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)

While fruits and vegetables are recommended for prevention of cancer and other diseases, their active ingredients (at the molecular level) and their mechanisms of action less well understood. Extensive research during the last half century has identified various molecular targets that can potentially be used not only for the prevention of cancer but also for treatment. However, lack of success with targeted monotherapy resulting from bypass mechanisms has forced researchers to employ either combination therapy or agents that interfere with multiple cell-signaling pathways. In this review, we present evidence that numerous agents identified from fruits and vegetables can interfere with several cell-signaling pathways. The agents include curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (red grapes, peanuts and berries), genistein (soybean), diallyl sulfide (allium), S-allyl cysteine (allium), allicin (garlic), lycopene (tomato), capsaicin (red chilli), diosgenin (fenugreek), 6-gingerol (ginger), ellagic acid (pomegranate), ursolic acid (apple, pears, prunes), silymarin (milk thistle), anethol (anise, camphor, and fennel), catechins (green tea), eugenol (cloves), indole-3-carbinol (cruciferous vegetables), limonene (citrus fruits), beta carotene (carrots), and dietary fiber. For instance, the cell-signaling pathways inhibited by curcumin alone include NF-kappaB, AP-1, STAT3, Akt, Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), caspases, PARP, IKK, EGFR, HER2, JNK, MAPK, COX2, and 5-LOX. The active principle identified in fruit and vegetables and the molecular targets modulated may be the basis for how these dietary agents not only prevent but also treat cancer and other diseases. This work reaffirms what Hippocrates said 25 centuries ago, let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
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PMID:Molecular targets of dietary agents for prevention and therapy of cancer. 1656 57

Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) are a source of inflammatory chemokines that may propagate airway inflammatory responses. We investigated the production of the CXC chemokine growth-related oncogene protein-alpha (GRO-alpha) from ASMC induced by cytokines and the role of MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways. ASMC were cultured from human airways, grown to confluence, and exposed to cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha after growth arrest. GRO-alpha release, measured by ELISA, was increased by >50-fold after IL-1beta (0.1 ng/ml) or 5-fold after TNF-alpha (1 ng/ml) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. GRO-alpha release was not affected by the T helper type 2 cytokines IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13. IL-1beta and TNF-alpha also induced GRO-alpha mRNA expression. Supernatants from IL-1beta-stimulated ASMC were chemotactic for neutrophils; this effect was inhibited by anti-GRO-alpha blocking antibody. AS-602868, an inhibitor of IKK-2, and PD-98059, an inhibitor of ERK, inhibited GRO-alpha release and mRNA expression, whereas SP-600125, an inhibitor of JNK, reduced GRO-alpha release without effect on mRNA expression. SB-203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, had no effect. AS-602868 but not PD-98059 or SP-600125 inhibited p65 DNA-binding induced by IL-1beta and TNF-alpha. By chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha enhanced p65 binding to the GRO-alpha promoter, which was inhibited by AS-602868. IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-stimulated expression of GRO-alpha from ASMC is regulated by independent pathways involving NF-kappaB activation and ERK and JNK pathways. GRO-alpha released from ASMC participates in neutrophil chemotaxis.
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PMID:GRO-alpha regulation in airway smooth muscle by IL-1beta and TNF-alpha: role of NF-kappaB and MAP kinases. 1661 94

ApoB is an important determinant of atherosclerosis susceptibility and a potential pharmaceutical target for lowering atherogenic lipoproteins. In the present study, we used a lentiviral vector to express short hairpin RNAs for inhibition of apoB production in HepG2 cells. We first demonstrated that lentivirus could efficiently deliver transgene into HepG2 cells by using GFP lentivirus. We then made three lentiviral siApoB constructs, two of which were highly efficient for silencing apoB expression in HepG2 cells. We showed that siApoB lentivirus specifically knocked down apoB but had no effects on other proteins such as apoAI and albumin. Consequently, the secretion of apoB was reduced markedly. The silencing effect of siApoB lentivirus appeared to be permanent. Knocking down apoB did not alter the expression of cytoplasmic stress proteins (HSP70 and HSP90) and their ER homologues (GRP78 and GRP94). Furthermore, neither IKKalpha and JNK nor phosphorylated IKK and JNK were increased in long-term apoB-deficient hepatocytes as compared to the control cells. Consistent with these findings, apoB-deficient hepatocytes responded to insulin to a similar extent as the control cells as determined by measuring insulin-induced phosphorylation of IRS and ERK. Our studies indicate that lentiviral siRNAs provide an excellent approach for delivering siRNA into HepG2 cells and may be used for gene therapy for hyperlipidemia.
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PMID:Knockdown of apolipoprotein B, an atherogenic apolipoprotein, in HepG2 cells by lentivirus-mediated siRNA. 1662 Jul 82

