Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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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)

The effects of all-trans retinoic acid on the differentiation and proliferation of immature melanocyte precursors were studied. NCC-melb4 cells are an immortal cloned cell line established from mouse neural crest cells using a single-cell cloning method. These cells were positive for tyrosinase-related protein 1, tyrosinase-related protein 2 and KIT, but were negative for tyrosinase and had no dihydroxyphenylalanine reaction. They contained only stage I melanosomes without any melanosomes in more advanced stages. After treatment with all-trans retinoic acid, many of the cells became tyrosinase- and dihydroxyphenylalanine-reaction-positive, changed from polygonal to dendritic in shape, and had stage III to IV melanosomes. These findings indicate that treatment with all-trans retinoic acid induced the differentiation of NCC-melb4 cells. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed a marked increase in expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor mRNA after all-trans retinoic acid treatment, suggesting that microphthalmia-associated transcription factor may be the key molecule in this event. Enhanced expression of protein kinase Calpha following treatment with all-trans retinoic acid was also demonstrated. The proliferation of NCC-melb4 cells was inhibited by all-trans retinoic acid in a dose-dependent manner. Increased apoptosis after all-trans retinoic acid treatment was observed by electron microscopy, the TUNEL method, DNA fragmentation assay, and flow cytometry. All-trans retinoic acid upregulated caspase-3 and downregulated bcl-2. Electron microscopy showed that apoptotic cells contained melanosomes of advanced stages, suggesting that mature melanocytes may tend to undergo apoptosis after all-trans retinoic acid treatment. This study provides important clues towards understanding the roles and working mechanisms of retinoic acids in melanocyte development and melanogenesis.
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PMID:All-trans retinoic acid induces differentiation and apoptosis of murine melanocyte precursors with induction of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor. 1185 73

Sphingolipid metabolites regulate many aspects of cell growth and differentiation. However, the effects of sphingolipids on the growth and melanogenesis of human melanocytes are not known. In the present study, we investigated the effects of sphingolipid metabolites and the possible signalling pathways involved in human melanocytes. Our data show that C(2)-ceramide inhibits cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, whereas sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPP) has no effect. Moreover, we observed that the melanin content of the cells was significantly decreased by C(2)-ceramide. The pigmentation-inhibiting effect of C(2)-ceramide at 1-10 microM was stronger than that of kojic acid, tested at 1-100 microM. The tyrosinase activity of cell extracts was reduced by C(2)-ceramide treatment. However, in the cell-free system, C(2)-ceramide could not suppress tyrosinase, whereas kojic acid directly inhibited tyrosinase. These results suggest that C(2)-ceramide decreases the pigmentation of melanocytes indirectly regulating tyrosinase. Furthermore, we found that C(2)-ceramide decreased the protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which is required for tyrosinase expression. To identify the signalling pathway of ceramide, we studied the ability of C(2)-ceramide to influence extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) activation. C(2)-ceramide induced a delayed activation of ERK ( > 1 h) and a much later activation of Akt/PKB ( > 3 h) in human melanocytes. In addition, the specific inhibition of the ERK and the Akt signalling pathways by PD98059 and LY294002, respectively, increased melanin synthesis. Thus, it seems that sustained ERK and Akt activation may lead to the suppression of cell growth and melanogenesis.
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PMID:Delayed ERK activation by ceramide reduces melanin synthesis in human melanocytes. 1203 59

In human and mouse, cAMP plays a key role in the control of pigmentation. cAMP, through the activation of protein kinase A, increases the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which in turn stimulates tyrosinase gene expression, to allow melanin synthesis. Beyond this simplified scheme, cAMP inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and inhibition of PI3K, by a specific inhibitor, stimulates melanogenesis. However, the link between the PI3K pathway and melanogenesis remained to be elucidated. In this report, we showed that cAMP, through a protein kinase A-independent mechanism, led to inhibition of AKT phosphorylation and activity. Consistent with the role of AKT in the regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta), cAMP decreased the phosphorylation of GSK3beta and stimulated its activity. Further, experiments were performed to investigate the role of GSK3beta in the regulation of MITF expression and function. We observed that GSK3beta regulated neither MITF promoter activity nor the intrinsic transcriptional activity of MITF but synergized with MITF to activate the tyrosinase promoter. Additionally, lithium, a GSK3beta inhibitor, impaired the response of the tyrosinase promoter to cAMP, and cAMP increased the binding of MITF to the M-box. Taking into account that GSK3beta phosphorylates MITF and increases the ability of MITF to bind its target sequence, our results indicate that activation of GSK3beta by cAMP facilitates MITF binding to the tyrosinase promoter, thereby leading to stimulation of melanogenesis.
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PMID:Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta is activated by cAMP and plays an active role in the regulation of melanogenesis. 1209 1

