Rotavirus infection is known to regulate transcriptional changes in many cellular genes. The
transcription factors NF-kappaB and
AP-1 are activated by
rotavirus infection, but the upstream processes leading to these events are largely unidentified. We therefore studied the activation state during
rotavirus infection of c-Jun NH2-terminal
kinase (JNK) and p38, which are
kinases known to activate
AP-1. As assessed by Western blotting using
phospho-specific antibodies,
infection with rhesus rotavirus (RRV) or exposure to UV-
psoralen-inactivated RRV (I-RRV) resulted in the activation of JNK in HT-29, Caco-2, and MA104 cells. Activation of p38 during RRV
infection was observed in Caco-2 and MA104 cells but not in HT-29 cells, whereas exposure to I-RRV did not lead to p38 activation in these cell lines. Rotavirus strains SA11, CRW-8, Wa, and UK also activated JNK and p38. Consistent with the activation of JNK, a corresponding increase in the phosphorylation of the
AP-1 component c-Jun was shown. The
interleukin-8 (IL-8) and c-jun promoters contain
AP-1 binding sequences, and these genes have been shown previously to be transcriptionally up-regulated during
rotavirus infection. Using specific inhibitors of JNK (
SP600125) and p38 (
SB203580) and real-time PCR, we showed that maximal RRV-induced
IL-8 and c-jun transcription required JNK and p38 activity. This highlights the importance of JNK and p38 in RRV-induced, AP-1-driven gene expression. Significantly, inhibition of p38 or JNK in Caco-2 cells reduced RRV growth but not viral structural
antigen expression, demonstrating the potential importance of JNK and p38 activation for optimal rotavirus replication.