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Query: EC:2.7.10.1 (
ERK
)
95,504
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Curcumin, a dietary pigment in curry, suppresses tumor initiation and tumor promotion. Curcumin is also a potent inhibitor for
AP-1
and NF-kappaB activation. In this report, we show that curcumin inhibits JNK activation by various agonists including PMA plus ionomycin, anisomycin, UV-C, gamma radiation, TNF-alpha, and sodium orthovanadate. Although both JNK and
ERK
activation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin were suppressed by curcumin, the JNK pathway was more sensitive. The IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) of curcumin was between 5-10 microM for JNK activation and was 20 microM for
ERK
activation. In transfection assays, curcumin moderately suppressed MEKK1-induced JNK activation; however, it effectively blocked JNK activation caused by co-transfection of TAK1, GCK, or HPK1. Curcumin did not directly inhibit JNK, SEK1, MEKK1 or HPK1 activity. Although curcumin suppressed TAK1 and GCK activities at high concentrations, this inhibition cannot fully account for the JNK inhibition by curcumin in vivo. Our data suggest that curcumin may affect the JNK pathway by interfering with the signaling molecule(s) at the same level or proximally upstream of the MAPKKK level. Taken together, the inhibition of the MEKK1-JNK pathway reveals a possible mechanism of suppression of
AP-1
and NF-kappaB signaling by curcumin, and may explain the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects of this chemical.
...
PMID:Inhibition of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway by curcumin. 967 1
The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (u-PAR) has been implicated in tumor progression, and previous studies have shown that the expression of this gene is strongly up-regulated by PMA. Although the signaling mechanism by which PMA modulates u-PAR expression is not known, the effect of this phorbol ester on the expression of other genes has been ascribed to activation of the c-Raf-1-
ERK
signaling pathway. However, in the current study we examined an alternate possibility that the inductive effect of PMA on u-PAR expression also required a JNK1-dependent signaling cascade usually associated with stress-inducing stimuli. PMA treatment of the u-PAR-deficient OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells, which contain low JNK activities, resulted in a rapid (5 min) increase in JNK activity. Maximal JNK activity (12-fold induction) occurred after 30 min; this preceding the earliest detected rise in u-PAR protein (2 h). Dose-response studies with PMA also indicated that the increased JNK activity was tightly correlated with elevated u-PAR protein levels. The stimulation of u-PAR promoter activity by PMA required an intact upstream
AP-1
motif (-184) and in PMA-treated cells this motif was bound with c-Jun as indicated from mobility shift assays. PMA up-regulated the c-Jun trans acting activity as indicated by the higher activity of a GAL4-regulated luciferase reporter in phorbol-ester-treated cells co-transfected with an expression vector encoding the c-Jun transactivation domain fused to the GAL4 DNA-binding domain. The ability of PMA to stimulate u-PAR promoter activity was effectively titrated out by the co-expression of either a kinase-defective JNK1 or a dominant negative MEKK1 the latter being an upstream activator of JNK1. Conversely, u-PAR promoter activity was stimulated by the co-expression of a constitutively active MEKK1 and this induction was antagonized by the inclusion of the kinase-defective JNK1 plasmid. We also determined the biological significance of the JNK1-dependent signaling cascade in regulating u-PAR promoter activity by c-Ha-ras since this oncogene is activated and/or overexpressed in a variety of tumors including ovarian cancer. Transfection of an activated c-Ha-ras into OVCAR-3 cells stimulated u-PAR promoter activity over 20-fold and this could be countered by the individual expression of dominant negative expression constructs to Rac-1, MEKK1 or JNK1. Taken together, these data suggest that the PMA- or c-Ha-Ras-dependent stimulation of u-PAR gene expression requires a JNK1-dependent signaling module and that, at least for PMA, the concurrent stimulation of a JNK1-independent signaling module is also required. Thus, caution should be exercised in invoking linear signaling modules to account for the regulation of inducible gene expression.
...
