Insulin inhibits glucocorticoid-stimulated L-type 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase gene expression by activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway

• Published in: Biochemical journal 2001-01, Vol.353 (2), p.267-273
• Main Authors: DE LOS PINOS, Elisabet, FERNÁNDEZ DE MATTOS, Silvia, JOAQUIN, Manel, TAULER, Albert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0264-6021; 1470-8728
• DOI: 10.1042/bj3530267

The hepatic isoform of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase) is transcriptionally stimulated by glucocorticoids, whereas insulin blocks this stimulatory effect. Although this inhibitory effect has been extensively reported, nothing is known about the signalling pathway responsible. We have used well-characterized inhibitors for proteins involved in different signalling cascades to assess the involvement of these pathways on the transcriptional regulation of glucocorticoid-stimulated PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase by insulin. Our results demonstrate that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase, p70/p85 ribosomal S6 kinase, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways are not involved in the inhibitory effect of insulin on glucocorticoid-stimulated PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase. To evaluate the implication of the MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK)-4Őstress-activated protein kinaseŐc-Jun-N-terminal protein kinase (‘JNKŐSAPK’) pathway we overexpressed the N-terminal JNK-binding domain of the JNK-interacting protein 1 (‘JIP-1’), demonstrating that activation of JNK is necessary for the insulin inhibitory effect. Moreover, overexpression of MEK kinase 1 and JNKŐhaemagglutinin resulted in the inhibition of the glucocorticoid-stimulated PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase. These results provide clear and specific evidence for the role of JNK in the insulin inhibition of glucocorticoid-stimulated PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase gene expression. In addition, we performed experiments with a mutant of the glucocorticoid receptor in which the JNK phosphorylation target Ser-246 had been mutated to Ala. Our results demonstrate that the phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor on Ser-246 is not responsible for the JNK repression of glucocorticoid-stimulated PF2K/Fru-2,6-BPase gene expression.