Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: 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)

Human pluripotent embryonic stem cells (hESC) have great promise for research into human developmental biology and the development of cell therapies for the treatment of diseases. To meet the increased demand for characterized hESC lines, we present the derivation and characterization of five hESC lines on mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Our stem cell lines are characterized by morphology, long-term expansion, and expression profiles of a number of specific markers, including TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, alkaline phosphatase, connexin 43, OCT-4, NANOG, CXCR4, NODAL, LEFTY2, THY-1, TDGF1, PAX6, FOXD3, SOX2, EPHA2, FGF4, TAL1, AC133 and REX-1. The pluripotency of the cell line was confirmed by spontaneous differentiation under in vitro conditions. Whereas all of the cell lines expressed all the characteristics of undifferentiated pluripotent hESC, two of the cell lines carried a triploid karyotype.
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PMID:Generation of new human embryonic stem cell lines with diploid and triploid karyotypes. 1651 55

The osteogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) or poly(caprolactone) (PCL), two widely used polymeric biomaterials that have been reported to differentially support osteogenic differentiation, was compared in these studies. Here we report that MSCs cultured in 3-D PLGA scaffolds for up to 5 weeks significantly upregulate osteocalcin gene expression levels. By contrast, osteocalcin expression was markedly downregulated in 3-D PCL-based constructs over the same time course. We hypothesized that differential adsorption of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins present in serum-containing culture medium and subsequent differences in integrin-mediated adhesion are responsible for these differences, and tested this hypothesis using thin (2-D) polymeric films. Supporting this hypothesis, significant amounts of fibronectin and vitronectin deposited onto both materials in serum-containing osteogenic media, with type-I collagen present in lower amounts. Adhesion-blocking studies revealed that MSCs adhere to PCL primarily via vitronectin, while type-I collagen mediates their attachment to PLGA. These adhesive mechanisms correlated with higher levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity after 2 weeks of monolayer culture on PLGA versus PCL. These data suggest that the initial adhesion of MSCs to PLGA via type-I collagen fosters osteogenesis while adhesion to PCL via vitronectin does not, and stress the need for an improved molecular understanding of cell-ECM interactions in stem cell-based therapies.
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PMID:Adhesion of mesenchymal stem cells to polymer scaffolds occurs via distinct ECM ligands and controls their osteogenic differentiation. 1660 24

The goals of this study were to determine (a) if melatonin enhances human adult mesenchymal stem cell (hAMSC) differentiation into osteoblasts as assessed by measuring alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme activity, and (b) identify potential signal transduction pathways that mediate this process. ALP activity significantly increased in hAMSCs following a 10-day incubation in osteogenic medium, relative to hAMSCs incubated in basal growth medium alone. Melatonin (50 nm), added in combination with the osteogenic medium, significantly increased ALP activity relative to osteogenic medium alone. Co-exposure of hAMSCs to osteogenic medium supplemented with melatonin and either pertussis toxin or the melatonin receptor antagonists, luzindole or 4P-PDOT (MT2 receptor selective), inhibited the melatonin-induced increase in ALP activity, indicating the involvement of melatonin receptors, in particular, MT2 receptors. Assessment of melatonin receptor function following exposure to osteogenic medium containing either vehicle or melatonin produced dichotomous results. That is, if the differentiation of hAMSCs into an osteoblast was induced by osteogenic medium alone, then 2-[125I]-iodomelatonin binding and melatonin receptor function increased. However, examination of melatonin receptor function following chronic melatonin exposure, an exposure that resulted in a 50% enhancement in ALP activity, revealed that these receptors were desensitized. This was reflected by a complete loss in specific 2-[125I]-iodomelatonin binding as well as melatonin efficacy to inhibit forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation. Further characterization of the mechanisms underlying melatonin's effects on these differentiation processes revealed that MEK (1/2) and ERK (1/2), epidermal growth factor receptors, metalloproteinase and clathrin-mediated endocytosis were essential while PKA was not. Our results are consistent with a role for melatonin in osteoblast differentiation. If so, then, the decrease in plasma melatonin levels observed in humans during late adulthood may further enhance susceptibility to osteoporosis.
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PMID:Melatonin enhances alkaline phosphatase activity in differentiating human adult mesenchymal stem cells grown in osteogenic medium via MT2 melatonin receptors and the MEK/ERK (1/2) signaling cascade. 1663 21

