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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)
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is abundantly produced by glioma cells especially glioblastoma, the most malignant form of astrocytoma. VEGF, a well known angiogenic factor, acts in a paracrine fashion on endothelial cells to develop tumor vasculature. However, recent studies have found that several tumor cells express VEGF receptors, and an autocrine action of VEGF on tumor cells has been suggested. To test this hypothesis, three human glioma cell lines (U251n, U87 and A172) were checked for VEGF and VEGFR expression. These cells express 0.1-0.6 ng/ml VEGF165 in cell culture medium within 24 hours. Western blot analysis showed that these cells express all of the VEGF receptors, VEGFR-1/Flt-1, VEGFR-2/
KDR
, Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) and Neuropilin-2(NRP-2), even though tyrosine kinase receptor VEGFR-2/
KDR
exhibited baseline levels of expression. VEGF expression was significantly down regulated by phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide (PS-ODN) and VEGF RNAi transfection. However, VEGF RNAi transfection as well as VEGF and
VEGFR2
neutralization antibody treatment did not decrease cell proliferation detected by
MTT
and CyQuant NF proliferation assay except that PS-ODN transfection caused a non-specific decrease on cell proliferation. VEGF RNAi transfection did not alter cell invasion, as demonstrated in a matrigel invasion assay. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9, facilitating cell invasion and over expressed in glioma cells, were not altered by VEGF RNAi transfection, as shown by zymographic assays. Our data indicate that the decrease of endogenous VEGF expression may not affect glioma cell proliferation and invasion.
...
PMID:Decrease of endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor may not affect glioma cell proliferation and invasion. 1755 62
VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), a potent angiogenic molecule specific for vascular endothelial cells, is overexpressed in most tumours including MM (multiple myeloma) and closely associated with tumour growth and prognosis. It has been shown that a soluble fragment of the VEGF receptor Flt-1 (Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1) [sFlt-1 (soluble Flt-1)] has antiangiogenic properties by way of its antagonist activity against VEGF. VEGF and its receptors have been shown to be targets for treating tumours. In the present study, sFlt-1 gene was expressed in Pichia pastoris and the product was applied for studying the effect on KM3 MM cells. sFlt-1 gene was inserted into the pPICZalphaA vector and the expressed product was analysed by SDS/PAGE, immunoblot and ELISA. The sFlt-1 protein was expressed by 0.5% (v/v) methanol induction and it accumulated up to 23% of total proteins in the supernatant. The product was further purified with metal-chelating resin [Ni-NTA (Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetate)]. The functional analysis of the sFlt-1 protein was performed with HUVEC (human umbilical-vein endothelial cells) proliferation assay. We next showed that the sFlt-1 protein acted directly on MM cells and inhibited the VEGF-induced proliferation of MM cells with
MTT
[3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide] and (3)H uptake assay. The sFlt-1 protein blocked VEGF-induced
ERK
(extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylation and inhibited the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signalling cascades. The present study demonstrated that anti-MM activity of the sFlt-1 protein, coupled with its antiangiogenic effects, provides the basis for clinical trials of this agent to improve the outcome in MM.
...
PMID:Expression of soluble Flt-1 gene in Pichia pastoris and the effect of the product on multiple-myeloma cells in vitro. 1761 89
We previously reported that oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) had a relatively high incidence of
EGFR
and HER-2 overexpression. Thus, anti-HER family targeting may become a promising approach to treat oesophageal SCC. In the present study, we investigated (a) the distribution of
EGFR
and HER-2 expression in oesophageal SCC (n=66) detected by immunohistochemistry and (b) cetuximab- and/or trastuzumab-mediated biological activity (antiproliferative effect by the
MTT
assay, apoptosis-inducing activity by the annexin V/propidium iodide assay, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by the (51)Cr-release assay) against oesophageal SCC cell lines with various levels of
EGFR
and HER-2. Twelve of the 66 patients (18%) showed both
EGFR
- and HER-2 expression. Out of both
EGFR
- and HER-2-positive cases, nine cases (75%) showed
EGFR
and HER-2 expression in individually distinct regions. Furthermore, the combination of cetuximab and trastuzumab could induce synergistic antiproliferative effects and additional ADCC activities against not all, but several oesophageal SCC cell lines with
EGFR
and HER-2 expression. The combination of cetuximab and trastuzumab may be useful in the treatment of oesophageal SCC with
EGFR
and HER-2 expression.
...
