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Signaling and Regulation

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase 4/c-Jun NH₂-Terminal Kinase Kinase 1 Protein Expression Is Subject to Translational Regulation in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

¹ Department of Surgery, Section of Urology and the Committee on Cancer Biology at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois and ² Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland

Requests for reprints: Carrie W. Rinker-Schaeffer, Section of Urology MC 6038, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637. Phone: 773-702-5882; Fax: 773-702-1001. E-mail: crinkers{at}uchicago.edu

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4/c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase kinase 1 (MKK4/JNKK1; hereafter referred to as MKK4) is a dual-specificity kinase with a critical role in regulating the activity of c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase and p38 kinases. We identified a novel biological function for MKK4 in the regulation of growth of ovarian and prostate cancer metastases. Clinical correlative studies showed that MKK4 protein levels were reduced in high-grade prostate cancer and prostate and ovarian cancer metastases compared with normal tissue, which prompted investigation into the mechanism(s) responsible for down-regulation of MKK4 in a panel of cancer cell lines. Initial studies found that low levels of MKK4 protein did not correlate with either exon deletion or decreased levels of MKK4 mRNA, suggesting that MKK4 protein levels were regulated posttranscriptionally by either reduced translation or reduced protein stability. Endogenous MKK4 was highly stable and not subject to altered proteolysis. Instead, MKK4 biosynthesis seemed to be regulated by altered translation. In support of this assertion, we found that cytosolic MKK4 mRNA was shifted toward active polysomes in cells with higher levels of MKK4 protein, suggesting that MKK4 mRNA was translated more efficiently in these cells. This study supports a novel mechanism for the regulation of MKK4 protein levels. Further, these findings have potential therapeutic implications for modulating the expression of a signaling kinase involved in the regulation of metastatic growth. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(3):501–8)