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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)

We are developing strategies to use naive T lymphocytes in cancer therapy. For this purpose, we are deriving T cells with specificity of recognition for defined tumor cells. To direct effector lymphocytes toward tumor cells, we have manipulated the recognition specificity of naive rat and mouse T lymphocytes and a mouse T-cell line. The cells were stably transduced with a chimeric T-cell receptor (TCR) component. The zeta chain of the TCR consists of a single transmembrane protein with a short extracellular domain and an intracellular domain for TCR signaling. We provided an extracellular tumor cell recognition domain to the zeta chain. Human heregulin beta1 (ligand to the erbB-3 and erbB-4 receptors) and three different single-chain antibodies specific for the human and rat Neu/erbB-2 receptors were used. One single-chain antibody (C11) is directed against the rat Neu protein, and one single-chain antibody (FRP5) is directed against the human erbB-2 receptor. The single-chain antibody (R-AK) directed against the Mr 14,000 fusion protein of orthopox viruses served as a control. An efficient procedure was devised to introduce the chimeric genes into primary rat and mouse T lymphocytes. Retrovirus-producing packaging cell lines were cocultured with the T cells activated by phytohemagglutinin and interleukin 2. T-cell lines were transduced by exposure to retrovirus-containing supernatants from helper cell lines. Expression of the fusion genes was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. More than 80% of the naive rat and mouse T cells and 85-100% of the cells from the established T-cell lines expressed the fusion genes within 48 h after infection. The expression of the fusion genes was maintained for at least 10 days after infection. Target cells expressing Neu/erbB-2, erbB-3, or erbB-4 were lysed in vitro with high specificity by T cells expressing the corresponding recognition proteins. No selection of a marker gene is necessary to confer a predetermined recognition specificity. The described experiments are important for a gene therapy approach to cancer treatment with autologous T cells.
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PMID:Cytolysis of tumor cells expressing the Neu/erbB-2, erbB-3, and erbB-4 receptors by genetically targeted naive T lymphocytes. 981 61

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has a broad range of biological activities, which depend heavily on cell type and physiological condition. In a panel of human tumor cell lines we analyzed expression of the receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR, ErbB2 and ErbB3, and the response to TNF-alpha. Among the cell lines tested those resistant to TNF-alpha were found to express high levels of either EGFR, or ErbB2 and ErbB3. In TNF-sensitive breast and cervical carcinoma cells activation of EGFR or ErbB2 by the exogenous growth factors EGF and heregulin beta1 resulted in a significant increase in the number of cells surviving TNF-alpha treatment. In contrast, inhibition of EGFR activation in TNF-resistant breast carcinoma cells by the novel antagonistic anti-EGFR antibody 14E1 sensitized the cells to the cytotoxic effects of TNF-alpha. A bacterially expressed fusion protein consisting of a 14E1 single-chain (sc) Fv antibody fragment linked to human TNF-alpha retained TNF-alpha activity. This scFv(14E1)-TNF-alpha molecule localized specifically to EGFR on the surface of tumor cells and activated the NF-kappaB pathway in co-cultured T cells, as demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays.
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PMID:Activation of EGF receptor family members suppresses the cytotoxic effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. 982 42

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER or ErbB) family consists of four distinct members, including the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR, HER1, or ErbB1), ErbB2 (HER2 or neu), ErbB3 (HER3), and ErbB4 (HER4). Activation of these receptors plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival in several different tissues. Binding of a specific ligand to one of the ErbB receptors triggers the formation of specific receptor homo- and heterodimers, with ErbB2 being the preferred signaling partner. We analyzed the levels of various ErbB receptor messenger RNAs in a series of nontransformed cell lines by real time quantitative RT-PCR. The cell lines chosen were derived from a variety of tissues, including pancreas, lung, heart, and nervous system. Further, we measured biological responses in these cell lines upon treatment with EGF, betacellulin, and two types of neuregulins, heregulin and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor. All cell lines examined expressed detectable levels of ErbB2. High levels of expression of ErbB3 were correlated with responsiveness to heregulin and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor, whereas high levels of EGFR expression were correlated with responsiveness to EGF and betacellulin. Moreover, the sensitivity of a cell line to ErbB ligands was also correlated with the levels of expression of the appropriate ErbB receptors in that cell line. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that appropriate biological responsiveness to ErbB ligands is determined by the levels of expression of specific ErbB receptor combinations within a given tissue.
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PMID:Biological response to ErbB ligands in nontransformed cell lines correlates with a specific pattern of receptor expression. 983 11

