Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.13 (protein kinase C)
49,245 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alteration of endothelins (ET) and/or their receptors may be important in mediating vascular dysfunction in diabetes. We investigated mechanisms regulating ET-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in response to glucose and the functional significance of these mechanisms. Permeability across HUVEC, grown in medium containing either low (5 mmol/l) or high (25 mmol/l) D-glucose were investigated. L-glucose was used as a control. ET-1, ET(A), and ET(B) mRNA were assessed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. ET-1 immunoreactivity and F-actin microfilament assembly were investigated using confocal microscopy. Increased transendothelial permeability was noted in cells cultured in high glucose or when the cells grown in low (physiologic) glucose were incubated with ET-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), or N (G) -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester but not when they were incubated with ET-3, N(G)-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester, or L-glucose. Increased permeability was associated with increased ET-1, ET(A), and ET(B) mRNA expression and augmented ET-1 immunoreactivity. High glucose induced increased permeability, increased ET-1, ET(A), and ET(B) mRNA expression. ET-1 immunoreactivity was blocked by the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor chelerythrine, the specific PKC isoform inhibitor 379196, VEGF-neutralizing antibody, or the ET(A) blocker TBC11251, but was not blocked by the specific ET(B) blocker BQ788 or by a VEGF-non-neutralizing antibody. Increased permeability was also associated with deranged F-actin assembly in the endothelial cells and by derangement of endothelial cell junctions as assessed by electron microscopy. Data from this study suggest that high glucose-induced increased permeability may be induced through increased ET-1 expression and disorganization of F-actin assembly. ET-1 expression and increased permeability may occur secondary to PKC isoform activation and may be modulated by VEGF and nitric oxide.
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PMID:Interaction of endothelin-1 with vasoactive factors in mediating glucose-induced increased permeability in endothelial cells. 1095 Jan 22

Fibroblastic proliferation accompanies many angiogenesis-related retinal and systemic diseases. Since connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a potent mitogen for fibrosis, extracellular matrix production, and angiogenesis, we have studied the effects and mechanism by which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) regulates CTGF gene expression in retinal capillary cells. In our study, VEGF increased CTGF mRNA levels in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in bovine retinal endothelial cells and pericytes, without the need of new protein synthesis and without altering mRNA stability. VEGF activated the tyrosine receptor phosphorylation of KDR and Flt1 and increased the binding of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) p85 subunit to KDR and Flt1, both of which could mediate CTGF gene induction. VEGF-induced CTGF expression was mediated primarily by PI3-kinase activation, whereas PKC and ERK pathways made only minimal contributions. Furthermore, overexpression of constitutive active Akt was sufficient to induce CTGF gene expression, and inhibition of Akt activation by overexpressing dominant negative mutant of Akt abolished the VEGF-induced CTGF expression. These data suggest that VEGF can increase CTGF gene expression in bovine retinal capillary cells via KDR or Flt receptors and the activation of PI3-kinase-Akt pathway independently of PKC or Ras-ERK pathway, possibly inducing the fibrosis observed in retinal neovascular diseases.
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PMID:Vascular endothelial growth factor induces expression of connective tissue growth factor via KDR, Flt1, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-akt-dependent pathways in retinal vascular cells. 1101 37

Myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS), as a specific protein kinase C (PKC) substrate, mediates PKC signaling through its phosphorylation and subsequent modification of its association with filamentous actin (F-actin) and calmodulin (CaM). PKC has long been implicated in cell proliferation, and recent studies have suggested that MARCKS may function as a cell growth suppressor. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated MARCKS protein expression, distribution, and phosphorylation in preconfluent and confluent bovine pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (BPMEC) in the presence or absence of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In addition, we examined functional alterations of MARCKS in these cells by studying the association of MARCKS with F-actin and CaM-dependent myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Our results indicate that MARCKS protein is downregulated during BPMEC proliferation. Decreased MARCKS association with F-actin, increased actin polymerization, and CaM-dependent MLC phosphorylation appear to mediate cell shape changes and motility during BPMEC growth. In contrast, VEGF stimulated MARCKS phosphorylation without alteration of protein expression during BPMEC proliferation, which may result in reduced interaction between MARCKS and actin or CaM, leading to actin reorganization and MLC phosphorylation. Our data suggest a regulatory role of MARCKS during endothelial cell proliferation.
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PMID:Role of MARCKS in regulating endothelial cell proliferation. 1102 9

