Osteopontin induces ubiquitin-dependent degradation of STAT1 in RAW264.7 murine macrophages.

In systemic inflammation induced by endotoxin (LPS), the macrophage produces the majority of the circulating NO metabolites. However, while the molecular pathways which up-regulate iNOS expression have been extensively studied in the macrophage, little is known of the parallel counterregulatory pathways which repress or inhibit macrophage iNOS expression. Using both in vivo and in vitro murine models of endotoxin (LPS) stimulation, we have previously demonstrated that NO feedback inhibits its own synthesis by increasing transcription of osteopontin (OPN), a potent transrepressor of inducible NO synthase expression. In this current study, using a system of LPS-treated RAW264.7 macrophages, we go on to demonstrate that OPN increases STAT1 ubiquitination and subsequent 26s proteasome-mediated degradation to inhibit STAT1 dependent iNOS promoter activity, transcription, and protein expression. In addition, we identify STAT-interacting LIM protein as the critical STAT ubiquitin E3 ligase critical for STAT1 degradation in this setting. OPN has not been linked previously to STAT1 degradation. This regulation of STAT1 degradation underlies OPN's effect as an inhibitor of iNOS gene transcription. These are novel findings and define OPN as a unique and as yet, poorly characterized, transactivator of STAT1 degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system.