Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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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)

PAR-2 is the second member of the family of proteinase-activated receptors activated by trypsin, tryptase, and several other serine proteinases. In order to evaluate the therapeutic potential for PAR-2, we have performed studies on PAR-2-mediated signal transduction and investigated the effects of PAR-2 gene deficiency in disease models. In addition to the G-protein-coupled receptor-mediated common signal transduction pathways, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production and mobilization of Ca(2+), PAR-2 can also activate multiple kinase pathways, ERK, p38MAPK, JNK, and IKK, in a cell-type specific manner. The studies using PAR-2-gene-deficient mice highlighted critical roles of PAR-2 in progression of skin and joint inflammation. We also describe the development and evaluation of potent and metabolically stable PAR-2 agonists in multiple assay systems both in vitro and in vivo. The structure-activity relationship analysis indicated the improved potencies of furoylated peptides. Furthermore, the resistance of the furoylated peptide against aminopeptidase contributed to the highly potent and sustained effects of the peptide in vivo. These studies suggest the potential therapeutic importance of PAR-2 in inflammatory diseases. Also, the PAR-2-gene-deficient mice and the potent and metabolically stable agonists are shown to be useful tools for evaluating the potency of PAR-2 as a therapeutic target.
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PMID:Physiology and pathophysiology of proteinase-activated receptors (PARs): PAR-2 as a potential therapeutic target. 1565 95

The clinical spectrum of mast cell disease ranges from relatively innocuous and histologically subtle urticarial skin lesions to an aggressive and fatal leukemic form of mast cell proliferation. Not surprisingly, mast cell infiltrates may show significant microscopic heterogeneity, particularly in the bone marrow, the most common site of involvement in systemic mastocytosis (SM). Herein, 3 cases are presented to illustrate the clinical and morphologic heterogeneity of mast cell disease: the first patient, with long standing urticaria pigmentosa, developed anemia and thrombocytopenia; the second patient presented with a pathologic fracture; and the third patient was suspected to have refractory anemia. Upon bone marrow examination, all 3 patients showed mast cell infiltration with distinct morphologic features and all met the WHO criteria for aggressive systemic mastocytosis. Histochemical methods continue to play a role in the identification of mast cells, with some limitations depending on the degree of differentiation of the mast cells and tissue processing methods. Immunohistochemistry has contributed to the identification of mast cells. Coexpression of CD117 and CD25, as well as expression of the more specific immunohistochemical marker tryptase, is seen in systemic SM. The latter may also be employed as a serum marker in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with SM. The mast cells, in the majority adults with SM, have somatic point mutations of KIT.
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PMID:The faces of mast cell disease: bone marrow infiltrates in 3 patients with systemic mastocytosis. 1580 14

1 In this study, we examined the role of Ca2+ in linking proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) to the nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) pathway in a skin epithelial cell line NCTC2544 stably expressing PAR2 (clone G). 2 In clone G, PAR2-mediated NFkappaB luciferase reporter activity and NFkappaB DNA-binding activity was reduced by preincubation with BAPTA-AM but not BAPTA. Trypsin stimulation of inhibitory kappa B kinases, IKKalpha and IKKbeta, was also inhibited following pretreatment with BAPTA-AM. 3 BAPTA/AM also prevented PAR2-mediated IKKalpha activation in cultured primary human keratinocytes. 4 The effect of BAPTA-AM was also selective for the IKK/NFkappaB signalling axis; PAR2 coupling to ERK, or p38 MAP kinase was unaffected. 5 Pharmacological inhibition of the Ca2+-dependent regulatory protein calcineurin did not inhibit trypsin-stimulated IKK activity or NFkappaB-DNA binding; however, inhibition of Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C isoforms or InsP3 formation using GF109203X or the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122, respectively, reduced both IKK activity and NFkappaB-DNA binding. 6 Mutation of PAR2 within the C-terminal to produce a mutant receptor, which does not couple to Ca2+ signalling, but is able to activate ERK, abrogated NFkappaB-DNA binding and IKK activity stimulated by trypsin. 7 These results suggest a predominant role for the InsP3/Ca2+ axis in the regulation of IKK signalling and NFkappaB transcriptional activation.
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PMID:The role of intracellular Ca2+ in the regulation of proteinase-activated receptor-2 mediated nuclear factor kappa B signalling in keratinocytes. 1582 58

