Inhibitors of protein phosphatase 1 and 2A differentially regulate the expression of inducible nitric-oxide synthase in rat astrocytes and macrophages.

Nitric oxide produced by inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) in different cells including brain cells in response to proinflammatory cytokines plays an important role in the pathophysiology of stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases. The present study underlines the importance of protein phosphatase (PP) 1 and 2A in the regulation of the differential expression of iNOS in rat primary astrocytes and macrophages. Compounds (calyculin A, microcystin, okadaic acid, and cantharidin) that inhibit PP 1 and 2A were found to stimulate the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and cytokine-mediated expression of iNOS and production of NO in rat primary astrocytes and C6 glial cells. However, these inhibitors inhibited the LPS- and cytokine-mediated expression of iNOS and production of NO in rat resident macrophages and RAW 264.7 cells. Similarly, okadaic acid, an inhibitor of PP 1/2A, stimulated the iNOS promoter-derived chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in astrocytes and inhibited the iNOS promoter-derived chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in macrophages, indicating that okadaic acid also differentially regulates the transcription of the iNOS gene in astrocytes and macrophages. The observed stimulation of the expression of iNOS in astrocytes and the inhibition of the expression of iNOS in macrophages with the inhibition of PP 1/2A activity clearly delineate a novel role of PP 1/2A in the differential regulation of iNOS in rat astrocytes and macrophages. Because the activation of NF-kappaB is necessary for the induction of iNOS and the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha also depends on the activation of NF-kappaB, we examined the effect of okadaic acid on the LPS-mediated activation of NF-kappaB and production of TNF-alpha in rat primary astrocytes and macrophages. Interestingly, in both cell types, okadaic acid stimulated the LPS-mediated DNA binding as well as transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB and production of TNF-alpha. This study suggests that the stimulation of iNOS expression in astrocytes by inhibitors of PP 1/2A is possibly due to the stimulation of NF-kappaB activation; however, activation of NF-kappaB is not sufficient for the induction of iNOS in macrophages and that apart from NF-kappaB some other signaling pathway(s) sensitive to PP 1 and/or PP 2A is/are possibly involved in the regulation of iNOS in macrophages. This differential induction of iNOS as compared with similar activation of NF-kappaB by inhibitors of PP 1/2A indicates the involvement of different intracellular signaling events for the induction of iNOS in two cell types of the same animal species.