D1 Dopamine Receptor Agonists Mediate Activation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and c-Jun Amino-Terminal Kinase by a Protein Kinase A-Dependent Mechanism in SK-N-MC Human Neuroblastoma Cells
Abstract
Abstract We investigated the effects of D 1 dopamine receptor stimulation on the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cells. We found that the D 1 dopamine receptor agonist SKF38393 induced similar time- and dose-related activation of p38 MAPK and c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK), whereas extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity was not affected by D 1 dopamine receptor stimulation. Maximal stimulation of p38 MAPK and JNK was observed after a 15-min incubation with 100 μ m SKF38393. In contrast, 10 μ m quinpirole, a D 2 dopamine receptor agonist, did not activate p38 MAPK or JNK. Treatment of cells with 10 μ m SCH23390, a D 1 dopamine receptor antagonist, significantly inhibited the activation of both kinases by SKF38393. These results indicate that activation of the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways is mediated by dopamine D 1 receptors in SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells. Furthermore, dibutyryl-cAMP mimicked SKF38393-mediated stimulation of p38 MAPK and JNK. Inhibition of protein kinase A by 1 μ m H-89 or 10 μ m adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-isomer, triethylammonium salt) markedly attenuated the activation of p38 MAPK and JNK. Conversely, the selective protein kinase C inhibitor calphostin C did not block D 1 dopamine receptor-stimulated activation of p38 MAPK and JNK. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that the G s -coupled D 1 dopamine receptor activates the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways by a protein kinase A-dependent mechanism.