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted, non-collagenous, sialic-acid rich, glycosylated adhesive phospho- protein. Several highly metastatic transformed cells synthesized a higher level of OPN compared with non-tumorigenic cells. We have recently reported that OPN induces nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-mediated promatrix metalloproteinase-2 activation through IkappaBalpha/IKK signaling pathways. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which OPN regulates pro-matrix metalloproteinase-9 (pro-MMP-9) activation and involvement of upstream kinases in regulation of these processes that ultimately control cell motility and tumor growth in murine melanoma cells are not well defined. Here we report that OPN induces alphavbeta3 integrin-mediated phosphorylation and activation of nuclear factor inducing kinase (NIK) and enhances the interaction between phosphorylated NIK and IkappaBalpha kinase alpha/beta (IKKalpha/beta) in B16F10 cells. Moreover, NIK is involved in OPN-induced phosphorylations of MEK-1 and ERK1/2 in these cells. OPN induces NIK-dependent NF-kappaB activation through ERK/IKKalpha/beta-mediated pathways. Furthermore, OPN enhances NIK-regulated urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) secretion, uPA-dependent pro-MMP-9 activation, and cell motility. Pretreatment of cells with anti-MMP-2 antibody along with anti-MMP-9 antibody drastically inhibited the OPN-induced cell migration and chemoinvasion, whereas cells pretreated with anti-MMP-2 antibody had no effect on OPN-induced pro-MMP-9 activation suggesting that OPN induces pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 activations through two distinct pathways. Taken together, NIK acts as crucial regulator in OPN-induced MAPK/IKK-mediated NF-kappaB-dependent uPA secretion and MMP-9 activation thereby controlling melanoma cell motility and chemoinvasion.
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PMID:Nuclear factor inducing kinase: a key regulator in osteopontin- induced MAPK/IkappaB kinase dependent NF-kappaB-mediated promatrix metalloproteinase-9 activation. 1669 5

The polysaccharides of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) possess immunomodulation activities; however, their mode of molecular action in regulating each cellular subset in the immune system is still not clear. Here, we investigate the function of the main polysaccharide fraction of Reishi (Reishi-F3) in B lymphocyte activation/differentiation. We find that Reishi-F3 causes mouse splenic B cell activation and differentiation to IgM-secreting plasma cells, and the process depends on Reishi-F3-mediated induction of Blimp-1, a master regulator capable of triggering the changes of a cascade of gene expression during plasmacytic differentiation. In human peripheral B lymphocytes, although Reishi-F3 fails to induce their activation, it is able to enhance antibody secretion, which is associated with Blimp-1 mRNA induction. The function of Reishi-F3 depends on the Toll-like receptors TLR4/TLR2 as neutralizing antibodies against TLR4/TLR2 block Reishi-F3-mediated induction of Blimp-1 mRNA and Ig secretion. We have shown that interaction of Reishi-F3 with TLR4/TLR2 followed by signaling through p38 MAPK is involved in the induction of Blimp-1 mRNA, whereas signaling through ERK, p38 MAPK, JNK, and IKK complex is involved in Reishi-F3-mediated Ig secretion. Furthermore, the differential mechanism of Reishi-F3 in mouse and human B cell activation is probably due to the presence of Blimp-1 regulatory site in human CD86 promoter. These results establish the signaling and molecular mechanisms of Reishi-F3 on promoting antibody secretion.
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PMID:Reishi polysaccharides induce immunoglobulin production through the TLR4/TLR2-mediated induction of transcription factor Blimp-1. 1679 41

Type 2 diabetes is a heterogeneous disease characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues such as adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. This review focuses on obesity as one of the major environmental factors contributing to the development of diabetes. It has become evident that adipose tissue represents an active secretory organ capable of releasing a variety of cytokines such as TNFalpha, IL-6, adiponectin and other still unknown factors that might constitute the missing link between adipose tissue and insulin resistance. In fact, adipocyte-derived factors are significantly increased in obesity and represent good predictors of the development of type 2 diabetes. The negative crosstalk between adipocytes and skeletal muscle cells leads to disturbances in muscle cell insulin signalling and insulin resistance involving major pathways in inflammation, cellular stress and mitogenesis. Positive regulators of insulin sensitivity include the adipocyte hormone adiponectin and inhibitors of inflammatory pathways such as JNK-, IKK- and ERK-inhibitors. In summary, a better knowledge of intracellular and intercellular mechanisms by which adipose tissue affects skeletal muscle cell physiology may help to develop new strategies for diabetes treatment.
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PMID:Pathways leading to muscle insulin resistance--the muscle--fat connection. 1693 52

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), a redox-sensitive transcription factor, plays an important role in the aging process. Thus, developing and identifying specific components that modulate NF-kappaB without adverse side-effects would be of major importance. Hesperetin, a flavanone abundant in citrus fruits, has a variety of pharmacological properties being antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-inflammatory. In this study, we investigated how hesperetin fed to 6- and 24-month-old rats modulates NF-kappaB in their kidneys. Results showed that hesperetin suppressed NF-kappaB activation and related gene expressions. An even more interesting finding is that hesperetin suppressed NF-kappaB through four signal transduction pathways, NIK/IKK, ERK, p38, and JNK. Further evidence showed the remarkable efficacy of hesperetin to suppress the translocation of Trx/Ref-1, indicating its beneficial effect on the redox status. The most significant findings of the current study report new information on the use of hesperetin as a potential anti-aging agent.
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PMID:Modulation of the age-related nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway by hesperetin. 1693 86