PMID:Targeting EGFR and HER-2 with cetuximab- and trastuzumab-mediated immunotherapy in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. 1762 45
The aim of this study is to target the interference therapy of signal transduction which is a novel therapeutic strategy in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). We successfully constructed recombinant adenoviruses Ad-p14ARF, and Ad-antisense
EGFR
using AdEasy-1 vector System. Clonogenic cell assay, western blotting assay, 3'(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (
MTT
) assay, flow cytometer (FCM) assay, and immunocytochemical technique were designed to examine the inhibition of proliferation, protein expression of p14ARF and
EGFR
and induction of differentiation, respectively. Furthermore the synergistic effect of Ad-p14ARF and Ad-antisense
EGFR
on Hep-2 cell was examined. We successfully used AdEasy-1 vector system to construct recombinant adenoviruses Ad-p14ARF and Ad-antisense
EGFR
. The activity of proliferation of Hep-2 cells was inhibited markedly by infecting Ad-p14ARF or Ad-antisense
EGFR
by comparing Ad-sense
EGFR
(P=0.005) with vector control (Ad-Ctrl) (P=0.005) and with PBS (P=0.003). This effect, combining Ad-antisense-
EGFR
with Ad-p14ARF became more noticeable than alone (P=0.01, P=0.02, respectively). P14 ARF protein overexpression, EGFR protein down expression, and inhibition of proliferation were observed in Hep-2 cells infected by either Ad-p14ARF or Ad-antisense
EGFR
. FCM revealed that the proportion of apoptosis cells transfected by Ad-p14ARF and Ad-antisense
EGFR
increased more obviously than the control. The proportion of (Hep-2 cells in) G0/G1 phases was increased by up to 78.5, 77.7, and 86.9% in Ad-antisense
EGFR
, Ad-p14ARF, and Ad-antisense EGFR+Ad-p14ARF, respectively. Our findings demonstrated that not only
EGFR
but p14ARF also plays a major role on the genesis and in modulating the cell growth and differentiation of human laryngocarcinoma. They efficaciously blocked the signal transduction of human laryngocarcinoma cell, and may therefore, be an effective potential target of gene therapy to prevent human laryngocarcinoma cell proliferation.
...
PMID:Signal transduction-related gene transfer leads to inhibition of proliferation and induction of differentiation in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in vitro. 1762 21
Protracted administration of topotecan (TPT), a topoisomerase I inhibitor, exhibited high anticancer efficacy both in animal models and human cancers. This phenomenon is related to the TPT-induced inhibition of angiogenesis in tumor, but the potential mechanism remains largely unknown. In the present study, we reported that TPT (1-10 microM) could inhibit angiogenesis in a dose-dependent manner in Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. TPT showed strong inhibitory activity against proliferation on human EA.hy926 endothelial cells with an IC50 value of 0.13 microM (
MTT
assay), lower than that of most sensitive cancer cell lines (IC50 range, 0.17 microM to 5.1 microM). TPT could induce EA.hy926 cells undergoing apoptosis, and the percentage of apoptotic cells induced by TPT (0.05 microM-5.0 microM) were 17.9%-52.3%. The similar results were observed with AO/EB staining. Flow cytometry assay also revealed that various concentrations of TPT induced cell cycle disturbance in EA.hy926 cells. Western blotting results showed that TPT caused an obvious increase of p53 expression and a decline of
ERK
expression in EA.hy926 cells. In addition, the VEGF expression of PC-3 cells is inhibited by TPT in hypoxia. Altogether, inhibiting proliferation of endothelial cells and down-regulating VEGF expression in cancer cells may involve in the antiangiogenesis mechanism of TPT.
...
PMID:Antiproliferation in human EA.hy926 endothelial cells and inhibition of VEGF expression in PC-3 cells by topotecan. 1771 96
We conducted our study to assess the antiproliferative and proapoptotic potential of hecogenin and tigogenin, two saponins which are structurally similar to diosgenin. We particularly focused our attention on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in relation to apoptosis but also with the COX-2 expression and activity. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synoviocytes were isolated from fresh synovial biopsies obtained from five RA patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. Measurement of cell proliferation was determined using the
MTT
assay. Apoptosis was evaluated by studying caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities but also by quantification of DNA fragmentation. Quantification of human phospho-MAPKs was realized by ELISA. COX-2 expression was demonstrated by Western blot analysis and COX-2 activity by assay of endogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. Tigogenin was more effective than hecogenin in inducing apoptosis in human RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) which was caspase dependent but poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase independent and characterized by DNA fragmentation. Our results demonstrated hecogenin- and tigogenin-induced apoptosis through activation of p38 without affecting the JNK and
ERK
pathways. Indeed, pretreatment with a p38 inhibitor decreased saponin-induced apoptosis with a significant decrease in DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, the rate of apoptosis induced by hecogenin or tigogenin was associated with overexpression of COX-2 correlated with overproduction of endogenous PGE2. These new results provide strong evidence that a family of structurally similar plant steroids is capable of inducing apoptosis in human RA FLS with different rates and different signalling pathways. This study also confirms the discussed appearance of the downregulation or upregulation of COX-2 in cell apoptosis as a function of cell type.
...
