CNS may be important sources of the cytokines that sensitize endothelial cells to the toxins.

Our studies to elucidate the mechanism(s) of Stx-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression have demonstrated that exposure of fully differentiated THP-1 cells (a human monocytic cell line) to purified Stxs in vitro results in the following events: the toxins bind the cells and are internalized; there is rapid nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-{kappa}B (NF-{kappa}B), coincident with the degradation of cytoplasmic I{kappa}B; there is increased AP-1 binding activity; transcriptional activation of the TNF-{alpha} gene is detected by Northern blot analysis; and increased levels of soluble TNF-{alpha} and IL-1ß are detected in culture supernatants [13 ]. Cytokine production requires enzymatically active toxins. Finally, TNF-{alpha} transcription and production by THP-1 cells in response to toxin treatment are decreased by broad-spectrum protein kinase C (PKC) and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors [14 ]. In this study, we further characterize the intracellular signaling pathways involved in Stx1-induced TNF-{alpha} production by THP-1 cells by screening for activation of the terminal kinases of the major mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, the c-jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 kinase cascades. These three pathways are known to be involved in the expression of TNF-{alpha} following treatment of monocytes with a variety of stimulants, such as bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) [15 ]. The MAPK pathways consist of a series of kinases, which sequentially phosphorylate downstream kinases to transmit intracellular signals. These pathways typically involve the activation of a MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK), which phosphorylates and activates a MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates a MAPK. Once activated, the MAPKs phosphorylate downstream cellular substrates such as transcription factors and other protein kinases [16 ]. All isoforms of the MAPKs studied here are activated by dual phosphorylation at threonine and tyrosine residues. Using antibodies specifically recognizing the phosphorylated forms of the MAPKs, we examined JNK, ERK, and p38 in Stx1-treated THP-1 cells for possible activation of these pathways, as well as a possible role for the p38 cascade in the production of TNF-{alpha}.


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MATERIALS AND METHODS
 
Shiga toxin type 1 (Stx1)
Purified Stx1 was prepared as described [17 , 18 ]. All toxin preparations contained <0.14 ng endotoxin/mg protein as assessed by the Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay (Associates of Cape Cod, Falmouth, MA).

Cell lines
The human myelogenous leukemia cell line THP-1 was purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC; Manassas, VA) and maintained in RPMI-1640 (Gibco-BRL, Grand Island, NY) supplemented with penicillin (50 U/ml), streptomycin (50 µg/ml), and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS; Hyclone Laboratories, Logan, UT) at 37°C in humidified 5% CO2. Prior to use in experiments, THP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into the mature macrophage-like state by treatment with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO) at 50 ng/ml for 48 h. Differentiated cells were washed twice with cold Dulbecco’s phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; Sigma Chemical Co.) and incubated with fresh media lacking PMA with daily media changes for 72 h. The murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 (kindly provided by Dr. Roderick McCallum, Texas A & M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX) was maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Gibco-BRL) with the above supplements.