The substrate specificity of alpha-chymotrypsin and other serine proteases, trypsin, elastase, proteinase K and subtilisin, towards hydrolysis of various polyesters was examined using poly(L-lactide) (PLA), poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(ethylene succinate) (PES), poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBS/A), poly[oligo(tetramethylene succinate)-co-(tetramethylane carbonate)] (PBS/C), and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL). alpha-Chymotrypsin could degrade PLA and PEA with a lower activity on PBS/A. Proteinase K and subtilisin degraded almost all substrates other than PHB. Trypsin and elastase had similar substrate specificities to alpha-chymotrypsin.
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PMID:Hydrolysis of polyesters by serine proteases. 1592 50

Systemic mastocytosis is characterized by abnormal mast cell proliferation in different organs. The 2001 consensus classification distinguishes in separate categories indolent systemic mastocytosis, systemic mastocytosis with concomitant blood disease, aggressive systemic mastocytosis and mast cell leukemia. Clinical manifestations are caused by tissue infiltration by proliferating mastocytes and by release of mediators. The principal organs affected are the skin, bones, digestive tract, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. Diagnosis of mastocytosis is based on appropriate stains (Giemsa, toluidine blue) and immunophenotype features (tryptase, CD117, also known as c-KIT and stem cell factor receptor). Serum tryptase levels reflect the total mast cell burden. Treatment must prevent release of mast cell mediators (histamine antagonists, cromolyn sodium, corticosteroids, or leukotriene-receptor inhibitors), limit bone involvement (bisphosphonates) and reduce the number of circulating mast cells (interferon, cladribine, or tyrosine kinase inhibitors). Enhanced understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms (mutation of c-kit and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha has led to the development of targeted treatments, including new inhibitors of tyrosine kinase and of nuclear factor Kappa B.
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PMID:[Systemic mastocytosis]. 1598 48

Mast cell disease (MCD) is characterized by the abnormal growth and accumulation of neoplastic mast cells (MC) in one or more organs. The diagnosis of systemic MCD is most commonly established by a thorough histological and immunohistochemical examination of a bone marrow (BM) trephine specimen. In cases with pathognomonic perivascular and -trabecular aggregates of morphologically atypical MC and significant BM involvement, the diagnosis may be relatively straightforward. In contrast, when a sparse, loose pattern of MC infiltration predominates, or when MCs are obscured by an associated non-MC hematological neoplasm, a high index of suspicion and use of adjunctive tests, including special stains, such as tryptase and CD25, may be necessary to reach a diagnosis. The updated classification for MCD clarifies the clinical and pathological criteria for categorizing patients into relatively discrete subgroups. Some cases, however, such those with Fip1-like-1-platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (FIP1L1-PDGFRA)(+) clonal eosinophilia associated with elevated serum tryptase levels, with features that overlap MCD and chronic eosinophilic leukemia, may not be easy to categorize on the basis of this classification. There is no standard therapy for MCD and treatment has to be tailored to the needs of the individual patient. MC-cytoreductive therapies, such as interferon-alpha and chemotherapy, are generally reserved for patients with progressive disease and organopathy. A subset of MCD patients with associated eosinophilia who carry the FIP1L1-PDGFRA oncogene will achieve complete clinical, histological, and molecular remissions with imatinib mesylate therapy, in contrast to those with c-kit D816V mutations. The BM pathology, consensus classification, and current therapies for MCD are further discussed in this article.
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PMID:Systemic mastocytosis: bone marrow pathology, classification, and current therapies. 1599 24

The synthetic progestins, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and norethisterone acetate (NET-EN or NET-A), are widely used as female contraceptive agents and in hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Competitive binding revealed that MPA displays a higher relative binding affinity than NET-A and progesterone (prog) for the human GR (Kd of 4.2 nM for dexamethasone (dex) and Ki's of 10.8, 270 and 215 nM for MPA, NET-A and prog, respectively). Furthermore, MPA displays much greater glucocorticoid (GC) transactivation agonist potency than NET-A or prog (EC50s of 1.1, 7.2, >1000 and 280 nM for dex, MPA, NET-A and prog, respectively) and much greater GC agonist potency for transrepression than NET-A or prog (EC50s of 0.21, 2.7, >100 and 26 nM for dex, MPA, NET-A and prog, respectively). In addition, MPA induces phosphorylation of the GR at Ser 211 to a much greater extent than NET-A or prog and protects the GR from partial trypsin digestion in vitro to a much greater extent than NET-A or prog at saturating concentrations. Together these results suggest that the differences in biological activity of the progestins are not merely due to differences in their affinity for the GR but also due to the induction of different conformational changes in the liganded-GR. MPA and NET-A therefore display very different GC-like properties compared to each other and to prog, and are likely to exhibit different side effects via the GR.
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PMID:Synthetic progestins used in HRT have different glucocorticoid agonist properties. 1612 39

