ERK and p38 inhibit the expression of 4E-BP1 repressor of translation through induction of Egr-1.

4E-BP1 plays a major role in translation by inhibiting cap-dependent translation initiation. Several reports have investigated the regulation of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation, which varies along with cell differentiation and upon various stimulations, but very little is known about the regulation of its expression. In a first part, we show that the expression of 4E-BP1 protein and transcript decreases in hematopoietic cell lines cultivated in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). This decrease depends on the activation of the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinases. 4E-BP1 expression also decreases when the p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is activated by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor but to a lesser extent than with PMA. In a second part, we examine how 4e-bp1 promoter activity is regulated. PMA and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor induce Egr-1 expression through ERK and p38 activation, respectively. Using a dominant negative mutant of Egr, ZnEgr, we show that this transcription factor is responsible for the inhibition of 4e-bp1 promoter activity. In a third part we show that histidine decarboxylase, whose activity and expression are inversely correlated with 4E-BP1 expression, is a potential target for the translational machinery. These data (i) are the first evidence of a new role of ERK and p38 on the translational machinery and (ii) demonstrate that 4E-BP1 is a new target for Egr-1.