Recombinant adenoviruses are used extensively as delivery vectors in clinical gene therapy and in molecular biology, but little is known about how the viral carrier itself contributes to cellular responses. Here we show that infection with an E1/E3-deleted adenoviral vector (Adv) sensitizes human epithelial cells to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced apoptosis. To explore the mechanism of Adv-mediated sensitization, we measured activity time courses for three protein kinases (MK2, IKK and JNK1) centrally involved in the TNF-receptor signaling network, as well as two kinases (Akt and ERK) activated by growth factors. Both the pro-apoptotic signal MK2 and the anti-apoptotic signal Akt were upregulated when Adv-infected cells were stimulated with TNF, and MK2 and Akt each contributed significantly to TNF-induced cell fate. Surprisingly, further activation of Akt in Adv-infected cells via insulin treatment did not significantly reduce apoptosis or MK2 activity. We show that the ineffectiveness of insulin-mediated anti-apoptotic signaling through Akt is due to saturation of Akt-effector substrate phosphorylation in Adv-infected cells. Normalizing Akt signaling relative to its Adv-induced baseline activity identified a global dose-response curve that relates Akt signaling to cellular survival. Thus, the background Akt activity induced by Adv limits the transmission of anti-apoptotic signals in response to further cytokine or growth-factor stimulation. The phenotypic and intracellular synergy between Adv and TNF may have implications for interpreting cellular responses in gene-therapy and laboratory applications.
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PMID:Adenoviral vector saturates Akt pro-survival signaling and blocks insulin-mediated rescue of tumor necrosis-factor-induced apoptosis. 1694 Mar 53

Molecular modeling studies led to the identification of LFM-A13 (alpha-cyano-beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl-N-(2,5-dibromophenyl)propenamide) as a potent inhibitor of Polo-like kinase (Plk). LFM-A13 inhibited recombinant purified Plx1, the Xenopus homolog of Plk, in a concentration-dependent fashion, as measured by autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of a substrate Cdc25 peptide. LFM-A13 was a selective Plk inhibitor. While the human PLK3 kinase was also inhibited by LFM-A13 with an IC(50) value of 61 microM, none of the 7 other serine/threonine kinases, including CDK1, CDK2, CDK3, CHK1, IKK, MAPK1 or SAPK2a, none of the 10 tyrosine kinases, including ABL, BRK, BMX, c-KIT, FYN, IGF1R, PDGFR, JAK2, MET, or YES, or the lipid kinase PI3Kgamma were inhibited (IC(50) values >200-500 microM). The mode of Plk3 inhibition by LFM-A13 was competitive with respect to ATP with a K(i) value of 7.2 microM from Dixon plots. LFM-A13 blocked the cell division in a zebrafish (ZF) embryo model at the 16-cell stage of the embryonic development followed by total cell fusion and lysis. LFM-A13 prevented bipolar mitotic spindle assembly in human breast cancer cells and glioblastoma cells and when microinjected into living epithelial cells at the prometaphase stage of cell division, it caused a total mitotic arrest. Notably, LFM-A13-delayed tumor progression in the MMTV/neu transgenic mouse model of HER2 positive breast cancer at least as effectively as paclitaxel and gemcitabine. LFM-A13 showed a favorable toxicity profile in mice and rats. In particular there was no evidence of hematologic toxicity as documented by peripheral blood counts and bone marrow examinations. These results establish LFM-A13 as a small molecule inhibitor of Plk with in vitro and in vivo anti-proliferative activity against human breast cancer.
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PMID:Anti-breast cancer activity of LFM-A13, a potent inhibitor of Polo-like kinase (PLK). 1709 32

Redox sensitive, pro-inflammatory nuclear transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a key role in both inflammation and aging processes. In a redox state disrupted by oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory genes are upregulated by the activation of NF-kappaB through diverse kinases. Thus, the search and characterization of new substances that modulate NF-kappaB are of recent research interest. Cinnamaldehyde (CNA) is the major component of cinnamon bark oil, which has been widely used as a flavoring agent in foodstuffs such as beverages and ice cream. In the present study, CNA was examined for its molecular modulation of inflammatory NF-kappaB activation via the redox-related NIK/IKK and MAPK pathways through the reduction of oxidative stress. Results show that age-related NF-kappaB activation upregulated NF-kappaB targeting genes, inflammatory iNOS, and COX-2, all of which were inhibited effectively by CNA. Our study further shows that CNA inhibited the activation of NF-kappaB via three signal transduction pathways, NIK/IKK, ERK, and p38 MAPK. Our results indicate that CNA's antioxidative effect and the restoration of redox balance were responsible for its anti-inflammatory action. Thus, the significance of the current study is the new information revealing the anti-inflammatory properties of CNA and the role it plays in the regulation of age-related alterations in signal transduction pathways.
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PMID:Suppression of age-related inflammatory NF-kappaB activation by cinnamaldehyde. 1748 22


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