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The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 166: 5646-5653.
Copyright © 2001 by The American Association of Immunologists

Isoforms of Jun Kinase Are Differentially Expressed and Activated in Human Monocyte/Macrophage (THP-1) Cells1

Stephen C. Dreskin2,*, Gregory W. Thomas*, Sara N. Dale* and Lynn E. Heasley{dagger}

* Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and {dagger} Division of Nephrology, Departments of Medicine and Immunology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Ten isoforms of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) have been described that arise by differential mRNA splicing of three genes. In that the relative expression and function of these different JNK proteins in human monocytic cells is not known, we have examined the JNK isoforms in THP-1 monocyte/macrophage cells. Differentiation of THP-1 cells by exposure to 10-8 M PMA for 42–48 h enhances cellular responses to LPS, including enhanced activation of total JNK activity and increased phosphorylation of p54 JNK as well as p46 JNK. Examination of JNK proteins on Western blots reveals a predominance of p46 JNK1 and p54 JNK2 proteins. Clearing of lysates by immunoprecipitation of JNK1(99% effective) removes 46% of the JNK enzymatic activity (p < 0.01), whereas clearing of JNK1 plus JNK2 (70% effective) depletes the sample of 72% of the JNK activity (p < 0.01). Further analysis, undertaken with real-time RT-PCR, revealed that 98% of the JNK messages code for three isoforms: JNK1{beta}1, JNK2{alpha}1, and JNK2{alpha}2. The p54 JNK that is phosphorylated in LPS-stimulated, PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells is most likely JNK2{alpha}2 because 97% of the p54 JNK-encoding messages code for JNK2{alpha}2. By analogous reasoning, the p46 JNKs that are not heavily phosphorylated, but account for approximately half of the N-terminal c-jun kinase enzymatic activity, are most likely either JNK1{beta}1 or JNK2{alpha}1 because they account for 98% of the messages that can code for 46kDa JNKs.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1, can be induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells by treatment with 10-8 M PMA for 48 h (1). The differentiated cells adhere, stop proliferating, demonstrate increased phagocytosis of latex beads, and have increased expression of CD14, the receptor for LPS. In addition, their response to LPS as measured by release of TNF-{alpha} is greatly enhanced (1). Thus, differentiated THP-1 cells serve as an excellent model system for identification of pathways that are important in LPS-mediated gene activation.

LPS, a major outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, causes tissue injury and shock by activation of monocytes and macrophages and subsequent release of multiple proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-{alpha}, arachidonic acid products such as PGE2, PGF2{alpha}, and leukotriene C4, and increased expression of adhesion molecules (2, 3, 4, 5). LPS bound to a plasma protein, the LPS-binding protein, interacts with CD14, a GPI-linked surface protein that transduces its signal by association with Toll-like receptors (e.g., TLR2). Responses to LPS are characterized by activation of multiple intracellular pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)3 and NF-{kappa}B (5, 6, 7).

Members of the MAPK family of protein kinases include the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), the p42 and p44 extracellular signal receptor kinases (ERKs), and the p38 kinases (8, 9, 10). All MAPKs are activated by phosphorylation of conserved threonine and tyrosine residues that are present in distinct triads in kinase domain VII: TPY for JNKs, TEY for ERKs, and TGY for p38 kinases (9, 11). The MAPKs are likely associated with their upstream activators and their downstream targets via molecular scaffolds that enhance transduction of signals from the plasma membrane to the nucleus and may be further regulated by association with phosphatases (12). The JNKs, ERKs, and p38 kinases influence gene transcription based on their ability to phosphorylate and activate multiple transcription factors including c-Jun, JunD, ATF-2, Sap-1a, and Elk-1 (8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). In combination with each other and with other transcription factors (e.g., NF-{kappa}B), these proteins bind to critical regions in the promoters of genes that are important for cell growth and for inflammatory responses (11, 14).

