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Query: EC:2.7.11.1 (
protein kinase
)
81,284
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated
protein kinase
(MAPK/
ERK
) is a key molecule in intracellular signal transducing pathways that transport extracellular stimuli from cell surface to nuclei. MAPK/
ERK
has been revealed to be involved in the physiological proliferation of mammalian cells and also to potentiate them to transform. However, its role in the outgrowth of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has yet to be clarified. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the activation of MAPK/
ERK
and its associated gene expression in HCC. MAPK/
ERK
was activated in 15 of 26 cases of HCC we examined (58%), and its activity level was significantly higher in HCC than in the adjacent non-cancerous lesions. Besides, MAPK/
ERK
activation in HCC was positively correlated with protein expression of transcription factor c-Fos. Furthermore, in 25 of 26 cases of HCC which genomic DNA was available, 22 cases without genomic DNA amplification exhibited positive correlation, not only between protein expression of c-Fos and cyclin D1, but also between MAPK/
ERK
activation and cyclin D1 expression. Concerning the relationship between MAPK/
ERK
activation and the clinicohistopathological features of HCC, the tumor (HCC) versus non-tumor (non-cancerous counterpart) ratio (T/N) of MAPK/
ERK
activity was positively correlated with tumor size, but neither with the stage of HCC nor the degree of differentiation of HCC. In conclusion, these findings suggest that MAPK/
ERK
activation in human HCC may play an important role in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis, especially in the progression of HCC; at least in part, through cyclin D1 up-regulation primarily induced by MAPK/
ERK
via c-Fos.
...
PMID:Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinases in human hepatocellular carcinoma. 953 33
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common autosomal dominant disorder caused by loss of the NF1 gene, is characterized clinically by neurofibromas and more rarely by neurofibrosarcomas. Neurofibromin, the protein encoded by NF1, possesses an intrinsic GTPase accelerating activity for the Ras proto-oncogene. Through this activity, it is a negative regulator of Ras. The Pak
protein kinase
is a candidate for a downstream signaling protein that may mediate Ras signals because it is activated by Rac and Cdc42, two small G proteins required for Ras signaling. Here, we use Pak mutants to explore the role of Pak in Ras signaling in Schwann cells, the cells affected in NF1. Whereas an activated Pak mutant does not transform cells, dominant negative Pak mutants are potent inhibitors of Ras transformation of rat Schwann cells and of a neurofibrosarcoma cell line from an NF1 patient. Although activated Pak stimulated jun-N-terminal kinase, inhibition of Ras transformation by dominant negative Pak did not require inhibition of jun-N-terminal kinase. Instead, the Pak mutants appeared to inhibit transformation by preventing Ras activation of the
ERK
/mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. These results have implications for our understanding of NF1 because a neurofibrosarcoma cell line derived from a patient with NF1 was reverted by stable expression of the Pak dominant negative mutants.
...
PMID:A role for Pak protein kinases in Schwann cell transformation. 956 Feb 42
In GN4 rat liver epithelial cells, angiotensin II (Ang II) produces intracellular calcium and protein kinase C (PKC) signals and stimulates
ERK
and JNK activity. JNK activation appears to be mediated by a calcium-dependent tyrosine kinase (CADTK). To define the
ERK
pathway, we established GN4 cells expressing an inhibitory Ras(N17). Induction of Ras(N17) blocked EGF- but not Ang II- or phorbol ester (TPA)-dependent
ERK
activation. In control cells, Ang II and TPA produced minimal increases in Ras-GTP level and
Raf kinase
activity. PKC depletion by chronic TPA exposure abolished TPA-dependent
ERK
activation but failed to diminish the effect of Ang II. In PKC-depleted cells, Ang II increased Ras-GTP level and activated Raf and
ERK
in a Ras-dependent manner. In PKC depleted cells, Ang II stimulated Shc and Cbl tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting that without PKC, Ang II activates another tyrosine kinase. PKC-depletion did not alter Ang II-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation or activity of p125(FAK), CADTK, Fyn or Src, but PKC depletion or incubation with GF109203X resulted in Ang II-dependent EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation. In PKC-depleted cells, EGF receptor-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors blocked Ang II-dependent EGF receptor and Cbl tyrosine phosphorylation, and
ERK
activation. In summary, Ang II can activate
ERK
via two pathways; the latent EGF receptor, Ras-dependent pathway is equipotent to the Ras-independent pathway, but is masked by PKC action. The prominence of this G-protein coupled receptor to EGF receptor pathway may vary between cell types depending upon modifiers such as PKC.
...
