Multiple independent kinase cascades are targeted by hyperosmotic stress but only one activates stress kinase p38.

In this report, we analyse the effects of osmotic shock on signal transduction in CHO cells. We demonstrate that at least three different kinase cascades are switched on upon osmotic shock, namely PKA, AMPK, and MLTK. Whereas PKA from cells treated with forskolin activated stress kinase p38, PKA from cells treated with sorbitol did not activate p38, although the enzyme is activated in both cases as analysed in vitro using a specific peptide target. Further, osmolar shock activated AMPK but treatment of the cells with the AMPK activator 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (AICAr) did not result in p38 activation, strongly suggesting that AMPK is not involved in stress kinase activation. Transfection of CHO cells with dominant negative recombinants of MLTKalpha resulted in inhibition of sorbitol-mediated p38 activation, indicating that the mixed-lineage kinase is involved in the activation of p38 by sorbitol. Finally, in CHO cells overexpressing wild-type MLTKalpha, no activation of AMPK of PKA could be demonstrated, indicating that the activated kinase cascades are not involved in a cross-talk process.