Ten separate JNK isoforms have been identified as the products of three genes with two alternative splice sites in jnk1 and jnk2 and one splice site in jnk3 (see Ref. 13). The first splice site, which is present in jnk1 and jnk2, determines whether the resulting protein will be the {alpha} or the {beta} isoform. The second splice site, which is present in all three jnk genes, dictates whether the p46 or p54 isoforms are encoded. The smaller p46 JNKs are referred to as JNK1{alpha}1, JNK1{beta}1, JNK2{alpha}1, JNK2{beta}1, and JNK3{alpha}1. The p54 JNK proteins are referred to as JNK1{alpha}2, JNK1{beta}2, JNK2{alpha}2, JNK2{beta}2, and JNK3{alpha}2. Messenger RNA for JNK1 and 2 is expressed in all tissues, whereas JNK3 is reported to be predominately found in the brain and testis (20). Although JNK1 and JNK2 are ubiquitously expressed, the relative expression of the different splice variants has not been reported. Although the JNK isoforms may share functions in some settings, there is experimental evidence that the JNK isoforms are not redundant. For example, JNK2{alpha}1 and JNK2{alpha}2 bind c-jun 5–10 times more strongly than do JNK1{alpha}1 and JNK1{alpha}2, suggesting that these isoforms may target different groups of substrates in vivo (10). Furthermore, JNK1 but not JNK2 rescues the HOG1 osmotic stress pathways in yeast (21), an inhibitory mutant of JNK1 but not of JNK2 reduces UV radiation-induced apoptosis in small cell lung cancer cells (22), and expression of an inhibitory mutant of JNK2 but not JNK1 sensitizes renal epithelial cells to hypertonic stress (23). Antisense JNK2 inhibits epidermal growth factor-induced growth of A549 lung carcinoma cells (24). There is preferential activation of JNK2{alpha}2 and JNK3{alpha}2 in PC-12 cells by UV radiation (25), and there is preferential activation of a p46 isoform of JNK in murine macrophages activated by TNF-{alpha} (26, 27). The p38 inhibitor SB203580 has differential effects on JNK isoforms, inhibiting the {beta} but not the {alpha} splice variants of JNK2 at 2–10 µM (28, 29). Finally, jnk1 and jnk2 knockout mice have distinct defects in T cell function (30, 31, 32). CD4 T cells from jnk1 knockout mice have markedly reduced JNK activity and preferentially differentiate into Th2 cells with increased accumulation of Th2 cytokines (30). Jnk2 knockout mice have reduced JNK activity (after anti-CD3) in CD4+ Th1 cells and normal JNK activity in Th2 cells (31).

Given the possibility that JNK isoforms have specific roles, we have examined the isoforms of jun kinases in THP-1 cells and find evidence of unexpected restriction in both their expression and activation.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Reagents

Soluble and agarose-linked rabbit polyclonal Abs to p46 JNK1 and JNK3 (JNK1/3; C-17) and to p54 JNK2 (N-18 and D-2) were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). Anti-phospho-JNK was from New England Biolabs (Beverly, MA). HRP-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG was purchased from Bio-Rad (Hercules, CA). A bacterially expression construct encoding the fusion protein GST c-jun1–79 was a gift from Gary L. Johnson (University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO) and was used to produce GST-c-jun1–79 immobilized on reduced glutathione-agarose beads (22). LPS derived from Eschericia coli 055:B5 (Difco, Detroit, MI) was stored at -20°C at 1 mg/ml and was vortexed vigorously before use. Nonidet P-40 was obtained as a 10% solution from Pierce (Rockford, IL). PMA and most other reagents were purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO).

Cells

THP-1 cells were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA) and grown according to their instructions. The cells were plated at 1–2 x 105/ml in LPS-free media and allowed to grow for 2–3 days in tissue culture dishes before differentiation with 10-8 M PMA for 42–48 h when >99% of the cells were adherent. Cells treated with DMSO alone did not differentiate. After exposure to PMA, cells were treated with LPS at 37°C at doses and times noted. All further steps were performed on ice or in the cold room unless otherwise noted.

Lysis of cells

Adherent cells (~3 x 106 in a 10 cm2 dish) were washed twice with ice-cold PBS and lysed. All steps were performed at 4°C. Cells were lysed in either JNK lysis buffer (25 mM HEPES, 20 mM {beta}-glycerophosphate, 300 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM DTT, 0.1% Triton X-100, 1 mM PMSF, 4 µg/ml aprotinin, 2 µg/ml leupeptin, and 0.1 mM Na3VO4; Ref. 22) or a modified RIPA buffer (1x PBS, 1% Nonidet P-40, 0.1% SDS, 0.25% sodium deoxycholate, 1 mM PMSF, 6 µg/ml aprotinin, 2 mM Na3VO4). The modified lysis buffer was necessary to obtain effective immunoprecipitation with preservation of kinase activity. Lysates were passed through a 22-gauge needle three times, clarified by centrifugation, and assayed for protein content (Pierce).

