ROLE OF MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASES, EARLY RESPONSE PROTOONCOGENES, AND ACTIVATOR PROTEIN-1 IN CELL SIGNALING BY ASBESTOS

Abstract

Cell signaling by pathogenic minerals may initiate the transactivation of genes that are critical to carcinogenesis and fibroproliferative diseases of the lung and pleura. We have shown previously that stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade by asbestos fibers leads to phosphorylation events involved in transactivation of Jun and Fos proteins that comprise the activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor. Recently, we have also used AP-1 luciferase reporter transgenic mice and immunocytochemistry to show that transactivation of AP-1 occurs in bronchiolar and alveolar epithelial cells after inhalation of asbestos fibers. After inhalation of asbestos, epithelial cells of the lung also show increased immunoreactivity of phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs 1/2) at sites of fibrogenesis. The availability of lung epithelial cell-specific promoters has allowed the creation of transgenic mice with mutations in the transactivation domains of key receptors and protein intermediates that comprise the MAPK signaling cascade. These rodent models may reveal whether cell signaling events initiated by mineral dusts in epithelial cells are critical to the development of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and lung disease.