04-002 Sigma-AldrichAnti-SOCS1 Antibody, clone 4H1

We have previously shown that ASK1 undergoes ubiquitination and degradation in resting endothelial cells (EC) and that proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) induces deubiquitination and stabilization, leading to ASK1 activation. However, the mechanism for the regulation of ASK1 stability is not known. In the present study, we have shown that SOCS1, a member of suppressor of cytokine signaling, induces ASK1 degradation. SOCS1 was constitutively expressed in EC and formed a labile complex with ASK1 that can be stabilized by proteasomal inhibitors. The phosphotyrosine-binding SH2 domain of SOCS1 was critical for its association with ASK1. Thus a SOCS1 mutant defective in phosphotyrosine binding failed to bind to and induce ASK1 degradation. Phosphotyrosine of ASK1 was induced in response to growth factors, and TNF induced dephosphorylation and dissociation of ASK1 from SOCS1. ASK1 with a mutation at Tyr-718 diminished the binding to SOCS1, suggesting that the phosphotyrosine-718 of ASK1 is critical for SOCS1 binding. Moreover, ASK1 expression and activity were up-regulated in SOCS1-deficient mice and derived EC, resulting in enhanced TNF-induced activation of JNK, expression of proinflammatory molecules, and apoptotic responses. We concluded that SOCS1 functions as a negative regulator in TNF-induced inflammation in EC, in part, by inducing ASK1 degradation.

Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) are small double-stranded DNA viruses that infect mucosal and cutaneous epithelium and induce cervical cancer. It has been shown that interferon (IFN)gamma suppresses proliferation of HPV-infected cells by suppressing expression of HPV E7. Here, we found that IFNgamma induces not only suppression of E7 transcription but also proteasome-dependent degradation. Suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1)/JAB, a suppressor of cytokine signaling, is known to be induced by IFNgamma, and functions as an antioncogene against various hematopoietic oncogenic proteins. SOCS1 contains the SOCS-box, which is shown to recruit ubiquitin transferase to the molecules that interact with SOCS1. We found that SOCS1 interacted with HPV E7 protein and induced ubiquitination and degradation of E7 in a SOCS-box-dependent manner. SOCS1 overexpression also increased Rb protein levels and suppressed proliferation of cervical cancer cell lines infected with HPV. Moreover, E7 protein levels were higher and Rb protein levels were lower in SOCS1-deficient fibroblasts infected with retrovirus vector carrying E7 gene than in wild-type fibroblasts. E7 induced anchorage-independent growth in SOCS1-deficient fibroblasts, but not in wild-type cells. These data suggested that SOCS1 plays an important role in regulating the levels of E7 protein and their transforming potential, and could be a new therapeutic tool for HPV-mediated tumors.