In this study, we used melb-a melanoblasts as a model to study mechanisms involved in stimulating melanocyte function in vitiliginous skin following exposure to 8-methoxypsoralen (8MOP). Melanin content and tyrosinase activity increased 3- and 7-fold, respectively, in melanoblasts treated with 8MOP for 6 d compared with untreated controls. The intracellular signal pathways involved in 8MOP-induced effects on melanoblasts were investigated, particularly the roles of protein kinase A and protein kinase C. Forskolin, a protein kinase A activator, mimicked and enhanced the 8MOP stimulation of melanoblast pigmentation whereas a protein kinase C activator, 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol, had no effect, indicating that the protein kinase A pathway is involved rather than the protein kinase C pathway. Those observations were confirmed using inhibitors of the protein kinase A or protein kinase C pathways. Western blot and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were performed to assess the protein and mRNA expression levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor and tyrosinase in melanoblasts treated with 8MOP for 3 h, 6 h, 1 d, 3 d, or 6 d. Incubation with 8MOP stimulated microphthalmia-associated transcription factor protein and mRNA levels within 3 h, but, in contrast, tyrosinase mRNA and protein levels did not increase following 8MOP treatment until 1 d after treatment. The proteasome inhibitor lactacystin blocked the proteasome-mediated proteolysis of tyrosinase, and its effect on proteasomal function was enhanced by 8MOP. Taken together, these results show that 8MOP functions by initially stimulating levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor expression via activation of the protein kinase A pathway, which thereby stimulates tyrosinase expression and function and eventually leads to dramatic increases in melanin production by melanoblasts.
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PMID:Stimulation of melanoblast pigmentation by 8-methoxypsoralen:the involvement of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, the protein kinase a signal pathway, and proteasome-mediated degradation. 1248 19

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has emerged as a bioactive lipid modulator that mediates a variety of cell functions. However, the effects of S1P on melanogenesis are not well known. Therefore, we investigated the actions of S1P on melanin synthesis using a spontaneously immortalized mouse melanocyte cell line, Mel-Ab. This study shows that S1P significantly inhibits melanin synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner, and also that the activity of tyrosinase was reduced in S1P-treated cells. In contrast, a specific extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway inhibitor, PD98059, increased tyrosinase activity and melanin production, and PD98059 also restored the S1P-induced reduction of tyrosinase activity and pigmentation. In addition, we found that S1P induces the sustained activation of ERK and the subsequent degradation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which plays a key role in melanogenesis. Thus, we further studied the relationship between the ERK pathway and melanin synthesis. PD98059 was found to prevent the S1P-induced MITF phosphorylation and degradation and to abrogate the S1P-induced downregulation of tyrosinase and of tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP1) production. These results indicate that the ERK pathway is potently involved in the melanogenic signaling cascade, and that S1P-induced ERK activation contributes to reduced melanin synthesis via MITF degradation. Therefore, we suggest that S1P reduces melanin synthesis by ERK activation, MITF phosphorylation and degradation, and by the subsequent downregulation of tyrosinase and TRP-1 production.
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PMID:Sphingosine-1-phosphate decreases melanin synthesis via sustained ERK activation and subsequent MITF degradation. 1266 51

Terrein is a bioactive fungal metabolite whose effects are almost unknown. In this study, we found for the first time that terrein has a strong hypopigmentary effect in a spontaneously immortalized mouse melanocyte cell line, Mel-Ab. Treatment of Mel-Ab cells with terrein (10-100 microM) for 4 days significantly reduced melanin levels in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, terrein at the same concentration also reduced tyrosinase activity. We then investigated whether terrein influences the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway and the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which is required for tyrosinase expression. Terrein was found to induce sustained ERK activation and MITF down-regulation, and luciferase assays showed that terrein inhibits MITF promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. To elucidate the correlation between ERK pathway activation and a decreased MITF transcriptional level, PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK pathway, was applied before terrein treatment and found to abrogate the terrein-induced MITF attenuation. Terrein also reduced the tyrosinase protein level for at least 72 h. These results suggest that terrein reduces melanin synthesis by reducing tyrosinase production via ERK activation, and that this is followed by MITF down-regulation.
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PMID:Terrein: a new melanogenesis inhibitor and its mechanism. 1555 16

