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)

The receptor tyrosine kinase ARK (also called AXL or UFO) is the murine prototype of a small family of receptors with an extracellular domain resembling cell adhesion molecules and a conserved tyrosine kinase domain. ARK is capable of homophilic binding, as well as of binding of GAS6, a secreted member of the class of vitamin K dependent proteins whose expression is up-regulated in growth-arrested cells. To gain understanding of the physiological role of ARK signaling, we have investigated the ARK forms which are expressed by cells in culture as well as by mouse organs. We found that ARK is not only expressed as a transmembrane protein, but is also cleaved in the extracellular domain to generate a soluble ARK form of about 65 kDa, which is easily detected in conditioned media of ARK expressing cells, in serum and plasma and in mouse organs. Soluble ARK is also produced by tumor cells in vivo. The function of these molecules could be that of binding GAS6, thereby inhibiting the interaction of this ligand with its cell-associated receptor, or they could be involved in binding to ARK itself.
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PMID:Cleavage and release of a soluble form of the receptor tyrosine kinase ARK in vitro and in vivo. 881 29

The initial identification of GAS6 as a protein expressed in response to growth arrest suggested that it might function as a negative regulator of cell proliferation. Since the transforming activity of the GAS6 receptor (AXL/UFO) was documented, GAS6 might stimulate rather than inhibit proliferation. In order to detect aberrant expression of GAS6 we examined gene expression in 46 cell lines of precursor B-, B- and T-cell origin as well as from Hodgkin's disease and cell lines established from various myeloproliferative disorders. In our study, the expression of GAS6 reveals a constitutive transcriptional activation in 8/46 cases of proliferating cell lines. The GAS6 mRNA expression could be shown in 4/22 cell lines of the lymphoid arm and in 4/17 of the myeloid lineages of the hematopoietic system. No transcripts could be detected in the CD30+ Hodgkin and anaplastic large cell lymphomas (0/7). Interestingly, the steady state mRNA levels showed neglectable GAS6 expression in precursor B and B-cell lines (1/9), but could be detected in terminally differentiated plasma cell lines (4/4). The predominantly GAS6-expressing cell lines of non-lymphoid origin have been established from acute myeloid leukemias of the M4 subtype (3/4). In order to demonstrate evidence for an autocrine regulation of growth in permanent hematopoietic cell lines, we measured the GAS6 expression in cell lines with strong positivity for the AXL/UFO receptor mRNA. Constitutive basal levels of GAS6 mRNA and protein expression could be only detected in 3/23 AXL/UFO expressing cell lines. Although a general mechanism seems most unlikely, further studies are necessary to demonstrate the involvement of GAS6 in single cases of disordered growth or chemotaxis/adhesion of leukemia and lymphomas.
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PMID:Expression of the growth arrest-specific gene 6 (GAS6) in leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. 1040 Jan 86

The AXL/UFO family of tyrosine kinases is characterized by a common N-CAM (neural adhesion molecule)-related extracellular domain and a common ligand, GAS6 (growth arrest-specific protein 6). Family members are prone to transcriptional regulation and carry out diverse functions including the regulation of cell adhesion, migration, phagocytosis, and survival. In this report, we describe a new role of MER/N-CAM-related kinase (NYK), a member of the AXL family of kinases, in the up-regulation of chemokines in prostate cancer cells. We show that NYK has elevated expression in a subset of tumor specimens and prostate cancer cell lines. Activation of NYK in the prostate cancer cell line DU145 does not cause a mitogenic effect; instead, it causes a differentiation phenotype. Microarray analysis revealed that NYK is a strong inducer of endocrine factors including interleukin (IL)-8 and several other angiogenic CXC chemokines as well as bone morphogenic factors. The dramatic increase of IL-8 expression is seen at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. The downstream signals engaged by NYK were characterized, and those responsible for the up-regulation of IL-8 transcription were defined. In contrast to IL-1alpha, NYK-induced up-regulation of IL-8 in DU145 depends on the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/Jun/Fos pathway, but not phosphoinositide 3'-kinase/nuclear factor-kappaB. These data define a new function of the AXL family of kinases and suggest a potential role of NYK in prostate cancer progression.
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PMID:Signal pathways in up-regulation of chemokines by tyrosine kinase MER/NYK in prostate cancer cells. 1549 51

