Cyclic AMP enhances Smad-mediated BMP signaling through PKA-CREB pathway

We present experimental results indicating involvement of cyclic AMP (cAMP)-mediated signaling in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-induced osteoblastic gene expression at the transcriptional level by luciferase activity assay in C2C12 cells using the promoter sequence of the Id1 gene, an early-response gene to BMPs, which contains both a BMP-responsive element (BRE) and a cAMP-response element (CRE). In cells transfected with luciferase gene driven by wild-type Id1 promoter, treatment with BMP-4 increased luciferase expression, which was further enhanced by the addition of dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP). This dbcAMP-enhanced luciferase expression was significantly suppressed when the CRE site in the Id1 promoter was replaced by mutated CRE or endogenous CRE-binding protein (CREB) was knocked down by transfection of CREB RNAi. Pretreatment of cells with protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, H89, also dramatically reduced dbcAMP-enhanced luciferase expression. Immunoprecipitation assay showed phosphorylated-Smad1/5/8, phosphorylated-CREB, and CREB-binding protein (CBP) formed the transcriptional complex. These data indicate that cAMP-PKA/CREB/CRE signaling potentially enhances BMP-induced transcription through the BRE in the promoter of the BMP-responsive gene through a PKA-mediated pathway.