p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Is the Central Regulator of Cyclic AMP-Dependent Transcription of the Brown Fat Uncoupling Protein 1 Gene

Abstract

It is well established that catecholamine-stimulated thermogenesis in brown fat requires β-adrenergic elevations in cyclic AMP (cAMP) to increase expression of the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene. However, little is known about the downstream components of the signaling cascade or the relevant transcription factor targets thereof. Here we demonstrate that cAMP- and protein kinase A-dependent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in brown adipocytes is an indispensable step in the transcription of the UCP1 gene in mice. By phosphorylating activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) coativator 1α (PGC-1α), members of two distinct nuclear factor families, p38 MAPK controls the expression of the UCP1 gene through their respective interactions with a cAMP response element and a PPAR response element that both reside within a critical enhancer motif of the UCP1 gene. Activation of ATF-2 by p38 MAPK additionally serves as the cAMP sensor that increases expression of the PGC-1α gene itself in brown adipose tissue. In conclusion, our findings illustrate that by orchestrating the activity of multiple transcription factors, p38 MAPK is a central mediator of the cAMP signaling mechanism of brown fat that promotes thermogenesis.

We thank Steve Kliewer for the expression vectors for PPARγ, RXRα, and [AOX]₂-tk CAT. We thank J. Han for pCDNA3-p38αAF and Roger Davis for the expression vector of the constitutively active MKK6E.

This work was supported by NIH awards R01-DK53092 (S.C.), R01-DK54024 (S.C.), R01-DK54477 (B.M.S.), and Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (J.R.).