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  • Title: Modulation of Ras/Raf/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway by reactive oxygen species is involved in cyclic strain-induced early growth response-1 gene expression in endothelial cells.
    Author: Wung BS, Cheng JJ, Chao YJ, Hsieh HJ, Wang DL.
    Journal: Circ Res; 1999 Apr 16; 84(7):804-12. PubMed ID: 10205148.
    Abstract:
    Endothelial cells (ECs) exposed to cyclic strain induce gene expression. To elucidate the signaling mechanisms involved, we studied the effects of cyclic strain on ECs by using early growth response-1 (Egr-1) as a target gene. Cyclic strain induced a transient increase of Egr-1 mRNA levels that resulted in an increase of binding of nuclear proteins to the Egr-1 binding sequences in the platelet-derived growth factor-A promoter region. ECs subjected to strain enhanced Egr-1 transcription as revealed by promoter activities. Catalase pretreatment inhibited this induction. ECs, transfected with a dominant positive mutant of Ras (RasL61), increased Egr-1 promoter activities. In contrast, transfection with a dominant negative mutant of Ras (RasN17) attenuated this strain inducibility. ECs transfected with a dominant negative mutant of Raf-1 (Raf301) or the catalytically inactive mutant of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-2 (mERK2) diminished strain-induced promoter activities. However, little effect on strain inducibility was observed in ECs transfected with a dominant negative mutant of Rac (RacN17) or a catalytically inactive mutant of JNK (JNK[K-R]). Consistently, strain-induced Egr-1 expression was inhibited after ECs were treated with a specific inhibitor (PD98059) to mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. Moreover, strain to ECs induced mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK activity. The activation of the ERK pathway was further substantiated by an increase of strain-induced transcriptional activity of Elk1, an ERK substrate. This strain-induced ERK activity was attenuated after ECs were treated with N-acetylcysteine or catalase. Consequently, this Egr-1 gene induction was abolished after ECs were treated with N-acetylcysteine or catalase. Deletion analyses of the promoter region (-698 bp) indicated that cyclic strain and H2O2 shared a common serum response element. Our data clearly indicate that cyclic strain-induced Egr-1 expression is mediated mainly via the Ras/Raf-1/ERK pathway and that strain-induced reactive oxygen species can modulate Egr-1 expression at least partially via this signaling pathway.
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