Differential regulation of jun family gene expression by the tumor promoter okadaic acid.

Phosphorylation events are major regulatory mechanisms of signal transduction pathways that control cell growth and differentiation. The potential involvement of serine/threonine-specific phosphoprotein phosphatases in pathways that regulate gene expression was analyzed. By use of okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 (PP-1) and 2A (PP-2A), we present evidence that expression of distinct members of the jun family of genes, c-jun, junB, and junD, are regulated differentially by serine/threonine-specific phosphoprotein phosphatases. Treatment of cells with okadaic acid induces the expression of junB, and to a lesser extent c-jun, but has only a marginal effect on junD expression. This induction involves transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional mechanisms. An analysis of defined elements in different promoters suggests that serine/threonine phosphoprotein phosphatases are involved in the regulation of the c-jun and the collagenase 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) response element (TRE) as well as the c-fos serum response element (SRE). Since inhibition of PP-1 and PP-2A leads to increased proto-oncogene expression, our results further support the view that certain protein phosphatases might act as negative regulators of growth.