Urokinase activates macrophage PON2 gene transcription via the PI3K/ROS/MEK/SREBP-2 signalling cascade mediated by the PDGFR-β

Aims We have recently shown that urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) increases oxidative stress (OS), cholesterol biosynthesis, and paraoxonase 2 (PON2) expression in macrophages via binding to its receptor, the uPAR. Since PON2 is regulated by both OS and cholesterol content, we hypothesized that uPA elicits a cascade of signal transduction events shared by NADPH oxidase and cholesterol biosynthesis that culminates in PON2 gene expression. Here, we investigated the signalling pathway that leads to the expression of PON2 in macrophages in response to uPA. Methods and results The increase in macrophage PON2 mRNA levels in response to uPA was shown to depend on PON2 gene promoter activation…