Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.1 (protein kinase)
81,284 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Much work has been done in the 20 years since the discovery of the first metastasis suppressor gene to investigate the diverse biochemical functions of the proteins these genes encode. The function of metastasis suppressors cannot be solely predicted from correlative clinical data or in vitro studies. Instead, careful design of in vivo experiments to test broader hypotheses is necessary to pinpoint the mechanism of action of these novel proteins. Our laboratory identified c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activating kinase 1 (JNKK1)/Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 4 (JNKK1/MKK4) as a metastasis suppressor in prostate and ovarian cancer. JNKK1/MKK4 is a stress activated protein kinase (SAPK) involved in a variety of signaling events, ranging from the regulation of hepatoblast survival during mammalian development to metastasis suppression in adult ovarian and prostate cancers. JNKK1/MKK4 function has typically been associated with the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway, particularly in the immune system where JNK plays a role in inflammatory signaling and apoptosis. However, evidence continues to accumulate that JNKK1/MKK4 is also a physiologic activator of p38 under certain conditions, and that activation of p38 arrests cell cycle progression. This review will provide a historical perspective on the role of JNKK1/MKK4 in SAPK signaling, including some recent findings from our own laboratory that shed light on the complicated role for JNKK1/MKK4 in metastatic colonization.
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PMID:New paradigms for the function of JNKK1/MKK4 in controlling growth of disseminated cancer cells. 1857 8

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with oxidative stress, and it has been suggested that apoptosis is a crucial pathway in neuronal cell death in AD patients. 4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE), one of the aldehydic products of membrane lipid peroxidation, is reported to be elevated in the brains of AD patients and mediates the induction of neuronal apoptosis in the presence of oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the HNE-induced apoptosis mechanism and the protective effects of the cocoa procyanidin fraction (CPF) and its major antioxidant procyanidin B2 against the apoptosis induced by HNE in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. HNE-induced nuclear condensation and increased sub-G1 fraction, both of which are markers of apoptotic cell death, were inhibited by CPF and procyanidin B2. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was attenuated by pretreatment with CPF and procyanidin B2. CPF and procyanidin B2 also prevented HNE-induced poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, antiapoptotic protein (Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L)) down-regulation, and caspase-3 activation. Activation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4) was attenuated by CPF and procyanidin B2. Moreover, CPF and procyanidin B2 bound directly to MKK4 and inhibited its activity. Data obtained with SP600125, a selective inhibitor of JNK, revealed that JNK is involved in HNE-induced apoptosis through the inhibition of PARP cleavage and caspase-3 activation in PC12 cells. Collectively, these results indicate that CPF and procyanidin B2 protect PC12 cells against HNE-induced apoptosis by blocking MKK4 activity as well as ROS accumulation.
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PMID:Cocoa procyanidins attenuate 4-hydroxynonenal-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells by directly inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 activity. 1924 28

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)4 is a critical member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family. It is able to activate the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in response to environmental stresses. JNK and p38 are strongly implicated in pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure; however, the regulatory mechanism whereby the upstream kinase MKK4 activates these signaling cascades in the heart is unknown. To elucidate the biological function of MKK4, we generated mice with a cardiac myocyte-specific deletion of mkk4 (MKK4(cko) mice). In response to pressure overload or chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation, upregulated NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T-cell) transcriptional activity associated with exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy and the appearance of apoptotic cardiomyocytes were observed in MKK4(cko) mice. However, when subjected to swimming exercise, MKK4(cko) mice displayed a similar level of physiological cardiac hypertrophy compared to controls (MKK4(f/f)). In addition, we also discovered that MKK4 expression was significantly reduced in heart failure patients. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first time that MKK4 is a key mediator which prevents the transition from an adaptive response to maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy likely involving the regulation of the NFAT signaling pathway.
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PMID:Cardiac-specific deletion of mkk4 reveals its role in pathological hypertrophic remodeling but not in physiological cardiac growth. 1926 40

Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling modules that incorporate AtMPK3 and AtMPK6 control critical aspects of Arabidopsis biology including stress responses, development, cell division and cell death. Arabidopsis stomatal development is negatively regulated by the YDA-MKK4/5-MPK3/6 MAPK module and follows a three step pathway of asymmetric and symmetric divisions followed by terminal differentiation. We have identified the bHLH transcription factor SPCH, which controls entry into the stomatal lineage as a substrate of AtMPK3 and AtMPK6. These findings suggest that SPCH activity may be directly affected by environmental conditions to enable the plant to modify stomatal development in response to suboptimal climates.
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PMID:The missing link?: Arabidopsis SPCH is a MAPK specificity factor that controls entry into the stomatal lineage. 1900 49

Protein kinases play crucial roles in the regulation of multiple cell signaling pathways and cellular functions. Deregulation of protein kinase function has been implicated in carcinogenesis. The inhibition of protein kinases has emerged as an important target for cancer chemoprevention and therapy. Accumulated data revealed that flavonoids exert chemopreventive effects through acting at protein kinase signaling pathways, more than as conventional hydrogen-donating antioxidants. Recent studies show that flavonoids can bind directly to some protein kinases, including Akt/protein kinase B (Akt/PKB), Fyn, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase 4 (MKK4), Raf1, and zeta chain-associated 70-kDa protein (ZAP-70) kinase, and then alter their phosphorylation state to regulate multiple cell signaling pathways in carcinogenesis processes. In this review, we report recent results on the interactions of flavonoids and protein kinases, especially their direct binding and molecular modeling. The data suggest that flavonoids act as protein kinase inhibitors for cancer chemoprevention that were thought previously as conventional hydrogen-donating antioxidant. Moreover, the molecular modeling data show some hints for creating natural compound-based protein kinase inhibitors for cancer chemoprevention and therapy.
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PMID:Flavonoids as protein kinase inhibitors for cancer chemoprevention: direct binding and molecular modeling. 2007 Feb 39

Skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays (wavelength: 280-320nm) play a pivotal role in the development of skin cancer by inducing the expression of inflammatory proteins such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Cyanidin, the most plentiful of the plant pigments known as anthocyanidins, is a potent chemopreventive agent. In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive activity of cyanidin and identified its molecular targets. Cyanidin inhibited UVB-induced COX-2 expression and prostaglandin E(2) secretion in the epidermal skin cell line JB6 P+ by suppressing the transactivation of nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1 which are well-known transcription factors regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase. Cyanidin markedly inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK1/2, ERK1/2, and MEK1/2 than the of MKK4 and Raf-1, two upstream kinases of JNK1/2, ERK1/2, and MEK1/2. Cyanidin significantly suppressed the activities of MKK4, MEK1, and Raf-1 through direct binding. Transient transfection of a small interfering RNA specific for MKK4 inhibited the UVB-induced expression of COX-2 in JB6 P+ cells, as did the expression of a dominant-negative ERK2 mutant. We conclude that MKK4, MEK1, and Raf-1 are targets of cyanidin for the suppression of UVB-induced COX-2 expression.
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PMID:Cyanidin suppresses ultraviolet B-induced COX-2 expression in epidermal cells by targeting MKK4, MEK1, and Raf-1. 2009 64

The transcriptional activity of AP-1 has been analyzed in glucose-stimulated INS-1 insulinoma cells using a chromosomally embedded AP-1-responsive reporter gene. We show that AP-1 activity was significantly elevated in glucose-treated INS-1 cells. Preincubation of the cells with nifedipine or expression of the Ca(2+) binding protein parvalbumin in the cytoplasm of INS-1 cells reduced AP-1 activity. Thus, activation of L-type Ca(2+) channels and an elevated cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration are crucial to connecting glucose stimulation with enhanced AP-1 activity. Expression of dominant negative forms of A-Raf, MKK4 or MKK6 and pharmacological inhibition of MEK and p38 revealed that extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, p38 and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase participate in the upregulation of AP-1 activity. Expression of dominant-negative mutants of c-Jun and Elk-1 reduced AP-1 transcriptional activity in INS-1 cells indicating that c-Jun and ternary complex factors are involved in the regulation of AP-1 activity in glucose-stimulated insulinoma cells.
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PMID:Regulation of AP-1 activity in glucose-stimulated insulinoma cells. 2050 47

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 4 (MKK4) is a nonredundant component of stress-activated MAPK signaling modules. Its function in tumorigenesis remains highly controversial with some studies indicating that MKK4 is a tumor suppressor, whereas others have reported a pro-oncogenic role. To clarify the role of MKK4 in cancer, we have created a novel mouse model to test the effect of the specific loss of MKK4 in the epidermis on the formation of papillomas caused by activated ras mutation. We have discovered that skin-specific MKK4-deficient mice are resistant to carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis. One mechanism by which MKK4 promotes cell proliferation and the formation of tumors is by increasing epidermal growth factor receptor expression through the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase/c-Jun signaling pathway. Together, our results provide the first genetic demonstration that MKK4 is essential to mediate the oncogenic effect of Ras in vivo, thereby validating MKK4 as a potential drug target for cancer therapy.
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PMID:The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 has a pro-oncogenic role in skin cancer. 2061 Jun 22

Experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) resulting from Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infection in C57BL/6J mice manifests cell death in the brain. However, the precise molecular and biochemical mechanisms regulating cell death during ECM remains unknown. In this study we have examined, the role of a stress activated protein kinase called c-Jun N terminal kinase during the pathology of ECM. We report in this study, for the first time the activation of all key elements in the JNK pathway like p-MKK4, p-JNK and p-c-Jun in mouse brain during ECM. Concomitant with such activation was the up regulation of p-JNK and its translocation into the nucleus leading to the phosphorylation of its major substrate c-Jun. These observations show the neuronal induction of p-JNK and its critical role as a mediator in neuronal cell death during ECM.
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PMID:c-Jun N terminal kinases (JNK) are activated in the brain during the pathology of experimental cerebral malaria. 2107 18

Myricetin is a widely distributed flavonol that is found in many plants, including tea, berries, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. Abundant sources provide interesting insights into the multiple mechanisms by which myricetin mediates chemopreventive effects on skin cancer. Myricetin strongly inhibited tumor promoter-induced neoplastic cell transformation by inhibiting MEK, JAK1, Akt, and MKK4 kinase activity directly. In a mouse skin model, myricetin attenuated the ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced COX-2 expression and skin tumor formation by regulating Fyn. Myricetin-mediated inactivation of Akt in the UVB response plays a role in regulating UVB-induced carcinogenesis. Recently, myricetin was found to inhibit UVB-induced angiogenesis by targeting PI3-K in an SKH-1 hairless mouse skin tumorigenesis model. Raf kinase is a critical target for myricetin in inhibiting the UVB-induced formation of wrinkles and suppression of type I procollagen and collagen levels in mouse skin. Accumulated data suggest that myricetin acts as a promising agent for the chemoprevention of skin cancer.
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PMID:Myricetin is a potent chemopreventive phytochemical in skin carcinogenesis. 2179 47


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