Nuclear receptor CAR represses TNFalpha-induced cell death by interacting with the anti-apoptotic GADD45B

Yukio Yamamoto1, Rick Moore, Richard A Flavell

  • 1Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America.

Plos One
|April 21, 2010
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Phenobarbital (PB) promotes liver cancer by activating the CAR receptor. CAR targets GADD45B to repress cell death, offering new insights into PB-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) research
  • Molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis
  • Nuclear receptor signaling

Background:

  • Phenobarbital (PB) is a non-genotoxic carcinogen linked to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  • The Constitutive Active/Androstane Receptor (CAR) is activated by PB and promotes HCC.
  • The precise molecular mechanism of CAR-mediated tumor promotion is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel CAR targets involved in HCC promotion.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which CAR represses cell death.
  • To investigate the role of Growth Arrest and DNA Damage-inducible 45beta (GADD45B) in CAR-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Identification of GADD45B as a CAR target gene in mouse liver.
  • Treatment of primary hepatocytes from wild-type and knockout mice with TNFalpha and Actinomycin D.
  • Co-treatment with the CAR activator TCPOBOP.
  • In vitro protein-protein interaction and phosphorylation assays.

Main Results:

  • CAR activation by PB induces GADD45B expression in mouse liver during HCC development.
  • CAR interacts with GADD45B to repress TNFalpha-induced JNK1 phosphorylation and cell death.
  • TCPOBOP repressed JNK1 phosphorylation and cell death in wild-type but not CAR- or GADD45B-deficient hepatocytes.
  • CAR directly interacts with MKK7, inhibiting JNK1 phosphorylation.

Conclusions:

  • CAR forms a protein complex with GADD45B to inhibit MKK7-mediated JNK1 phosphorylation.
  • CAR represses primary hepatocyte death through GADD45B complex formation and MKK7 inhibition.
  • This study provides novel insights into the CAR-regulated molecular mechanisms underlying PB-induced HCC.

Related Concept Videos

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors01:31

Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors

Nuclear receptors, or NRs, are unique transcription factors that regulate gene transcription and affect the cellular pathways involved in reproduction, development, or metabolism. Their ability to be stimulated by small lipophilic ligands and control vital cellular processes makes them ideal drug targets. Nearly 10-15% of currently prescribed drugs target these receptors.
About 48 different soluble family members of nuclear receptors are identified that can be divided into two main classes:
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...