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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 46, 34955-34964, November 17, 2006
A Novel Mechanism of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-1 Activation by Interleukin-1 in Primary Human Astrocytes*![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1
From the
Received for publication, May 15, 2006 , and in revised form, September 27, 2006.
Reactive astrogliosis is the gliotic response to brain injury with activated astrocytes and microglia being the major effector cells. These cells secrete inflammatory cytokines, proteinases, and proteinase inhibitors that influence extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. In astrocytes, the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) is up-regulated by interleukin-1 (IL-1), which is a major neuroinflammatory cytokine. We report that IL-1 activates TIMP-1 expression via both the IKK/NF- B and MEK3/6/p38/ATF-2 pathways in astrocytes. The activation of the TIMP-1 gene can be blocked by using pharmacological inhibitors, including BAY11-7082 and SB202190, overexpression of the dominant-negative inhibitor of NF- B (I B SR), or by the knock-down of p65 subunit of NF- B. Binding of activated NF- B (p50/p65 heterodimer) and ATF-2 (homodimer) to two novel regulatory elements located 2.7 and 2.2 kb upstream of the TIMP-1 transcription start site, respectively, is required for full IL-1-responsiveness. Mutational analysis of these regulatory elements and their weak activity when linked to the minimal tk promoter suggest that cooperative binding is required to activate transcription. In contrast to astrocytes, we observed that TIMP-1 is expressed at lower levels in gliomas and is not regulated by IL-1. We provide evidence that the lack of TIMP-1 activation in gliomas results from either dysfunctional IKK/NF- B or MEK3/6/p38/ATF-2 activation by IL-1. In summary, we propose a novel mechanism of TIMP-1 regulation, which ensures an increased supply of the inhibitor after brain injury, and limits ECM degradation. This mechanism does not function in gliomas, and may in part explain the increased invasiveness of glioma cells.
The remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM),2 including the degradation of the ECM by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and its subsequent resynthesis, is critical during normal physiological processes, such as angiogenesis, embryonic development, organ morphogenesis, bone remodeling, and ovulation (1, 2). During these processes the proteolytic activity of MMPs is tightly controlled at the transcriptional level by growth factors, hormones, and cytokines, and at the protein level by proteolytic cleavage of inactive zymogens, and the inhibition by specific inhibitors, including tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) (2). The delicate balance between the activities of MMPs and TIMPs is critical to limit deleterious outcomes of uncontrolled degradation, which is manifested in pathological conditions such as periodontal disease, arthritis, tumor cell invasion, fibrosis, and neurodegenerative disorders (24). These pathological conditions often represent chronic inflammatory diseases suggesting that inflammatory mediators, including inflammatory cytokines, may disrupt the intricate balance between MMPs and TIMPs.
In the central nervous system (CNS), infection and injury induce a histopathological response known as reactive astrogliosis, which is the primary cause of regenerative failure in the mature CNS (57). During this response, activated astrocytes and microglia secrete MMPs, TIMPs, and a plethora of cytokines and growth factors that drastically change the proteolytic balance and affect ECM remodeling (810). IL-1 is one of the major neuroinflammatory cytokines that is detected in the CNS after brain injury, and affects the expression of several MMPs and TIMPs in astrocytes, microglia, and brain endothelial cells (1012). Thus far, four members of the TIMP family (TIMP-1 through TIMP-4) have been identified in mammals (2). Among TIMPs, TIMP-1 is encoded by a highly inducible gene, and is up-regulated in several cell types by IL-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor, epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor, and oncostatin M (OSM) (13). In the CNS, TIMP-1 expression is up-regulated in astrocytes following intracranial injury, with TIMP-2 expression up-regulated in microglia and neurons (8). Astrocytic TIMP-1 expression is also up-regulated in experimental autoimmune encephalitis, and in transgenic animals expressing cytokines in the brain (14). However, chronic inflammation associated with HIV-1-associated dementia is actually characterized by the decreased levels of TIMP-1 in both cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue, suggesting that prolonged activation of astrocytes leads to TIMP-1 down-regulation and, in turn, ECM degradation (10). In vitro, IL-1 significantly increases TIMP-1 expression in astrocytes, which recapitulates the in vivo findings from acute injury models (10, 15). Because TIMP-1 up-regulation in astrocytes prevents excessive ECM degradation, the mechanisms of TIMP-1 regulation may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets. We initiated this study with the aim of identifying the molecular mechanism that regulates TIMP-1 expression in astrocytes exposed to IL-1.
