Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:1.14.14.3 (luciferase)
 38,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland and other sites that acts both systemically and locally to cause lactation and other biological effects by interacting with the PRL receptor, a Janus kinase (JAK)2-coupled cytokine receptor family member, and activating downstream signal pathways. Recent evidence suggests PRL is a player in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) also has effects on breast tissue, working through its receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB-2 (c-neu, HER2), both intrinsic tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors. EGFR promotes pubertal breast ductal morphogenesis in mice, and both EGFR and ErbB-2 are relevant in pathogenesis and behavior of breast and other human cancers. Previous studies showed that PRL and EGF synergize to enhance motility in the human breast cancer cell line, T47D. In this study, we explored crosstalk between the PRL and EGF signaling pathways in T47D cells, with an ultimate aim of understanding how these two important factors might work together in vivo to affect breast cancer behavior. Both PRL and EGF caused robust signaling in T47D cells; PRL acutely activated JAK2, signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 and -2 (ERK1 and ERK2), whereas EGF caused EGFR activation and consequent src homology collagen (SHC) activation and ERK activation. Notably, PRL also caused phosphorylation of the EGFR and ErbB-2 at sites detected by PTP101, an antibody that recognizes threonine phosphorylation at consensus motifs for ERK-induced phosphorylation. PRL-induced PTP101-reactive phosphorylation was prevented by pretreatment with PD98059, an ERK pathway inhibitor. Furthermore, PRL synergized with EGF in activating SHC and ERK and transactivating a luciferase reporter driven by c-fos gene enhancer elements, suggesting that PRL allowed markedly enhanced EGF signaling. This was accompanied by substantial inhibition of EGF-induced EGFR downregulation when PRL and EGF cotreatment was compared to EGF treatment alone. This effect of PRL was abrogated by ERK pathway inhibitor pretreatment. Our data suggest that PRL synergistically augments EGF signaling in T47D breast cancer cells at least in part by lessening EGF-induced EGFR downregulation and that this effect requires PRL-induced ERK activity and threonine phosphorylation of EGFR.
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PMID:Prolactin modulates phosphorylation, signaling and trafficking of epidermal growth factor receptor in human T47D breast cancer cells. 1678 91

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is an essential transcription factor in the control of expression of genes involved in cell growth, differentiation, inflammation, and neoplastic transformation. Previously, we reported that okadaic acid (OA), which is a specific inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases, induced apoptosis in cells of human osteosarcoma cell line MG63. However, to date, it is not clear whether the phosphorylation status of NF-kappaB could be affected by the treatment with OA. In this report, we demonstrate that treatment of MG63 cells with OA enhanced the phosphorylation level of NF-kappaB, as judged from the results of Western blot analysis and a lambda protein phosphatase dephosphorylation assay. The phosphorylation level of NF-kappaB was enhanced in both time- and dose-dependent manners. In the cells treated with 100 nM OA for 3 h, consequential translocation of NF-kappaB from the cytosol to the nucleus occurred. Western blotting experiments with an anti-phospho-p65NF-kappaB antibody disclosed that the NF-kappaB was phosphorylated on serine 536. Furthermore, OA stimulated the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB in MG63 cells, as judged from the results of a luciferase assay. Our findings indicate that OA elicit phosphorylation of NF-kappaB on serine 536 in MG63 cells, resulting in the translocation of phospho-NF-kappaB to the nucleus, thereby promoting transcriptional activity of genes.
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PMID:Okadaic acid induces phosphorylation of p65NF-kappaB on serine 536 and activates NF-kappaB transcriptional activity in human osteoblastic MG63 cells. 1679 36