Preparation of cellular extracts
THP-1 cells (5x106) were differentiated with PMA in 60 mm culture dishes in 5.0 ml supplemented RPMI-1640. Eighteen hours prior to stimulation, cells were washed twice in cold Dulbecco’s PBS, and media was replaced with RPMI-1640 with penicillin/streptomycin and 0.5% FBS to reduce endogenous MAPK activity. A similar procedure was used for RAW 264.7 cells, where 5 x 106 cells were plated in 60 mm tissue-culture dishes and allowed to adhere overnight. The cells were washed twice with cold PBS and serum starved for 18 h in DMEM containing penicillin/streptomycin and 0.5% FBS prior to stimulation. PMA-differentiated THP-1 or RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with one of the following reagents for 15 min: PMA (Sigma Chemical Co.) at 200 ng/ml, purified LPS derived from E. coli O111:B4 (Sigma Chemical Co.) at 10 µg/ml, or anisomycin (Calbiochem, La Jolla, CA) at 1.0 µg/ml or were stimulated for 1 h with Stx1 at 800 ng/ml, Stx1 and LPS (800 ng/ml and 10 µg/ml, respectively), or ricin (Sigma Chemical Co.) at 100 pg/ml or 10 µg/ml. The cells were washed twice in cold Dulbecco’s PBS and lysed in modified RIPA buffer [1.0% Nonidet P-40 (NP-40), 1.0% Na-deoxycholate, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5), 5.0 mM Na-pyrophosphate, 1.0 mM NaVO4, 5.0 mM NaF, 1.0 µg/ml aprotinin, 1.0 µg/ml leupeptin, and 0.1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF)] for 15 min at 4°C. Extracts were collected and passed through 22- and 27-gauge needles to shear DNA. The extracts were cleared by centrifugation at 15,000 g for 15 min. Cleared extracts were stored at -80°C until used. For dose-response analysis, differentiated THP-1 cells were exposed to increasing concentrations of Stx1 (50 ng/ml–1 µg/ml) for 1 h followed by extraction. Kinetic analysis of p38 and JNK was performed by incubating differentiated THP-1 cells with 800 ng/ml Stx1 for increasing amounts of time followed by extraction and analysis.

Western blot analysis
Protein content in cell extracts prepared from stimulated THP-1 cells was determined using the Micro BCA Protein Assay Kit (Pierce, Rockford, IL). Equal amounts of proteins (60–80 µg protein per gel lane) were separated by 12% Tris-glycine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. Membranes were blocked with TBS [20 mM Tris (pH 7.6) and 137 mM NaCl] containing 0.1% Tween 20 and 3.0% bovine serum albumin (BSA). The following antibodies from New England Biolabs (Beverly, MA) suspended in TBS-0.1% Tween 20 and 3.0% BSA were used to detect activated kinases: Phosphorylated ERK1 and -2 were detected with p44/42 MAPK (Thr202/Tyr204) monoclonal antibody (mAb) E10, phosphorylated JNK1 and -2 were detected with stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/JNK (Thr183/Tyr185) mAb G9, and phosphorylated p38 was detected using polyclonal antiphospho-p38 (Thr180/Tyr182) antibodies. The primary antibodies were bound by a polyclonal antimouse or antirabbit horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugate (Amersham, Arlington Heights, IL) and detected by enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL; Amersham). Blots were stripped with stripping buffer [10 mM ß-mercaptoethanol, 2.0% SDS, and 62.5 mM Tris-HCl (pH 6.7)] and reprobed with anti-ERK1 (sc-93-G), anti-JNK1 (sc-571), or anti-p38 antibodies (sc-535; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA), which bind irrespective of phosphorylation state. These antibodies were selected to demonstrate equal loading and to show that the levels of the respective kinases were unchanged as a result of the activity of the protein-synthesis inhibitors. Blots were analyzed densitometrically using an IS1000 imaging system (Alpha Innotech Corp., Leandro, CA). The results are presented as a percentage of basal activity defined as (phosphorylated form of kinase/unphosphorylated form) x 100%/(phosphorylated form of kinase in unstimulated cells/unphosphorylated form in unstimulated cells). Data shown are means SE from at least three independent experiments.

Analysis of TNF-{alpha}
Concentrations of immunoreactive TNF-{alpha} in culture supernatants were determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (Quantikine, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN), following the manufacturer’s instructions. The sensitivity of this assay is 4.4 pg/ml.

Inhibitor studies
The p38 inhibitor SB202190 was purchased from Calbiochem and dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at a concentration of 20 mM. For use in inhibitor studies, a concentration of 3 µM was prepared in RPMI-1640 medium. Cells were pretreated for 30 min with the inhibitor or vehicle only. Supernatants were removed and replaced with media containing Stx1 or LPS with the inhibitor, with inhibitor alone, or with DMSO alone and incubated for an additional 24 h. Supernatants were then collected and analyzed for TNF-{alpha} production by ELISA. Total organic solvents in all assays were <0.1%. SB202190 was not cytotoxic at the concentrations used in the studies as assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay [19 ].


