Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.10.2 (focal adhesion kinase)
 44,029 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In vascular smooth muscle (VSM) and many other cells, G protein receptor-coupled activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases has been linked, in part, to increases in free intracellular Ca(2+). Previously, we demonstrated that ionomycin-, angiotensin II-, and thrombin-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 in VSM cells was attenuated by pretreatment with KN-93, a selective inhibitor of the multifunctional Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase II). In the present study, we show that the Ca(2+)-dependent pathway leading to activation of ERK1/2 is preceded by nonreceptor proline-rich tyrosine kinase (PYK2) activation and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and is attenuated by inhibitors of src family kinases or the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase. Furthermore, we demonstrate that pretreatment with KN-93 or a CaM kinase II inhibitor peptide inhibits Ca(2+)-dependent PYK2 activation and EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation in response to ionomycin, ATP, and platelet-derived growth factor but has no effect on phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate- or EGF-induced responses. The results implicate CaM kinase II as an intermediate in the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent activation of PYK2.
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PMID:CaM kinase II-dependent activation of tyrosine kinases and ERK1/2 in vascular smooth muscle. 1188 Feb 63

The adhesive force generated by the interaction of integrin receptors with extracellular matrix (ECM) at the focal adhesion complex may regulate endothelial cell shape, and thereby the endothelial barrier function. We studied the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activated by integrin signalling in regulating cell shape using cultured human pulmonary artery endothelial cells. We used FAK antisense oligonucleotide (targeted to the 3'-untranslated region of FAK mRNA (5'-CTCTGGTTGATGGGATTG-3') to determine the role of FAK in the mechanism of thrombin-induced increase in endothelial permeability. Reduction in FAK expression by the antisense augmented the thrombin-induced decrease in transendothelial electrical resistance (decrease in mock transfected cells of -43 +/- 1 % and in sense-transfected cells of -40 +/- 4 %, compared to the decrease in antisense-transfected cells of -60 +/- 3 %). Reduction in FAK expression also prolonged the drop in electrical resistance and prevented the recovery seen in control endothelial cells. Thus, the thrombin-induced increase in permeability is both greater and attenuated in the absence of FAK expression. Inhibition of actin polymerization with latrunculin-A prevented the translocation of FAK to focal adhesion sites and tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK and paxillin, and concomitantly reduced the thrombin-induced decrease in electrical resistance by approximately 50 %. Thus, the modulatory role of FAK on endothelial barrier function is dependent on actin polymerization. FAK translocation to focal adhesion complex in endothelial cells guided by actin cables and the consequent activation of FAK-associated proteins serve to reverse the decrease in endothelial barrier function caused by inflammatory mediators such as thrombin.
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PMID:Modulatory role of focal adhesion kinase in regulating human pulmonary arterial endothelial barrier function. 1189 49

Stimulation of human platelets with von Willebrand factor (vWF) induces the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, but very little is known on the tyrosine kinases involved in this process. In the present work, we investigated and compared the activation of two related tyrosine kinases expressed in platelets: the proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) and the focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Both kinases were tyrosine phosphorylated upon vWF interaction with glycoprotein Ib-IX-V complex, but with different mechanisms. Tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK was totally dependent on thromboxane A2 production, and was inhibited by the integrin alphaIIbeta3 antagonist RGDS peptide. Moreover, chelation of intracellular calcium or inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) totally blocked vWF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK, indicating that this event is downstream phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C activation. By contrast, tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2 was only partially reduced by aspirin and RGDS, and was not affected by either calcium chelation or PKC inhibition, suggesting that activation of this kinase does not require phospholipase-mediated signalling. Both FAK and Pyk2 translocated to the cytoskeleton upon vWF stimulation of human platelets by a mechanism depending on agonist-induced actin polymerisation. Prevention of cytoskeletal relocation of Pyk2 and FAK by cytochalasin D totally blocked vWF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of both kinases. Finally, phosphorylation of Pyk2 induced by vWF, but not by thrombin, was inhibited by piceatannol, suggesting that this kinase lies downstream Syk. These results demonstrate that both Pyk2 and FAK are involved in platelet stimulation by vWF, but indicate that only Pyk2 may play a role in the early signal transduction events activated by ligand binding to glycoprotein Ib-IX-V.
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PMID:Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 and focal adhesion kinase are involved in different phases of platelet activation by vWF. 1191 84