Systematic analyses of cancer genomes promise to unveil patterns of genetic alterations linked to the genesis and spread of human cancers. High-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays enable detailed and genome-wide identification of both loss-of-heterozygosity events and copy-number alterations in cancer. Here, by integrating SNP array-based genetic maps with gene expression signatures derived from NCI60 cell lines, we identified the melanocyte master regulator MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor) as the target of a novel melanoma amplification. We found that MITF amplification was more prevalent in metastatic disease and correlated with decreased overall patient survival. BRAF mutation and p16 inactivation accompanied MITF amplification in melanoma cell lines. Ectopic MITF expression in conjunction with the BRAF(V600E) mutant transformed primary human melanocytes, and thus MITF can function as a melanoma oncogene. Reduction of MITF activity sensitizes melanoma cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Targeting MITF in combination with BRAF or cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors may offer a rational therapeutic avenue into melanoma, a highly chemotherapy-resistant neoplasm. Together, these data suggest that MITF represents a distinct class of 'lineage survival' or 'lineage addiction' oncogenes required for both tissue-specific cancer development and tumour progression.
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PMID:Integrative genomic analyses identify MITF as a lineage survival oncogene amplified in malignant melanoma. 1600 Oct 50

The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor Mitf plays a critical role in regulating many aspects of melanocyte biology. It is required for melanoblast and postnatal melanocyte survival, regulates proliferation, and activates genes associated with differentiation such as tyrosinase and related genes involved in melanogenesis. Identifying the signals that regulate Mitf expression is crucial if we are to understand how cells of the melanocyte lineage respond to environmental cues. Here we show that the Mitf promoter is induced by lipid signalling via the p38 stress-activated kinase pathway that is also activated by a wide range of receptors as well as UV irradiation. Signalling via p38 leads to increased phosphorylation and activation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding (CREB) that binds and activates the Mitf promoter via the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element. Moreover, we also show that activation of p38 mediated by lipids is potentiated by inhibition of the PI3kinase pathway but not by inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA). The results identify a mechanism in which stress signalling via p38 leads to activation of CREB, enhanced Mitf expression and consequently increased tyrosinase expression. The results are relevant for the regulation of melanocytes by Mitf, but also raise the possibility that lipid mediated activation of p38 signalling may represent a potential therapy for vitiligo.
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PMID:Activation of the Mitf promoter by lipid-stimulated activation of p38-stress signalling to CREB. 1708 86

SOX (SRY type HMG box) proteins are transcription factors that are predominantly known for their roles during development. During melanocyte development from the neural crest, SOX10 regulates microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, which controls a set of genes critical for pigment cell development and pigmentation, including dopachrome tautomerase and tyrosinase. We report here that another SOX factor, SOX9, is expressed by melanocytes in neonatal and adult human skin and is up-regulated by UVB exposure. We demonstrate that this regulation is mediated by cAMP and protein kinase. We also show that agouti signal protein, a secreted factor known to decrease pigmentation, down-regulates SOX9 expression. In adult and neonatal melanocytes, SOX9 regulates microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, dopachrome tautomerase, and tyrosinase promoters, leading to an increase in the expression of these key melanogenic proteins and finally to a stimulation of pigmentation. SOX9 completes the complex and tightly regulated process leading to the production of melanin by acting at a very upstream level. This role of SOX9 in pigmentation emphasizes the poorly understood impact of SOX proteins in adult tissues.
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PMID:SOX9 is a key player in ultraviolet B-induced melanocyte differentiation and pigmentation. 1770 66

The epidermis (containing primarily keratinocytes and melanocytes) overlies the dermis (containing primarily fibroblasts) of human skin. We previously reported that dickkopf 1 (DKK1) secreted by fibroblasts in the dermis elicits the hypopigmented phenotype of palmoplantar skin due to suppression of melanocyte function and growth via the regulation of two important signaling factors, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and beta-catenin. We now report that treatment of keratinocytes with DKK1 increases their proliferation and decreases their uptake of melanin and that treatment of reconstructed skin with DKK1 induces a thicker and less pigmented epidermis. DNA microarray analysis revealed many genes regulated by DKK1, and several with critical expression patterns were validated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. DKK1 induced the expression of keratin 9 and alpha-Kelch-like ECT2 interacting protein (alphaKLEIP) but down-regulated the expression of beta-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, protein kinase C, and proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2), which is consistent with the expression patterns of those proteins in human palmoplantar skin. Treatment of reconstructed skin with DKK1 reproduced the expression patterns of those key proteins observed in palmoplantar skin. These findings further elucidate why human skin is thicker and paler on the palms and soles than on the trunk through topographical and site-specific differences in the secretion of DKK1 by dermal fibroblasts that affects the overlying epidermis.
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PMID:Dickkopf 1 (DKK1) regulates skin pigmentation and thickness by affecting Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in keratinocytes. 1798 76


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