Clearing by immunoprecipitation

Each lysate was exposed to specific Abs linked to agarose beads in the modified RIPA buffer for 2 h at 4°C with rocking. Immunoprecipitates were removed by brief centrifugation and the resulting "cleared" supernatants analyzed as described in the text.

In vitro kinase assays

Protein (50 µg) in 500 µl of JNK lysis buffer was incubated with 20 µl of a 1:1 slurry of GST-c-jun1–79 agarose beads for 2 h. The beads were washed and transferred to JNK assay buffer containing [{gamma}-32P]ATP, and JNK activity was determined (33). For the experiments shown in Fig. 3Go, A and B, 32P incorporated into GST-c-jun1–79 was quantitated with a phosphoimager and ImageQuant software (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA).



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FIGURE 3. p46 JNK1/3 contributes significantly to JNK activity. Cells were differentiated with PMA (10-8 M) for 48 h, treated with LPS or LPS-free deionized water for 15 min at 37°C, and lysed in modified RIPA. Lysates (1 mg protein/ml) were cleared with anti-JNK1 (C-17) agarose, anti-JNK2 (D-2) agarose, or both, as noted. The beads were removed by centrifugation and replicates of the resultant supernatants (50 µg/lane) were analyzed on either Western blots for the presence of JNK1 (C-17; upper panels), JNK2 (N-18; second panels), phospho-JNK (third panels from the top), or JNK (lower panels). A, Western blots and an autoradiograph from a single representative experiment. B, Summary data from three to four separate experiments (mean ± SD). ECL exposure was 10 s to 5 min for JNK1 and JNK2 and 5 min to 30 min for pJNK. Autoradiography (JNK assay) was conducted for 2 to 18 h. Quantitation of Western blots and the jun kinase assay were conducted as described in Materials and Methods. In B, all data were normalized to the density or radioactivity present in the lane stimulated with LPS but not exposed to Ab-agarose conjugates.

 
Western blots

Lysates containing 50–100 µg of protein (as noted) were boiled in sample buffer for 5 min, run on 12% SDS-PAGE, and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Membranes were blocked with 5% blotto in TBS as recommended by NEB, probed with Abs as noted, and developed with ECL (Santa Cruz Biotechnology). Quantitation of exposed photographic film was performed with Nucleotech GelExpert software (Nucleotech, San Mateo, CA). Films chosen for quantitation were relatively underexposed to keep the bands within the relatively narrow dynamic range of the ECL method.

Generation of cDNA standards for the JNK isoforms

The cDNAs for human JNK1{alpha}1, JNK1{alpha}2, JNK1{beta}1, JNK1{beta}2, JNK2{alpha}1, JNK2{alpha}2, JNK2{beta}1, and JNK2{beta}2 isoforms were cloned using primers based on published sequences or constructed in the expression vector, LNCX, using procedures described previously (25). cDNAs for rat JNK3{alpha}1 and JNK3{alpha}2 were as described previously (25). Compared with human JNK3s, rat JNK3s are 89% homologous in the splice regions chosen for the primer pairs and 100% homologous in the region chosen for the TaqMan probe. The cloned cDNAs were checked by sequencing.

RT-PCR

Quantitative, fluorescent PCR was performed using the TaqMan system (ABI 7700; PE Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). Sequences for human JNKs were obtained from GenBank and aligned with MacDNAISIS Pro version 3.5 (Hitachi Software Engineering, South San Francisco, CA). We chose forward primers and reverse primers to overlay the {alpha} and {beta} splice sites for jnk1 and jnk2 and to overlay the {beta} splice site and a conserved 3' untranslated region for jnk3. TaqMan probes were chosen to be used with these primers with Primer Express version. 1.0 (PE Applied Biosystems). Forward and reverse primers were made by Operon (Alameda, CA), whereas TaqMan probes were made by PE Applied Biosystems. The primers and probes used in these studies are shown (Table IGo).


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Table I. Primers and probes used for real-time PCR

 
RNA was extracted by using Rneasy kit (Qiagen, Chatsworth, CA) from 3–5 x 106 THP-1 cells and treated with DNase to remove genomic DNA. The reverse transcriptase reaction was performed with random hexamers (34).