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RESULTS
 
Stx1 treatment induces JNK activation in THP-1 cells
Exposure of eukaryotic cells to a variety of cellular stresses such as ultraviolet light, osmotic shock, or protein-synthesis inhibition induces the activation of the JNK cascade [20 21 22 23 ]. Given our observation that TNF-{alpha} production in response to Stx1 treatment required toxin-enzymatic activity and monocyte PTK activity [14 ], we hypothesized that Stx1 treatment of THP-1 cells may activate the JNK cascade. Using Western blot analysis, we found that following the exposure of THP-1 cells to Stx1 for 1 h, JNK 1 and -2 phosphorylation increased (Fig. 1A and B). JNK 1 and -2 phosphorylation state was also increased by treatment with the protein-synthesis inhibitors anisomycin and ricin. Like Stx1, anisomycin and ricin act on the peptidyltransferase center of the ribosome to mediate protein-synthesis inhibition, and anisomycin and ricin have been shown to activate the JNK cascade in rat fibroblasts [24 25 26 ]. There have been several studies demonstrating the activation of JNK following treatment of monocytes with high levels of LPS [27 ]. Therefore, we used high concentrations of LPS as a positive control for JNK activation. Treatment of cells with LPS increased JNK phosphorylation but to a lesser extent compared with Stx1 treatment. Treatment with a combination of Stx1 and LPS did not result in JNK activation profiles markedly different from treatment with Stx1 alone.



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Figure 1. Stx1-induced phosphorylation of JNK1 and -2 in differentiated THP-1 cells. Cells (5x106) were exposed to PMA (200 ng/ml), LPS (10 µg/ml), or anisomycin (1 µg/ml) for 15 min or to Stx1 (800 ng/ml), Stx1 and LPS (800 ng/ml and 10 mg/ml, respectively), or ricin (10 µg/ml) for 1 h followed by extraction, as described in Materials and Methods. Cell extracts were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using a mAb that recognizes the phosphorylated form of JNK1 and -2. Blots were stripped and reprobed with anti-JNK1, which binds irrespective of phosphorylation state to verify equal loading. (A) Graphical representation of densitometric results of three independent experiments. Percentages were calculated as described in Materials and Methods. (B) Representative Western blot of antiphospho-JNK1 and -2 (upper panel) and its corresponding anti-JNK1 blot (lower panel).

Dose-response analysis of JNK activation in response to Stx1 treatment showed that activation was maximal at a Stx1 concentration of 400 ng/ml for JNK1 and 800 ng/ml for JNK2 (Fig. 2 A ). Levels of phospho-JNK1 and -2 remained elevated up to a Stx1 concentration of 800 ng/ml. The levels of JNK phosphorylation decreased at a toxin dose of 1.0 µg/ml, which mediates approximately 10% direct cytotoxicity for THP-1 cells [28 ]. Kinetic analysis of JNK activation in response to Stx1 treatment showed maximal JNK1 phosphorylation at 3 h, and phospho-JNK1 levels remained elevated for 6 h (Fig. 2B) . JNK2, in contrast, was maximally phosphorylated at 1 h post-toxin treatment, and levels rapidly decreased to basal (unstimulated) levels by 3 h.



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Figure 2. Dose-response and kinetic analysis of JNK1 and -2 phosphorylation in differentiated THP-1 cells. (A) Dose-response analysis. Cells (5x106) were exposed to increasing doses of Stx1 (50 ng/ml–1 µg/ml, as indicated) for 1 h followed by extraction and Western blotting as described for Figure 1 . Upper panel, graphical representation of densitometric results from three independent experiments; lower panel, representative Western blots corresponding to antiphospho-JNK1 and -2 (upper blot) and anti–JNK1 and -2 (lower blot). (B) Kinetic analysis. Cells (5x106) were exposed to 800 ng/ml Stx1 for increasing amounts of time (15 min–6 h, as indicated), followed by extraction and Western blotting as described in Figure 1 . Upper panel, graphical representation of densitometric results from three independent kinetic analyses; lower panel, representative Western blots corresponding to antiphospho-JNK1 and -2 (upper blot) and anti-JNK1 and -2 (lower blot). Both sets of experiments included anisomycin (1 µg/ml for 15 min) as a positive control.