Expression of isolated beta integrin cytoplasmic domains in cultured endothelial cells was reported to induce cell detachment and death. To test whether cell death was the cause or the consequence of cell detachment, we expressed isolated integrin beta1 cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains (CH1) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), and monitored detachment, viability, caspase activation and signaling. CH1 expression induced dose-dependent cell detachment. At 24 h over 90% of CH1-expressing HUVEC were detached but largely viable (>85%). No evidence of pro-caspase-8,-3, and PARP cleavage or suppression of phosphorylation of ERK, PKB and Ikappa-B was observed. The caspase inhibitor z-VAD did not prevent cell detachment. At 48 h, however, CH1-expressing cells were over 50% dead. As a comparison trypsin-mediated detachment resulted in a time-dependent cell death, paralleled by caspase-3 activation and suppression of ERK, PKB and Ikappa-B phosphoyrylation at 24 h or later after detachment. HUVEC stimulation with agents that strengthen integrin-mediated adhesion (i.e. PMA, the Src inhibitor PP2 and COMP-Ang1) did not prevent CH1-induced detachment. Expression of CH1 in rat carotid artery endothelial cells in vivo caused endothelial cell detachment and increased nuclear DNA fragmentation among detached cells. A construct lacking the integrin cytoplasmic domain (CH2) had no effect on adhesion and cell viability in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate that isolated beta1 cytoplasmic domain expression induces caspase-independent detachment of viable endothelial cells and that death is secondary to detachment (i.e. anoikis). They also reveal an essential role for integrins in the adhesion and survival of quiescent endothelial cells in vivo.
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PMID:Expressed isolated integrin beta1 subunit cytodomain induces endothelial cell death secondary to detachment. 1636 50

Acanthoic acid (AA) is a pimaradiene diterpene isolated from the Korean medicinal plant, Acanthopanax koreanum (Araliaceae). In the present study, we examined whether AA has the inhibitory effect on the production of inflammatory mediators and activating signals induced in trypsin-treated human leukemic mast cell-1 (HMC-1). HMC-1 cells were stimulated with trypsin (100 nM) in the presence or absence of AA (1, 10, and 100 microg/ml). We assessed the production of TNF-alpha and tryptase by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or reverse transcription-PCR, ERK activation by Western blot, and NF-kappaB activation by gel shift assay. AA (10 and 100 microg/ml) significantly inhibited production of both TNF-alpha and tryptase in a dose-dependent manner in trypsin-stimulated HMC-1. Furthermore, AA inhibited ERK phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation induced by trypsin treatment without blocking of trypsin activity even with 100 microg/ml. These results suggest that AA may inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators through inhibition of ERK phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activation pathway in human mast cells. It supports the evidence that AA may be used to blocks the development of inflammation caused from mast cells.
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PMID:Inhibition of trypsin-induced mast cell activation by acanthoic acid. 1641 26

Tryptase and chymase are the two major granular proteases present in human mast cell (MC)s. We used oligonucleotide microarray to measure the levels of approximately 22,000 transcripts in cord blood-derived MCs at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 18 weeks in culture. Tryptase (TPSB2) was expressed at the highest level among all transcripts and its expression level reached a plateau at 8 weeks. On the other hand, the expression level of chymase (CMAI) doubled every 4-6 weeks. A similar tendency was found at the protein levels with FACS analysis. After filtering the transcripts with MC-specificity, hierarchical clustering analysis identified 494 and 81 transcripts in the same clusters with tryptase and chymase, respectively. MC-specific genes, KIT and HDC were found in the tryptase cluster. In the chymase cluster, a critical suppressor for cell senescence, BMI1 and the several related genes were found, suggesting that chymase expression may be closely related to cell senescence/quiescence events.
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PMID:Identification of tryptase- and chymase-related gene clusters in human mast cells using microarrays. 1643 34


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