The MET oncogene was causally involved in the pathogenesis of a rare tumor, i.e., the papillary renal cell carcinoma, in which activating mutations, either germline or somatic, were identified. MET activating mutations are rarely found in other human tumors, whereas at higher frequencies, MET is amplified and/or overexpressed in sporadic tumors of specific histotypes, including osteosarcoma. In this work, we provide experimental evidence that overexpression of the MET oncogene causes and sustains the full-blown transformation of osteoblasts. Overexpression of MET, obtained by lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer, resulted in the conversion of primary human osteoblasts into osteosarcoma cells, displaying the transformed phenotype in vitro and the distinguishing features of human osteosarcomas in vivo. These included atypical nuclei, aberrant mitoses, production of alkaline phosphatase, secretion of osteoid extracellular matrix, and striking neovascularization. Although with a lower tumorigenicity, this phenotype was superimposable to that observed after transfer of the MET gene activated by mutation. Both transformation and tumorigenesis were fully abrogated when MET expression was quenched by short-hairpin RNA or when signaling was impaired by a dominant-negative MET receptor. These data show that MET overexpression is oncogenic and that it is essential for the maintenance of the cancer phenotype.
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PMID:MET overexpression turns human primary osteoblasts into osteosarcomas. 1665 28

This study examined the effect of wild-type Smad3 gene on the osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were stably transfected with the complexes of pcDNA3. 0-Myc-Smad3 or pcDNA3. 0-Myc-Smad3deltaC and Lipofectamine reagent. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to evaluate the c-Myc signal in MSCs. The cell proliferation was detected by MTT method. To clarify the osteoblastic characteristics in stably transfected MSCs, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mRNA and core binding factor alpha1 (Cbfa1) mRNA were investigated by RT-PCR, and ALP activity and mineralization were examined by p-nitrophenolphosphate method and alizarin red staining respectively. PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK signaling pathway, was used to determine the role of ERK in Smad3-MSCs osteoblastic differentiation. c-Myc signal was detected in Smad3-MSCs and Smad3 deltaC-MSCs. The proliferation of Smad3-MSCs was slower than that of Smad3deltaC-MSCs or V-MSCs. The relative levels of ALP mRNA and Cbfal mRNA in Smad3-MSCs, as well as ALP activity and mineralization, were markedly higher than those in Smad3deltaC-MSCs or V-MSCs. Although ALP activity and mineralization were slightly lower in Smad3-MSCs treated with PD98059 than in those without PD98059 treatment, no significant difference was found between them (P > 0.05). It is concluded that the wild-type Smad3 gene, which is a crucial component promoting bone formation, can inhibit the proliferation of MSCs and enhance the osteoblastic differentiation of uncommitted MSCs and the maturation of committed MSCs independent of the ERK signaling pathway.
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PMID:Wild-type Smad3 gene enhances the osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. 1669 23

In this report, we describe that NF-kappaB is spontaneously activated in isolated, normal glomeruli. Ex vivo incubation of isolated rat glomeruli triggered expression of a NF-kappaB-dependent gene, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), in parallel with downregulation of IkappaBalpha and IkappaBbeta proteins and activation of the p65 NF-kappaB subunit. The induction of MCP-1 was also observed in mesangial cells coincubated with isolated glomeruli or exposed to media conditioned by isolated glomeruli (GCM), which was abrogated by inhibition of NF-kappaB. The activation of NF-kappaB by glomerulus-derived factors was confirmed using reporter mesangial cells that produce secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) under the control of the kappaB enhancer element. When the reporter cells were adoptively transferred into normal glomeruli, expression of SEAP mRNA and activity of SEAP were also upregulated in the explanted glomeruli. The molecular weight of factors responsible for activation of NF-kappaB was >50 kDa, and TNF-alpha was identified as one of glomerulus-derived activators. To examine upstream events involved, we focused on MAP kinases that are spontaneously activated in explanted glomeruli. Selective suppression of ERK or p38 MAP kinase significantly attenuated activation of NF-kappaB in mesangial cells triggered by coculture with isolated glomeruli. Interestingly, the suppressive effects by MAP kinase inhibitors were not observed in mesangial cells treated with GCM. These data suggested that NF-kappaB was spontaneously activated in explanted glomeruli via autocrine/paracrine factors including TNF-alpha and that the production of NF-kappaB activators by glomeruli was, at least in part, through MAP kinase pathways.
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PMID:Spontaneous activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in isolated normal glomeruli. 1670 44