Signalling cascades are regulated both positively and negatively by tyrosine phosphorylation. Integrin mediated platelet adhesion triggers signal transduction cascades involving translocation of proteins and tyrosine phosphorylation events, ultimately causing large signalling complexes to be assembled. In resting platelets, a small number of phosphorylated proteins are evident with molecular mass of 50-62 kDa and 120-130 kDa. In thrombin activated human platelets, however, there is a large increase in the number of tyrosine phosphorylated signalling proteins detected. These proteins include pCas (130 kDa), FAK (125 kDa), PI(3)k (85 kDa) and src (85 kDa). However, it is unlikely that this list of proteins represents all the dynamic changes that occur after platelet activation and it is understood that more proteins remain unidentified. In this study, we propose a method for the isolation of the phosphotyrosine proteome from both resting and thrombin activated human platelets. All the dynamic phosphotyrosine events that occur in the platelet after thrombin activation were isolated by immunoprecipitation, using the monoclonal antibody 4G10, allowing us to obtain higher concentrations of relatively low abundant proteins. The resulting phosphotyrosine proteomes were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Sixty-seven proteins were reproducibly found to be unique in the thrombin activated platelet proteome when compared to resting platelets. We have positively identified ten of these proteins by Western blotting and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry and these include FAK, Syk, ALK-4, P2X6 and MAPK kinase kinase. This proteomics approach to understanding the signalling events following platelet activation may elucidate potential drug targets for the treatment of coronary thrombosis.
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PMID:Identification of the phosphotyrosine proteome from thrombin activated platelets. 1211 43

The common gamma (gamma c) chain, shared by Th1 and Th2 cytokines, is fundamental for the activation of hematopoietic cells, but its role in non-hematopoietic tissues has not been explored. Here we show that in normal lung fibroblasts IL-4 and IL-13 induce the expression of the gamma c chain and its association with Janus kinase (JAK) 3, while lung myofibroblasts constitutively express a gamma c chain displaying a limited association with JAK3. In the latter cells, without exogenous cytokines, gamma c/JAK3 controls, through autocrine loops, tyrosine kinase (TYK) 2 phosphorylation and the balance between functional (IL-4Ralpha, IL-13Ralpha 1) and decoy (IL-13Ralpha 2) high-affinity receptors. Moreover, JAK3 is also associated with a pre-phosphorylated IL-4Ralpha and CD40. This novel "heterotrimer" (p-IL-4Ralpha, CD40/JAK3) is functional and controls STAT3 phosphorylation and CD40 expression, as shown by use of the specific JAK3 inhibitor WHI-P31. In basal culture conditions, CD40 signaling could be induced by the transient establishment of inter-fibroblastic CD40/CD40 ligand (CD40L) functional bridges. Indeed, powerful pro-inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide and thrombin can rapidly mobilize CD40L at the surface of lung myofibroblasts. These interactions are modified by IL-13, which triggers the formation of a new type of functional receptor (p-IL-4Ralpha /IL-13Ralpha 1/gamma c) and also the recruitment and the phosphorylation of JAK3. Treatment with JAK3 inhibitors blocks IL-13-induced phosphorylation of JAK2, TYK2 and STAT3, but not of JAK1 and STAT6. These data underline (1) the pivotal role of the gamma c chain, CD40/CD40L, JAK3 and IL-13 in the inflammatory-like activation of lung myofibroblasts, (2) the cell-type restraint effects of IL-13 on these cells, and (3) the potential usefulness of JAK3 inhibitors in the treatment of asthma.
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PMID:Human lung myofibroblasts as effectors of the inflammatory process: the common receptor gamma chain is induced by Th2 cytokines, and CD40 ligand is induced by lipopolysaccharide, thrombin and TNF-alpha. 1220 28

