Induction of C-FOS, C-MYC and P53 by β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation of rat parotid acinar cells (RPAC)

Treatment of rats with the β-agonist isoproterenol (ISO) results in dramatically increased parotid gland protein synthesis, processing and cell proliferation. The authors have shown that in RPAC in vitro, β-AR stimulation has similar effect on protein synthesis and processing. Proto-oncogenes have been implicated in growth regulation, differentiation and in mediating some extracellular stimulated events at the level of gene expression. To understand the regulation of cellular events after β-AR stimulation, the expression of c-fos, c-myc and p53 was investigated. RPAC were incubated with or without 10-5M ISO for 15, 30, 60 min. mRNA was isolated from cells and hybridization analysis was performed on nitrocellulose paper-transferred mRNA using 32P-labeled DNA probes. At early time points, the levels of c-fos gene activation in ISO-treated and control cells were comparable. After 60 min of ISO treatment, a sharp 20-30 fold induction of c-fos expression occurred. Similar increases in c-myc and p53 gene expression were observed after 60 min of ISO treatment. The authors data indicate that early effects of β-AR stimulation of RPAC include induction of c-fos, c-myc and p53 gene expression as well as enhanced protein synthesis and processing