PCRs for the individual JNKs and for ribosomal RNA were performed in duplicate in 25 µl of total reaction volumes with 175 nM TaqMan probe, 1.25 U AmpliTaq gold (PE Applied Biosystems), 1x TaqMan PCR buffer (PE Applied Biosystems), 200 µM dNTP, plus forward primers, reverse primers, and variable amounts of magnesium optimized for each primer set (Table IIGo). Primers and probes for ribosomal RNA, purchased from PE Applied Biosystems, served as an internal control. Thermal cycling was performed with 10-min denaturation at 95°C, followed by 50 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 60°C for 20 s, then 72°C for 1 min in the ABI Prism 7700 detection system (PE Applied Biosystems).


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Table II. Conditions for real-time PCR

 
Levels of cDNA for each JNK isoform generated from cellular RNA were calculated by using standard curves generated with bona fide human cDNAs for the JNK1 and JNK2 isoforms and with rat cDNA for the JNK3 isoforms where there is a linear relationship between the number of cycles required to exceed threshold and the number of copies of cDNA added (34). The use of rat JNK3 cDNAs as standards and primers based on the human sequences for the JNK3 standard curves may cause an overestimate of the amount of JNK3{alpha}1 and JNK3{alpha}2. Qualitative PCR was performed by using the same conditions but without the TaqMan probe.

Statistics

Data were analyzed with unpaired, two-tailed t tests using the statistical software supplied with GraphPad Prism, version 2.0b (GraphPad, San Diego, CA).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Differentiated THP-1 cells demonstrate robust activation of JNK activity after treatment with LPS

THP-1 cells, after differentiation with PMA, produce large amounts of TNF-{alpha} after treatment with LPS (1). We were interested in discovering if these cells were a useful system in which to study activation of the JNK pathway and found that the level of the total JNK activity in response to LPS is dramatically enhanced after differentiation with PMA (Fig. 1Go). Furthermore, there is a shift in the dose response toward lower doses of LPS for maximal activation and in the time course toward earlier times. These observations demonstrate that differentiated THP-1 cells are a useful model to explore the expression and activation of JNK proteins in human monocyte/macrophages.



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FIGURE 1. Differentiated THP-1 cells have enhanced LPS-mediated activation of JNK activity. THP-1 cells (2–4 x 106) were treated with DMSO (PMA-negative, left panels) or PMA (10-8 M, right panels) for 48 h, LPS-free deionized water or with LPS at varying doses for 15 min. (top), or with 100 ng/ml of LPS for varying times (bottom), lysed, and assayed for c-jun kinase activity as described in Materials and Methods. These autographs were exposed for 10 min.

 
Increased JNK activity after differentiation corresponds to increased phosphorylation of JNKs and not to levels of expression

We next asked whether there is increased ability of LPS to cause phosphorylation of JNKs in the differentiated vs the undifferentiated cells. Although it is known that PMA up-regulates CD14 expression in these cells, we also wanted to know if there are changes in the expression of p46 and/or p54 JNKs after differentiation. Undifferentiated and differentiated THP-1 cells were triggered with LPS and lysates and were analyzed on Western blots with Abs to JNK1/3, JNK2, and phosphorylated JNK (Fig. 2Go). Treatment of differentiated THP-1 cells with LPS leads to phosphorylation of a dominant JNK polypeptide at 54 kDa (pp54) and several more faintly phosphorylated polypeptides in the 46-kDa (pp46) range (Fig. 2Go, upper panel). This phosphorylation is dramatically more than that seen in undifferentiated cells and is compatible with the increase in JNK activity (see Fig. 1Go). A similar preponderance of pp54 over pp46 was seen with the murine monoclonal anti-phospho-JNK Ab from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (data not shown). These blots were stripped and reprobed with Abs to JNK1/3 (C-17) and to JNK2 (N-18; Fig. 2Go, lower panel) revealing the presence of p46 JNK1/3 and p54JNK2. With longer exposure, a p54JNK1/3 band and a p46 JNK2 band can be seen (not shown in this figure). The p54 phospho-JNK band aligned with the p54 JNK2 band and not with the p54JNK1/3 band (data not shown). Of note, with differentiation, there is no increase in the mass of either p46 JNK1/3, p54 JNK1/3, p46 JNK2, or p54 JNK2. However, there is loss of a p46 JNK1/3 band (Fig. 2Go, lower panel, lanes 1 and 2).



