Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P05412 (c-Jun)
 11,453 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Xenobiotics and antioxidants induce expression of detoxifying enzymes including NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), NRH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO2), and glutathione S-transferase Ya (GST Ya), presumably to provide protection to cells against electrophilic and oxidative stress. Antioxidant response elements (AREs) have been found in the promoter regions of the various detoxifying enzyme genes. An ARE is required for basal expression and induction of the various detoxifying enzyme genes in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants. In this study, we demonstrated that exposure of cells to xenobiotics [e.g. beta-naphthoflavone (beta-NF)] and antioxidants [e.g. tert-butyl hydroquinone (t-BHQ)] also induced the expression of the proto-oncogene c-jun. The induction of c-jun gene expression followed kinetics similar to the induction of NQO1 and NQO2 genes with respect to the level and time of exposure. Sequence analysis of the c-jun gene promoter revealed the presence of an ARE between nucleotides -538 and -514. The c-jun ARE was highly homologous to the AREs from genes encoding NQO1, NQO2, and GST Ya. Constructs containing the c-jun ARE and 1.7 and 4.5 kb of the c-jun promoter ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, upon transfection in human hepatoblastoma (Hep-G2) cells, expressed the CAT gene, which was inducible with beta-NF and t-BHQ. Band shift assays indicated binding of two specific nuclear protein complexes with the c-jun gene ARE. The faster running c-jun gene ARE-nuclear protein complex was specifically competed out by unlabeled NQO1 and GST Ya gene AREs. These results suggest that c-jun gene expression is coordinately induced and regulated with detoxifying enzyme genes in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants. The results also suggest involvement of an ARE-mediated mechanism of induction of c-jun gene expression. However, a comparison of fold induction of endogenous c-jun gene and transfected c-jun promoter/ARE-CAT constructs indicated involvement of another ARE upstream of the 4.5-kb promoter and/or additional mechanisms such as stabilization of c-Jun RNA in response to exposure to xenobiotics and antioxidants.
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PMID:Coordinated induction of the c-jun gene with genes encoding quinone oxidoreductases in response to xenobiotics and antioxidants. 1041 96

NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) and NRH:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO2) are flavoproteins that catalyze two-electron reduction and detoxification of quinones and its derivatives. This leads to the protection of cells against redox cycling, oxidative stress, and neoplasia. NQO1 is expressed ubiquitously in all the tissues. However, the level of expression varied among the human tissues. NQO1 gene is expressed at higher levels in several tumor tissue types, including liver and colon, as compared to normal tissues of similar origin. NQO1 gene expression is coordinately induced with other detoxifying enzyme genes in response to xenobiotics, antioxidants, oxidants, heavy metals, and radiations. Deletion mutagenesis in the NQO1 gene promoter identified several cis-elements including antioxidant response element (ARE), a basal element, and AP-2 element. ARE elements have also been found in the promoter regions of other detoxifying enzyme genes including glutathione S-transferases. ARE is essentially required for expression and coordinated induction of NQO1 and other detoxifying enzyme genes. Nuclear transcription factors Nrf2 and c-Jun bind to the ARE and activate the gene expression. The binding of Nrf2 + c-Jun to the ARE required unknown cytosolic factor(s). In addition to Nrf2 and c-Jun, other nuclear transcription factors including Nrf1, Jun-B, and Jun-D also bind to the ARE and regulate expression and induction of NQO1 gene. A hypothetical model is presented based on the available information on ARE-mediated regulation of detoxifying enzyme genes. Briefly, the Nrf2 is retained in the cytosplasm by a repressor protein Keap1 in untreated normal cells. The treatment of cells with xenobiotics and antioxidants leads to the activation of unknown cytosolic factor(s) that catalyze modification of Nrf2 and/or Keap1. The modification follows dissociation of Nrf2 and Keap1. The free Nrf2 translocates in the nucleus. Nrf2 in the nucleus heterodimerizes with c-Jun and binds to the ARE resulting in the induction of NQO1 and other ARE-regulated genes expression. The identity of cytosolic factor(s) remains unknown.
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PMID:Regulation of genes encoding NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductases. 1103 54

The transcription factors that bind to EpRE's play a key role in the regulation of phase II genes. In this study, we examined whether c-Jun, a partner of Nrf2 in binding to EpRE's, requires phosphorylation by JNK for binding and transcriptional activation. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to measure the recruitment of transcription factors to EpRE sequences in NQO2, GCLC, and GCLM; Western analysis for phosphorylation of JNK; and EpRE-driven reporters along with a JNK-specific inhibitor peptide to determine the potential importance of c-Jun phosphorylation. Human bronchial epithelial (HBE1) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells were exposed to 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), and differences in the regulation of the same EpRE sequences were examined. We found that binding of c-Jun to EpRE sequences increased subsequent to HNE exposure in HepG2 cells; however, in HNE-exposed HBE1 cells, the binding of only phosphorylated c-Jun to the three EpRE sequences increased. Despite the increase in binding of phosphorylated c-Jun, reporter assays for EpRE's showed that inhibition of c-Jun phosphorylation had variable effects on basal and HNE-induced transcription of GCLC and GCLM in HBE1 cells. Thus, in terms of its role in mediating HNE induction of EpRE-mediated transcription, c-Jun seems to be a partner of Nrf2 and, whereas its phosphorylated form may predominate in one cell type versus another, the effects of phosphorylation of c-Jun on transcription can vary with the gene. This contrasts markedly with the well-established requirement for phosphorylation of c-Jun in the activation of AP-1/TRE-mediated transcription.
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PMID:The role of c-Jun phosphorylation in EpRE activation of phase II genes. 1966 6