Signal transduction pathway(s) involved in phorbol ester and autocrine induction of interleukin-1 alpha mRNA in murine keratinocytes

We investigated the signal transduction pathways leading to the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)- and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1)-induced IL-1 alpha mRNA in mouse keratinocytes. Induction of IL-1 alpha mRNA by TPA or IL-1 alpha was followed by increases in cell-associated IL-1 alpha protein measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Although protein kinase C (PKC) was involved in TPA-induced IL-1 alpha mRNA, down-regulation of PKC did not block the induction of this gene by TPA. The autocrine induction of IL-1 alpha was not mediated through PKC or cAMP. IL-1 alpha did activate mitogen-activated protein kinase. Genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, blocked both IL-1 alpha-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase activation as well as IL-1 alpha mRNA expression. Genistein, at an unsaturating dose, plus a serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, H7, completely blocked the autocrine induction of IL-1 alpha suggesting that expression of this gene is regulated by tyrosine kinase(s) in combination or independently with serine/threonine kinase(s). In addition, both TPA and IL-1 alpha caused increases not only in the phosphorylation of c-Jun and c-Fos protein but also in the transactivating activity of AP-1 nuclear transcription factor. Neither TPA nor IL-1 alpha induced NF-kappa B binding activity, as assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis. This study suggests that the activation of AP-1 may be a common event through which TPA and IL-1 alpha induce IL-1 alpha mRNA.