Cell CultureHuman cortical astrocyte cultures were established using dissociated human cerebral tissue established exactly as previously described (16). Cortical tissue was provided by Advanced Bioscience Resources (Alameda, CA), and the protocol for obtaining postmortem fetal neural tissue complied with the federal guidelines for fetal research and with the Uniformed Anatomical Gift Act. Human glioblastoma U373-MG cells were obtained from American Type Culture Collection, whereas human glioma A172, U251, and T98G cells were obtained from Dr. Jaharul Haque (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH). Cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, antibiotics, sodium pyruvate, and non-essential amino acids. Cytokines and Cell StimulationCells were stimulated with 25 ng/ml OSM (R&D, Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN) or 10 ng/ml IL-1 (a gift from Immunex Corp., Seattle, WA). For inhibitor studies, cells were pretreated with 1 µM SP600125, 10 µM BAY-117082, 10 µM SB202190, 5 µM parthenolide, 5 µg/ml actinomycin D (all from Sigma), 10 µM GF109203X, or 1 µM CAY10470 (EMD Biosciences, Inc. San Diego, CA), and then treated with IL-1. RNA Preparation and Northern Blot AnalysisTotal RNA was prepared by phenol extraction exactly as described previously (17). The filters were prehybridized at 65 °C for 3 h in 0.5 M sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.2, 7% SDS, and 1 mM EDTA, and hybridized in the same solution with cDNA fragments of TIMP-1 labeled by random priming (18). After the hybridization, nonspecifically bound radioactivity was removed by four washes in 40 mM phosphate buffer, 1% SDS, and 1 mM EDTA at 65 °C for 20 min each. Quantitative PCRTIMP-1 mRNA levels were measured using TaqMan technology (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) according to the supplier's instructions. Briefly, 1 µg of total RNA was reverse-transcribed using the High capacity cDNA archive kit (Applied Biosystems). Subsequently, the cDNAs were diluted 100-fold (TIMP-1) or 10,000-fold (18 S rRNA). For real-time PCR, pre-mixed primer probe sets and TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix were purchased from Applied Biosystems, and cDNAs were amplified using ABI 7900HT cycler.
Synthetic OligonucleotidesThe following oligonucleotides were synthesized to amplify the DNA fragments from the 5'-flanking region of the TIMP-1 gene: (1.0 + 1.0); 5'-AGGTCCATGGGGAGGGGGCAGGG-3' and 5'-GGGGCCATGGTGGGTTCTGTGGGG-3', (4.20.8); 5'-ACCTGGTACCAGGGTTGTAACTCAGG-3' and 5'-AAAGGGTACCCGTCCAATCAAGAGAC-3', (5.34.1); 5'-CCAAGGTACCTTACAGCTTAGAAG-3' and 5'-AGTAGGTACCCGGTTCTGTGGAGTG-3', (7.77.0); 5'-CGGAGCATGCGGCAGAGGAATGGAG-3' and 5'-TCTGGGTCATACAGAACCAG-3', (9.48.9); 5'-ACCTCGGTACCCCCAGCTCAAGTAAG-3' and 5'-TGGGGCATGCTAGAGAGAGACAAGG-3', (-2.92.1); 5'-TGGCTGGTACCTGTAATCCCAGCACTTTGG-3' and 5'-AGCTCTCGAGATGGTCACACACCCC-3', (2.92.7); 5'-ACCTGGTACCTCCGAGGGAGAAGTGAGG-3' and 5'-GCATCTCGAGGCAGCGGGCCAGGGAAAC-3', (3.52.7) 5'-ACCTGGTACCTCCGAGGGAGAAGTGAGG-3' and 5'-GCATCTCGAGGCAGCGGGCCAGGGAAAC-3', (-3.92.7); 5'-ACCTGGTACCTCCGAGGGAGAAGTGAGG-3' and 5'-ACAACTCGAGACACCCACAACTCAGTTTG-3'. The following oligonucleotides were synthesized to generate the plasmid phT(-0.7m)CAT: 5'-CAGATCTCTCGAGGCATGCGTA-3' and 5'-TACGCATGCCTCGAGAGATCTGGTAC-3'. The activating transcription factor-2 (ATF), activating protein-1 (AP-1), and nuclear factor