Understanding processes regulating prostate cancer cell survival is critical to management of advanced disease. We used prostate cancer cell transfectants genetically modified to be deficient in either endogenous fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) or endogenous FGF-2 to examine FGF maintenance of transfectant survival and proliferation and FGF-2-regulated expression of transfectant growth arrest DNA damage (GADD) and growth arrest sequences (GAS) family genes (known modulators of cell cycle progression and survival) and the AS3 gene (an androgen-modulated effector of prostate cell proliferation). When propagated in the absence of exogenous FGFs, FGF-2-deficient transfectants undergo exponential death, whereas FGF-1-deficient transfectants proliferate. Exogenous FGF-1, FGF-2, FGF-7, or FGF-8 promote survival and proliferation of FGF-2-deficient transfectants and enhance FGF-1-deficient transfectant proliferation. Transfectants express FGF receptor FGFR1, FGFR2(IIIb), FGFR2(IIIc), and FGFR3 transcripts, findings consistent with the effects of exogenous FGFs. FGF-2-deficient transfectants express high levels of AS3, GADD45alpha, GADD45gamma, GAS8, and GAS11 transcripts and moderate levels of GADD153, GAS2, GAS3, and GAS6 transcripts and lack demonstrable GAS1 or GAS5 transcripts. FGF withdrawal-mediated death of FGF-2-deficient transfectants did not significantly affect cell AS3, GADD153, GADD45gamma, GAS2, GAS3, GAS7, GAS8, or GAS11 transcript content, whereas GADD45alpha and GAS6 transcript content was elevated. These studies establish that endogenous FGF-2 dominantly regulates prostate cancer cell survival and proliferation and that exogenous FGFs may assume this function in the absence of endogenous FGF-2. Additionally, we provide the first evidence that FGFs regulate prostate GADD45alpha and GAS6 transcript content. The latter observations suggest that GADD45alpha and GAS6 proteins may be effectors of processes that regulate prostate cancer cell survival. Additional studies are required to examine this possibility in detail.
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PMID:Exogenous fibroblast growth factors maintain viability, promote proliferation, and suppress GADD45alpha and GAS6 transcript content of prostate cancer cells genetically modified to lack endogenous FGF-2. 1556 81

ACK1 (activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1), a cytoplsmic tyrosine kinase, is implicated in metastatic behavior, cell spreading and migration, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. The function of ACK1 in the regulation of receptor tyrosine kinases requires a C-terminal region that demonstrates a significant homology to the EGFR binding domain of MIG6. In this study, we have identified additional receptor tyrosine kinases, including Axl, leukocyte tyrosine kinase, and anaplastic lymphoma kinase, that can bind to the ACK1/MIG6 homology region. Unlike the interaction between MIG6 and EGFR, our data suggest that these receptor tyrosine kinases require the adaptor protein Grb2 for efficient binding, which interacts with highly conserved proline-rich regions that are conserved between ACK1 and MIG6. We have focused on Axl and compared how ACK1/Axl differs from the ACK1/EGFR axis by investigating effects of knockdown of endogenous ACK1. Although EGFR activation promotes ACK1 turnover, Axl activation by GAS6 does not; interestingly, the reciprocal down-regulation of GAS6-stimulated Axl is blocked by removing ACK1. Thus, ACK1 functions in part to control Axl receptor levels. Silencing of ACK1 also leads to diminished ruffling and migration in DU145 and COS7 cells upon GAS6-Axl signaling. The ability of ACK1 to modulate Axl and perhaps anaplastic lymphoma kinase (altered in anaplastic large cell lymphomas) might explain why ACK1 can promote metastatic and transformed behavior in a number of cancers.
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PMID:Cytoplasmic ACK1 interaction with multiple receptor tyrosine kinases is mediated by Grb2: an analysis of ACK1 effects on Axl signaling. 1981 57

