Christiane Hecquet

Two distinct signalling pathways are involved in FGF2-stimulated proliferation of choriocapillary endothelial cells: a comparative study with VEGF.

In the retina, angiogenesis is an important component of normal physiological events such as embryonic vascular development. It is also involved in pathological processes including diabetic retinopathies and age-related macular degeneration, and tumour growth such as choroidal melanoma. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) are the two major angiogenic factors in the retina. We investigated the mechanism of proliferation and the regulation of the mitogenic properties of FGF2 and VEGF in cultures of chorocapillary endothelial cells (CEC). FGF2 is a strong mitogen for CEC and induced a 2.5-fold increase in cell proliferation after 4 days in culture in the absence of serum. In contrast, VEGF is a poor mitogen for CEC. FGF2, but not VEGF induces a large activation of MEK1, ERK1/2 and P90RSK during CEC proliferation. Pharmacological inhibition of Ras processing, and of MEK1 and ERK1/2 activation reduced only by 50% FGF2-induced cell proliferation, suggesting that there is another signalling pathway for CEC proliferation. Pharmacological inhibition of the PI 3-Kinase also inhibits by half FGF2-induced CEC proliferation. FGF2 stimulates the activation of the PI 3-K, P70S6K and Akt. Inhibition of both ERK1/2 and PI 3-K activities suppressed FGF2-induced CEC proliferation, demonstrating that CEC proliferation requires both ERKs and PI 3-K pathways. These data on the molecular mechanism and signalling may have important implications for providing more selective methods for anti-angiogenic and anti-tumoural therapy.

Both FGF1 and bcl-x synthesis are necessary for the reduction of apoptosis in retinal pigmented epithelial cells by FGF2: role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2.

Retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells are of central importance in the maintenance of neural retinal function. Changes in the RPE cells associated with repair activities have been described as metaplasia, while RPE cell apoptosis is responsible for the development of a variety of retinal degenerations. We investigated the regulation of the anti-apoptotic properties of the fibroblast growth factors (FGF) 2 in serum-free cultures of RPE cells. In the absence of serum, confluent stationary RPE cells died by apoptosis via a caspase 3-dependent pathway. The addition of FGF2 greatly reduced apoptosis over a 7-day culture period. We demonstrated the involvement of an autocrine loop involving endogenous FGF1 in the mechanisms that govern FGF2-induced resistance to apoptosis by showing: (1) higher levels of apoptosis in cells treated with antisense FGF1 oligonucleotide or after neutralization of excreted FGF1; (2) the long-term activation of FGFR1 and of ERK2, (3) the inhibition of FGFR1 and ERK2 activation and an increase in apoptosis if excreted FGF1 was neutralized. FGF2 also increased the de novo synthesis and the production of Bcl-xl before the onset of apoptosis. Both inhibition of ERK2 activation, which decreased Bcl-xl synthesis, and downregulation of Bcl-x by antisense oligonucleotide treatment inhibited the survival-promoting activity of FGF2. Thus, FGF2-induced cell survival is a progressive adaptive phenomenon involving ERK2 activation by excreted FGF1 and ERK2-dependent Bcl-x production.

Role of interferon regulatory factor-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in the induction of nitric oxide synthase-2 in retinal pigmented epithelial cells.

Bovine retinal pigmented epithelial cells express an inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) after activation with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Experiments were performed to investigate the involvement of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) on NOS-2 induction and its regulation by NOS-2 inhibitors such as pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an antioxidant, or protein kinase inhibitors. Analysis by transitory transfections showed that LPS, alone or with IFN-γ, stimulated activity of the murine NOS-2 promoter fragment linked upstream of luciferase and its suppression by PDTC and by the different protein kinase inhibitors, genistein (tyrosine kinase inhibitor), PD98059 (mitogen-actived protein (MAP) kinase kinase inhibitor), and SB 203580 (p38 MAP inhibitor). Using specific antibodies, we have confirmed that extracellular signal-regulated kinases and p38 MAP kinase were activated by LPS and IFN-γ in retinal pigmented epithelial cells. Analysis by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that IFN-γ alone or combined with LPS induced an accumulation of IRF-1 mRNA and protein and IRF-1 DNA binding. Transfections assays with the IRF-1 promoter showed an induction of this promoter with IFN-γ, potentiated by LPS. The decrease of LPS/IFN-γ-induced IRF-1 promoter activity, IRF-1 synthesis, and IRF-1 activation, by PDTC, genistein, PD98059, and SB 203580, could explained in part the inhibition of the NOS-2 induction by these compounds. Our results demonstrate that IRF-1 is necessary for NOS-2 induction by LPS and IFN-γ and that its synthesis requires the involvement of a redox-sensitive step, the activation of tyrosine kinases, and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and p38 MAP kinases.

cAMP inhibits the proliferation of retinal pigmented epithelial cells through the inhibition of ERK1/2 in a PKA-independent manner.

Retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cell integrity is critical to the maintenance of retina functions and RPE cells do not proliferate in adults. The activation of RPE results in cell proliferation which may be associated with proliferative retinopathy and choroidal melanoma. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is believed to be a key participant in the response to mitogenic stimuli. We therefore investigated the involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 during the induction of RPE cell proliferation. After foetal calf serum (FCS) stimulation activation of the Ras/Raf/ERK signalling pathway was detected by Western blotting and immunochemistry, with specific anti-phosphosignalling protein antibodies. Pharmacological and antisense (AS) oligonucleotide (ODN) strategies were used to analyse the signalling involved in FCS-induced RPE cell proliferation. Activation of the small G protein Ras and, to a lesser extent of Raf-1, the kinase directly downstream from Ras, was necessary to FCS-induced cell proliferation. MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 were activated during cell proliferation. Inhibition of MEK1/2 with UO 126 completely abolished ERK1/2 activation and reduced cell proliferation by 33–43%. ERK1/2 depletion by an AS ODN approach reduced cell proliferation by 27–33%, confirming the role of ERK1/2 in the FCS stimulation of RPE cells. We also investigated the role of PKA/cAMP, one of the major inhibitory pathways of ERK1/2. PKA blockade did not modify ERK1/2 activation or cell proliferation. In contrast, agents that increased cAMP concentration, abolished RPE proliferation, and MEK/ERK activation. Moreover, inhibition of the cAMP-activated small G protein Rap1, partially reversed the inhibitory effects of cAMP on cell proliferation and MEK/ERK activation. The requirement for Ras and ERK1/2, the lack of ERK1/2 regulation by PKA and the cAMP/Rap1 counter-regulatory pathway for ERK-mediated cell proliferation suggest complex regulation of signalling in RPE cells. These data may have important implications for the development of more selective models for retinal anti-proliferative therapies.

Opposite long-term regulation of c-Myc and p27Kip1 through overactivation of Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module in proliferating human choroidal melanoma cells.

Although there is no current evidence for ras gene mutation in choroidal melanoma, there is an increasing body of evidence indicating that deregulated intracellular signalling pathways are involved in choroidal melanoma pathogenesis. The various components of the linear Raf/MEK/ERK signalling pathway have been implicated in various tumours. We therefore investigated the role of Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module in the proliferation of human normal choroidal melanocytes (NCM) and cells from the ocular choroidal melanoma (OCM-1) cell line. OCM-1 cells proliferated four times faster than NCM. High basal activation of the MEK/ERK module was observed in unstimulated OCM-1 cells, whereas rapid and persistent activation was detected after serum stimulation, throughout the 24-h period of culture. In contrast, the activation of MEK/ERK was barely detectable in unstimulated NCM and occurred late (6 h) after the stimulation of cell proliferation. Inhibition of Raf-1 and MEK1/2 activation by pharmacological approaches and of the production of Raf-1 and ERK1/2 by antisense oligonucleotide approaches demonstrated that Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module controlled proliferation in OCM-1 cells, but not in NCM. OCM-1 cells produced very low levels of p27Kip1, whereas NCM produced constant, high levels of p27Kip1. The inhibition of Raf-1 or MEK1/2 induced a large increase in p27Kip1 in OCM-1 cells, associated with an arrest of cell proliferation. Levels of c-Myc production were high and constant in OCM-1 cells and low in NCM, in contrast to what was observed for p27Kip1. The inhibition of both Raf-1 and MEK1/2 induced a decrease in c-Myc production and downregulated c-Myc activity by preventing c-Myc phosphorylation in OCM-1 cells. We conclude that Raf-1 and the MEK/ERK module control the production of both p27Kip1 and c-Myc, and the activation of c-Myc for OCM-1 cell proliferation.

Regulation of proliferation-survival decisions is controlled by FGF1 secretion in retinal pigmented epithelial cells.

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) induces proliferation and differentiation in a wide variety of cells of mesodermal and neuroectodermal origin. FGF1 has no ‘classical’ signal sequence to direct its secretion, and there has been considerable debate concerning FGF1 secretion and its role in the biological activities of FGF1. We investigated the effects of FGF1 secretion and the signalling induced by signal peptide (SP)-containing FGF1 and SP-less FGF1, on the proliferation and the apoptosis in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. Primary RPE cell cultures were transfected with FGF1 (FGF1 cells) and SP-FGF1 (SP-FGF1 cells) cDNAs. SP-FGF1 cells secreted large amount of FGF1 and actively proliferated, whereas FGF1 and control cells did not. Secreted FGF1 induced short-term activation of both FGFR1 and ERK2, which were required for cell proliferation. In contrast, SP-FGF1 cells stopped secreting FGF1 and died rapidly, if cultured in the absence of serum. Surprisingly, FGF1 cells, but not control cells, secreted FGF1 and were resistant to apoptosis induced by serum depletion. Secreted FGF1 induced long-term activation of FGFR1 and ERK2, which was necessary to induce a constant and high level of Bcl-x production, and to induce cell survival in FGF1 cells. Downregulation of ERK2 and Bcl-x increased apoptosis. Thus, the proliferation and survival activities of FGF1 depend on the secretion of FGF1 which is determined by the cell culture conditions. Cell proliferation was SP-dependent, whereas cell survival was not. The signal peptide controls the level and duration, ‘whispering or shouting’, of ERK2 activation cells which determines FGF1 biological function and may have important implications for anti-degenerative and anti-proliferative treatments.