MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP)-1 plays a pivotal role in controlling MAP kinase (MAPK)-dependent (patho)physiological processes. Although MKP-1 gene expression is tightly regulated at multiple levels, the underlying mechanistic details remain largely unknown. In this study, I demonstrate that MKP-1 expression is regulated at the post-transcriptional level by 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol [22(R)-HC] through a novel mechanism. 22(R)-HC induces Hu antigen R (HuR) phosphorylation, cytoplasmic translocation and binding to MKP-1 mRNA, resulting in stabilization of MKP-1 mRNA. The resulting increase in MKP-1 leads to suppression of JNK-mediated inflammatory responses in brain astrocytes. I further demonstrate that 22(R)-HC–induced phosphorylation of nuclear HuR is mediated by PKCα, which is activated in the cytosol by increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels mediated by the phospholipase C/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (PLC/IP3R) pathway and translocates from cytoplasm to nucleus. In addition, pharmacological interventions reveal that metabotropic glutamate receptor5 (mGluR5) is responsible for the increases in intracellular Ca2+ that underlie these actions of 22(R)-HC. Collectively, my findings identify a novel anti-inflammatory mechanism of 22(R)-HC, which acts through PKCα-mediated cytoplasmic shuttling of HuR to post-transcriptionally regulate MKP-1 expression. These findings provide an experimental basis for the development of a RNA-targeted therapeutic agent to control MAPK-dependent inflammatory responses.