Endogenously produced dicarbonyls, such as methylglyoxal (MG), are involved in advanced glycation end-product formation and thus linked to the pathophysiology of diabetic chronic complications. While the search for synthetic new antiglycation agents continues, little attention has been paid to putative antiglycation agents in natural compounds. Given the link between glycation and oxidation, in this work, we study the effects of methylglyoxal on two model systems; plasminogen and antithrombin III (AT III), then we set out to unravel a possible antiglycation effect for extracts of the flavonoid-rich common herbal species Achyrocline satureoides (AS) and Ilex paraguariensis (IP). Using SAR-PRO-ARG-pNA as a specific thrombin substrate, we show that incubation of plasma with MG decreases heparin activation of AT III by up to a 70%, in a dose-dependent manner. A parallel dose-dependent decrease in plasminogen activity reaching more than 50% was shown using D-BUT-CHT-lys-pNA as a plasmin-specific substrate. Extracts of AS and IP display a dose dependent inhibition of the action of the dicarbonyl, already significant at a 1/100 dilution of the herbal infusions. The inhibition was comparable to that obtained by using millimolar concentrations of known AGE inhibitors such as aminoguanidine and carnosine as well as micromolar concentrations of the antioxidant ascorbic acid. We believe our system of whole plasma glycation over 16 h with micromolar concentrations of MG, coupled with the measurement of activities of plasminogen and AT III by specific substrates provides a straightforward, practical method for monitoring the action of putative antiglycation agents. If predictably milder glycated forms of AT III and plasminogen were to be secreted in vivo, the loss of activities shown here could act synergistically to generate hyperthrombicity.
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PMID:The botanical extracts of Achyrocline satureoides and Ilex paraguariensis prevent methylglyoxal-induced inhibition of plasminogen and antithrombin III. 1242 87

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that monocrotaline pyrrole (MCTP) interacts with actin and potentiates thrombin-mediated endothelial barrier permeability through increasing the overall surface area of intercellular gaps. To better characterize endothelial barrier leak in this model, we examined the effects of MCTP and thrombin on the localization and structure of three adhesion associated proteins that directly or indirectly interact with actin in regulating barrier function: cell-cell occludens junction molecule (ZO-1), the cell-cell adherens junction linker, ss-catenin, and the cell-matrix intermediary signaling protein, focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that thrombin treatment resulted in radial reorganization of focal adhesions and broader distribution of adherens and occludins junctions at the cell border suggestive of membrane stretching in contracture. MCTP pretreatment resulted in fewer and more disorganized focal adhesions and marked thinning of occludins and adherens junctions. MCTP pretreatment also interfered with thrombin stimulated junctional reorganization. Western blot analysis showed thrombin stimulated catalysis of ZO-1 and FAK while MCTP pretreatment resulted in FAK fragmentation similar to previous reports for apoptosis. We conclude that both MCTP and thrombin alter critical endothelial cell adhesion molecules and this may be an underlying mechanism for the potentiating effect MCTP has on thrombin induced vascular permeability in vitro.
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PMID:Effects of monocrotaline pyrrole and thrombin on pulmonary endothelial cell junction and matrix adhesion proteins. 1249 24