The epidermal growth factor (EGF)-receptor (EGFR) family includes four homologous transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinases, EGFR, ErbB-2, ErbB-3, and ErbB-4. This receptor family plays a pivotal role in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and transformation. Ligand-induced activation of these receptors results in formation of homo- and heterodimers, which undergo transphosphorylation and transactivation. The aim of this study was to characterize the role of EGFR family members in signaling EGF-induced human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cell proliferation. Here, we show that EGF stimulates activation of EGFR and transactivation of ErbB-2 in quiescent HASM cells. Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, a critical signaling enzyme that modulates HASM cell growth, is preferentially associated with ErbB-2, and EGF-stimulated transactivation of ErbB-2 induces PI 3-kinase activation. ErbB-3 and ErbB-4 are present in HASM cells; however, EGF has no effect on their activation. Betacellulin, a ligand for EGFR, ErbB-3, and ErbB-4, induced DNA synthesis of HASM cells and stimulated signaling through the activation of EGFR and ErbB-2 but not of ErbB-3 and ErbB-4. Heregulin, a specific ligand for ErbB-3 and ErbB-4, did not effect DNA synthesis and did not activate its specific receptors. These data suggest that EGF imparts signals that involve activation of ErbB-2 and are associated with ErbB-2 PI 3-kinase activation. Despite the mRNA and protein expression of all members of the EGFR family, ligand-stimulated signaling induced activation of EGFR and ErbB-2 but not of ErbB-3 and ErbB-4.
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PMID:EGF activates ErbB-2 and stimulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in human airway smooth muscle cells. 995 Aug 86

Neu differentiation factors (NDFs), or neuregulins, are epidermal growth factor-like growth factors which bind to two tyrosine kinase receptors, ErbB-3 and ErbB-4. The transcription of several genes is regulated by neuregulins, including genes encoding specific subunits of the acetylcholine receptor at the neuromuscular junction. Here, we have examined the promoter of the acetylcholine receptor epsilon subunit and delineated a minimal CA-rich sequence which mediates transcriptional activation by NDF (NDF-response element [NRE]). Using gel mobility shift analysis with an NRE oligonucleotide, we detected two complexes that are induced by treatment with neuregulin and other growth factors and identified Sp1, a constitutively expressed zinc finger phosphoprotein, as a component of one of these complexes. Phosphatase treatment, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and an in-gel kinase assay indicated that Sp1 is phosphorylated by a 60-kDa kinase in response to NDF-induced signals. Moreover, Sp1 seems to act downstream of all members of the ErbB family and thus may funnel the signaling of the ErbB network into the nucleus.
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PMID:Neu differentiation factor stimulates phosphorylation and activation of the Sp1 transcription factor. 1002 83

ErbB2 (HER2, Neu), a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase family, is often overexpressed in breast cancer and other malignancies. ErbB2 homodimerizes but also presents as a common auxiliary subunit of the EGF and heregulin receptors (erbB1 or EGFR; and erbB3-4, respectively), with which it heteroassociates. ErbB2 is generally regarded as an orphan (ligand-less) receptor with a very potent kinase domain activated either via its associated partners or constitutively as a consequence of discrete mutations. It follows that the extent and regulation of its cell surface interactions are of central importance. We have studied the large-scale association pattern of erbB2 in quiescent and activated cells labeled with fluorescent anti-erbB2 monoclonal antibodies using scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). ErbB2 was found to be concentrated in irregular membrane patches with a mean diameter of approx. 0.5 microm in nonactivated SKBR3 and MDA453 human breast tumor cells. The average number of erbB2 proteins in a single cluster on nonactivated SKBR3 cells was about 10(3). Activation of SKBR3 cells with EGF, heregulin as well as a partially agonistic anti-erbB2 monoclonal antibody led to an increase in the mean cluster diameter to 0.6-0.9 microm, irrespective of the ligand. The EGF-induced increase in the erbB2 cluster size was inhibited by the EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor PD153035. The average size of erbB2 clusters on the erbB2-transfected line of CHO cells (CB2) was similar to that of activated SKBR3 cells, a finding correlated with the increased base-line tyrosine phosphorylation of erbB2 in cells expressing only erbB2. We conclude that an increase in cluster size may constitute a general phenomenon in the activation of erbB2.
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PMID:Activation-dependent clustering of the erbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase detected by scanning near-field optical microscopy. 1031 65