Serine/threonine kinase Fused (Fu) is an essential component of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in Drosophila, but the biochemical functions of Fu remain unclear. Here, we have investigated proteins co-precipitated with mammalian Fu and identified a kinase-specific chaperone complex, Cdc37/Hsp90, as a novel-binding partner of Fu. Inhibition of Hsp90 function by geldanamycin (GA) induces rapid degradation of Fu through a ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We next show that co-expression of Fu with transcription factors Gli1 and Gli2 significantly increases their protein levels and luciferase reporter activities, which are blocked by GA. These increases can be ascribed to Fu-mediated stabilization of Gli because co-expression of Fu prolongs half-life of Gli1 and reduces polyubiquitination of Gli1. Finally, we show that GA inhibits proliferation of PC3, a Hh signaling-activated prostate cancer cell line. This growth inhibition is partially rescued by expression of ectopic Gli1, suggesting that Fu may contribute to enhance Hh signaling activity in cancer cells.
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PMID:Fused kinase is stabilized by Cdc37/Hsp90 and enhances Gli protein levels. 1705 4

Exogenous bacterial sphingomyelinase (SMase) and C6-Ceramides (C6-Cer) considerably lower buoyant cholesterol on sucrose density-gradient (at least 55% less cholesterol). In opposition, short C2-Cer fails to displace buoyant cholesterol. Note that neither SMase nor C6-Cer delocalize raft markers (Lck, LAT, CD55, and GM1). They are still anchored in ceramides-rich/cholesterol-poor domains, demonstrating that cholesterol is not necessary for their buoyancy. SMase-treated cells, i.e. cells exhibiting cholesterol-depleted rafts, optimally transmit CD3-induced phosphorylations (tyrosine, threonine, and serine). SMase, that extracts and partially displaces buoyant cholesterol, does not inhibit PLCgamma1-LAT interaction, Vav 1 phosphorylation, the actin polymerization, IL-2 and NF-kappaB (EMSA and luciferase assays) activation, and CD25 up-regulation (RT-PCR and cytometry) at all. Nevertheless, Ca(2+) influx and diacylglycerol (palmitoyl-DAG and arachidonoy-DAG) production are lowered. The drop of CD3-induced Ca(2+) influx is due to a strong plasma membrane depolarization because of Cer. The decreased DAG level is a consequence of the drop of intracellular Ca(2+) that is a cofactor for the PLCgamma1. In conclusion, our study challenges the real role of cholesterol-rich rafts in CD3/TCR signaling and suggests that other membrane domains than cholesterol-rich rafts can optimally transmit CD3/TCR signals.
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PMID:Full CD3/TCR activation through cholesterol-depleted lipid rafts. 1730 81

Poliovirus (PV) VPg is a genome-linked protein that is essential for the initiation of viral RNA replication. It has been well established that RNA replication is initiated when a molecule of UMP is covalently linked to the hydroxyl group of a tyrosine (Y3) in VPg by the viral RNA polymerase 3D(pol), but it is not yet known whether the substrate for uridylylation in vivo is the free peptide itself or one of its precursors. The aim of this study was to use complementation analyses to obtain information about the true in vivo substrate for uridylylation by 3D(pol). Previously, it was shown that a VPg mutant, in which tyrosine 3 and threonine 4 were replaced by phenylalanine and alanine (3F4A), respectively, was nonviable. We have now tested whether wild-type forms of proteins 3B, 3BC, 3BCD, 3AB, 3ABC, and P3 provided either in trans or in cis could rescue the replication defect of the VPg(3F4A) mutations in the PV polyprotein. Our results showed that proteins 3B, 3BC, 3BCD, and P3 were unable to complement the RNA replication defect in dicistronic PV or dicistronic luciferase replicons in vivo. However, cotranslation of the P3 precursor protein allowed rescue of RNA replication of the VPg(3F4A) mutant in an in vitro cell-free translation-RNA replication system, but only poor complementation was observed when 3BC, 3AB, 3BCD, or 3ABC proteins were cotranslated in the same assay. Interestingly, only protein 3AB but not 3B and 3BC, when provided in cis by insertion of a wild-type 3AB coding sequence between the P2 and P3 domains of the polyprotein, supported the replication of the mutated genome in vivo. Elimination of cleavage between 3A and 3B in the complementing 3AB protein, however, led to a complete lack of RNA replication. Our results suggest that (i) VPg has to be delivered to the replication complex in the form of a large protein precursor (P3) to be fully functional in replication; (ii) the replication complex formed during PV replication in vivo is essentially inaccessible to proteins provided in trans, even if the complementing protein is translated from a different cistron of the same RNA genome; (iii) 3AB is the most likely precursor of VPg; and (iv) Y3 of VPg has an essential function in RNA replication in the context of both VPg and 3AB.
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PMID:Tyrosine 3 of poliovirus terminal peptide VPg(3B) has an essential function in RNA replication in the context of its precursor protein, 3AB. 1736 Jul 46

