p38MAPK acts in the BMP7-dependent stimulatory pathway during epithelial cell morphogenesis and is regulated by Smad1

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-7 exerts dose-dependent stimulatory and inhibitory effects during renal branching morphogenesis. Previously, we identified an inhibitory role for activin-like kinase receptors and Smad1 in BMP-dependent inhibition (Piscione, T. D., Phan, T., and Rosenblum, N. D. (2001) Am. J. Physiol. 280, F19-F33). Here we demonstrate a novel role for p38 mitogen-activated kinase (p38(MAPK)) in BMP7-dependent stimulatory signaling. Stimulatory doses (0.25 nM) of BMP7 increased p38(MAPK) activity and stimulated phosphorylation of endogenous activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) in a p38(MAPK)-dependent manner in murine inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD-3) cells. In contrast, high doses ( 10 nM) of BMP7 inhibited p38(MAPK) activity and phosphorylation of endogenous ATF2. Treatment with BMP7 exerted no significant effect on the levels of the phosphorylated forms of endogenous SAPK/JNK or p44 and p42 (ERK1 and ERK2) protein kinases. To investigate the functional importance of p38(MAPK) signaling, we showed that SB203580, a p38(MAPK) inhibitor, blocked the stimulatory effect of BMP7 on mIMCD-3 cell morphogenesis but had no effect on BMP7-dependent inhibition in a three-dimensional culture model. To identify mechanisms by which BMP7-dependent inhibitory signaling suppresses p38(MAPK) activity, we measured p38(MAPK) activity in ligand independent mIMCD-3 models of enhanced and suppressed Smad signaling. Basal activity of p38(MAPK) was decreased in mIMCD-3 cells and in embryonic kidney tissue expressing a constitutively active activin-like kinase receptor, but was increased in mIMCD-3 cells stably expressing a dominant negative form of Smad1. We conclude that BMP7 stimulates renal epithelial cell morphogenesis via p38(MAPK) and that p38(MAPK) activity is negatively regulated by Smad1.