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)

Kainic acid induces excitotoxicity and nerve cell degeneration in vulnerable regions of rat brain, most markedly in hippocampus and amygdala. Part of the cell death following kainic acid is apoptotic as shown by caspase 3 activation and chromatin condensation. Here we have studied the regulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins belonging to the Bcl-2 family in rat hippocampus and amygdala by kainic acid in relationship to ensuing neuronal death. The pro-apoptotic protein Bax was up-regulated in hippocampus 6 h after kainic acid administration. The increase in Bax was followed by the appearance of TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling-positive cells which were prominent at 24 h. Immunohistochemistry for active Bax revealed a punctuated labelling of neurons in the CA3 and hilar regions of hippocampus as well as in amygdala. Double staining for NeuN, a marker for nerve cells, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling showed that mainly neurons undergo degeneration after kainic acid treatment. In contrast to Bax, the pro-apoptotic BH3-only Bcl-2 proteins Bim and Harakiri/DP5 were down-regulated by kainic acid. This was also observed for the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-x and Bcl-w. Immunoreactive Bcl-2 was up-regulated in hippocampus after kainic acid together with an increase in the phosphorylation of serine-87 in Bcl-2, suggesting a post-transcriptional modification of the protein. This was confirmed using immunoprecipitation of total Bcl-2 from hippocampus and amygdala which revealed an increase in serine-87 phospho-Bcl-2 after kainic acid. Inhibition of the c-jun N-terminal protein kinase pathway reduced both serine-87 phosphorylation and cell death after kainic acid. This indicates an important role of Bcl-2 phosphorylation in controlling neuronal death after kainic acid. In contrast to the situation in trophic factor-deprived neurons, no up-regulation of Bim or Harakiri/DP5 proteins occurred after kainic acid, suggesting alternative pathways for regulation of cell death in excitotoxicity. The results indicate that not only the relative levels of Bcl-2 family proteins but also conformation changes and post-translational modifications contribute to neuronal death following kainic acid.
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PMID:Increase in Bcl-2 phosphorylation and reduced levels of BH3-only Bcl-2 family proteins in kainic acid-mediated neuronal death in the rat brain. 1295 12

Mitogenic stimulation of the Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway modulates the activity of many transcriptional factors leading to biological responses. Of these, three MAPK cascades are well characterized as extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the topographic distribution and the role of activated MAPK pathways after fluid percussion injury (FPI) in rats. In the present results, FPI significantly induced ERK- and JNK-phosphorylation, but not p38-phosphorylation in the cortex and hippocampus at the injury site. The immunoreactivity for phospho-ERK was localized in the superficial neuronal layers, dentate hilar neurons, and the damaged CA3 neurons after 30 mins of FPI. Double immunostaining showed that phospho-ERK was prominent in astrocytes 6 hrs after TBI. The current results suggest that MAPK pathways are involved in signal transduction after FPI.
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PMID:Mitogen-activated protein kinases phosphorylation in posttraumatic selective vulnerability in rats. 1475 54

We have explored the mechanisms involved in the facilitation of glutamate release mediated by the activation of kainate receptors in the rat hippocampus using isolated nerve terminal (synaptosome) and slice preparations. In hippocampal nerve terminals, kainate (KA) produced an increase of glutamate release at concentrations of agonist ranging from 10 to 1000 microm. In hippocampal slices, KA at low nanomolar concentrations (20-50 nm) also produced an increase of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) at mossy fibre-CA3 synapses. In both, synaptosomes and slices, the effect of KA was antagonized by CNQX, and persisted after pretreatment with a cocktail of antagonists for other receptors whose activation could potentially have produced facilitation of release. These data indicate that the facilitation of glutamate release observed is mediated by the activation of presynaptic glutamate receptors of the kainate type. Mechanistically, the observed effects of KA appear to be the same in synaptosomal and slice preparations. Thus, the effect of KA on glutamate release and mossy fibre-CA3 synaptic transmission was occluded by the stimulation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin and suppressed by the inhibition of protein kinase A by H-89 or Rp-Br-cAMP. We conclude that kainate receptors present at presynaptic terminals in the rat hippocampus mediate the facilitation of glutamate release through a mechanism involving the activation of an adenylyl cyclase-second messenger cAMP-protein kinase A signalling cascade.
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PMID:Presynaptic kainate receptor facilitation of glutamate release involves protein kinase A in the rat hippocampus. 1510 75