Plasmid ConstructionPlasmid phT(1.0)inCAT (containing promoter, first exon, first intron, and part of the second exon of the TIMP-1 gene) was generated by inserting the 2-kb NcoI-digested PCR product (1.0 + 1.0) into the NcoI-digested pCAT3 promoter vector (Promega, Madison, WI). Plasmid phT(0.7)inCAT derives from the plasmid phT(1.0)intCAT from which 300-bp KpnI fragment was deleted. Subsequently, this plasmid was digested with NcoI and PstI, ends were blunted, and religated to yield plasmid phT(0.7)CAT. The plasmid phT(4.20.8) was generated by cloning a KpnI-digested PCR product into the KpnI sites of phT(0.7)CAT. To generate all the other reporter plasmids containing different fragments of the 5'-flanking region of the TIMP-1 gene, we first constructed a plasmid phT(0.7m)CAT by inserting a double-stranded oligonucleotide into the KpnI/BstZ17I sites of phT(0.7)CAT (this introduced BglII, SphI, and XhoI sites). This plasmid was digested with KpnI, SphI, or StuI to accommodate KpnI-, SphI-, or StuI-digested PCR products, and yielded the plasmids shown in Fig. 3. Plasmid phT(
Transient TransfectionsCells were transfected in 12-well clusters using FuGENE6 transfection reagent (Roche Applied Science), according to the supplier's instructions. Plasmids (400 ng of the reporter CAT plasmid and 100 ng of expression plasmid encoding -galactosidase) and 0.6 µl of FuGENE6 diluted into 50 µl of serum free medium were used for each well containing cells growing in 500 µl of culture medium. One day after transfection, the cells were stimulated with cytokines, cultured another 24 h, and harvested. Protein extracts were prepared by freeze-thawing (19), and the protein concentration was determined by the BCA method (Sigma). Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and -galactosidase assays were performed as described (20). CAT activities were normalized to -galactosidase activity and are means + S.E. (37 determinations). Down-regulation with siRNAThe expression of p65 and ATF-2 was down-regulated using SMARTpool siRNA purchased from (Dharmacon, Inc. Lafayette, CO). siRNAs were transfected into cells using Dharmafect 1 (Dharmacon, Inc.).
Nuclear Extract Preparation and Electromobility Shift Assays (EMSA)Nuclear extracts were prepared as described (21). All oligonucleotides used for EMSA were designed to contain four bases single-stranded 5' overhangs at each end after annealing. Double-stranded DNA fragments were labeled by filling in 5'-protruding ends with Klenow enzyme using [ Western BlottingCells were lysed in 10 mM Tris, pH 7.4, 150 mM sodium chloride, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5% Nonidet P-40, 1% Triton X-100, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 0.2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and protease inhibitor mixture (Roche Applied Science). Samples were resolved using SDS-PAGE and electroblotted onto nitrocellulose membranes (Schleicher & Schuell, Keene, NH). Polyclonal anti-ATF-2, anti-p65, and anti-phospho-c-Jun antisera were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. while anti-phospho-p38, anti-phospho-p65(Ser536), anti-phospho-ATF-2, and anti-phospho-MEK3/6 were purchased from Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. (Beverly, MA). Antigen-antibody complexes were visualized by enhanced chemiluminescence according to manufacturer's instructions (Pierce).
