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Query: EC:3.1.3.16 (
calcineurin
)
17,112
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Transcription of lymphokine genes in activated T cells is inhibited by the immunosuppressive agents cyclosporin A and FK506, which act by blocking the phosphatase activity of
calcineurin
. NFAT, a DNA-binding protein required for interleukin-2 gene transcription, is a potential target for
calcineurin
, cyclosporin A and FK506. NFAT contains a subunit (
NFATp
) which is present in unstimulated T cells and which forms a complex with Fos and Jun proteins in the nucleus of activated T cells. Here we report that
NFATp
is a DNA-binding phosphoprotein of relative molecular mass approximately 120,000 and is a substrate for
calcineurin
in vitro. Purified
NFATp
forms DNA-protein complexes with recombinant Jun homodimers or Jun-Fos heterodimers; the DNA-binding domains of Fos and Jun are essential for the formation of the
NFATp
-Fos-Jun-DNA complex. The interaction between the lymphoid-specific factor
NFATp
and the ubiquitous transcription factors Fos and Jun provides a novel mechanism for combinatorial regulation of interleukin-2 gene transcription, which integrates the calcium-dependent and the protein-kinase C-dependent pathways of T-cell activation.
...
PMID:The T-cell transcription factor NFATp is a substrate for calcineurin and interacts with Fos and Jun. 839 39
In T lymphocytes, the calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase,
calcineurin
, plays a pivotal role in transducing membrane-associated signals to the nucleus. One of the putative targets of
calcineurin
is the pre-existing, cytosolic component of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (
NFATp
; also referred to as NFAT1), which is one of several transcription factors required for the expression of interleukin 2. Inhibition of
calcineurin
by the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A and FK506 prevents dephosphorylation of
NFATp
and its translocation to the nucleus. However, a physical interaction between
calcineurin
and
NFATp
has not been demonstrated. Here we demonstrate the binding of
NFATp
from lysates of T cells to immobilized
calcineurin
. Stimulation of T cells with calcium ionophore induced a shift in the molecular weight of
NFATp
that is due to its dephosphorylation. This dephosphorylation was inhibited by treatment of T cells with cyclosporin A or FK506 prior to stimulation. Of note, both the phosphorylated and the dephosphorylated form of
NFATp
bound to
calcineurin
. Furthermore, the binding of both forms of
NFATp
to
calcineurin
was inhibited by pretreatment of
calcineurin
with a complex of FK506 and its ligand FKBP12. Taken together these data strongly suggest a direct interaction of
calcineurin
with
NFATp
and that this interaction does not depend upon the phosphorylation sites of
NFATp
affected by activation.
...
PMID:Identification of a physical interaction between calcineurin and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATp). 857 11
NFAT1 (previously termed
NFATp
) is a cytoplasmic transcription factor involved in the induction of cytokine genes. We have previously shown that the dephosphorylation of NFAT1, accompanied by its nuclear translocation and increased DNA binding activity, is regulated by calcium- and
calcineurin
-dependent mechanisms, as each of these hallmarks of NFAT1 activation is elicited by ionomycin and blocked by the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A and FK506 (Shaw, K.T.-Y., Ho, A.M., Raghavan, A., Kim, J., Jain, J., Park, J., Sharma, S., Rao, A., and Hogan, P.G. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 11205-11209). Here we show that the activation state of NFAT1 in T cells is remarkably sensitive to the level of
calcineurin
activity. Addition of cyclosporin A, even in the presence of ongoing ionomycin stimulation, results in rephosphorylation of NFAT1, its reappearance in the cytoplasm, and a return of its DNA binding activity to low levels. Similar effects are observed upon removal of ionomycin or addition of EGTA. We also demonstrate a direct interaction between
calcineurin
and NFAT1 that is consistent with a direct enzyme-substrate relation between these two proteins and that may underlie the sensitivity of NFAT1 activation to the level of
calcineurin
activity. The NFAT1-
calcineurin
interaction, which involves an N-terminal region of NFAT1 conserved in other NFAT family proteins, may provide a target for the design of novel immunosuppressive drugs.
...
PMID:Calcineurin binds the transcription factor NFAT1 and reversibly regulates its activity. 863 4
T cells activated by antigen receptor stimulation in the absence of accessory cell-derived costimulatory signals lose the capacity to synthesize the growth factor interleukin-2 (IL-2), a state called clonal anergy. An analysis of CD3- and CD28-induced signal transduction revealed reduced ERK and JNK enzyme activities in murine anergic T cells. The amounts of ERK and JNK proteins were unchanged, and the kinases could be fully activated in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Dephosphorylation of the
calcineurin
substrate
NFATp
(preexisting nuclear factor of activated T cells) also remained inducible. These results suggest that a specific block in the activation of ERK and JNK contributes to defective IL-2 production in clonal anergy.
