Pathways of heat shock protein 28 phosphorylation by TNF in human fibroblasts

Treatment of human diploid FS-4 fibroblasts with TNF or IL-1 led to a rapid increase in the phosphorylation of a approximately 28-kDa protein. Increased phosphorylation was seen after 5 min of TNF treatment, it reached a plateau between 10 and 30 min, and decreased thereafter. Immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies identified the 28-kDa protein as a member of the family of small heat shock proteins (Hsp28). Treatment of cells with different kinase inhibitors (staurosporine, H7, H8, HA-1004, or chelerythrine chloride) failed to inhibit TNF-induced Hsp28 phosphorylation, suggesting that neither protein kinase C nor other common protein kinases were involved. Treatment of FS-4 cells with sodium arsenite led to a very strong increase in the phosphorylation of Hsp28 demonstrable after 5 min and persisting for at least 4 h. Tyrosine phosphorylation of pp42 and pp44 MAP kinases was increased by TNF treatment, whereas arsenite produced a modest increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of pp44 while decreasing that of pp42 MAP kinase. The finding that sodium arsenite strongly increased Hsp28 phosphorylation, together with the resistance of TNF-induced phosphorylation to kinase inhibitors, supports the notion that increased serine phosphorylation of Hsp28 in this system involves inhibition of protein phosphatase activity.