PMID:Stimulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor expression by PMA requires JNK1-dependent and -independent signaling modules. 967 6
Among its diverse biological actions, the vasoactive peptide bradykinin (BK) induces the transcription factor AP-1 and proliferation of mesangial cells (S. S. El-Dahr, S. Dipp, I. V. Yosipiv, and W. H. Baricos. Kidney Int. 50: 1850-1855, 1996). In the present study, we examined the role of protein tyrosine phosphorylation and the mitogen-activated protein kinases, ERK1/2,in mediating BK-induced
AP-1
and DNA replication in cultured rat mesangial cells. BK (10(-9) to 10(-7) M) stimulated a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple proteins with an estimated molecular mass of 120-130, 90-95, and 44-42 kDa. Immunoblots using antibodies specific for
ERK
or tyrosine-phosphorylated
ERK
revealed a shifting of p42 ERK2 to a higher molecular weight that correlated temporally with an increase in tyrosine-phosphorylated ERK2. Genistein, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, prevented the phosphorylation of ERK2 by BK. In-gel kinase assays indicated that BK-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of ERK2 is accompanied by fourfold activation of its phosphotransferase activity toward the substrate PHAS-I (P < 0.05). Furthermore, BK stimulated a 2.5-fold increase (P < 0.05) in phosphorylation of
Elk
-1, a transcription factor required for growth factor-induced c-fos transcription. In accord with the stimulation of
Elk
-1 phosphorylation, BK induced c-fos gene expression and the production of Fos/
AP-1
complexes. In addition, thymidine incorporation into DNA increased twofold (P < 0. 05) following BK stimulation. Each of these effects was blocked by tyrosine kinase inhibition with genistein or herbimycin A. Similarly, antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeting of ERK1/2 mRNA inhibited BK-stimulated DNA synthesis. In contrast, protein kinase C inhibition or depletion had no effect on BK-induced c-fos mRNA,
AP-1
-DNA binding activity, or DNA synthesis. Collectively, these data demonstrate that BK activates the
ERK
-->
Elk
-1-->
AP-1
pathway and that BK mitogenic signaling is critically dependent on protein tyrosine phosphorylation.
...
PMID:Bradykinin stimulates the ERK-->Elk-1-->Fos/AP-1 pathway in mesangial cells. 972 6
Theileria parasitises bovine leukocytes and transforms them into proliferating, metastatic tumours, where the infection resembles a leukaemia-like disease. We have studied the signal transduction pathways leading to activation of the transcription factor AP-1 in different transformed leukocytes. Parasite infection leads to an up-regulation of all members of the Jun/Fos family of proteins and surprisingly, this occurs in the absence of any detectable
ERK
, or p38 MAP kinase activity. In the parasitised B-sarcoma TBL3,
AP-1
induction occurs in the absence of any JNK activity. In contrast, in infected macrophage and B-cell lines,
AP-1
transcriptional activity is strictly associated with the parasite-induced constitutive activation of JNK and subsequent c-Jun N-terminal phosphorylation. Thus, constant
AP-1
transcriptional activity involves both an upregulation in the levels of Jun and Fos proteins and constitutive JNK activation.
...
PMID:Upregulation of Jun and Fos family members and permanent JNK activity lead to constitutive AP-1 activation in Theileria-transformed leukocytes. 974 72
We have shown previously that the synergistic interaction of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and a coactivator (dopamine, protein kinase A, or protein kinase C activator) will induce the novel expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in neurons of the developing striatum. In this study we sought to determine whether, concomitant with TH expression, there were unique changes in transcription factors binding the
AP-1
regulatory element on the TH gene. Indeed, we found a significant recruitment of proteins into TH-
AP-1
complexes as well as a shift from low- to high-affinity binding. Supershift experiments further revealed dramatic changes in the proteins comprising the
AP-1
complexes, including recruitment of the transcriptional activators c-Fos, a novel Fos protein, Fos-B, and Jun-D. Concomitantly, there was a decrease in repressor-type factors ATF-2 and CREM-1. aFGF appeared to play a central but insufficient role, requiring the further participation of at least one of the coactivating substances. Experiments examining the signal transduction pathway involved in mediating these nuclear events demonstrated that the presence of only an FGF (1, 2, 4, 9) competent to induce TH caused the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Moreover, the treatment of cells with MEK/
ERK
inhibitors (apigenin or PD98059) eliminated TH expression and the associated
AP-1
changes, suggesting that MAPK was a critical mediator of these events. We conclude that, during transdifferentiation, signals may be transmitted via MAPK to the TH-
AP-1
site to increase activators and reduce repressors, helping to shift the balance in favor of TH gene expression at this and possibly other important regulatory sites on the gene.