...
PMID:Blocked signal transduction to the ERK and JNK protein kinases in anergic CD4+ T cells. 863 2
Transcription factors of the NFAT family play a key role in the transcription of cytokine genes and other genes during the immune response. We have identified two new isoforms of the transcription factor NFAT1 (previously termed
NFATp
) that are the predominant isoforms expressed in murine and human T cells. When expressed in Jurkat T cells, recombinant NFAT1 is regulated, as expected, by the calmodulin-dependent phosphatase
calcineurin
, and its function is inhibited by the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporin A (CsA). Transactivation by recombinant NFAT1 in Jurkat T cells requires dual stimulation with ionomycin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate; this activity is potentiated by coexpression of constitutively active
calcineurin
and is inhibited by CsA. Immunocytochemical analysis indicates that recombinant NFAT1 localizes in the cytoplasm of transiently transfected T cells and translocates into the nucleus in a CsA-sensitive manner following ionomycin stimulation. When expressed in COS cells, however, NFAT1 is capable of transactivation, but it is not regulated correctly: its subcellular localization and transcriptional function are not affected by stimulation of the COS cells with ionomycin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Recombinant NFAT1 can mediate transcription of the interleukin-2, interleukin-4, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor promoters in T cells, suggesting that NFAT1 contributes to the CsA-sensitive transcription of these genes during the immune response.
...
PMID:Recombinant NFAT1 (NFATp) is regulated by calcineurin in T cells and mediates transcription of several cytokine genes. 866 13
We examined the effect of staphylococccal enterotoxin B (SEB)-induced anergy on expression of six different cytokine genes in T cells restimulated with SEB in vitro. We found that although IL-2, IL-3, and IL-4 mRNA levels are substantially reduced in anergic T cells, mRNAs for IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha are expressed normally. Thus, there appeared both anergy-sensitive and resistant cytokine mRNA expression in restimulated anergic T cells. The same pattern of cytokine mRNA responses was observed in anergic CD4+ T cells, indicating that the preferential induction of anergy in Th1-like cells is not evident in this in vivo model. Employing TCR V beta 8.2 transgenic mice in which almost all T cells become anergic, we found that the TCR/CD3 complex can transduce both anergy-sensitive and resistant signals. Furthermore, a series of experiments using FK506, A23187, and PMA suggests that signals between TCR and activation of
calcineurin
and protein kinase C may be blocked in anergic T cells. This is supported by our gel mobility shift assays indicating that
calcineurin
and/or PMA-inducible
NF-ATp
, OAP40, and AP-1, but not
calcineurin
-independent Oct-2, are repressed in anergic spleen T cells upon restimulation with SEB. Taken together, these results suggest that, among signals elicited by stimulation of TCR with SEB, a Ca2+/
calcineurin
-
NF-ATp
pathway and other signals, including protein kinase C, are repressed in anergic T cells upstream of their activation, which are essential for the cytokine mRNA expression of the anergy-sensitive type but are dispensible for those of the anergy-resistant type.
...
PMID:Effect of staphylococcal enterotoxin B-induced anergy on cytokine gene expression: anergy-sensitive and resistant mRNA expression. 869 45
The nuclear factor of activated T-cells (
NFATp
) is a phosphorylated transcription factor that resides in the cytoplasm of unactivated T-cells. T-cell activation results in the activation of the phosphatase
calcineurin
(CaN), which leads to the dephosphorylation and subsequent nuclear localization of
NFATp
. We have investigated the role of kinases in the phosphorylation state and subcellular localization of
NFATp
. The phosphorylation state and nuclear/cytoplasmic location of
NFATp
were determined in unstimulated murine HT-2 cells treated with a panel of kinase inhibitors. Two of the seven kinase inhibitors, staurosporine (St) and bisindolylmaleimide I (BI), resulted in the dephosphorylation and nuclear localization of
NFATp
. These St-induced effects were inhibited by pretreatment with FK506, indicating that CaN activity was required for the observed effects on
NFATp
. Treatment of cells with ionomycin resulted in
NFATp
dephosphorylation and nuclear localization. Removal of ionomycin from the cells resulted in the reappearance of phosphorylated
NFATp
in the cytosol. St and BI also inhibited the re-accumulation of
NFATp
in the cytoplasm and its re-phosphorylation after ionomycin removal. The re-accumulation of
NFATp
in the cytosol after ionomycin withdrawal was shown to be energy- and temperature-dependent. Taken together, these results suggest that in unstimulated cells
NFATp
is actively maintained in the cytoplasm by kinases acting in opposition to basal CaN activity.