PMID:Inhibition of human rheumatoid arthritis synovial cell survival by hecogenin and tigogenin is associated with increased apoptosis, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2. 1778 75
Taspine is an active component isolated from Radix et Rhizoma Leonticis with inhibiting tumor angiogenic properties. The molecular mechanism(s) of taspine on tumor angiogenic inhibition have not been well documented. The aim of this study was to elucidate in detail the effects of taspine on genetic expressions of VEGF in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and on
VEGFR2
-mediated intracellular signaling of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The genetic expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with taspine in vitro was measured by the ELISA and RT-PCR methods. The effects of taspine on cell proliferation of HUVECs and HUVECs induced by VEGF165 were considered by using
MTT
assay. And also, a western blot was used to detect Akt and Erk1/2 expressions and their phosphorylation levels in HUVECs treated with taspine. Our results show that VEGF protein and mRNA expressions in the cells treated with taspine were significantly decreased. Taspine also significantly inhibited cell proliferation of HUVECs induced by VEGF165. HUVECs treated with taspine showed decreased Akt and Erk1/2 activities.
...
PMID:Taspine downregulates VEGF expression and inhibits proliferation of vascular endothelial cells through PI3 kinase and MAP kinase signaling pathways. 1782 25
Knowing that progesterone up-regulates PDGF-A, which plays a relevant role in angiogenesis, and that imatinib mesylate targets PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of imatinib on Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells (HAoSMC) and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) after incubation with progesterone. Expression of phosphorylated (activated)
PDGFR
-alpha was detected in HAoSMC, but in a very low extent in HUVEC. In agreement with the lack of active
PDGFR
-alpha, imatinib was unable to prevent HUVEC growth, survival or migration ability. In contrast, HAoSMC viability and proliferation were effectively inhibited by imatinib, as evaluated by
MTT
and BrdU incorporation assay, respectively. Corroborating these findings, a significant increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells was also observed after treatment with imatinib. Cell migration assays also showed a reduction in the migratory ability after incubation with imatinib. Altogether, these facts reveal that imatinib is able to affect HAoSMC survival, growth and migration. Furthermore, incubation with recombinant PDGF as well as, with progesterone seems to sustain
PDGFR
-alpha activity, prompting these cells to the inhibitory action of imatinib. These findings were restricted to smooth muscle cells, leading to the assumption that imatinib is probably preventing vessel stabilization, a crucial event for neovascular maturation. Our findings indicate that imatinib might be a good therapeutic agent against atherosclerosis and other vascular-associated disorders that carry in common smooth muscle cells abnormal growth.
...
PMID:Anti-angiogenic effects of imatinib target smooth muscle cells but not endothelial cells. 1825 97
Non-woven poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (
PCL
) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and type-I collagen was then immobilized on the nanofibers after surface modification by remote plasma treatment. A collagen-coated surface was observed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact-angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results confirmed the successful immobilization of collagen on the nanofibers and the great improvement of surface wettability due to coating. The amounts of immobilized collagen were also measured by colorimetry. The results showed that remote plasma treatment can provide higher immobilization of collagen than conventional plasma. Primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were cultured to evaluate the biocompatibility of collagen-immobilized electrospun
PCL
nanofibers. The results of
MTT
testing and SEM showed that collagen immobilization can obviously enhance the attachment spreading and proliferation of HDFs compared with the pristine material. The collagen-immobilized non-woven
PCL
nanofibers can be expected to be a potential scaffold material for tissue engineering.
...
PMID:Preparation of collagen-coated electrospun nanofibers by remote plasma treatment and their biological properties. 1793 5
We examined the possibility of culturing muscle cells of gilthead sea bream in vitro and assessed variations in insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) binding during myocyte development. The viability of the cell culture was determined by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis, which showed that the percentage of dead cells decreased with cell differentiation. The intracellular reduction of
MTT
into formazan pigment was preferentially carried out as cells differentiated (from day 4) indicating an increase in metabolic activity. IGF-I-binding assays demonstrated that the number of receptors increased from 190 +/- 0.09 fmol/mg protein in myocytes at day 5 to 360 +/- 0.09 fmol/mg protein in myotubes at day 12. The affinity of IGF-I receptors did not change significantly during cell development (from 0.89 +/- 0.09 to 0.98 +/- 0.09 nM). The activation of various kinase (
ERK
1/2 MAPK and Akt/PKB) proteins by IGFs and insulin was studied by means of Western blot analysis. Levels of MAPK-P increased after IGF and insulin treatment during the first stages of cell culture, with a low response being observed at day 15, whereas IGFs displayed a stimulatory effect on Akt-P throughout the cell culture period, even on day 15. This study thus shows that (1) gilthead sea bream myocytes can be cultured, (2) they express functional IGF-I receptors that increase in number as they differentiate in vitro; (3) IGF signalling transduction through IGF-I receptors stimulates the MAPK and Akt pathways, depending on the development stage of the muscle cell culture.
...
PMID:IGF-I binding and receptor signal transduction in primary cell culture of muscle cells of gilthead sea bream: changes throughout in vitro development. 1794 Aug 2
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