...
PMID:Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression during transdifferentiation of striatal neurons: changes in transcription factors binding the AP-1 site. 976 63
Expression of many early viral genes during human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is dependent on cellular transcription factors. Several immediate-early and early viral promoters contain DNA binding sites for cellular factors such as CREB,
AP-1
, serum response factor, and
Elk
-1, and these transcription factors can be activated by phosphorylation via the cellular mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction cascade. To determine if the extracellular signal-regulated MAPKs, ERK1 and ERK2, play a role in transcription factor activation during infection, we tested for
ERK
activity during viral infection. We found that HCMV infection resulted in the maintenance of previously activated ERK1 and ERK2 by a mechanism which appears to involve the inhibition of a cellular phosphatase activity.
ERK
phosphorylation and activity were sustained for at least 8 h after infection, whereas in mock-infected cells,
ERK
activity steadily declined by 1 h postinfection. The activity of at least one cellular substrate of the ERKs, the protein kinase RSK1, was also maintained during this period. UV inactivation experiments suggested that viral gene expression was required for sustained
ERK
activity. In turn, activation of the ERKs appeared to be important for viral gene expression, as evidenced by the observed decrease in the transcriptional activity of the HCMV UL112-113 promoter during infection in the presence of the MEK inhibitor PD98059. These data suggest that HCMV utilizes cellular signal transduction pathways to activate viral or cellular transcription factors involved in the control of early viral gene expression and DNA replication.
...
PMID:Extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity is sustained early during human cytomegalovirus infection. 976 64
4-Hydroxy-2,3-nonenal (HNE) is an aldehydic end product of lipid peroxidation which has been detected in vivo in clinical and experimental conditions of chronic liver damage. HNE has been shown to stimulate procollagen type I gene expression and synthesis in human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) which are known to play a key role in liver fibrosis. In this study we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying HNE actions in cultured hHSC. HNE, at doses compatible with those detected in vivo, lead to an early generation of nuclear HNE-protein adducts of 46, 54, and 66 kD, respectively, as revealed by using a monoclonal antibody specific for HNE-histidine adducts. This observation is related to the lack of crucial HNE-metabolizing enzymatic activities in hHSC. Kinetics of appearance of these nuclear adducts suggested translocation of cytosolic proteins. The p46 and p54 isoforms of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNKs) were identified as HNE targets and were activated by this aldehyde. A biphasic increase in
AP-1
DNA binding activity, associated with increased mRNA levels of c-jun, was also observed in response to HNE. HNE did not affect the Ras/
ERK
pathway, c-fos expression, DNA synthesis, or NF-kappaB binding. This study identifies a novel mechanism linking oxidative stress to nuclear signaling in hHSC. This mechanism is not based on redox sensors and is stimulated by concentrations of HNE compatible with those detected in vivo, and thus may be relevant during chronic liver diseases.
...
