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)

Postnatal development and function of testicular Sertoli cells are regulated primarily by FSH. During this early period of development, estrogens play a role in proliferation of somatic cells, which contributes significantly to testicular development. Growth factors like epidermal growth factor (EGF) are produced in the testis and play a role in regulation of estradiol production and male fertility. Although these divergent factors modulate gonadal function, little is known about their mechanism of action in Sertoli cells. The present study investigates the intracellular events that take place down-stream of FSH and EGF receptors in Sertoli cells isolated from immature (10-d-old) rats, and examines which intracellular signals may be involved in their effects on aromatase activity and estradiol production in immature rat Sertoli cells. Primary cultures of rat Sertoli cells were treated with FSH in combination with EGF and signaling pathway-specific inhibitors. Levels of estradiol production, aromatase mRNA (Cyp19a1), and aromatase protein (CYP19A1) were determined. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the effects of FSH and EGF on levels of activated (phosphorylated) AKT1 and p42 ERK2 and p44 ERK1, also named MAPK1 and MAPK3, respectively. The stimulatory actions of FSH on aromatase mRNA, aromatase protein, and estradiol production were blocked by inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT1 signaling pathway. In contrast, inhibition of ERK signaling augmented the stimulatory effects of FSH on estradiol production, aromatase mRNA, and protein levels. Furthermore, EGF inhibited the expression of aromatase mRNA and protein in response to FSH, and these inhibitory effects of EGF were critically dependent on the activation of the ERK signaling pathway. We conclude that an active phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase /AKT signaling pathway is required for the stimulatory actions of FSH, whereas an active ERK/MAPK pathway inhibits estradiol production and aromatase expression in immature Sertoli cells.
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PMID:Follicle-stimulating hormone-induced aromatase in immature rat Sertoli cells requires an active phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway and is inhibited via the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. 1626 16

The objective was to reveal whether a protein kinase C (PKC [all isozymes])-mediated self-sustaining MAPK3/1 (3/1 extracellular signal regulated kinase 2/1, also known as ERK2/1) activation loop was necessary for FSH- or epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced DNA synthesis in the granulosa cells of intact preantral follicles. For this purpose, hamster preantral follicles were cultured with FSH or EGF in the presence of selective kinase inhibitors FSH or EGF phosphorylated RAF1, MAP2K1, and MAPK3/1. However, a relatively higher dose of EGF was necessary to sustain the MAPK3/1 activity, which was essential for cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) activation and DNA synthesis. In intact preantral follicles, FSH or EGF stimulated DNA synthesis only in the granulosa cells. Sustained activation of MAPK3/1 beyond 3 h was independent of EGFR kinase activity but dependent on PKC activity, which appeared to form a self-sustaining MAPK3/1 activation loop by activating RAF1, MAP2K1, and PLA2G4 (phospholipase A2 [all cytosolic isozymes]). Inhibition of PKC activity as late as 4 h after the administration of FSH or EGF arrested DNA synthesis, which corresponded with attenuated phosphorylation of RAF1 and MAPK3/1, thus suggesting an essential role of PKC in MAPK3/1 activation. Collectively, these data present a novel self-sustaining mechanism comprised of MAPK3/1, PLA2G4, PKC, and RAF1 for CDK4 activation leading to DNA synthesis in granulosa cells. Either FSH or EGF can activate the loop to activate CDK4 and initiate DNA synthesis; however, consistent with our previous findings, FSH effect seems to be mediated by EGF, which initiates the event by stimulating EGFR kinase.
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PMID:A novel mechanism of FSH regulation of DNA synthesis in the granulosa cells of hamster preantral follicles: involvement of a protein kinase C-mediated MAP kinase 3/1 self-activation loop. 1652 34