Objectives We undertook the present work to device a simple method to study the effects of inhibitors on functional impairment of proteins by the action of glycating agents. Design and methods For that purpose, we first tested the feasibility and optimized the conditions to employ glycation of human plasma coupled with AT III and plasminogen activity measurement, using coagulation test kits available in most clinical laboratories. Results Using D-BUT-CHT-lys-pNA as a plasmin-specific substrate, we show that incubation of plasma with fructose, glyceraldehyde or MG but not glucose decreases plasminogen activity reaching more than 40% in 16 h. A parallel dose-dependent decrease in heparin activation of AT III by up to a 50% was demonstrated using SAR-PRO-ARG-pNA as a specific thrombin substrate. We studied the effects of aminoguanidine, carnosine, quercetin aglycone, alpha tocopherol and ascorbic acid. Conclusion The methods afforded good discrimination between the known different reactivities of glycating sugars as well as the action of known antiglycation agents. They provide a practical system for monitoring the action of putative antiglycation agents.
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PMID:A practical method to study functional impairment of proteins by glycation and effects of inhibitors using current coagulation/fibrinolysis reagent kits. 1263 66

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), a family of lipid kinases comprising 3 classes with multiple isoforms, have been shown to participate in different phases of platelet signaling. To investigate the roles that enzymes play in platelet function in vivo and determine which isoforms are important for particular signaling events, we analyzed platelet function of gene knockout mice deficient in the p85alpha regulatory subunit of heterodimeric class IA PI3K. The kinase activity of p85alpha-/- platelets was only 5% of the activity of platelets from wild-type littermates. Platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP), thrombin, U46619, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), or botrocetin was not defective in p85alpha-/- mice, compared with wild-type animals. In contrast, aggregation induced by collagen and collagen-related peptide (CRP) was partially but readily impaired in p85alpha-/- mice. Both P-selectin expression and fibrinogen binding in response to CRP were also decreased to a similar extent in p85alpha-/- platelets. Platelets from p85alpha-/- mice appeared to spread poorly over a CRP-coated surface with intact filopodial protrusions. Significant attenuation of CRP-induced tyrosine phosphorylation in known PI3K effectors such as Btk, Tec, PKB/Akt, and phospholipase Cgamma2 were observed with p85alpha-/- platelets, whereas no alteration was noted in upstream molecules of Syk, LAT, and SLP-76. Considered as a whole, these results provide the first genetic evidence that PI3K p85alpha plays a significant role in platelet function, almost exclusively in the glycoprotein (GP) VI/Fc receptor gamma chain complex-mediated signaling pathway.
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PMID:Functional phenotype of phosphoinositide 3-kinase p85alpha-null platelets characterized by an impaired response to GP VI stimulation. 1264 57

Cathepsin G is a neutrophil-derived serine protease that contributes to tissue damage at sites of inflammation. The actions of cathepsin G are reported to be mediated by protease-activated receptor (PAR)-4 (a thrombin receptor) in human platelets. This study provides the first evidence that cathepsin G promotes inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate accumulation, activates ERK, p38 MAPK, and AKT, and decreases contractile function in cardiomyocytes. Because some cathepsin G responses mimic cardiomyocyte activation by thrombin, a role for PARs was considered. Cathepsin G markedly activates phospholipase C and p38 MAPK in cardiomyocytes from PAR-1-/- mice, but it fails to activate phospholipase C, ERK, p38 MAPK, or AKT in PAR-1- or PAR-4-expressing PAR-1-/- fibroblasts (which display robust responses to thrombin). These results argue that PAR-1 does not mediate the actions of cathepsin G in cardiomyocytes, and neither PAR-1 nor PAR-4 mediates the actions of cathepsin G in fibroblasts. Of note, prolonged incubation of cardiomyocytes with cathepsin G results in the activation of caspase-3, cleavage of FAK and AKT, sarcomeric disassembly, cell rounding, cell detachment from underlying matrix, and morphologic features of apoptosis. Inhibition of Src family kinases or caspases (with PP1 or benzyloxycarbonyl-VAD-fluoromethyl ketone, respectively) delays FAK and AKT cleavage and cardiomyocyte detachment from substrate. Collectively, these studies describe novel cardiac actions of cathepsin G that do not require PARs and are predicted to assume functional importance at sites of interstitial inflammation in the heart.
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PMID:Neutrophil cathepsin G promotes detachment-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via a protease-activated receptor-independent mechanism. 1270 81


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