PMID:Angiotensin II stimulates ERK via two pathways in epithelial cells: protein kinase C suppresses a G-protein coupled receptor-EGF receptor transactivation pathway. 956 40
MAP kinase phosphatase-3 (MKP-3) dephosphorylates phosphotyrosine and phosphothreonine and inactivates selectively
ERK
family mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. MKP-3 was activated by direct binding to purified ERK2. Activation was independent of
protein kinase
activity and required binding of ERK2 to the noncatalytic amino-terminus of MKP-3. Neither the gain-of-function Sevenmaker ERK2 mutant D319N nor c-Jun amino-terminal kinase-stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) or p38 MAP kinases bound MKP-3 or caused its catalytic activation. These kinases were also resistant to enzymatic inactivation by MKP-3. Another homologous but nonselective phosphatase, MKP-4, bound and was activated by ERK2, JNK/SAPK, and p38 MAP kinases. Catalytic activation of MAP kinase phosphatases through substrate binding may regulate MAP kinase activation by a large number of receptor systems.
...
PMID:Catalytic activation of the phosphatase MKP-3 by ERK2 mitogen-activated protein kinase. 963 2
Extracellular signal-regulated
protein kinase
(
ERK
, or mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK]) regulatory cascades in fungi turn on transcription factors that control developmental processes, stress responses, and cell wall integrity. CEK1 encodes a Candida albicans MAPK homolog (Cek1p), isolated by its ability to interfere with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae MAPK mating pathway. C. albicans cells with a deletion of the CEK1 gene are defective in shifting from a unicellular budding colonial growth mode to an agar-invasive hyphal growth mode when nutrients become limiting on solid medium with mannitol as a carbon source or on glucose when nitrogen is severely limited. The same phenotype is seen in C. albicans mutants in which the homologs (CST20, HST7, and CPH1) of the S. cerevisiae STE20, STE7, and STE12 genes are disrupted. In S. cerevisiae, the products of these genes function as part of a MAPK cascade required for mating and invasiveness of haploid cells and for pseudohyphal development of diploid cells. Epistasis studies revealed that the C. albicans CST20, HST7, CEK1, and CPH1 gene products lie in an equivalent, canonical, MAPK cascade. While Cek1p acts as part of the MAPK cascade involved in starvation-specific hyphal development, it may also play independent roles in C. albicans. In contrast to disruptions of the HST7 and CPH1 genes, disruption of the CEK1 gene adversely affects the growth of serum-induced mycelial colonies and attenuates virulence in a mouse model for systemic candidiasis.
...
PMID:Roles of the Candida albicans mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog, Cek1p, in hyphal development and systemic candidiasis. 959 38
On the basis of the crystal structure of the MEK substrate
ERK
, we have synthesized a 15 amino acid peptide representing the alpha C helix of human ERK1. We find this peptide to be an inhibitor of
ERK
phosphorylation by its upstream activator MEK. Circular dichroic spectroscopy indicates that the peptide has little secondary structure in aqueous buffer, but can readily adopt an alpha-helical structure in aprotic solvent. Steady-state kinetic analysis indicates that the peptide serves as a competitive inhibitor of
ERK
binding to MEK, with a dissociation constant, Ki, of 0.84 microM. Together with ATP-competitive inhibitors of MEK, we have used this peptide to define the kinetic mechanism of MEK catalysis. These studies reveal that MEK operates through a bi-bi random-ordered sequential mechanism. The synthetic peptide inhibits also the phosphorylation of p38 and
ERK
by the upstream activator MKK3, but is at least 3-fold less potent as an inhibitor of SEK activation of JNK1. Interestingly, the peptide also showed some ability to inhibit
ERK
-mediated phosphorylation of myelin basic protein, but was inactive as an inhibitor of the unrelated kinases Raf, Abl, and
PKA
. These results imply that the alpha C helix is an important locus of interaction for the formation of a MEK-
ERK
complex. The alpha C helix cannot, however, be the sole determinant of activator selectivity among the MAP kinases. Molecules designed to target the alpha C helix binding pocket of MAP kinase activators may provide a novel means of inhibiting these signal transducers.
...