Both male and female rat growth plate cartilage cells possess estrogen receptors (ERs), but 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) activates protein kinase C (PKC) and PKC-dependent biological responses to E(2) only in cells from female animals. PKC signaling can elicit genomic responses via mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and E(2) has been shown to activate ERK MAPK in many cells, suggesting that MAPK may play a role in growth plate chondrocytes as well. We tested if E(2) increases MAPK activity and if so, whether the response is limited to female cells, if it is PKC-dependent, and if the mechanism involves traditional ER pathways. We also determined the contribution of MAPK to the biological response of growth plate chondrocytes and assessed the relative contributions of ERK, p38 and JNK MAPKs. Female rat costochondral cartilage cells were treated with E(2) and MAPK-specific activity determined in cell layer lysates. The mechanism of MAPK activation was determined by treating the cells with E(2) conjugated to bovine serum albumin (E(2)-BSA) to assess if membrane receptors were involved; stereospecificity was determined using 17alpha-estradiol; PKC and phospholipase C (PLC) dependence was determined using specific inhibitors; and the ER agonist diethylstilbestrol, the ER antagonist ICI 182780, and tamoxifen were used to assess the role of traditional ER pathways. E(2) regulation of ERK1/2 MAPK was assessed and the relative roles of ERK1/2, p38 and JNK MAPKs determined using specific inhibitors. E(2) caused a rapid dose-dependent activation of MAPK that was greatest in cells treated for 9 min with 10(-9) M hormone; activity remained elevated for 3 h. E(2)'s effect on MAPK was stereospecific and comparable to that of E(2)-BSA. It was insensitive to DES and ICI 182780, dependent on PKC and PLC, blocked by tamoxifen and it did not require gene transcription or translation. E(2) had no effect on ERK1 or ERK2 mRNA or protein but it caused a rapid phosphorylation of ERK1/2 at 9 min. Inhibition of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK reduced the stimulatory effects of E(2) on alkaline phosphatase activity and [(35)S]-sulfate incorporation. These results suggest that E(2) regulates MAPK through a sex-specific membrane-mediated mechanism that does not involve cytosolic ERs in a traditional sense and that ERK1/2 and p38 mediate the downstream biological effects of the hormone.
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PMID:Sex-specific regulation of growth plate chondrocytes by estrogen is via multiple MAP kinase signaling pathways. 1671 47

The process of vascular calcification presents several features similar to osteogenesis in which fibronectin (FN) acts as a regulator of osteoblastic differentiation and the ERK signal pathway is involved. In order to find whether FN promotes the osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through the ERK signal pathway, we investigated the effect of FN on the calcification of VSMCs by using an in vitro cell model. VSMCs cultured in plates with FN (0-20 microg/cm2) coating were induced to calcify by 10 mM sodium beta-glycerophosphate (beta-GP). FN exacerbated VSMC calcification in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as indicated by the number of calcifying nodules per slide and the amount of calcium in the deposition. Data from RT-PCR and immunoblotting assay revealed that FN also enhanced the expression of several phenotypic markers of osteoblasts, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin (OC), and Osf2/Cbfa1, a key transcription factor in osteoblastic differentiation. Furthermore, a specific inhibitor for ERK, PD98059 (10 microM), significantly suppressed the effect of FN on calcification and phenotypic marker expression. These findings seem to suggest that FN enhanced vascular calcification by promoting the osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs via ERK signal pathway.
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PMID:Fibronectin enhances in vitro vascular calcification by promoting osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells via ERK pathway. 1679 48