Although apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is present in amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, its pathogenic role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unclear. Neuronal expression of apoE4 or apoE4 fragments in transgenic mice increases tau phosphorylation. To identify the kinase responsible for the increase, we studied transgenic mice expressing human apoE3 or apoE4 in neurons under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter. Brain levels of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and phosphorylated (active) extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-Erk) increased with age in both groups but were considerably higher in the apoE4 mice. Other candidate kinases, including glycogen synthase kinase 3beta and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 and its activators p25 and p35, were not significantly altered. The increases in p-Erk and p-tau were highest in the hippocampus, intermediate in the cortex, and lowest in the cerebellum. In the hippocampus, p-Erk and p-tau accumulated in the hilus and CA3 region of the dentate gyrus, where high levels of zinc are found along mossy fibers. In Neuro-2a cells stably expressing apoE3 or apoE4, treatment with ZnCl2 generated 2-fold more p-Erk and 3-fold more p-tau in the apoE4-expressing cells. Phosphorylation of Erk and tau was reduced by preincubation with the Erk pathway inhibitor U0126. Thus, increased tau phosphorylation in apoE4 transgenic mice was associated with Erk activation and could be modified by zinc, suggesting that apoE4 and zinc act in concert to contribute to the pathogenesis of AD.
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PMID:Increased tau phosphorylation in apolipoprotein E4 transgenic mice is associated with activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase: modulation by zinc. 1532 21

Antidepressants up-regulate the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampus and these effects contribute to the protection of hippocampal neurons from stressful stimuli such as high glucocorticoid levels. CREB can be activated by both protein kinase A and by Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs), which are in turn phosphorylated by their upstream activators CaMKKalpha and CaMMKKbeta. Using in situ hybridization, we examined the effects of chronic treatment with fluoxetine (FLU) or desipramine (DMI) on BDNF, CaMKKalpha and CaMKKbeta mRNAs in the hippocampus of wild-type (Wt) and transgenic (TG) mice characterized by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) dysfunction. Basal levels of CaMKKbeta were down regulated in the CA3 region of TG mice. DMI decreased the expression of both CaMKKalpha and CaMMKKbeta in the CA3 region of Wt mice. FLU up-regulated BDNF mRNA levels in the CA3 of TG animals while both FLU and DMI increased BDNF gene expression in the dentate gyrus (DG) of TG animals. Our results demonstrate a different regulation of BDNF expression by antidepressant drugs in the hippocampus of Wt and TG animals. Moreover, for the first time, a role for CaMKKs in the mechanism of action of antidepressant agents, at least in the hippocampus, is reported. These data are discussed in view of interactions existing between CaMK pathway and GR-mediated gene transcription.
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PMID:Chronic treatment with desipramine and fluoxetine modulate BDNF, CaMKKalpha and CaMKKbeta mRNA levels in the hippocampus of transgenic mice expressing antisense RNA against the glucocorticoid receptor. 1555 40

It has been well documented that the activation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway and caspase-3 signal are involved in the delayed neuronal cell death in cerebral ischemia. In this study, we first detected the activation pattern of JNK signaling including mixed lineage kinase (MLK)3, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)7 and JNK3 in hippocampal CA1 and CA3/DG regions at various time points after 15 min of ischemia. These results indicated that cerebral ischemia induced the continuous activation of MLK3/MKK7/JNK3 cascade, which all had two active waves only in the CA1 region. We also detected the phosphorylation of JNK substrates c-Jun and Bcl-2, and the activation of a key protease of caspase-3 in CA1 region, which only had one active peak, respectively. Because K252a has recently been shown to be a potent inhibitor of MLK3 activity both in vivo and in vitro, we further examined the possible effects and mechanism of this interesting drug in cerebral ischemia. In our present paper, we found that administration of K252a 20 min prior to ischemia inhibited MLK3/MKK7/JNK3 signaling, Bcl-2 phosphorylation, the activation of c-Jun and caspase-3, but had no significant effects on these protein expressions. Additionally, pretreatment of K252a significantly increased the number of the surviving CA1 pyramidal cells at 5 days of reperfusion. Our results suggest that K252a play a neuroprotective role in ischemic injury via inhibition of the JNK pathway, involving the death effector of caspase-3. Thus, JNK signaling may eventually emerge as a prime target for novel therapeutic approaches to treatment of ischemic stroke, and K252a may serve as a potential and important neuroprotectant in therapeutic aspect in ischemic stroke.
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PMID:The neuroprotective effects of K252a through inhibiting MLK3/MKK7/JNK3 signaling pathway on ischemic brain injury in rat hippocampal CA1 region. 1568 Jun 99

The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is an inducible regulator of genes that plays a crucial role in the nervous system. Glutamate receptor stimulation is one well-described mechanism for NF-kappaB activation. In the studies presented here we used the glutamate analog, kainate to investigate the signaling mechanisms that couple to NF-kappaB activation in hippocampus. Kainate (250 nM) application to hippocampal slices elicited a time-dependent increase in nuclear NF-kappaB levels in areas CA3 and CA1, but not dentate, compared with controls. Further analysis focused on hippocampal area CA3, revealed increased NF-kappaB DNA binding activity in response to kainate stimulation. Supershift electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that the kainate-mediated NF-kappaB complex binding DNA was composed of p65, p50, and c-Rel subunits. Through inhibition studies we found that extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) couple to basal and kainate-mediated NF-kappaB DNA binding activity in area CA3. Kainate elicited decreased total and increased phospho-inhibitor kappa B alpha (IkappaBalpha), suggesting that kainate-mediated activation of NF-kappaB is via the classical IkappaB kinase pathway. Interestingly, inhibition of ERK but not PI3K blocked the kainate-mediated increase in phospho-IkappaBalpha. Thus, our findings support a role for the ERK and PI3K pathways in kainate-mediated NF-kappaB activation in hippocampal area CA3, but these kinases may target the NF-kappaB pathway at different loci.
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PMID:Kainate mediates nuclear factor-kappa B activation in hippocampus via phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase. 1591 59