Oxidant injury activates the neuroprotective pathway represented by phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) and Akt. However, the final outcome of oxidant exposure is often associated with neuronal death. This study was aimed to identify the molecular mechanism responsible for loss of tolerance to an oxidative environment. In N2A neuroblasts, serum and H2O2 exhibited different kinetics of regulation for the Ser/Thr kinases Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) and for the transcription factor Nrf2, which governs redox homeostasis. Thus, H2O2 rapidly activated Akt, inhibited GSK-3beta, and directed the transcription factor Nrf2 to the nucleus, but after 4 h Akt was inactive, GSK-3beta was active and Nrf2 was more cytosolic than nuclear. Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway by LY294002, impeded the short-term effect of H2O2 on nuclear translocation of Nrf2. GSK-3beta activation (inhibiting PI3K/Akt) or direct GSK-3beta inhibition in cerebellar granule neurons resulted in respective nuclear exclusion and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2. Moreover, in these neurons, nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 correlated with increased heme oxygenase-1 expression. Over-expression of the kinase active GSK-3beta (Delta9) mutant, induced Nrf2 cytoplasmic localization and inhibited Nrf2 transcriptional activity towards an antioxidant-response-element luciferase reporter. Moreover, GSK-3beta (Delta9) sensitized N2A neuroblasts to H2O2-induced oxidative stress and cell death. This study identifies GSK-3beta, a kinase known to participate in neurodegeneration, as a fundamental element in the down-regulation of the antioxidant cell defense elicited by Nrf2 after oxidant injury and provides a mechanism to explain the loss of oxidant tolerance that happens under persistent oxidant exposure such as those found in several neuropathologies.
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PMID:GSK-3beta down-regulates the transcription factor Nrf2 after oxidant damage: relevance to exposure of neuronal cells to oxidative stress. 1800 31

Nucleophosmin/B23 is a multifunctional phosphoprotein that is overexpressed in cancer cells and has been shown to be involved in both positive and negative regulation of transcription. In this study, we first identified GCN5 acetyltransferase as a B23-interacting protein by mass spectrometry, which was then confirmed by in vivo co-immunoprecipitation. An in vitro assay demonstrated that B23 bound the PCAF-N domain of GCN5 and inhibited GCN5-mediated acetylation of both free and mononucleosomal histones, probably through interfering with GCN5 and masking histones from being acetylated. Mitotic B23 exhibited higher inhibitory activity on GCN5-mediated histone acetylation than interphase B23. Immunodepletion experiments of mitotic extracts revealed that phosphorylation of B23 at Thr 199 enhanced the inhibition of GCN5-mediated histone acetylation. Moreover, luciferase reporter and microarray analyses suggested that B23 attenuated GCN5-mediated transactivation in vivo. Taken together, our studies suggest a molecular mechanism of B23 in the mitotic inhibition of GCN5-mediated histone acetylation and transactivation.
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PMID:Nucleophosmin/B23 negatively regulates GCN5-dependent histone acetylation and transactivation. 1816 22

