Stimulus-dependent regulation of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase by a VAV1, Rac1, and PAK1 signaling axis.

Kirstine Roepstorff, Izabela Zorawska Rasmussen, Makoto Sawada, Cristophe Cudre-Maroux, Patrick Salmon, Gary Bokoch, Bo van Deurs, Frederik Vilhardt

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Abstract

The p21-activated kinase-1 (PAK1) is best known for its role in the regulation of cytoskeletal and transcriptional signaling pathways. We show here in the microglia cell line Ra2 that PAK1 regulates NADPH oxidase (NOX-2) activity in a stimulus-specific manner. Thus, conditional expression of PAK1 dominant-positive mutants enhanced, whereas dominant-negative mutants inhibited, NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide generation following formyl-methionyl-leucylphenylalanine or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulation. Both Rac1 and the GTP exchange factor VAV1 were required as upstream signaling proteins in the formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-induced activation of endogenous PAK1. In contrast, PAK1 mutants had no effect on superoxide generation downstream of FcgammaR signaling during phagocytosis of IgG-immune complexes. We further present evidence that the effect of PAK1 on the respiratory burst is mediated through phosphorylation of p47(Phox), and we show that expression of a p47(Phox) (S303D/S304D/S320D) mutant, which mimics phosphorylation by PAK1, induced basal superoxide generation in vivo. In contrast PAK1 substrates LIMK-1 or RhoGDI are not likely to contribute to the PAK1 effect on NADPH oxidase activation. Collectively, our findings define a VAV1-Rac1-PAK1 signaling axis in mononuclear phagocytes regulating superoxide production in a stimulus-dependent manner.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume283
Issue number12
Pages (from-to)7983-93
Number of pages10
ISSN0021-9258
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Bibliographical note

Keywords: Amino Acid Substitution; Animals; Antigen-Antibody Complex; Carcinogens; Cell Line; Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors; Humans; Lim Kinases; Membrane Glycoproteins; Mice; Microglia; Mutation, Missense; N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; NADPH Oxidase; Neuropeptides; Phagocytes; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; Receptors, IgG; Respiratory Burst; Signal Transduction; Superoxides; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; p21-Activated Kinases; rac GTP-Binding Proteins; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein

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