Map2k1(-/-) embryos die at mid-gestation from abnormal development and hypovascularization of the placenta. We now show that this phenotype is associated with a decreased labyrinth cell proliferation and an augmented cell apoptosis. Although the activation of MAP2K1 and MAP2K2 is widespread in the labyrinthine region, MAPK1 and MAPK3 activation is restricted to the cells lining the maternal sinuses, suggesting an important role for the ERK/MAPK cascade in these cells. In Map2k1(-/-) placenta, ERK/MAPK cascade activation is perturbed. Abnormal localization of the syncytiotrophoblasts is also observed in Map2k1(-/-) placenta, even though this cell lineage is specified at the correct time during placentogenesis. The placental phenotype can be rescued in tetraploid experiments. In addition, Map2k1-specific deletion in the embryo leads to normal embryo development and to the birth of viable Map2k1(-/-) mice. Altogether, these data enlighten the essential role of Map2k1 in extra-embryonic ectoderm during placentogenesis. In the embryo, the Map2k1 gene function appears dispensable.
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PMID:Requirement for Map2k1 (Mek1) in extra-embryonic ectoderm during placentogenesis. 1688 17

Cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome is a multiple congenital anomaly/mental retardation syndrome characterized by heart defects, a distinctive facial appearance, ectodermal abnormalities and mental retardation. Clinically, it overlaps with both Noonan syndrome and Costello syndrome, which are caused by mutations in two genes, PTPN11 and HRAS, respectively. Recently, we identified mutations in KRAS and BRAF in 19 of 43 individuals with CFC syndrome, suggesting that dysregulation of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway is a molecular basis for CFC syndrome. The purpose of this study was to perform comprehensive mutation analysis in 56 patients with CFC syndrome and to investigate genotype-phenotype correlation. We analyzed KRAS, BRAF, and MAP2K1/2 (MEK1/2) in 13 new CFC patients and identified five BRAF and one MAP2K1 mutations in nine patients. We detected one MAP2K1 mutation in three patients and four new MAP2K2 mutations in four patients out of 24 patients without KRAS or BRAF mutations in the previous study [Niihori et al., 2006]. No mutations were identified in MAPK3/1 (ERK1/2) in 21 patients without any mutations. In total, 35 of 56 (62.5%) patients with CFC syndrome had mutations (3 in KRAS, 24 in BRAF, and 8 in MAP2K1/2). No significant differences in clinical manifestations were found among 3 KRAS-positive patients, 16 BRAF-positive patients, and 6 MAP2K1/2-positive patients. Wrinkled palms and soles, hyperpigmentation and joint hyperextension, which have been commonly reported in Costello syndrome but not in CFC syndrome, were observed in 30-40% of the mutation-positive CFC patients, suggesting a significant clinical overlap between these two syndromes.
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PMID:Molecular and clinical characterization of cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome: overlapping clinical manifestations with Costello syndrome. 1736 77

Pulsatile GnRH (GNRH) differentially regulates LH and FSH subunit genes, with faster frequencies favoring Lhb transcription and slower favoring Fshb. Various intracellular pathways mediate the effects of GNRH, including CaMK II (CAMK2), ERK, and JNK. We examined whether activation of these pathways is regulated by GNRH pulse frequency in vivo. GNRH-deficient rats received GNRH pulses (25 ng i.v. every 30 or 240 min for 8 h, vehicle to controls). Pituitaries were collected 5 min after the last pulse, bisected, and one half processed for RNA (to measure beta subunit primary transcripts [PTs]) and the other for protein. Phosphorylated CAMK2 (phospho-CAMK2), ERK (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/3 [MAPK1/3], also known as p42 ERK2 and p44 ERK1, respectively), and JNK (MAPK8/9, also known as p46 JNK1 and p54 JNK2, respectively) were determined by Western blotting. The 30-min pulses maximally stimulated Lhb PT (8-fold), whereas 240 min was optimal for Fshb PT (3-fold increase). Both GNRH pulse frequencies increased phospho-CAMK2 4-fold. Activation of MAPK1/3 was stimulated by both 30- and 240-min pulses, but phosphorylation of MAPK3 was significantly greater following slower GNRH pulses (240 min: 4-fold, 30 min: 2-fold). MAPK8/9 activation was unchanged by pulsatile GNRH in this paradigm, but as previous results showed that GNRH-induced activation of MAPK8/9 is delayed, 5 min after GNRH may not be optimal to observe MAPK8/9 activation. These data show that CAMK2 is activated by GNRH, but not in a frequency-dependant manner, whereas MAPK3 is maximally stimulated by slow-frequency GNRH pulses. Thus, the ERK response to slow pulse frequency is part of the mechanisms mediating Fhb transcriptional responses to GNRH.
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PMID:Regulation of intracellular signaling cascades by GNRH pulse frequency in the rat pituitary: roles for CaMK II, ERK, and JNK activation. 1871 86

