Tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of a new mitogen-activated protein (MAP)-kinase cascade in human neutrophils stimulated with various agonists.

The presence of a novel 38 kDa protein that is tyrosine phosphorylated in human neutrophils, a terminally differentiated cell, upon stimulation of these cells with low concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in combination with serum has been demonstrated. This 38 kDa protein was identified as the mammalian homologue of HOG1 in yeast, the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. This conclusion is based on the experimental findings that anti-phosphotyrosine (anti-PY) antibody immunoprecipitates a 38 kDa protein that is recognized by anti-p38 MAP kinase antibody, and conversely, anti-p38 MAP kinase antibody immunoprecipitates a 38 kDa protein that can be recognized by anti-PY antibody. Moreover, this tyrosine phosphorylated protein is found associated entirely with the cytosol. It was also found that this p38 MAP kinase is activated following stimulation of these cells with low concentrations of LPS in combination with serum. This conclusion is based on three experimental findings. First, soluble fractions isolated from LPS-stimulated cells phosphorylate heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) in an in vitro assay, and this effect is not inhibited by protein kinase C and protein kinase A inhibitor peptides. This effect is similar to the effect produced by the commercially available phosphorylated and activated MAPKAP kinase-2 (MAP kinase activated protein kinase-2). Secondly, a 27 kDa protein that aligns with a protein recognized by anti-hsp27 antibody is phosphorylated upon LPS stimulation of intact human neutrophils prelabelled with radioactive phosphate. Lastly, immune complex protein kinase assays, using [gamma-32P]ATP and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) as substrates, showed increased p38 MAP kinase activity from LPS-stimulated human neutrophils. The phosphorylation and activation of this p38 MAP kinase can be affected by both G-protein-coupled receptors such as platelet-activating factor (PAF) and non-G-protein-coupled receptors such as the cytokine-coupled receptors for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The effect of low concentrations of PAF is greatly increased in cells pretreated with LPS. The tyrosine phosphorylation of the p38 MAP kinase is not restricted to stimuli that mediate their actions through membrane-associated receptors, but it can be affected by agents that bypass membrane-associated receptors such as the protein translation blocker anisomycin. While anisomycin is known to increase the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 54 kDa SAPK (stress-activated protein kinase), this is the first report that shows that anisomycin also tyrosine phosphorylates the p38 MAP kinase. Cytokine receptors that increase the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the erk1 and erk2 MAP kinases have less effect on this p38 MAP kinase than those that do not affect the erk1 and erk2 MAP kinases. The possible role of the p38 MAP kinase in the phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 is discussed.