Pp60c-src mediates ERK activation/nuclear localization and PAI-1 gene expression in response to cellular deformation

Release of transcellular tension upon disruption of actin stress fibers with cytochalasin D (CD) and associated changes in cell morphology are reflected in the rapid transcription of "deformation-responsive" genes. For certain genes (e.g., urokinase plasminogen activator and its type-1 inhibitor PAI-1), de novo mRNA synthesis appears to require cell shape-dependent activation of the MAP kinases ERK1/2. ERK activation in response to microfilament disruption was inhibited completely by the broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein and the relatively src-kinase selective compound PP1. Such inhibitor sensitivity profiles suggested that src-family members, likely pp60(c-src), were important upstream elements in deformation-related ERK activation. pp60(c-src) kinase activity was elevated fourfold within 15 min after CD addition to quiescent R22 smooth muscle cells and declined quickly thereafter. CD-induced increases in the phosphorylation levels of both pp60(c-src) and IgG heavy chain (a substrate target in the coupled immunoprecipitation/in vitro pp60(c-src) kinase assay) were ablated completely by pretreatment with the src-type kinase inhibitor PP1. Prior PP1 exposure similarly repressed CD-stimulated PAI-1 transcript accumulation. Consistent with the pharmacologic findings, transfection of a dominant-negative pp60(c-src) expression construct (DN-Src) effectively suppressed (in a concentration-dependent manner) CD-induced PAI-1 synthesis in R22 cells. To more specifically address the potential involvement of src kinases in CD-initiated ERK mobilization, R22 cells were transiently co-transfected with DN-Src and Myc-tagged ERK2 expression constructs, serum-deprived then stimulated with CD. The effect of DN-Src expression on endogenous ERK1/2 activation and nuclear translocation was assessed in separate experiments. The phosphorylation levels of both exogenous (Myc-ERK2) and endogenous ERK1/2 targets was significantly reduced by DN-Src; nuclear accumulation of pERK1/2 was completely inhibited. These data indicate that pp60(c-src) is a critical upstream activator of the ERK cascade leading to PAI-1 transcription in response to cellular deformation stimuli.