Activation of heregulin (HRG) signaling has been implicated in the development of aggressive phenotype in breast cancer cells. The mechanisms through which HRG regulates the progression of breast cancer cells to a more invasive or motile phenotype are currently unknown. Because the process of cell migration must involve dynamic changes in the formation of new focal adhesions at the leading edge and dissolution of preexisting focal points, we explored the potential HRG regulation of paxillin, a major component of focal adhesion. Here, we report that HRG stimulation of noninvasive breast cancer MCF-7 cells resulted in the up-regulation of paxillin mRNA and protein. The observed HRG stimulation of paxillin mRNA expression was completely blocked by actinomycin D (a transcriptional inhibitor) as well as by cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor), suggesting the involvement of an inducible protein factor(s) and transcriptional regulation of paxillin mRNA by HRG. Extension of these observations to other HRG-responsive human cell lines also demonstrated that HRG has a significant capacity to up-regulate the paxillin expression. Furthermore, the levels of paxillin expression were closely linked with the coexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/HER3 receptors in breast cancer cell lines and in grade III human breast tumors. This study is the first demonstration of regulation of paxillin expression by a polypeptide growth factor, and it suggests a potential role for paxillin in the HER2 pathway in breast cancer.
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PMID:Transcriptional up-regulation of paxillin expression by heregulin in human breast cancer cells. 1038 44

In the present studies, we demonstrate that heregulin is a potent and rapid activator of the serine/threonine kinase called Akt in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line but not in 3 other breast cancer cell lines (T47D, HBL-100, and MDA-231). The extent of activation of Akt in the 4 cell lines correlated with the ability of heregulin to activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and inhibition of the kinase blocked Akt activation. A monoclonal antibody to HER2 inhibited the ability of heregulin to activate Akt in the MCF-7 cells. BT474, a breast cancer cell line which overexpresses HER2, had high basal Akt enzymatic activity. This high basal activity was lowered when cells were pre-incubated with an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody which is used to treat breast cancer patients. Our results indicate that heregulin is a potent activator of Akt and that overexpression of HER2 in breast cancers could also lead to activation of Akt.
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PMID:Heregulin regulation of Akt/protein kinase B in breast cancer cells. 1044 22

We analyzed the formation of homo- and heterodimers between EGFR, ErbB2, and ErbB3 (members of the EGF receptor family) in the human skin keratinocyte cell line HaCaT, in dependence of the added ligand. ErbB4 was not unambiguously identified. By immunoprecipitation and Western blots, we showed the formation of heterodimers between all members of the family. Whereas EGF and TGF-alpha strongly induced heterodimerization, no effect was observed with heregulin. At the concentrations used all ligands elicited a similar, differentiation-independent activation of erk1/2 MAP kinase, with the exception of heregulin which activated p42/44 only marginally. We also found that different ligands triggered different transcription patterns of "early genes," with the exception of heregulin which did not modulate transcription. TGF-alpha was the most efficient ligand in promoting incorporation of tritiated thymidine into the DNA.
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PMID:EGFR family-mediated signal transduction in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. 1052 33

The heregulins are a family of ligands with ability to induce phosphorylation of the p185HER-2/neu receptor. Various investigators have reported a variety of responses of mouse and human breast and ovarian cells to this family of ligands including growth stimulation, growth inhibition, apoptosis and induction of differentiation in cells expressing the HER-2/neu receptor. Some of the disparity in the literature has been attributed to variations in the cell lines studied, ligand dose applied, methodologies utilized or model system evaluated (i.e. in vitro or in vivo). To evaluate the effects of heregulin on normal and malignant human breast and ovarian epithelial cells expressing known levels of the HER-2/neu receptor, this report presents the use of several different assays, performed both in vitro and in vivo, in vitro proliferation assays, direct cell counts, clonogenicity under anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent conditions, as well as the in vivo effects of heregulin on human cells growing in nude mice to address heregulin activity. Using a total of five different biologic assays in nine different cell lines, across two different epithelia and over a one log heregulin dose range, we obtained results that clearly indicate a growth-stimulatory role for this ligand in human breast and ovarian epithelial cells. We find no evidence that heregulin has any growth-inhibitory effects in human epithelial cells. We also quantitated the amount of each member of the type I receptor tyrosine kinase family (RTK I, i.e. HER-1, HER-2, HER-3 and HER-4) in the cell lines employed and correlated this to their respective heregulin responses. These data demonstrate that HER-2/neu overexpression itself affects the expression of other RTK I members and that cells expressing the highest levels of HER-2/neu have the greatest response to HRG.
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PMID:Biologic effects of heregulin/neu differentiation factor on normal and malignant human breast and ovarian epithelial cells. 1055 94


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