Few chemotherapy agents have demonstrated activity in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and supportive management remains the standard of care. An increasing number of new drugs in development are being directed at specific molecular or biological targets of these diseases. Topotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, has shown single-agent activity and is now being combined with other agents, including cytarabine. The aminothiol amifostine induces responses in about 30% of patients; however, its role is still being clarified. Agents that inhibit histone deacetylase and target DNA hypermethylation, thus permitting derepression of normal genes, include 5-azacytidine, decitabine, phenylbutyrate, and depsipeptide. Arsenic trioxide has demonstrated impressive activity in acute promyelocytic leukemia and preclinical data suggest the potential for activity in MDS. UCN-01 is a novel agent that inhibits protein kinase C and other protein kinases important for progression through the G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle. Dolastatin-10 has extremely potent in vitro activity against a variety of tumor cell lines. Since its dose-limiting toxicities include myelosuppression, it is being studied in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and MDS. Ras may play a role in MDS, and activation of this gene and its signaling pathways may require farnesylation. Several farnesyl transferase inhibitors are now available for study in patients with MDS. An increasing body of data suggests a possible role for angiogenesis in MDS, and several antiangiogenesis agents are in clinical trials, including thalidomide, SU5416, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies. Development of new drugs and regimens will be facilitated by recently developed standardized response criteria. Future clinical trials should focus on rational combinations of these agents and others with the goal of curing patients with MDS.
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PMID:Novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes. 1104 23

Vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/VEGF), a multifunctional cytokine, is regulated by different factors including degree of cell differentiation, hypoxia, and certain oncogenes namely, ras and src. The up-regulation of VPF/VEGF expression by Ras has been found to be through both transcription and mRNA stability. The present study investigates a novel pathway whereby Ras promotes the transcription of VPF/VEGF by activating protein kinase Czeta (PKCzeta). The Ras-mediated overexpression of VPF/VEGF was also found to be inhibited by using the antisense or the dominant-negative mutant of PKCzeta. In co-transfection assays, by overexpressing oncogenic Ha-Ras (12 V) and PKCzeta, there was an additive effect up to 4-fold in activation of Sp1-mediated VPF/VEGF transcription. It has been shown through electrophoretic mobility shift assay that Ras promoted the PKCzeta-induced binding of Sp1 to the VPF/VEGF promoter. In the presence of PDK-1, a major activating kinase for PKC, the Ras-mediated activation of VPF/VEGF promoter through PKCzeta was further increased, suggesting that PKCzeta can serve as an effector for both Ras and PDK-1. In other experiments, with the use of a dominant-negative mutant of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, the activation of VPF/VEGF promoter through Ras, PDK-1, and PKCzeta was completely repressed, indicating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase as an important component of this pathway. Taken together, these data elucidate the signaling mechanism of Ras-mediated VPF/VEGF transcriptional activation through PKCzeta and also provide insight into PKCzeta and Sp1-dependent transcriptional regulation of VPF/VEGF.
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PMID:Role of protein kinase Czeta in Ras-mediated transcriptional activation of vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor expression. 1106 Mar 1

Angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated signals are transmitted via heparin binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF) release followed by transactivation of EGF receptor (EGFR). Although Ang II and HB-EGF induce angiogenesis, their link to the angiopoietin (Ang)-Tie2 system remains undefined. We tested the effects of Ang II on Ang1, Ang2, or Tie2 expression in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells expressing the Ang II receptors AT(1) and AT(2). Ang II significantly induced Ang2 mRNA accumulations without affecting Ang1 or Tie2 expression, which was inhibited by protein kinase C inhibitors and by intracellular Ca(2+) chelating agents. Ang II transactivated EGFR via AT(1), and inhibition of EGFR abolished the induction of Ang2. Ang II caused processing of pro-HB-EGF in a metalloproteinase-dependent manner to stimulate maturation and release of HB-EGF. Neutralizing anti-HB-EGF antibody blocked EGFR phosphorylation by Ang II. Ang II also upregulated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in an HB-EGF/EGFR-dependent manner. AT(2) inhibited AT(1)-mediated Ang2 expression and phosphorylation of EGFR. In an in vivo corneal assay, AT(1) induced angiogenesis in an HB-EGF-dependent manner and enhanced the angiogenic activity of VEGF. Although neither Ang2 nor Ang1 alone induced angiogenesis, soluble Tie2-Fc that binds to angiopoietins attenuated AT(1)-mediated angiogenesis. These findings suggested that (1) Ang II induces Ang2 and VEGF expression without affecting Ang1 or Tie2 and (2) AT(1) stimulates processing of pro-HB-EGF by metalloproteinases, and the released HB-EGF transactivates EGFR to induce angiogenesis via the combined effect of Ang2 and VEGF, whereas AT(2) attenuates them by blocking EGFR phosphorylation. Thus, Ang II is involved in the VEGF-Ang-Tie2 system via HB-EGF-mediated EGFR transactivation, and this link should be considerable in pathological conditions in which collateral blood flow is required.
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PMID:Angiotensin AT(1) and AT(2) receptors differentially regulate angiopoietin-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression and angiogenesis by modulating heparin binding-epidermal growth factor (EGF)-mediated EGF receptor transactivation. 2370 25