PMID:HNE interacts directly with JNK isoforms in human hepatic stellate cells. 983 19
The Tie-2 receptor plays a key role in vascular development, although little is known about the factors controlling its expression. Here we report the first cloning and characterisation of the 5' regulatory region of human tie-2. Multiple transcription start sites were identified between -414 and -265 bp upstream of the start codon using 5' RACE, fluorescent primer extension, and RNase protection assays. The human tie-2 promoter contains several transcription factor-binding sequences including ets, SP-1,
AP-1
, and GATA-1, but there are no canonical TATA or CCAAT initiation sequences proximal to the transcription start sites. Human tie-2 reporter constructs demonstrated approximately 10-fold greater activity in endothelial cells compared with fibroblasts. In endothelial cells the tie-2 promoter exhibited 5 and 16% of the activity of human tie-1 (830 bp) and
KDR
(1.1 kb) promoters, respectively. This promoter will be a useful tool for studying factors that regulate tie-2 expression and targeting the vasculature.
...
PMID:Cloning and partial characterization of the human tie-2 receptor tyrosine kinase gene promoter. 983 43
Nitric oxide production by macrophages is principally regulated by the calcium-independent enzyme, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Both lipopolysaccharide and TNF-alpha synergize with IFN-gamma in the expression of iNOS with subsequent production of nitric oxide. Previous work has shown that IL-4 downregulates iNOS and nitric oxide expression by macrophages stimulated with LPS and IFN-gamma. In this study, we found that IL-4 also downregulated iNOS and nitric oxide expression induced by IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha and in mouse macrophages. Because various members of the mitogen-activated protein kinases and their upstream kinases have been shown to directly or indirectly activate a number of transcription factors including
AP-1
and NFkappaB, we examined the effects of IL-4 on TNF-alpha activation of the MAPKs. Our results show that IL-4 modestly inhibited JNK/SAPK and
ERK
activation by TNF-alpha. Previously, we showed that selective pharmacologic inhibition of the
ERK
and/or p38mapk pathway did not affect NO2- expression. Treatment of cells with the chloride channel blocker 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB) showed a dose-response inhibition of NO2- expression. NPPB was also found to inhibit
ERK
and JNK/SAPK activation but not p38mapk with TNF-alpha stimulation. The discordance between the marked degree of inhibition of iNOS transcript by IL-4 and the modest inhibition of JNK/SAPK and
ERK
suggests that the mechanism by which IL-4 inhibits iNOS transcription appears more complex than a mere inhibition of these MAPKs.
...
PMID:Potential role of the JNK/SAPK signal transduction pathway in the induction of iNOS by TNF-alpha. 991 6
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) stimulates the c-Fos serum response element (SRE) by activating two distinct signal pathways regulated by the small GTPases, Ras and RhoA. Ras activates the
ERK
cascade leading to phosphorylation of the transcription factors
Elk
-1 and Sap1a at the Ets/TCF site. RhoA regulates an undefined pathway required for the activation of the SRF/CArG site. Here we have examined the role of the Ras and RhoA pathways in activation of the SRE and c-Fos expression in Rat-1 cells. Pertussis toxin and PD98059 strongly inhibited LPA-stimulated c-Fos expression and activation of a SRE:Luc reporter. C3 toxin completely inhibited RhoA function, partially inhibited SRE:Luc activity, but had no effect on LPA-stimulated c-Fos expression. Thus, in a physiological context the Ras-Raf-MEK-
ERK
pathway, but not RhoA, is required for LPA-stimulated c-Fos expression in Rat-1 cells. C3 toxin stimulated the stress-activated protein kinases JNK and p38 and potentiated c-Jun expression and phosphorylation; these properties were shared by another cellular stress agonist the protein kinase C inhibitor Ro-31-8220. However, C3 toxin alone or in combination with growth factors did not stimulate
AP-1
:Luc activity and actually antagonized the synergistic activation of
AP-1
:Luc observed in response to co-stimulation with growth factors and Ro-31-8220. These data indicate that C3 toxin is a cellular stress which antagonizes activation of
AP-1
at a point downstream of stress-activated kinase activation or immediate-early gene induction.
...
PMID:C3 toxin activates the stress signaling pathways, JNK and p38, but antagonizes the activation of AP-1 in rat-1 cells. 992 Sep 30
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