Physiological amounts of ascorbate potentiate phorbol ester-induced nuclear-binding of AP-1 transcription factor in cells of macrophagic lineage

The aim of the reported research was to assess the potential modulatory effect exerted by physiological amounts of ascorbate complexed or not to iron on activator protein 1 (AP-1) nuclear binding. The metal-vitamin complex was shown able to strongly potentiate AP-1 binding as induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Such enhancing activity by ascorbate was not observed on PMA-dependent induction of another redox-sensitive transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Experiments performed in the presence of the metal chelator desferrioxamine (DFO) clearly indicated that ascorbate rather than iron was responsible for the potentiation of PMA effect. The composition of AP-1 heterodimers revealed c-Jun, Jun D, and c-Fos as the major subunits upon PMA ± ascorbate stimulation. The change in AP-1 components consequent to such stimuli was mainly dependent upon new synthesis. In fact, protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) prevented the stimulation of AP-1 nuclear binding due to PMA and ascorbate plus PMA. Further, the vitamin was able to amplify the PMA-dependent induction of p38 and pJNK. Thus, a fine modulation of critical thiols by the vitamin along the MAPK pathway is conceivable.