We previously demonstrated that bovine epiphyseal chondrocytes separated by density gradient centrifugation differ in proliferative response to IGF-I and IGF-I receptor number. To identify novel modifiers of IGF-I action at the growth plate, we used microarray analyses to compare bovine hypertrophic and reserve zones and identified several receptors differentially expressed across the growth plate: NTRK2 [receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)], KIT [receptor for stem cell factor (SCF)], and MER and AXL [two receptors for growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6)]. The corresponding ligands were tested for their ability to stimulate either proliferation of isolated chondrocytes or differentiation in ATDC5 cells. Each factor inhibited IGF-I-mediated proliferation in isolated chondrocytes by attenuating ERK1/2 activation. SCF, BDNF, Gas6, and C-type natriuretic peptide promoted differentiation in ATDC5 cells, each factor producing different expression patterns for collagen X, collagen 2, aggrecan, and lysyl oxidase. Whereas multiple factors stimulated ATDC5 differentiation, only IGF-I and high-dose insulin, out of several factors implicated in chondrocyte maturation, stimulated proliferation of isolated chondrocytes. IGF-I appears to be the primary proliferative signal in growth plate chondrocytes, whereas multiple factors including SCF, BDNF, and Gas6 regulate the pace of differentiation at the growth plate.
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PMID:SCF, BDNF, and Gas6 are regulators of growth plate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. 1989 99

Our recent studies have shown that annexin II, expressed on the cell surface of osteoblasts, plays an important role in the adhesion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to the endosteal niche. Similarly, prostate cancer (PCa) cells express the annexin II receptor and seem to use the stem cell niche for homing to the bone marrow. The role of the niche is thought to be the induction and sustenance of HSC dormancy. If metastatic PCa cells occupy a similar or the same ecological niche as HSCs, then it is likely that the initial role of the HSC niche will be to induce dormancy in metastatic cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the binding of PCa to annexin II induces the expression of the growth arrest-specific 6 (GAS6) receptors AXL, Sky, and Mer, which, in the hematopoietic system, induce dormancy. In addition, GAS6 produced by osteoblasts prevents PCa proliferation and protects PCa from chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Our results suggest that the activation of GAS6 receptors on PCa in the bone marrow environment may play a critical role as a molecular switch, establishing metastatic tumor cell dormancy.
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PMID:GAS6/AXL axis regulates prostate cancer invasion, proliferation, and survival in the bone marrow niche. 2012 70

The high-density micromass culture has been widely applied to study chondrocyte cell physiology and pathophysiological mechanisms. Since an integrated image has not been established so far, we analyzed the phenotypic alterations of human articular chondrocytes in this model on the broad molecular level. Freshly isolated chondrocytes were assembled as micromasses and maintained up to 6 weeks in medium containing human serum. Formation of cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) was evaluated by histological and immunohistochemical staining. At 0, 3 and 6 weeks, chondrocyte micromasses were subjected to gene expression analysis using oligonucleotide microarrays and real-time RT-PCR. Micromasses developed a cartilaginous ECM rich in proteoglycans and type II collagen. On gene expression level, time-dependent expression patterns was observed. The induction of genes associated with cartilage-specific ECM (COL2A1 and COL11A1) and developmental signaling (GDF5, GDF10, ID1, ID4 and FGFR1-3) indicated redifferentiation within the first 3 weeks. The repression of genes related to stress response (HSPA1A and HSPA4), apoptotic events (HYOU1, NFKBIA and TRAF1), and degradation (MMP1, MMP10 and MMP12) suggested a recovery of chondrocytes. Constant expression of other chondrogenic (ACAN, FN1 and MGP) and hypertrophic markers (COL10A1, ALPL, PTHR1 and PTHR2) indicated a pattern of phenotypic maintenance. Simultaneously, the expression of chondrogenic growth (BMP6, TGFA, FGF1 and FGF2) and transcription factors (SOX9, EGR1, HES1 and TGIF1), and other cartilage ECM-related genes (COMP and PRG4) was consistently repressed and expression of collagens related to dedifferentiation (COL1A1 and COL3A1) was steadily induced indicating a progressing loss of cartilage phenotype. Likewise, a steady increase of genes associated with proliferation (GAS6, SERPINF1, VEGFB and VEGFC) and apoptosis (DRAM, DPAK1, HSPB, GPX1, NGFRAP1 and TIA1) was observed. Sequence and interplay of identified expression patterns suggest that chondrocyte micromass cultures maintain a differentiated phenotype up to 3 weeks in vitro and might be useful for studying chondrocyte biology, pathophysiology and differentiation. Cultivation longer than 6 weeks leads to progressing dedifferentiation of chondrocytes that should be considered on long-term evaluations.
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PMID:Gene expression profiling of primary human articular chondrocytes in high-density micromasses reveals patterns of recovery, maintenance, re- and dedifferentiation. 2043 12