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FIGURE 2. LPS-mediated phosphorylation of p46 and p54 JNK family members is increased in differentiated THP-1 cells without an increase in mass of JNK1/3 or JNK2. Cells were treated and handled as described in the legend to Fig. 1Go. Lysates (100 µg/lane; large-format gel) were analyzed on Western blots with an Ab to phosphorylated JNK. ECL exposure was 1 h. Two replicate experiments gave similar results.

 
JNK1/3 and JNK2 proteins can be distinguished

The anti-JNK1/3 (C-17) used in this analysis is reported to predominantly recognize p46 isoforms of JNK1 and JNK3, whereas the anti-JNK2 Abs (N-18 and D-2) predominantly recognizes p54 JNK2 (35). To demonstrate that these Abs recognize the requisite family of JNK proteins, lysates from differentiated THP-1 cells stimulated with LPS were subjected to clearing by immunoprecipitation with either anti-JNK1/3 (C-17)-agarose or with anti-JNK2 (D-2)-agarose, and the resultant supernatants were probed for JNK1/3 and JNK2 (Fig. 3Go, A and B, top two panels). To analyze the results of these experiments, the density of bands on lightly exposed ECL-detected blots were measured by semiquantitative scanning. As can be seen, in the top two panels of Fig. 3GoB, the C-17 anti-JNK1/3 Ab removed 99% of the predominant p46 band and a less prominent p54 band that are recognized by the C-17 Ab (p < 0.001) and 20% the p54 band that is recognized by the N-18 anti-JNK2 Ab (not statistically significant). The D-2 anti-JNK2 Ab also was effective, removing 70% of the predominant p54 band that is recognized by the N-18 Ab (p < 0.002) but was less specific, removing 50% the p46 and p54 bands recognized by the anti-JNK1/3 Ab (p = 0.02). Of note, the anti-JNK2 (D-2) Ab was more efficient in clearing the JNK2 proteins from lysates of cells that had not been activated with LPS (data not shown).

Anti-phospho-JNK Western blots are not significantly changed after clearing of JNK isoforms by immunoprecipitation.

The same cleared lysates used in the Western blots in Fig. 3GoA were probed in parallel for reactivity with anti-phospho JNK. As can be seen in Fig. 3GoA and in the summary data from three to four separate experiments in Fig. 3GoB, there is little diminution in the pJNK signal after clearing of JNK isoforms by immunoprecipitation, even with both Abs. None of these changes were statistically significant even though significant amounts of JNK1/3 and JNK2 were consistently removed.

JNK1 proteins account for approximately half of the JNK activity

The increased phosphorylation of the p54 JNK proteins compared with the p46 proteins and the observation that the phospho-JNK band aligned best with the p54 JNK2 band suggested that there may be a disproportionate contribution of JNK2 to the JNK enzymatic activity. To address this question, lysates from the LPS-treated cells described above were assayed for c-jun N-terminal kinase activity. Compared with the uncleared lysates, the JNK enzymatic activity was reduced by 46% (p < 0.01) by removing the 99% of the JNK1/3 isoforms (p < 0.001) and further depleted after clearing by immunoprecipitation with both Abs (72%, p < 0.01; Fig. 3Go, A and B, lower panels). The ability of the D-2 Ab alone to clear N-terminal c-jun kinase activity was variable in our four experiments and did not achieve statistical significance.

RT-PCR of JNK isoforms

The precise nature of the proteins detected as p46 and p54 JNKs is unknown, as both the p46 and p54 bands, based on predicted protein size derived from the primary amino acid sequences, could each contain proteins of up to five different JNK isoforms. With the limitation that expression of mRNA does not always correlate with expression of protein, we felt that analysis of mRNA for each of the JNKs may shed some light on the nature of the JNK isoforms expressed in differentiated THP-1 cells. To do this, we elected to examine, first qualitatively and then quantitatively, the levels of mRNA for each of the JNK isoforms in differentiated THP-1 cells. Control data that demonstrate our ability under the conditions used for quantitative (TaqMan) PCR to amplify cDNA for each JNK isoform are shown (Fig. 4Go). This figure shows each primer/probe combination as listed in Table IGo under conditions listed in Table IIGo to amplify bona fide message and to not amplify cDNA for the two other JNK isoforms most likely to show cross-reactivity. Additional experiments demonstrated that there was no cross-reactivity with the other JNK isoforms with less similar nucleotide sequences (data not shown). The only significant cross-reactivity is the amplification of JNK2{alpha}1 by the JNK2{alpha}2 probes. Although this is a concern in qualitative RT-PCR, it is easily handled in the quantitative approach (see below).