Activation of TIMP-1 Expression by IL-1 Requires Ongoing Transcription and Is Mediated by Multiple Signaling CascadesIL-1 has previously been shown to up-regulate the expression of TIMP-1 in primary human astrocytes (10, 15). To verify these findings, we analyzed TIMP-1 mRNA expression in response to IL-1 using three independent preparations of primary human astrocytes. For comparison, we also treated these cells with OSM, which has previously been shown to upregulate TIMP-1 expression in a number of cell types (24, 25). In agreement with previous observations, we found that IL-1 up-regulates expression of TIMP-1 mRNA (2.55 fold depending on the batch of astrocytes), whereas OSM was less effective (Fig. 1). Activation of TIMP-1 expression by IL-1 was blocked by actinomycin D (Fig. 2A), which indicates that ongoing transcription is needed to increase TIMP-1 mRNA levels. Interestingly, the half-life of TIMP-1 mRNA was greater than 18 h in both the control and IL-1-treated cells (Fig. 2B), indicating that mRNA stability was not enhanced by IL-1. Therefore, the mechanism regulating TIMP-1-enhanced transcription in astrocytes could potentially be targeted using pharmacological approaches to ensure sustained up-regulation of the inhibitor, which is critical to restrain activity of MMPs. We examined this mechanism using pharmacological inhibitors that specifically target signaling pathways known to be activated by IL-1 in other cell types. Surprisingly, multiple inhibitors blocked the IL-1-mediated activation of the TIMP-1 gene, suggesting that multiple pathways are involved in its regulation (Fig. 2C). The effective inhibitors included BAY117082 (an inhibitor of IkB kinase (IKK)), GF109203X (an inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC)), and SB202190 (an inhibitor of p38 kinase), whereas SP600125 (an inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase) was ineffective.
Identification of the IL-1 Regulatory Elements of the TIMP-1 GeneMultiple regulatory elements have been described within both the 5'-flanking region and the first intron of the TIMP-1 gene (2530). To examine if IL-1 responsiveness is mediated by these elements, we generated reporter constructs containing either the 1 kb or 0.7 kb long 5'-flanking region of the TIMP-1 gene fused to a CAT reporter gene. In addition, we also generated a construct containing a 0.7 kb long 5'-flanking region, the first exon (containing the 5'-untranslated region (UTR)), the entire first intron, and part of the second exon that contains the sequence coding for the first codon of the TIMP-1 protein followed by a CAT reporter gene. Transcription from this construct, followed by splicing, should result in the production of a chimeric mRNA containing the TIMP-1 5'-untranslated region, and the protein coding sequence that encodes the entire CAT protein. These reporters were not responsive to IL-1 when tested in transfection experiments of astrocytes (Fig. 3A); however, all constructs possessed low levels of CAT activity, including the "splicing" construct. This indicates that the chimeric mRNA was properly transcribed and spliced, while the CAT protein synthesized was expressed in an active form. Because neither the 1-kb long promoter nor the first exon and intron can mediate IL-1 responsiveness, we cloned DNA fragments from the 5'-flanking region of the TIMP-1 gene in front of the 0.7-kb TIMP-1 promoter. This approach enabled the analysis of the cloned DNA fragments, together with the elements specific for the TIMP-1 promoter, allowing any specific interactions between the IL-1-induced transcription factor(s), and the factors binding to the TIMP-1 promoter. Analysis of these constructs in transient transfections (Fig. 3A) yielded one reporter containing the 4.2 to 0.8 fragment of the TIMP-1 gene that was responsive to IL-1. Therefore, we analyzed the shorter DNA fragments derived from this fragment and found that a 0.8-kb long fragment located at 2.9 to 2.1 still conferred responsiveness to IL-1; however, further truncations led to a decrease or loss of responsiveness (Fig. 3B).