Carotid atherosclerosis (CA) is one of the most common causes of stroke, and recent studies suggest that pathways initiated by the interaction of the plasma vitamin K-dependent protein GAS6 with the tyrosine kinase receptors TYRO3, AXL and MERTK (TAM) may have a relevant role in atherogenesis. Furthermore, our previous studies indicated an association between GAS6 and stroke. The aim of this study was to analyse the genetic association between SNPs and haplotypes in GAS6-TAM genes and CA. We performed a case-control study with 233 CA patients confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance angiography and 202 patients who suffered from cardioembolic (non atherogenic) stroke. For all included subjects information on established risk factors was available. Genotyping of 16 selected tagSNPs was performed by real-time PCR, using either FRET or TaqMan probes. Adjusted logistic regression (LR) analyses indicated that rs2289743 in TYRO3 and rs869016 in MERTK were associated to CA, decreasing its risk (OR [95%CI]=0.39 [0.16-0.94] and OR [95%CI]=0.31 [0.14-0.69], respectively). Linkage disequilibrium results were consistent with the haplotype blocks described in HapMap and adjusted LR analyses revealed that the haplotype ACAA in MERTK , containing the minor allele of the associated SNP, was also associated to CA. No association was observed with GAS6 and AXL variants, which suggests that CA is not the mechanism underlying the reported association between GAS6 and stroke. The association between TYRO3 and MERTK variants and carotid atherosclerosis found in this study reinforces a physiological role of the GAS6-TAM pathway in atherogenesis.
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PMID:Association study between polymorphims in GAS6-TAM genes and carotid atherosclerosis. 2066 4

The receptor tyrosine kinase AXL is thought to play a role in metastasis; however, the therapeutic efficacy of an AXL-targeting agent remains largely untested in metastatic disease. In this study, we defined AXL as a therapeutic target for metastatic ovarian cancer. AXL is primarily expressed in metastases and advanced-stage human ovarian tumors but not in normal ovarian epithelium. Genetic inhibition of AXL in human metastatic ovarian tumor cells is sufficient to prevent the initiation of metastatic disease in vivo. Mechanistically, inhibition of AXL signaling in animals with metastatic disease results in decreased invasion and matrix metalloproteinase activity. Most importantly, soluble human AXL receptors that imposed a specific blockade of the GAS6/AXL pathway had a profound inhibitory effect on progression of established metastatic ovarian cancer without normal tissue toxicity. These results offer the first genetic validation of GAS6/AXL targeting as an effective strategy for inhibition of metastatic tumor progression in vivo. Furthermore, this study defines the soluble AXL receptor as a therapeutic candidate agent for treatment of metastatic ovarian cancer, for which current therapies are ineffective.
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PMID:AXL is an essential factor and therapeutic target for metastatic ovarian cancer. 2085 15


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