L-Thyroxine (T-4) nongenomically promotes association of mitogen-activated
protein kinase (MAPK) and thyroid hormone receptor TR beta1 (TR) in the cel
l nucleus, leading to serine phosphorylation of the receptor. The oncogene
suppressor protein, p53, is serine phosphorylated by several kinases and is
known to interact with TR beta1. We studied whether association of p53 and
TR is modulated by T-4 and involves serine phosphorylation of p53 by MAPK.
TR-replete 293T human kidney cells were incubated with a physiological con
centration of T-4 for 10-90 min. Nuclear fractions were immunoprecipitated
and the resulting proteins separated and immunoblotted for co-immunoprecipi
tated proteins. Activated MAPK immunoprecipitates of nuclei from T-4-treate
d cells accumulated p53 in a time-dependent manner; T-4 and T-4-agarose wer
e more effective than T-3. T-4-induced nuclear complexing of p53 and MAPK w
as inhibited by PD 98059 (PD) and U0126, two MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitors,
and was absent in cells treated with MEK antisense oligonucleotide and in d
ominant negative Ras cells. T-4 also caused nuclear co-immunoprecipitation
of TR beta1 and p53, an effect also inhibited by PD. Nuclear complexing of
p53 and MAPK also occurred in HeLa cells, which lack functional TR. Constit
utively activated MAPK caused phosphorylation of a recombinant p53-GST fusi
on protein in vitro; thus, p53 is a substrate for MAPK. An indicator of p53
transcriptional activity, accumulation of the immediate-early gene product
, c-Jun, was inhibited by T-4. This T-4 effect was reversed by PD, indicati
ng that the transcriptional activity of p53 was altered by T-4-directed MAP
K-p53 interaction.