Tumour necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) binds to death receptor 4 (DR4) activating the apoptotic signalling pathway. DNA damaging agents (genotoxins) such as etoposide increase DR4 expression and when combined with TRAIL induce a synergistic apoptotic response. The mechanism for up-regulation of DR4 expression following genotoxin treatment is not well understood. Herein, we determined that transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a role in genotoxin induced DR4 expression. Increased expression of DR4 following etoposide treatment is blocked by inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway. Moreover, expression of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB is sufficient to increase DR4 protein levels. Indeed, knockdown of p65 by RNA interference blocked etoposide up-regulation of DR4. We further identified a functional NF-kappaB binding site located in the DR4 promoter. Mutation of this site abrogates the induction of luciferase activity after p65 over-expression. Furthermore, electromobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitaton suggest that NF-kappaB binds to this site upon etoposide treatment. MEK kinase 1 (MEKK1) is a serine threonine kinase that is activated following etoposide treatment and activates NF-kappaB. Expression of the kinase inactive MEKK1 (MEKK1-KM) abrogates the up-regulation of DR4 after etoposide treatment. Taken together, NF-kappaB plays a role in up-regulation of DR4 following etoposide treatment.
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PMID:Death receptor-4 (DR4) expression is regulated by transcription factor NF-kappaB in response to etoposide treatment. 1842 78

Axin, a key modulator of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, acts as a scaffold protein in phosphorylating and degrading cytoplasmic beta-catenin. Canonical Wnt proteins appear to stabilize beta-catenin by inducing the interaction of LRP5/6 with Axin. This interaction requires the phosphorylation of the Ser or Thr residues in the PPPP(S/T)PX(T/S) motifs at the intracellular domain of LRP5/6. In this work, we identified a novel Axin-interacting protein, zinc-finger BED domain-containing 3 (Zbed3), by yeast two-hybrid screening. The interaction was confirmed in co-immunoprecipitation experiment in mammalian cells and in vitro pulldown assays. Moreover, we found Zbed3 also contains a PPPPSPT motif, which is crucial to its binding to Axin. The Ser and Thr residues in the motif appear to be also phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) and the CKI family kinases, as GSK3beta and CKIepsilon could enhance the interaction of Zbed3 with Axin. Mutation of the Ser (SA) or Thr (TA) residue to Ala in the motif markedly impaired its ability to interact with Axin. Expressing Zbed3, but not these mutants, led to inhibition of GSK3beta-mediated beta-catenin phosphorylation, cytoplasmic beta-catenin accumulation, and activation of lymphoid enhancer binding factor-1-dependent reporter gene transcription. Furthermore, knockdown of Zbed3 with RNA interference attenuated Wnt-induced beta-catenin accumulation, lymphoid enhancer binding factor-1-dependent luciferase reporter activity, and the Wnt target gene expression. These results together indicate that Zbed3 is a novel Axin-binding protein that is involved in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling modulation.
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PMID:Identification of zinc-finger BED domain-containing 3 (Zbed3) as a novel Axin-interacting protein that activates Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. 1914 11

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a major serine/threonine protein phosphatase in eukaryotic cells and is involved in many essential aspects of cell function. The catalytic subunit of the enzyme (PP2Ac), a part of the core enzyme, has two isoforms, alpha (PP2Ac alpha) and beta (PP2Ac beta), of which PP2Ac alpha is the major form expressed in vivo. Deregulation of PP2A expression has been linked to several diseases, but the mechanisms that control the expression of this enzyme are still unclear. We conducted experiments to decipher molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the PP2Ac alpha promoter in human primary T cells. After preparing serially truncated PP2Ac alpha promoter luciferase constructs, we found that the region stretching around 240 bases upstream from the translation initiation site was of functional significance and included a cAMP response element motif flanked by three GC boxes. Shift assays revealed that CREB/phosphorylated CREB and stable protein 1 could bind to the region. Furthermore, we demonstrated that methylation of deoxycytosine in the CpG islands limited binding of phosphorylated CREB and the activity of the PP2Ac alpha promoter. In contrast, the binding of stable protein 1 to a GC box within the core promoter region was not affected by DNA methylation. Primary T cells treated with 5-azacitidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, showed increased expression of PP2Ac alpha mRNA. We propose that conditions associated with hypomethylation of CpG islands, such as drug-induced lupus, permit increased PP2Ac expression.
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PMID:Methylation status of CpG islands flanking a cAMP response element motif on the protein phosphatase 2Ac alpha promoter determines CREB binding and activity. 1915 97


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