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FIGURE 4. PCR for JNK isoforms. PCR was conducted for 35 cycles with the chosen primer pairs and bona fide cDNA containing the indicated JNK isoforms as described in Materials and Methods and in Tables IGo and IIGo. The first lane of each set of three lanes contains the appropriate cDNA for the primer pairs being tested. The second two lanes of each set of three lanes contains cDNA for the JNK isoform most likely to cross-react with the primer pairs being tested. DNA was stained with ethidium bromide. Other combinations with less homology also were tested and found to have no cross-reactivity (data not show).

 
Initial experiments with qualitative RT-PCR provided evidence that four separate JNK isoforms are expressed in differentiated THP-1 cells: JNK1{alpha}1, JNK1{beta}1, JNK2{alpha}1, and JNK2{alpha}2 (Fig. 5Go). Notably, only one of the five potential p54 JNKs, JNK2{alpha}2, is detected. There is little or no mRNA for JNK1{alpha}2, JNK1{beta}2, JNK2{beta}1, JNK2{beta}2, JNK3{alpha}2, or JNK3{alpha}2, although these species are readily amplified from bona fide cDNAs. Therefore, it is likely that the predominant phosphorylated p54 JNK (Fig. 2Go) is JNK2{alpha}2. Furthermore, amplified DNA is easily detected for three of the five potential p46 JNKs: JNK1{alpha}1, JNK1{beta}1, and JNK2{alpha}1.



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FIGURE 5. RT-PCR of JNK isoforms in THP-1 cells. THP-1 cells were differentiated, RNA was extracted, and RT-PCR was performed as described in Fig. 4Go. DNA was stained with ethidium bromide. Undifferentiated THP-1 cells yielded a similar pattern (data not shown).

 
Because qualitative RT-PCR is severely limited due to differences in the efficiency of priming with different primer pairs, we used the TaqMan system to establish the frequencies of JNK isoform cDNA obtained from total RNA by reverse transcription with random hexamers (36). Typical standard curves for JNK2{alpha}1 and JNK2{alpha}2, the two isoforms that were the most difficult to resolve are shown (Fig. 6Go). Copy number for JNK 2{alpha}1 can be measured without interference from JNK2{alpha}2, whereas measurement of JNK2{alpha}2 requires a correction for JNK2{alpha}1 that is incorrectly detected by the JNK2{alpha}2 primer/probe combination (print over of ~40%). This was determined from data such as that shown in Fig. 6Go, where the primers and probe for JNK2{alpha}2 are able to detect JNK 2{alpha}1 sequences (Fig. 6GoB). Therefore, the number of copies of JNK2{alpha}2 needs to be reduced by 37% of the number of copies of JNK2{alpha}1, determined independently with the JNK2{alpha}1 primers and probe that do not detect JNK2{alpha}2 (Fig. 6GoA).



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FIGURE 6. Real-time RT-PCR. Representative standard curves for JNK2{alpha}1 (A) and for JNK2{alpha}2 (B) are shown. Real-time RT-PCR was performed with bona fide cDNA as described in Materials and Methods but with the addition of the TaqMan probes and analysis on the Perkin-Elmer 7700 (Perkin-Elmer, Norwalk, CT) instead of with ethidium bromide. {square}, JNK2{alpha}1 template; {diamond}, JNK2{alpha}2 template.

 
For quantitative PCR, total RNA was isolated from differentiated THP-1 cells, reverse transcribed, and assayed in TaqMan assays for each JNK isoform with standard curves based on bona fide cDNAs for each JNK. Assuming that the reverse transcriptase reaction with random hexamers reverse transcribes each JNK message equivalently, we are able to calculate the proportionate number of copies of each JNK isoform (Table IIIGo). These values are proportionate and not absolute because reverse transcription is not 100% efficient. Surprisingly, only 3 (JNK1{beta}1, JNK2{alpha}1, and JNK2{alpha}2) of 10 possible isoforms account for 98% of the JNK message in differentiated THP-1 cells and only one isoform, JNK2{alpha}2, accounts for 97% of the message for the p54 JNKs. Although JNK1{alpha}1 is seen on qualitative RT-PCR (Fig. 5Go), it accounts for only 0.6% of the total JNK mRNA (Table IIIGo). An analysis of JNK expression in undifferentiated cells reveals similar data except that there is more expression of JNK1{alpha}1 (3.6% of the p46 JNKs and 6.3% of the JNK1 p46 message, data not shown).