Stx1 treatment does not induce ERK activation in THP-1 or RAW 264.7 cells
Using LPS as a stimulant, several earlier studies have shown that the ERK cascade is activated in murine [15 , 29 30 31 ] and human macrophages [32 , 33 ]. Therefore, we hypothesized that Stx1 treatment of THP-1 cells may result in the activation of ERK1 and -2. Following exposure to a variety of stimulants, ERK activation was examined by Western blot analysis (Fig. 3 ). A 1 h exposure of THP-1 cells to Stx1, Stx1 + LPS, anisomycin, or ricin did not induce increased ERK phosphorylation above basal levels. High-level LPS treatment appeared to induce a slight increase in ERK2 phosphorylation but did not markedly affect phospho-ERK1 levels. PMA, a well-described activator of the ERK cascade, produced a dramatic increase in ERK1 and -2 phosphorylation state. The failure of LPS to induce ERK activation in differentiated THP-1 cells was unexpected given the results of earlier studies showing ERK activation by LPS-treated, undifferentiated THP-1 cells [33 ] and murine macrophages [15 , 30 , 31 ]. Therefore, we examined the capacity of the identical stimulants used in the same concentrations when treating differentiated THP-1 cells to activate the ERK cascade in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. In accordance with earlier studies [15 ], LPS induced the phosphorylation of ERK1 and -2 (unpublished results). Stx1 treatment of RAW 264.7 cells did not activate the ERK cascade (unpublished results).



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Figure 3. Stx1 does not induce the phosphorylation of ERK1 and -2 in differentiated THP-1 cells. Cells (5x106) were exposed to PMA (200 ng/ml), LPS (10 µg/ml), or anisomycin (1 µg/ml) for 15 min or to Stx1 (800 ng/ml), Stx1 and LPS (800 ng/ml and 10 µg/ml, respectively), or ricin (10 µg/ml) for 1 h followed by extraction, as described in Materials and Methods. Cell extracts were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using a mAb that recognizes the phosphorylated form of ERK1 and -2. Blots were stripped and reprobed with anti-ERK1, which binds irrespective of phosphorylation state to verify equal loading. (A) Graphical representation of densitometric results of phosphorylated ERK1 and -2 from three independent experiments. Percentages were calculated as described in Materials and Methods. (B) Upper and lower panels, respectively, representative Western blot of antiphospho-ERK1 and -2 and its corresponding anti-ERK1 blot.

Stx1 treatment induces p38 activation in THP-1 cells
Similar to the JNK cascade, the p38 MAPK cascade is known to be activated in response to cell stress and protein-synthesis inhibition [34 35 36 ]. Furthermore, the p38 cascade is thought to be necessary for TNF-{alpha} expression in response to LPS treatment [37 , 38 ]. We hypothesized that p38 may be phosphorylated in response to treatment with Stx1. Differentiated THP-1 cells were treated for 1 h with Stx1, LPS, Stx1 + LPS, or two doses of ricin, or for 15 min with anisomycin. Cells were then lysed, and p38 activation was determined by Western blotting (Fig. 4A and B). All stimulants tested caused increased p38 activation over basal levels. Similar to the dose response for JNK1 activation, p38 phosphorylation was maximal at a toxin dose of 800 ng/ml and decreased at the highest toxin concentration used in the analysis (Fig. 5 A ). The p38 kinase is phosphorylated rapidly in response to Stx1 treatment, reaching maximal levels at 15 min and decreasing over a 6 h time period (Fig. 5B) .