Among the different scorpion species, Buthus martensi Karsch, a widely distributed scorpion species in Asia especially in Korea, has received a lot of attention. Indeed, over the past decade, more than 70 different peptides, toxins, or homologues have been isolated. It may prove a valuable resource for identifying potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. The recent observation has suggested that the aromatase is a possible local modulator of bone remodeling in osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. In the present study, therefore, the effect of Buthus martensi Karsch (BMK) extract, traditional immunosuppressive Korean aqua-acupuncture water, on the bone function of human osteoblastic cells was studied. To provide insights into the effect of BMK on aromatase activity in bone-derived cells, we examined the human leukaemic cell line FLG 29.1, which is induced to differentiate toward the osteoclastic phenotype by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, and the primary first-passage osteoblastic cells (hOB). Gene expression of the aromatase was not affected by Buthus martensi Karsch in FLG 29.1 and hOB cells. However, enzyme activity was stimulated in a time-dependent fashion by 10.0 microg/ml BMK and by either 1-50 nM TPA or 0.01-0.5 ng/ml TGF-beta1, with maximal responses after 2-3 hr exposure. On the other hand, BMK strongly inhibited interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha-induced Nitricoxide (NO) synthase expression with little effect on constitutive NO synthase expression. BMK extracts (10 microg/ml) inhibited cytokine-induced iNOS and nNOS expression. BMK (10 microg/ml) did not affect the ecNOS expression, indicating the extracts are not working on the constitutive NOS expression. BMK strongly inhibited the cytokine-induced NO production (p < 0.01). BMK also showed significant inhibition on NO production in both induced by TNF-alpha+IL-1beta. NO donors, sodium nitroprusside, and NONOate dose-dependently elevated alkaline phosphatase activity. These results suggest that NO directly facilitates osteoblastic differentiation. This result also suggests that BMK is effective for bone resorptive action in bone cells.
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PMID:Effect of Buthus martensi Karsch on aromatase activity and cytokine-inducted NOS and NO production in osteoblasts and leukaemic cell line FLG 29.1. 1687 93

A tuber lectin from Arisaema jacquemontii Blume belonging to family Araceae was purified by employing a single step affinity chromatography using column of asialofetuin-linked amino activated silica beads and the bound lectin was eluted with 100 mM glycine-HCl buffer pH 2.5. The purified A. jacquemontii lectin (AJL) showed a single protein band with an apparent molecular mass of 13.4 kDa when submitted to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing as well as non-reducing conditions. The native molecular mass of AJL determined by gel filtration on a Biogel P-200 column was 52 kDa and its carbohydrate content was estimated to be 3.40%. Thus AJL is a tetrameric glycoprotein. The purified lectin agglutinated erythrocytes from rabbit but not from human. Its activity was not inhibited by any of the mono- and disaccharides tested except N-acetyl-D-lactosamine having minimal inhibitory sugar concentration (MIC) 25 mM. Among the glycoproteins tested only asialofetuin was found to be inhibitory (MIC125 microg/mL). A single band was obtained in native PAGE at pH 4.5 while PAGE at pH 8.3 showed two bands. Isoelectric focusing of AJL gave multiple bands in the pI range of 4.6-5.5. When incorporated in artificial diet AJL significantly affected the development of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) larvae indicating the possibility of using this lectin in a biotechnological strategy for insect management of cucurbits. Larvae fed on artificial diet containing sublethal dose of AJL showed a significant decrease in acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activity while esterase activity markedly increased as compared to larvae fed on diet without lectin. Out of various human cancer cell lines employed in sulphorhodamine B (SRB) assay, this lectin was found to have appreciable inhibitory effect on the in vitro proliferation of HCT-15, HOP-62, SW-620, HT-29, IMR-32, SKOV-3, Colo-205, PC-3, HEP-2 and A-549 cancer cell lines by 82, 77, 73, 70, 41, 41, 37, 29, 21 and 21% respectively.
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PMID:A tuber lectin from Arisaema jacquemontii Blume with anti-insect and anti-proliferative properties. 1688 88


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