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Table III. Expression of mRNA for each of the JNK isoforms in differentiated THP-1 cellsa

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
These experiments were designed to determine the expression of JNK isoforms and their activation after treatment with LPS in human THP-1 monocyte/macrophages. In initial experiments, we demonstrated that THP-1 cells differentiated with PMA robustly activate JNKs when triggered with LPS and, thus, are a satisfactory model system in which to explore this pathway (Fig. 1Go). We next proceeded to examine the nature of the JNK polypeptides at protein, phosphoprotein, and activity levels and then attempted to further understand the contributions of various isoforms by analyzing the expression of these isoforms at the mRNA level.

The anti-phospho-JNK Abs used in these studies are predicted to recognize equally the phosphorylated versions of p46 and p54 JNK in that there is 100% homology among the JNKs in the region of the critical phosphorylated threonine and tyrosine (13, 27). Therefore, these Abs are able to identify phosphorylated p46 and p54 JNKs but cannot distinguish among the JNK1, JNK2, and JNK3 proteins. We found that after activation of either the undifferentiated or the differentiated cells with LPS, there is predominant phosphorylation of a p54 JNK band and that this is dramatically increased in the differentiated cells (Fig. 2Go). This mirrors the changes in LPS-activated total JNK activity (Fig. 1Go). This increased phophorylation of JNKs and increased JNK activity is likely attributable, at least in part, to up-regulation of CD14 (Ref. 1) and our data, not shown) and is not attributable to increased expression of JNK proteins (Fig. 2Go). Other possibilities that have not been addressed include increased expression of MAPK kinase (MKK) 4 and/or MKK7 and increased expression of MKK kinases or scaffolding proteins that could integrate signaling by LPS.

Distinction among the jun kinase isoforms within cells and in cellular extracts is both confusing and inexact at the present time. Part of the confusion arises from the initial descriptions of JNK1 as a 46-kDa protein and JNK2 as a 54-kDa protein. The appreciation that there are p54 JNK1s as well as p46 JNK2s arose from molecular cloning that occurred after the commercially available Abs used in these studies were described. Thus, the anti-JNK1/3 (C-17) Ab from Santa Cruz Biotechnology is said to identify predominantly p46 JNK1 and p46 JNK3 and the anti-JNK2 Abs (D-2 and N-18) are said to identify predominantly p54 JNK2. In our hands, there is some cross-recognition in immunoprecipitation experiments of JNK1/3 by the anti-JNK2 Abs (D-2) and of JNK2 by the anti-JNK1/3 Ab (C-17; Fig. 3Go). On Western blots, the anti-JNK1/3 Ab (C-17) recognizes a p54 kDa band that migrates slightly slower than the JNK2 p54 band recognized by the N-18 anti-JNK2 Ab. This could be JNK1{alpha}2, JNK1{beta}2, or JNK3{alpha}2. Because mRNA for JNK3{alpha}2 is detected but not for JNK1{alpha}2 or JNK1{beta}2, we conclude that this is most likely JNK3{alpha}2. In a similar fashion, the anti-JNK2 Ab (N-18) recognizes a faint p46 band that migrates slightly faster than the p46 JNK1 band recognized by the C-17 anti-JNK1/3 Ab. This could be JNK2{alpha}1 or JNK2{beta}1. Because there are many more copies of JNk2{alpha}1 than for JNK2{beta}1, we conclude this is most likely JNK2{alpha}1.

We have attempted to identify the isoform(s) responsible for the JNK activity in LPS-stimulated, PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells. We first examined the phosphorylated JNK bands by stripping a large-format, phospho-JNK Western blot (Fig. 2Go) and reprobing it with anti-JNK1 or anti-JNK2. This reveals that the phosphorylated p54 band comigrates with the p54JNK2 band and not the p54 band seen with the anti-JNK1/3 Ab (data not shown). Unexpectedly, after clearing of lysates with immunoprecipitation of JNK1/3 and/or JNK2, there is a poor relationship between the level of phosphorylated p54 JNK seen on anti-phospho-JNK Western blot and the JNK activity (Fig. 3Go). Possible explanations for this observation include lack of linearity of the anti-phospho-JNK immunoblot, lack of equivalent binding of the Ab with different phospho-JNKs, and existence of a JNK isoform that is not reactive with either the anti-JNK1/3 or anti-JNK2 used in this study.