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Figure 4. Stx1 induces the phosphorylation of p38 in differentiated THP-1 cells. Cells (5x106) were exposed to LPS (10 µg/ml) or anisomycin (1 µg/ml) for 15 min or to Stx1 (800 ng/ml), Stx1 and LPS (800 ng/ml and 10 µg/ml, respectively), or ricin (100 pg/ml or 10 µg/ml) for 1 h followed by extraction, as described in Materials and Methods. Cell extracts were then analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using polyclonal antibodies that recognize the phosphorylated form of p38. Blots were stripped and reprobed with anti-p38, which binds irrespective of phosphorylation state to verify equal loading. (A) Graphical representation of densitometric results of three independent experiments. Percentages were calculated as described in Materials and Methods. (B) Representative Western blot of antiphospho-p38 (upper panel) and its corresponding anti-p38 blot (lower panel).



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Figure 5. Dose-response and kinetic analysis of p38 phosphorylation in differentiated THP-1 cells. (A) Dose-response analysis. Cells (5x106) were exposed to increasing doses of Stx1 (50 ng/ml–1 µg/ml, as indicated) for 1 h followed by extraction and Western blotting as described for Figure 4 . Upper panel, graphical representation of densitometric results from three independent experiments; lower panel, representative antiphospho-p38 blot (upper blot) and corresponding anti-p38 blot (lower blot). (B) Kinetic analysis. Cells (5x106) were exposed to 800 ng/ml Stx1 for increasing amounts of time (15 min–6 h, as indicated), followed by extraction and Western blotting as described in Figure 4 . Upper panel, graphical representation of densitometric results from three independent kinetic analyses; lower panel, representative Western blots of antiphospho-p38 blot (upper blot) and corresponding anti-p38 blot (lower blot). Both sets of experiments included anisomycin (1 µg/ml for 15 min) as a positive control.

Stx1-induced p38 activation contributes to TNF-{alpha} expression
To determine the role of the p38 MAPK cascade in Stx1-mediated TNF-{alpha} expression, we used SB202190, a pyrimidyl imidazole inhibitor of p38 activity [38 , 39 ]. Differentiated THP-1 cells were treated with SB202190 for 30 min, and the medium was then replaced with media containing Stx1 or LPS (200 ng/mL) and SB202190. After 24 h, supernatants were harvested (400 ng/mL), and immunoreactive TNF-{alpha} levels were determined by ELISA (Table 1 ). In the presence of the p38 inhibitor, we detected an approximately 1.5-fold decrease in TNF-{alpha} synthesis following stimulation with Stx1 or LPS. Thus, activation of the p38 MAPK cascade appears necessary for optimal TNF-{alpha} expression in response to these stimuli.


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Table 1. Effect of p38 Inhibition on Stx-1-mediated TNF-{alpha} Production


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DISCUSSION
 
The mechanism by which Shiga toxins induce cell death has been well-characterized. The toxins bind to target-cell membrane Gb3, are internalized in a clathrin-dependent manner, and are trafficked via a retrograde route through the Golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear membrane [40 ]. The ER may be the site of toxin translocation into the cytoplasm, where a fragment of the A-subunit mediates protein-synthesis inhibition by cleaving a single adenine residue from the 28S rRNA of the 60S ribosomal subunit. However, some cell types, which appear to be fairly resistant to the lethal effects of the toxins, have been shown to produce proinflammatory cytokines in response to toxin exposure [28 , 41 ]. This observation appears to be something of a paradox. How does a protein-synthesis inhibitor induce the expression of a subset of genes and their translation into proteins?

The findings that toxin enzymatic activity and target-cell PTK activity were required for cytokine expression suggested that Shiga toxin-mediated damage to ribosomes may activate a cellular-stress signaling response, ultimately leading to the expression and secretion of TNF-{alpha} and other cytokines. Support for the hypothesis that ribosomal damage triggers intracellular signaling cascades comes from the work of Iordanov et al. [26 ] in which rat fibroblasts were treated with the protein-synthesis inhibitors anisomycin or ricin. Although these protein-synthesis inhibitors are structurally different from the Shiga toxins, all three inhibitors share the property of acting on the peptidyltransferase center of the ribosome. Following treatment of fibroblasts with anisomycin or ricin, increased JNK1 activity was detected. The authors referred to this phenomenon as the ribotoxic stress response. We suggest that the Shiga toxins be added to this category of ribotoxins, because treatment of THP-1 cells with purified Stx1 activated the SAPK cascades JNK and p38.

