Exposure of human alveolar macrophages to bacterial LPS results in activation of a number of signal transduction pathways. An early event after the alveolar macrophage comes in contact with LPS is activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI 3-kinase). This study evaluates the downstream effects of that activation. We observed that LPS exposure results in phosphorylation of Akt (serine 473). We found this using both phosphorylation-specific Abs and also by in vivo phosphorylation with 32P-loaded cells. AKT activation resulted in the phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) (serine 21/9). We found that both of these events were linked to PI 3-kinase because the PI 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of both AKT and GSK-3. Inactivation of GSK-3 has been shown to reduce the ubiquitination of β-catenin, resulting in nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activity of β-catenin. Consistent with this, we found that LPS caused an increase in the amounts of PI 3-kinase-dependent nuclear β-catenin in human alveolar macrophages and expression of genes that require nuclear β-catenin for their activation. This is the first demonstration that LPS exposure activates AKT, inactivates GSK-3, and causes accumulation and transcriptional activity of β-catenin in the nucleus of any cell, including alveolar macrophages.

Mechanisms underlying the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by flavin-containing oxidases in regulating cell cycle progression were examined in human and rodent fibroblasts. Incubation of confluent cell cultures with nontoxic/nonclastogenic concentrations of the flavoprotein inhibitor, diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase activity and basal ROS levels, but increased proteolysis of cyclin D1, p21 Waf1 and phospho-p38 MAPK . When these cells were allowed to proliferate by subculture in DPI-free medium, an extensive G 1 delay was observed with concomitant activation of p53/p21 Waf1 signaling and reduced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated kinases. Compensation for decreased oxidant generation by simultaneous exposure to DPI and nontoxic doses of the ROS generators, c-radiation or t-butyl-hydroperoxide, attenuated the G 1 delay. Whereas the DPI-induced G 1 checkpoint was completely dependent on PHOX91, ATM and WAF1, it was only partially dependent on P53. Interestingly, G 1 to S progression was not affected when another flavin-containing enzyme, nitric oxide synthase, was inhibited nor was it associated with changes in mitochondrial membrane potential. Proliferating cells treated with DPI also experienced a significant but attenuated delay in G 2 . We propose that ATM performs a critical function in mediating normal cellular proliferation that is regulated by nonphagocytic NAD(P)H oxidase enzymes activity, which may serve as a novel target for arresting cancer cells in G 1 .