However, although it is generally accepted that the level of phosphorylation of JNKs correlates with their activity, a lack of concordance has been reported previously in murine macrophages activated with TNF-{alpha}. In these cells, there was near equal phosphorylation of p46 and p54 JNKs after treatment with TNF-{alpha}, but the kinase activity was predominantly associated with the p46 JNKs (27). This is compatible with our findings that the p46 JNKs are less strongly phosphorylated than are the p54 JNKs, but the JNK1 species, which are predominantly p46, account for ~50% of the JNK enzymatic activity (Fig. 3Go).

Delineation of the individual JNK isoforms at the level of the first splice site ({alpha} vs {beta}) is inexact because there currently are no reagents available to distinguish the {alpha} from the {beta} isoforms at the protein level. To approach this problem, we used RT-PCR in an attempt to make some reasonable statements regarding the possible components of the p46 and p54 JNK species. The data in Fig. 4Go demonstrate that the primer pairs and probes we chose, with the exception of the JNK 2{alpha}2 reagents, had the needed specificity. We first performed qualitative RT-PCR and found that only 4 of the possible 10 isoforms are expressed (Fig. 5Go). Then we performed real-time, quantitative PCR with the TaqMan technique. Although our analysis includes numbers of copies for each isoform, there was significant variability among our five experiments, so we chose to focus on the relative amounts of each isoform. Analysis of mRNA by real-time, RT-PCR reveals that JNK2{alpha}2 mRNA is the predominant (97%) of the p54 isoform, with JNK2{beta}2 the next most-prevalent p54 isoform, representing 1.5% (Table IIIGo). The only p54 mRNA for that encodes for a protein that could be recognized by the C-17 anti-JNK1/3 Ab is JNK3{alpha}2 that represents 1% of the total p54 message. These data are compatible with the Western blot data (Fig. 2Go and Fig. 3GoA) where the JNK1/3 p54 band is much more faint than the JNK1/3 p46 band.

Regarding the p46 species, the data from real-time RT-PCR are compatible with the presence of two predominant species, JNK1{beta}1 and JNK2{alpha}1. It is unknown whether the faintness of the p46 JNK2 band seen on the anti-JNK2 Western (Fig. 3Go) is attributable to lack of JNK2{alpha}1 protein (translational regulation) or to lower affinity of the Ab for p46 JNK2 compared with p54 JNK2. Finally, the p46 species that is seen in the undifferentiated cells but not after differentiation (Fig. 2Go, lower panel), is likely JNK1{alpha}1 because its expression decreases with differentiation (TaqMan RT PCR, data not shown).

In summary, we have demonstrated that the THP-1 cell line, after differentiation with PMA, is an excellent model system for studying the LPS-mediated activation of the JNK pathway in human monocyte/macrophages. We have determined that whereas both p46 and p54 polypeptides are phosphorylated after treatment of these cells with LPS, only selected isoforms are present and activated. Based on the RT-PCR data, it is likely that the p54 JNK molecules are predominantly JNK2{alpha}2 and the p46 molecules are predominantly JNK1{beta}1 and JNK2{alpha}1. This is particularly interesting because these isoforms are the ones reported to bind c-jun most strongly (13). Finally, we have shown that p46 JNK1, although not strongly phosphorylated as defined with the anti-phospho-JNK Ab, accounts for ~50% of the LPS-stimulated c-jun N-terminal kinase activity in these cells.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Drs. Raphael A. Nemenoff and Brian L. Kotzin for helpful discussions and Kathy Utschinski for help with the final manuscript.


    Footnotes
 
1 This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants DK19928 and CA 58157 (to L.E.H.), and by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation , the Cancer League of Colorado, and divisional funds (to S.C.D.). Back

2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Stephen C. Dreskin, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262. Back

3 Abbreviations used in this paper: MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; JNK, c-jun N-terminal kinase; ERK, extracellular receptor kinase; MKK, MAPK kinase. Back

Received for publication February 15, 2000. Accepted for publication February 16, 2001.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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