Identification of Regulatory Elements Binding IL-1-induced FactorsThe entire 4.2 to 0.8 fragment of the TIMP-1 gene, which conferred IL-1 responsiveness was searched for the presence of putative binding sites for transcription factors using the Mat Inspector program. We identified six putative binding sites, including one for AP-1, two for NF-
These findings elucidate that both elements are binding sites for their corresponding transcription factors, which likely bind cooperatively to regulate TIMP-1 gene expression. We tested this prediction by EMSA, and observed that the ATF element was constitutively bound by the ATF-2 homodimer (Fig. 5, A and B). In contrast, treatment of astrocytes with IL-1 induced the binding of the p65/p50 heterodimers to the NF-
Critical Role of p65 in Regulating TIMP-1 Gene ExpressionThe IL-1 induced binding of the p65/p50 heterodimer to the 2711 to 2702 NF-
TIMP-1 Expression Is Not Activated by IL-1 in Many Gliomas Because of the Aberrant Activation of Either NF- B or ATF-2Grade IV malignant gliomas (glioblastoma multiforme) are the most common primary brain tumors, and are characterized by extreme invasiveness, which makes standard treatments (including radiation and chemotherapy) ineffective. Their invasion into healthy brain tissue presumably requires extensive ECM remodeling involving the activation of MMPs. In primary astrocytes, the activity of the MMPs is tightly controlled by TIMPs, including TIMP-1, which is regulated by growth factors and cytokines, such as IL-1. The invasive phenotype of gliomas prompted us to hypothesize that TIMP-1 may be expressed at lower levels in gliomas, and IL-1 may not be able to enhance its expression. This would result in the increased activity of glioma-derived MMPs, and in turn would likely enhance the invasiveness of gliomas. In fact, we found that IL-1 did not enhance the expression of TIMP-1 in the established glioma cell lines we examined, including U373, U251, T98G, and A172 cells (Fig. 7A). We also found that the intrinsic expression of TIMP-1 in glioma cell lines was significantly lower than in primary astrocytes (Fig. 7B).
Because both ATF-2 and NF-
Subsequently, we analyzed three additional glioma cell lines, and found that the MEK3/6/p38/ATF-2 pathway was not functional in A172 cells; however, ATF-2 and p38 were efficiently activated in U251 and T98G cells (Fig. 7D). Although ATF-2 was activated in U251 by IL-1, the expression of TIMP-1 was not activated in these cells (Fig. 7, D and A), suggesting that the other arm of the cooperative IL-1 response was ineffective. Therefore, we examined NF-
The precise control of the enzymatic activities of MMPs, in part ensured by the equilibrium between MMPs and TIMPs, is necessary to prevent extensive tissue damage; however, a temporary imbalance that favors MMPs over TIMPs is indispensable for the ECM remodeling that is required during many physiological processes (2, 3). In the CNS, injury induces extreme acute changes in the expression pattern of both MMPs and TIMPs, which are necessary to initiate repair processes. These expression profiles are regulated by neuroinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1. In certain pathological states such as cancer, a sustained imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may lead to the increased migration of cells, which may possibly aid in tumor metastasis. In agreement with this, the migration of glioblastoma cells into healthy brain tissue depends upon increased proteolytic activity, as a prelude to ECM degradation, and subsequent invasion of the tumor cells. Secreted factors control this process, with IL-1 being a likely regulator since it is produced by both resident brain cells and tumor cells. Expression of TIMP-1, which is a highly regulated soluble inhibitor, is critical in both tissue remodeling/repair and invasion (39, 40).
