Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.12 (PKG)
 2,515 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Relatively high concentrations of azathioprine had an inhibitory effect on interleukin 8 (IL-8)- or formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-activated (fMLP)-chemotaxis by human neutrophils. However, application of low concentrations of azathioprine in a concentration gradient gave a chemotactic stimulation to random migration. Stimulation of migration was maximal at a concentration of 5 microM azathioprine; at higher concentrations stimulation decreased again. The activating effect of azathioprine is located in the mercaptopurine moiety of the molecule, since mercaptopurine also stimulated neutrophil migration. In contrast to some other chemotactic agents such as fMLP and IL-8, an activating concentration (5 microM) of azathioprine did not cause an upregulation of CD11b expression on neutrophils in suspension. High concentrations of azathioprine (1 mM) inhibited CD11b expression of fMLP- or IL-8- activated neutrophils; the latter could explain the inhibitory effect of azathioprine. Azathioprine caused a transient stimulation of cGMP level; inhibitors of guanylate cyclase inhibited azathioprine-stimulated migration, suggesting that cGMP was associated with the stimulating effect of azathioprine on migration. Antagonists of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (G-kinase) strongly inhibited azathioprine-activated migration, indicating that the effect of azathioprine proceeds via G-kinase. The antagonists had only a marginal effect on inhibition of IL-8-activated chemotaxis by high concentrations of azathioprine, thus the G-kinase seems not to be of great importance on the inhibitory effect of azathioprine.
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PMID:A cyclic GMP- and G-kinase-dependent effect of azathioprine on migration by human neutrophils. 928 61

Random migration of rabbit peritoneal neutrophils was enhanced in a chemokinetic way by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in a small concentration range (10-400 microM). The enhancement was due to the cysteine moiety in the molecule, because cysteine equally caused a stimulation of random migration. The stimulating effect of NAC or cysteine largely disappeared when cells were preincubated with NAC or cysteine for 30 min before submission to chemotaxis, indicating that desensitization occurs. The stimulating effect of NAC was dependent on extracellular calcium. Because the Ca2+-dependence of migration by electroporated cells differed from that of intact cells, and because calcium channel blockers inhibited the effect of NAC, the calcium-dependent target is probably located inside the cell rather than on the cell surface. In contrast with fMLP, NAC did not cause an upregulation of CD11b expression of cells in suspension. Inhibitors of guanylate cyclase and of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (G-kinase) inhibited stimulation of migration by NAC, suggesting that cGMP played a decisive role in the stimulatory effect of NAC.
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PMID:N-acetylcysteine causes a transient stimulation of neutrophil migration. 950 22

Increased expression of CD11b, the beta-integrin marker of microglia, represents microglial activation during neurodegenerative inflammation. However, the molecular mechanism behind increased microglial CD11b expression is poorly understood. The present study was undertaken to explore the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the expression of CD11b in microglial cells. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced the production of NO and increased the expression of CD11b in mouse BV-2 microglial cells and primary microglia. Either a scavenger of NO (PTIO) or an inhibitor of inducible nitric-oxide synthase (L-NIL) blocked this increase in microglial CD11b expression. Furthermore, co-microinjection of PTIO with LPS was also able to suppress LPS-mediated expression of CD11b and loss of dopaminergic neuronal fibers and neurotransmitters in striatum in vivo. Similarly, other inducers of NO production such as interferon-gamma, interleukin-1beta, human immunodeficiency virus type-1 gp120, and double-stranded RNA (poly(IC)) also increased the expression of CD11b in microglia through NO. The role of NO in the expression of CD11b was corroborated further by the expression of microglial CD11b by GSNO, an NO donor. Because NO transduces many intracellular signals via guanylate cyclase (GC), we investigated the role of GC, cyclic GMP (cGMP), and cGMP-activated protein kinase (PKG) in microglial expression of CD11b. Inhibition of LPS- and GSNO-mediated up-regulation of CD11b either by NS2028 (a specific inhibitor of GC) or by KT5823 and Rp-8-bromo-cGMP (specific inhibitors of PKG), and increase in CD11b expression either by 8-bromo-cGMP or by MY-5445 (a specific inhibitor of cGMP phosphodiesterase) alone suggest that NO increases microglial expression of CD11b via GC-cGMP-PKG. In addition, GSNO induced the activation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) via PKG that was involved in the up-regulation of CD11b. This study illustrates a novel biological role of NO in regulating the expression of CD11b in microglia through GC-cGMP-PKG-CREB pathway that may participate in the pathogenesis of devastating neurodegenerative disorders.
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PMID:Up-regulation of microglial CD11b expression by nitric oxide. 1655 37