The synaptic vesicle protein Rab3A is a small GTP-binding protein that interacts with rabphilin and RIM1alpha, two presynaptic substrates of protein kinase A (PKA). Mice lacking RIM1alpha and Rab3A have a defect in PKA-dependent and NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-independent presynaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal mossy-fiber and cerebellar parallel-fiber synapses. In contrast, the NMDAR-dependent and PKA-independent early phase of LTP at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses does not require these presynaptic proteins. Here, we ask whether Rab3A and RIM1alpha participate in forms of LTP that require both PKA and NMDAR activation. We find that Rab3A is necessary for corticoamygdala LTP and late-phase LTP at CA3-CA1 synapses, two forms of LTP that require NMDAR and PKA activation. The latter form of LTP also requires RIM1alpha. These results provide genetic evidence that presynaptic proteins are required in LTP induced through the postsynaptic activation of NMDARs. Thus Rab3A and its effectors are general modules for four distinct types of PKA-dependent LTP in the brain.
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PMID:Genetic evidence for a protein-kinase-A-mediated presynaptic component in NMDA-receptor-dependent forms of long-term synaptic potentiation. 1596 82

To explore the correlation between cerebral functional alterations revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and Alzheimer disease- (AD)-like tau hyperphosphorylation, we injected bilaterally 2 microl each of 20 mM isoproterenol (IP), a PKA activator, or of saline as a vehicle control into the hippocampus of rats. FMRI was employed to measure the intensity of BOLD signal, one of the cerebral functional markers reflecting the changes of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and cerebral blood flow (CBF), in hippocampus and cortex 24 h after the operation. Immunohistochemical staining of hippocampus and cortex was carried out using phosphorylation-dependent tau antibodies. The results showed (1) that BOLD intensity in hippocampus and cortex of IP-injected rats was obviously lower than that of sham-operated group, indicating a decrease in CMRO2 and CBF of the particular brain regions in IP-treated rats; (2) that tau was hyperphosphorylated at Ser-262/Ser-356 (12e8), Ser-396/Ser-404 (PHF-1) sites in CA1 CA2 CA3 CA4 and dentate gyrus regions of hippocampal formation and cortex area in IP group, but not in sham rats; (3) that a negative correlation between tau hyperphosphorylation and BOLD intensity in hippocampus and cortex area of IP rats was observed. The data suggested that hippocampal and cortical tau hyperphosphorylation was intimately related to BOLD intensity of the same areas. To our knowledge, this is the first report exploring the relationship between fMRI BOLD signal and AD-like tau hyperphosphorylation.
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PMID:Correlation of Alzheimer-like tau hyperphosphorylation and fMRI bold intensity. 1597 79

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors perform critical functions during the development of the nervous system and in the initiation of synaptic plasticity. An important mechanism in setting the gain of NMDA receptors involves the stimulation of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which through activation of protein tyrosine kinases leads to an upregulation of NMDA receptors. In contrast, little is known about how NMDA receptors are downregulated. In the present study, we characterized a signaling pathway that mediates the depression of NMDA receptor function in response to stimulation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings obtained from CA3 pyramidal cells in organotypic slice cultures revealed that under conditions of low intracellular calcium buffering application of muscarine-depressed NMDA receptor current. The sensitivity of this response to pirenzipine indicated that the M1 acetylcholine receptor is mediating this depression. The muscarine-induced depression of NMDA current was prevented by blocking G-protein function or after depleting intracellular Ca2+ stores with cyclopiazonic acid. Inhibitors of calmodulin prevented the depression whereas blocking calcineurin enhanced the depression of NMDA currents. Blocking tyrosine phosphatase activity with pervanandate converted the muscarine-induced depression into a potentiation of NMDA currents, whereas blocking protein kinase A (H-89), Src kinase (PP2, SU6656), or PKC (GF 109203X) failed to prevent the depression of NMDA currents. As Src tyrosine kinase is known to phosphorylate and upregulate NMDA receptors, we propose that a protein tyrosine phosphatase(s) counteracting the action of Src is the final target in the mAChR-dependent inhibitory signaling cascade. Our data are consistent with a transduction cascade comprising an M1 acetylcholine receptor-->G-protein-->Ca2+ release-->calmodulin-->tyrosine phosphatase.
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PMID:Muscarinic receptor stimulation reduces NMDA responses in CA3 hippocampal pyramidal cells via Ca2+-dependent activation of tyrosine phosphatase. 1599 5


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