Cellular signal transduction pathways and gene expression are tightly regulated to accommodate changes in response to physiological environments. In the current study, molecules were identified that are activated as a result of intracellular signaling and immediately expressed as mRNA in MCF-7 breast cancer cells shortly after stimulation of ErbB receptor ligands, epidermal growth factor (EGF) or heregulin (HRG). For the identification of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and expressed genes, a SILAC (stable isotopic labeling using amino acids in cell culture) method and Affymetrix gene expression array system, respectively, were used. Unexpectedly, the overlapping of genes appeared in two experimental datasets was very low for HRG (43 hits in the proteome data, 1,655 in the transcriptome data, and 5 hits common to both datasets), while no overlapping gene was detected for EGF (15 hits in the proteome data, 211 hits in the transcriptome data, and no hits common to both datasets). The HRG overlapping genes included ERBB2, NEDD9, MAPK3, JUP and EPHA2. Biological pathway analysis indicated that HRG-stimulated molecular activation is significantly related to cancer pathways including bladder cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia and pancreatic cancer (p < 0.05). The proteome datasets of EGF and HRG contain molecules that are related to Axon guidance, ErbB signaling and VEGF signaling at a high rate.
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PMID:Phosphoproteome and transcriptome analyses of ErbB ligand-stimulated MCF-7 cells. 1882 Mar 70

Acquired resistance to endocrine therapies remains a major clinical obstacle in hormone-sensitive breast tumors. We used an MCF-7 breast tumor cell line (Tam(R)-1) resistant to tamoxifen to investigate this mechanism. We demonstrate that Tam(R)-1 express elevated levels of phosphorylated AKT and MAPK3/1-activated RPS6KA2 compared with the parental MCF-7 cell line (MCF-7). There was no change in the level of total ESR between the two cell lines; however, the Tam(R)-1 cells had increased phosphorylation of ESR1 ser(167). SiRNA blockade of AKT or MAPK3/1 had little effect on ESR1 ser(167) phosphorylation, but a combination of the two siRNAs abrogated this. Co-localization studies revealed an association between ERBB2 and ESR1 in the Tam(R)-1 but not MCF-7 cells. ESR1 was redistributed to extranuclear sites in Tam(R)-1 and was less transcriptionally competent compared with MCF-7 suggesting that nuclear ESR1 activity was suppressed in Tam(R)-1. Tamoxifen resistance in the Tam(R)-1 cells could be partially overcome by the ERBB2 inhibitor AG825 in combination with tamoxifen, and this was associated with re-localization of ESR1 to the nucleus. These data demonstrate that tamoxifen-resistant cells have the ability to switch between ERBB2 or ESR1 pathways promoting cell growth and that pharmacological inhibition of ERBB2 may be a therapeutic strategy for overcoming tamoxifen resistance.
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PMID:ERBB2 influences the subcellular localization of the estrogen receptor in tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7 cells leading to the activation of AKT and RPS6KA2. 1882 59

Disrupted ERK1/2 (MAPK3/MAPK1) MAPK signaling has been associated with several developmental syndromes in humans; however, mutations in ERK1 or ERK2 have not been described. We demonstrate haplo-insufficient ERK2 expression in patients with a novel approximately 1 Mb micro-deletion in distal 22q11.2, a region that includes ERK2. These patients exhibit conotruncal and craniofacial anomalies that arise from perturbation of neural crest development and exhibit defects comparable to the DiGeorge syndrome spectrum. Remarkably, these defects are replicated in mice by conditional inactivation of ERK2 in the developing neural crest. Inactivation of upstream elements of the ERK cascade (B-Raf and C-Raf, MEK1 and MEK2) or a downstream effector, the transcription factor serum response factor resulted in analogous developmental defects. Our findings demonstrate that mammalian neural crest development is critically dependent on a RAF/MEK/ERK/serum response factor signaling pathway and suggest that the craniofacial and cardiac outflow tract defects observed in patients with a distal 22q11.2 micro-deletion are explained by deficiencies in neural crest autonomous ERK2 signaling.
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PMID:Mouse and human phenotypes indicate a critical conserved role for ERK2 signaling in neural crest development. 1895 47