The expression of TIMP-1 has been shown to be transcriptionally regulated by the binding of multiple transcription factors including AP-1, ETS, EGR, STAT, and RUNX to regulatory elements present in the 5'-flanking region of the gene (2530). The binding of these transcription factors is regulated by several stimuli, including cytokines and growth factors such as IL-6, OSM, epidermal growth factor, and transforming growth factor
The cooperative activation of the TIMP-1 gene by IL-1 in astrocytes via activation of both the IKK/NF-
The newly identified ATF and NF- B binding elements of the TIMP-1 gene likely bind cooperatively ATF-2 homodimers and p65/p50 heterodimers, which may be needed to form a functional enhanceosome and activate transcription. This is supported by the findings that both of these elements are required for the full IL-1-induced transcriptional activity of the TIMP-1 reporter constructs harboring mutated binding elements (Fig. 4A). Furthermore, an array of ATF binding elements was not able to confer IL-1 responsiveness onto the minimal tk promoter, while three copies of the NF- B element were effective (Fig. 4B). All of these results suggest that single ATF and NF- B elements represent binding sites which likely cooperate to activate transcription of the TIMP-1 gene. In contrast, mutation of an AP-1 element at 2.7 kb had no effect on IL-1 responsiveness (Fig. 4A), but an array of the AP-1 elements dramatically increased the intrinsic activity of the AP-1-tk reporter (Fig. 4B) while having a negligible effect on the IL-1-induced activity. Both of these results suggest that this element may therefore be important for the intrinsic expression of the endogenous gene by recruiting coactivators necessary for chromatin modification and remodeling, which cannot be properly recapitulated using reporter constructs. Although IL-1 increases the phosphorylation of c-Jun in astrocytes (Fig. 7), the ATF binding element does not bind ATF-2/c-Jun heterodimers in vitro (Fig. 5B), but selectively binds homodimers of ATF-2. In contrast, c-Jun effectively binds the AP-1 element of the TIMP-1 gene (Fig. 5). As suggested for other genes (46), the selective binding of the ATF-2 homodimers may represent another level of specificity in the TIMP-1 gene regulation.
IL-1 is continuously produced and regulates normal physiological processes in the brain. Also, the expression of IL-1 is greatly increased after brain injury and during the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson disease (47, 48). Furthermore, IL-1 is also expressed by glioma cells and in cells surrounding necrotic tumors, such as glioblastoma multiforme (49). Because IL-1 enhances the expression of several MMPs it is tempting to propose that the net proteolytic activity secreted by gliomas is increased, and may be a cause of the extreme invasiveness of these cells. The IL-1-induced expression of TIMP-1 in astrocytes likely provides a delayed mechanism that limits the proteolytic activities of MMPs, which are needed in the initial phase following brain injury. In contrast to astrocytes, expression of TIMP-1 is not enhanced by IL-1 in glioma cells (Fig. 7A), suggesting that this "safety mechanism" to limit the proteolytic activities of MMPs, is not functional in gliomas. Moreover, the intrinsic expression of TIMP-1 in gliomas is significantly lower than in astrocytes (Fig. 7B). Our data suggest that either the IKK/NF-
It is important to stress that the intrinsic levels of p65 phosphorylated on serine 536 were higher in gliomas than in astrocytes; however, the IL-induced increase in this phosphorylation was much lower in gliomas. These results suggest that NF-
In summary, we propose a novel mechanism of TIMP-1 activation by IL-1 in human astrocytes, which involves the activation of two signaling pathways; IKK/NF-
* This work was supported by Grants NS044118 and NS046280 from the National Institutes of Health (both to T. K.). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. 1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Biochemistry, Medical College of Virginia Campus, VA Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298. Tel.: 804-828-0771; Fax: 804-828-1473; E-mail: tkordula{at}vcu.edu.
2 The abbreviations used are: ECM, extracellular matrix; AP-1, activating protein-1; ATF-2, activating transcription factor-2; CAT, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase; CNS, central nervous system; EMSA, electromobility shift assay; ERK, extracellular stress-regulated kinase; I
We thank Daniel L. Kiss for critical reading of the manuscript.
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