Using a TNF-{alpha} translational construct, Swantek et al. [15 ] showed that JNK was involved in the regulation of TNF-{alpha} translation following exposure of murine macrophages to LPS. In addition, JNK is also believed to be involved in transcriptional activation, particularly of genes regulated by AP-1 because of the ability of activated JNK to phosphorylate c-Jun [42 ]. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated increased DNA binding by AP-1 in THP-1 nuclear lysates after Stx1 treatment, suggesting the possibility that JNK may be involved in this transcriptional activation event [13 ]. Kojima et al. [43 ] demonstrated an increase in the phosphorylation of c-Jun in the Caco-2 cell line after exposure to Stx1. Collectively, these data suggest that in response to ribotoxic stress following the exposure of THP-1 cells to Stx1, JNK1 and -2 isoforms may be activated to regulate TNF-{alpha} expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional stages.

We show that treatment of THP-1 cells with Stx1 results in the activation of p38, and the p38 inhibitor SB202190 partially reduces the quantities of secreted TNF-{alpha} detectable after treatment of cells with Stx1. The linkage between activation of the p38 cascade and cytokine expression remains to be fully characterized. Wang et al. [39 ] demonstrated that in LPS-treated human monocytes, p38 activation was associated with enhanced stability of cytokine mRNA transcripts; i.e., in the presence of SB202190, the stabilities of TNF-{alpha}, IL-6, and macrophage-inflammatory protein-1{alpha} (MIP-1{alpha}) mRNAs decreased. In addition, p38 activation has been linked to control of TNF-{alpha} mRNA translation by regulating the phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF4E [44 ].The precise biological role of p38 activation in Stx1-treated THP-1 cells is currently unknown. Work in our laboratory is being conducted to understand the relationship between p38 activation and TNF-{alpha} transcriptional activation, translation initiation, and mRNA stability.

The result of Shiga toxin-induced activation of JNK and p38 cascades may not be limited to induction of proinflammatory cytokines. Thorpe et al. [45 ] demonstrated that human intestinal epithelial cells exposed to Stx1 or Stx2 express the chemokine IL-8, and IL-8 expression was inhibited by SB202190 treatment, linking Shiga toxin-induced chemokine expression with p38 activation. Thus, activation of the JNK and p38 cascades may represent a universal cellular response to protein-synthesis inhibitors acting at a particular site in the ribosome. Whether a cell type will respond to Shiga toxins by JNK and p38 activation may be determined by levels of membrane expression of Gb3, relative ratios of Gb3 isoforms (short-carbon chain vs. long-carbon chain fatty acids; [46 ]), and the appropriate routing of the toxins to the ER. The mechanism(s) regulating the types of genes activated following Shiga toxin-induced JNK and/or p38 activation (e.g., chemokines vs. cytokines) remains to be determined. Figure 6 is a summary of the known intracellular signaling events that have been determined to occur in differentiated THP-1 cells following Stx1 exposure.



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Figure 6. Summary of intracellular signaling events determined to occur in differentiated THP-1 cells following Stx1 exposure and leading to the expression of TNF-{alpha}. Following binding and internalization of enzymatically active Stx1, ribosomal damage at the peptidyltransferase center generates a stress response leading to the activation of the kinases PKC [14 ], JNK1 and -2, and p38. Blockade of PKC and p38 leads to a reduction in TNF-{alpha} production, although the mechanisms by which these kinases regulate the transcription and/or translation of TNF-{alpha} are still not clearly understood. In addition, cytoplasmic I{kappa}B is degraded with a coincident activation and nuclear translocation of NF-{kappa}B and an increase in binding of AP-1 [13 ]. These two transcription factors may interact with the TNF-{alpha} promoter to up-regulate transcription in response to the toxin.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 
This work was supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant AI-34530 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. We thank Dr. Roderick McCallum for the kind gift the RAW 264.7 cells and Ms. Lisa Harrison for her excellent technical assistance.

Received July 25, 2001; accepted August 21, 2001.


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