...
PMID:Dynamic equilibrium between calcineurin and kinase activities regulates the phosphorylation state and localization of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells. 918 23
Cyclosporin A (CsA) mainly exerts its immunosuppressive action by selectively inhibiting Ca2+/
calcineurin
-dependent gene transcription in lymphoid cells. A model explaining the tissue-specific effect of this drug on gene expression has not been established to date, since none of the known intracellular targets of CsA (e.g., cyclophilins,
calcineurin
, and NF-AT) is lymphoid cell specific. To investigate this issue, we performed a detailed comparative analysis of the promoter regulating the two-signal-dependent (Ca2+ ionophore plus phorbol myristate acetate [PMA]), CsA-sensitive expression of EGR3 in T cells and the one-signal-dependent (PMA), CsA-insensitive expression of EGR3 in fibroblasts. As a result, we identified a 27-bp promoter element functionally interacting with transcription factors
NF-ATp
and NF-ATc that is crucial for the CsA-sensitive expression of the EGR3 gene in T cells. In contrast, the same element was without function in fibroblasts, and other, CsA-insensitive promoter regions were found to be responsible for EGR3 gene expression in these cells. The inactivity of the 27-bp element in fibroblasts was apparently due to insufficient expression levels of
NF-ATp
, since overexpression of
NF-ATp
, but not NF-ATc, restored the two-signal phenotype and CsA sensitivity of EGR3 promoter induction in these cells. The differential usage of an NF-AT binding site explains the selective effect of CsA on EGR3 gene expression in T cells versus fibroblasts and may represent one of the basic mechanisms underlying the tissue specificity of CsA.
...
PMID:Utilization of an NF-ATp binding promoter element for EGR3 expression in T cells but not fibroblasts provides a molecular model for the lymphoid cell-specific effect of cyclosporin A. 981 2
To maintain blood glucose levels within narrow limits, the synthesis and secretion of pancreatic islet hormones is controlled by a variety of extracellular signals. Depolarization-induced calcium influx into islet cells has been shown to stimulate glucagon gene transcription through the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein that binds to the glucagon cAMP response element. By transient transfection of glucagon-reporter fusion genes into islet cell lines, this study identified a second calcium response element in the glucagon gene (G2 element, from -165 to -200). Membrane depolarization was found to induce the binding of a nuclear complex with
NFATp
-like immunoreactivity to the G2 element. Consistent with nuclear translocation, a comigrating complex was found in cytosolic extracts of unstimulated cells, and the induction of nuclear protein binding was blocked by inhibition of
calcineurin
phosphatase activity by FK506. A mutational analysis of G2 function and nuclear protein binding as well as the effect of FK506 indicate that calcium responsiveness is conferred to the G2 element by
NFATp
functionally interacting with HNF-3beta binding to a closely associated site. Transcription factors of the NFAT family are known to cooperate with AP-1 proteins in T cells for calcium-dependent activation of cytokine genes. This study shows a novel pairing of
NFATp
with the cell lineage-specific transcription factor HNF-3beta in islet cells to form a novel calcium response element in the glucagon gene.
...
PMID:Characterization of a novel calcium response element in the glucagon gene. 1002 8
Calcium signals lead to the translocation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. This process is regulated by the calcium-activated phosphatase
calcineurin
, which can be cotransported with NFAT to the nucleus to maintain it transcriptionally active for the duration of calcium signaling. When the calcium signal ceases, NFAT is exported to the cytoplasm, and different NFAT kinases have been reported to oppose
calcineurin
activities and regulate the nuclear export of NFAT. Here we show that p38 MAPK phosphorylates in vitro and interacts in vivo with
NFATp
. Furthermore, the activation of this pathway in HeLa cells by cotransfection with activated MKK6 and p38 counteracts the calcium-induced nuclear accumulation of
NFATp
but not that of NFATc. By contrast, activation of JNK or ERK pathways failed to modify the nuclear shuttling of
NFATp
. Consistently, activation of p38, but not the JNK MAPK pathway, results in the inhibition of
NFATp
-driven transcription. In addition, the inhibition of the nuclear accumulation of
NFATp
by p38 appears to be mediated through the activation of
NFATp
nuclear export and takes place in a Leptomycin B-sensitive fashion, suggesting the involvement of the exportin CRM1 in this process. Thus, the p38 signal transduction pathway appears to play an important role in the regulation of the nuclear shuttling of
NFATp
and in cellular homeostasis.
...
PMID:A role for the p38 MAP kinase pathway in the nuclear shuttling of NFATp. 1078 11
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