Phosphorylation of C/EBP at a Consensus Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase/Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Site Is Required for the Induction of Adiponectin Gene Expression during the Differentiation of Mouse Fibroblasts into Adipocytes

Stimulation of adipogenesis in mouse preadipocytes requires C/EBP as well as activation of the MEK/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. In this study, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of C/EBP at a consensus ERK/glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) site regulates adiponectin gene expression during the C/EBP -facilitated differentiation of mouse fibroblasts into adipocytes. First, we show that exposure of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to insulin, dexamethasone (DEX), and isobutylmethylxanthine (MIX) leads to the phosphorylation of C/EBP at threonine 188. Pretreating the cells with a MEK1-specific inhibitor (U0126) significantly attenuates this activity. Similarly, these effectors activate the phosphorylation of T188 within an ectopic C/EBP overexpressed in Swiss mouse fibroblasts, and this event involves both MEK1 and GSK3 activity. We further show that expression of C/EBP (p34kD LAP isoform) in Swiss mouse fibroblasts exposed to DEX, MIX, and insulin induces expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR ) and some adiponectin but that it does not activate expression of FABP4/aP2. In fact, complete conversion of these fibroblasts into lipid-laden adipocytes, which includes activation of FABP4 and adiponectin expression, requires their exposure to a potent PPAR ligand such as troglitazone. Expression of a mutant C/EBP in which threonine 188 has been modified to alanine (C/EBP T188A) can induce PPAR production in the mouse fibroblasts, but it is incapable of stimulating adiponectin expression in the absence or presence of troglitazone. Interestingly, replacement of T188 with aspartic acid creates a C/EBP molecule (C/EBP T188D) that possesses adipogenic activity similar to that of the wild-type molecule. The absence of adiponectin expression correlates with a reduced amount of C/EBP in the adipocytes expressing the T188A mutant suggesting that C/EBP is required for expression of adiponectin. In fact, ectopic expression of PPAR in C/EBP -deficient fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 cells) produces a modest amount of adiponectin, whereas expression of both PPAR and C/EBP in NIH 3T3 cells facilitates production of abundant quantities of adiponectin. These data demonstrate that phosphorylation of C/EBP at a consensus ERK/GSK3 site is required for both C/EBP and adiponectin gene expression during the differentiation of mouse fibroblasts into adipocytes.