PMID:Competitive inhibition of MAP kinase activation by a peptide representing the alpha C helix of ERK. 963 29
We have previously shown that binding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virions to CD4 receptors stimulates association of Lck with
Raf-1
and results in the activation of
Raf-1
kinase in a Ras-independent manner. In the present study, we demonstrate that HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins of both T-cell-tropic and macrophagetropic strains rapidly activate the
ERK
/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway and the binding of nuclear transcription factors (AP-1, NF-kappaB, and C/EBP) and stimulate expression of cytokine and chemokine genes. The activation of this signaling pathway requires functional CD4 receptors and is independent of binding to CXCR4. Binding of the natural ligand stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) to CXCR4, which inhibits entry of T-cell-tropic HIV-1, activates also the
ERK
/MAP kinase pathway. However, SDF-1 did not affect the CD4-mediated expression of cytokine and chemokine genes. These results provide firm molecular evidence that binding of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins to CD4 receptor initiates a signaling pathway(s) independent of the binding to the chemokine receptor that leads to the aberrant expression of inflammatory genes and may contribute significantly to HIV-1 replication as well as to deregulation of the immune system.
...
PMID:Binding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 to CD4 and CXCR4 receptors differentially regulates expression of inflammatory genes and activates the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. 965 81
Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is the key transcriptional regulator of the heat shock genes that protect cells from environmental stress. However, because heat shock gene expression is deleterious to growth and development, we have examined mechanisms for HSF1 repression at growth temperatures, focusing on the role of phosphorylation. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) of the
ERK
family phosphorylate HSF1 and represses transcriptional function. The mechanism of repression involves initial phosphorylation by MAP kinase on serine 307, which primes HSF1 for secondary phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 3 on a key residue in repression (serine 303). In vivo expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha or beta thus represses HSF1 through phosphorylation of serine 303. HSF1 is also phosphorylated by MAPK in vitro on a second residue (serine 363) adjacent to activation domain 1, and this residue is additionally phosphorylated by protein kinase C. In vivo, HSF1 is repressed through phosphorylation of this residue by
protein kinase
Calpha or -zeta but not MAPK. Regulation at 37 degrees C, therefore, involves the action of three
protein kinase
cascades that repress HSF1 through phosphorylation of serine residues 303, 307, and 363 and may promote growth by suppressing the heat shock response.
...
PMID:Transcriptional activity of heat shock factor 1 at 37 degrees C is repressed through phosphorylation on two distinct serine residues by glycogen synthase kinase 3 and protein kinases Calpha and Czeta. 966 Aug 38
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) markedly induced the spreading, dissociation and scattering of Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK) and human stomach adenocarcinoma cells (TMK1). Scattering of MDCK and TMK1 cells was induced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (PMA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), respectively. In all these agent-stimulated cells, rapid activation of
Raf-1
, MAP kinase/
ERK
kinase (MEK), 41/43 kDa MAP kinases and p90rsk was commonly observed. In contrast, PMA neither induced the scattering nor activation of all these kinases in TMK1 cells. Pretreatment of MDCK and TMK1 cells with 2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl) choromone (AMPC), a specific inhibitor of MEK, selectively inhibited the HGF-, PMA- and EGF-stimulated activities of MEK, 41/43 kDa MAP kinases and p90rsk in a dose dependent manner. AMPC-pretreatment, however, did not affect HGF-, PMA- or EGF-induced activation of
Raf-1
, nor HGF-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in these cells. Importantly, HGF-, PMA- and EGF-induced scattering of MDCK and TMK1 cells was inhibited at doses of AMPC similar to those that gave comparable levels of inhibition of the activities of MEK, 41/43 kDa MAP kinases and p90rsk. These results suggest that activation of the 41/43 kDa MAP kinase signaling pathway is required for the motility response of MDCK and TMK1 cells induced by agents such as HGF, PMA and EGF.
...
PMID:Activation of the 41/43 kDa mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway is required for hepatocyte growth factor-induced cell scattering. 967 14
The PEA3 subfamily of ETS-domain proteins play important roles in regulating transcriptional activation and have been implicated in several tumorigenic processes. Here we describe the identification of a further member of this family from zebrafish which most likely represents a homologue of PEA3. A high degree of sequence conservation is observed in the ETS DNA-binding domain and acidic transcriptional activation domain. The DNA binding specificity of zebrafish PEA3 is virtually identical to that exhibited by mammalian family members and is autoregulated by cisacting inhibitory domains. Transcriptional activation by zebrafish PEA3 is potentiated by the
ERK
MAP kinase and
protein kinase A
pathways. During embryogenesis, PEA3 is expressed in complex spatial and temporal patterns in both mesodermal somites and ectodermal tissues including the brain, dorsal spinal chord and neural crest. Our characterisation of zebrafish PEA3 furthers our understanding of its molecular function and its expression profile suggests a novel role in cell patterning in the early vertebrate embryo.
...
PMID:Molecular characterization of the zebrafish PEA3 ETS-domain transcription factor. 967 18
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