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)

To explore the role of sulfhydryl (SH) groups in the function of cardiac slow delayed rectifier channels, we tested the effects of extracellular thimerosal (TMS, a hydrophilic SH modifier) on slow delayed rectifier current (IKs) induced by human IsK (hIsK) in oocytes and on the native IKs in canine ventricular myocytes. TMS (25 or 50 microM) had similar effects on the two currents: current amplitude increased, and there was an acceleration of activation and a slowing of deactivation. These effects showed little or no reversal after washout of TMS. The effects did not depend on intracellular Ca release or protein kinase activities but could be suppressed by dithiothreitol pretreatment. According to the current model of transmembrane topology, there is no cystein in the extracellular domain of hIsK. A likely candidate for TMS modification is the SH group on another subunit in oocyte cell membrane that interacts with IsK to form a functional channel. To explore the domain of hIsK involved in the interaction, extracellular serines of hIsK were mutated to cysteines at three locations: S37C (close to the transmembrane domain), S4C (close to the NH2-terminus), and S28C (in between). S37C and S28C mutations did not affect channel properties or hIsK response to TMS. On the other hand, S4C mutation reduced current expression even when S4C cRNA was injected at a quantity 50-fold higher than that of the other three proteins. Importantly, the response to TMS was markedly reduced in S4C compared with the other three proteins. Therefore, the NH2-terminus of hIsK may be involved in hIsK interaction with the SH-bearing subunit, and this interaction modulates slow delayed rectifier channel function.
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PMID:Mechanism of enhancement of slow delayed rectifier current by extracellular sulfhydryl modification. 924 92

One strategy to understand bipolar disorder is to study the mechanism of action of mood-stabilizing drugs, such as valproic acid and lithium. This approach has implicated a number of intracellular signalling elements, such as GSK3beta (glycogen synthase kinase 3beta), ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase)/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) or protein kinase C. However, lamotrigine does not seem to modulate any of these targets, which is intriguing given that its profile in the clinic differs from that of valproic acid or lithium, with greater efficacy to prevent episodes of depression than mania. The primary target of lamotrigine is the voltage-gated sodium channel, but it is unclear why inhibition of these channels might confer antidepressant efficacy. In healthy volunteers, we found that lamotrigine had a facilitatory effect on the BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) response to TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) of the prefrontal cortex. This effect was in contrast with an inhibitory effect of lamotrigine when TMS was applied over the motor cortex. In a follow-up study, a similar prefrontal specific facilitatory effect was observed in a larger cohort of healthy subjects, whereas valproic acid inhibited motor and prefrontal cortical TMS-induced BOLD response. In vitro, we found that lamotrigine (3-10 microM) enhanced the power of gamma frequency network oscillations induced by kainic acid in the rat hippocampus, an effect that was not observed with valproic acid (100 microM). These data suggest that lamotrigine has a positive effect on corticolimbic network function that may differentiate it from other mood stabilizers. The results are also consistent with the notion of corticolimbic network dysfunction in bipolar disorder.
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PMID:Neural network dysfunction in bipolar depression: clues from the efficacy of lamotrigine. 1975 56