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) regulates cellular metabolism and cell cycle via different signalling pathways. In response to insulin and growth factors GSK3 is serine-phosphorylated and inactivated. We analysed GSK3B expression and activation in bovine cumulus cells (CC) and oocytes at different meiotic stages in vitro in parallel with MAP kinases ERK (MAPK3/MAPK1) and p38 (MAPK14). GSK3B localised to cytoplasm in granulosa cells and in oocytes throughout folliculogenesis. In mature metaphase-II (MII) oocytes, GSK3B was concentrated to the region of midzone between the oocyte and the first polar body, as well as active phospho-Thr Aurora A kinase (AURKA). During in vitro maturation (IVM), in oocytes, phospho-Ser(9)-GSK3B level increased as well as phospho-MAPK3/MAPK1, while phospho-MAPK14 decreased. In CC, phospho-MAPK14 increased upon germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD)/metaphase-I (MI) and then decreased during transition to MII. Administration of inhibitors of GSK3 activity (lithium chloride or 2'Z,3'E -6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime) rapidly increased phospho-Ser(9)-GSK3B, and led to transient decrease of phospho-MAPK3/MAPK1 and to durable enhancing of phospho-MAPK14 in granulosa primary cell culture. GSK3 inhibitors during IVM diminished cumulus expansion and delayed meiotic progression. In cumulus, phospho-MAPK14 level was significantly higher in the presence of inhibitors, comparing with control, through the time of MI/MII transition. In oocytes, phospho-GSK3B was increased and phospho-MAPK3/MAPK1 was decreased before GVBD and oocytes were mainly arrested at MI. Therefore, GSK3B might regulate oocyte meiosis, notably MI/MII transition being the part of MAPK3/1 and MAPK14 pathways in oocytes and CC. GSK3B might be also involved in the local activation of AURKA that controls this transition.
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PMID:Glycogen synthase kinase 3B in bovine oocytes and granulosa cells: possible involvement in meiosis during in vitro maturation. 1947 Jul 8

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HBEGF) is expressed by trophoblast cells throughout gestation. First-trimester cytotrophoblast cells are protected from hypoxia-induced apoptosis because of the accumulation of HBEGF through a posttranscriptional autocrine mechanism. Exogenous application of HBEGF is cytoprotective in a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury model and initiates trophoblast extravillous differentiation to an invasive phenotype. The downstream signaling pathways induced by HBEGF that mediate these various cellular activities were identified using two human first-trimester cytotrophoblast cell lines, HTR-8/SVneo and SW.71, with similar results. Recombinant HBEGF (1 nM) induced transient phosphorylation of MAPK3/1 (ERK), MAPK14 (p38), and AKT within 15 min and JNK after 1-2 h. To determine which downstream pathways regulate the various functions of HBEGF, cells were treated with specific inhibitors of the ERK upstream regulator MEK (U0126), the AKT upstream regulator phosphoinositide-3 (PI3)-kinase (LY294002), MAPK14 (SB203580), and JNK (SP600125), as well as with inactive structural analogues. Only SB203580 specifically prevented HBEGF-mediated rescue during H/R, while each inhibitor attenuated HBEGF-stimulated cell migration. Accumulation of HBEGF at reduced oxygen was blocked only by a combination of U0126, SB203580, and SP600125. We conclude that HBEGF advances trophoblast extravillous differentiation through coordinate activation of PI3 kinase, ERK, MAPK14, and JNK, while only MAPK14 is required for its antiapoptotic activity. Additionally, hypoxia induces an autocrine increase in HBEGF protein levels through MAPK14, JNK or ERK. These experiments reveal a complexity of the intracellular signaling circuitry that regulates trophoblast functions critical for implantation and placentation.
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PMID:Function-specific intracellular signaling pathways downstream of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor utilized by human trophoblasts. 2013 Feb 71


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