The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent endothelium-specific angiogenic factor, in the regulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was studied. VEGF (0.07-1.2 x 10(-6) mmol/l) caused a dose-dependent increase in ACE measured in intact endothelial cells and increased the expression of ACE mRNA. The stimulatory effect of VEGF was inhibited by pretreatment of endothelial cells with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin (4.35 x 10(-5) mmol/l). The stimulatory effect of VEGF was potentiated by the selective cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor zaprinast (0.1 mmol/l). The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 5.4 mmol/l) suppressed the stimulatory effect of VEGF. The nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin (5 microM) and the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 (5 microM) potentiated the stimulatory effect of VEGF, whereas the selective COX-1 inhibitor resveratrol (5 microM) was without effect. ACE induction by VEGF was inhibited by the selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF109203X (2.5 x 10(-3) mmol/l) and by downregulating PKC with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. In summary, VEGF induced ACE in cultured HUVECs. Intracellular events such as tyrosine kinase activation, PKC activation, and increase of cGMP were probably involved in ACE induction by VEGF. Nitric oxide may partially contribute to ACE induction by VEGF. The powerful capacity of VEGF to increase ACE in endothelial cells shown here suggests a synergistic relation between VEGF and the renin-angiotensin system in vascular biology and pathophysiology.
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PMID:Upregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme by vascular endothelial growth factor. 1115 90

The central role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in angiogenesis in health and disease makes it attractive both as a therapeutic target for anti-angiogenic drugs and as a pro-angiogenic cytokine for the treatment of ischaemic heart disease. While VEGF binds to two receptor protein tyrosine kinases, VEGFR1 (Flt-1) and VEGFR2 (KDR), most biological functions of VEGF are mediated via VEGFR2, and the role of VEGFR1 is currently unknown. Neuropilin-1, a non-tyrosine kinase transmembrane molecule, may function as a co-receptor for VEGFR2. Considerable progress has recently been made towards delineating the signal transduction pathways distal to activation of VEGFR2. Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, protein kinase C and Akt pathways are all strongly implicated in mediating diverse cellular biological functions of VEGF, including cell survival, proliferation, the generation of nitric oxide and prostacyclin and angiogenesis. Upregulation of metalloproteinases, activation of focal adhesion kinase and interactions between VEGF receptors and integrins are strongly implicated in VEGF-induced endothelial cell migration. Recent findings suggest important roles for the vasodilators nitric oxide and prostacyclin, in linking post-receptor signaling networks to downstream biological effects and in mediating some in vivo endothelial functions of VEGF.
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PMID:Signaling transduction mechanisms mediating biological actions of the vascular endothelial growth factor family. 1116 70

We reported previously that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates prostacyclin (PGI(2)) production via activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade. In this paper, we examined the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in this pathway. VEGF-induced PGI(2) generation and arachidonic acid release in human umbilical vein endothelial cells were inhibited by the PKC inhibitors GF109203X and calphostin C. VEGF increased PKC activity and immunoreactivity of the PKCdelta, alpha and epsilon isoforms in particulate fractions of cells. PKC inhibitors blocked VEGF-induced activation of ERK, MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) and the cytosolic phospholipase A(2), but had little effect on ERK activation induced by basic fibroblast growth factor. GF109203X, calphostin C and the PKCdelta-selective inhibitor, rottlerin, did not inhibit activation of the KDR receptor for VEGF. Inhibition of Ca(2+) fluxes using BAPTA/AM [1,2-bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid tetrakis(acetoxymethyl ester)] blocked VEGF-induced PGI(2) production but did not inhibit ERK activation. Neither activation nor inhibition of the NO/cGMP pathway had any effect on VEGF induction of ERK activity and PGI(2) synthesis. Wortmannin partially inhibited VEGF stimulation of PGI(2) production, but did not inhibit VEGF-induced ERK activity. VEGF-induced ERK activation and PGI(2) production were blocked by rottlerin, and VEGF increased association of PKCdelta with Raf-1, the upstream activator of MEK. The PKC-selective inhibitor Go6976 did not inhibit ERK activation and had only a partial effect on PGI(2) production. These findings indicate that activation of PKC plays a crucial role in VEGF signalling via the ERK cascade leading to PGI(2) synthesis and suggest that the PKCdelta isoform may be a key mediator of VEGF-induced activation of the ERK pathway via increased association with Raf-1.
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PMID:Vascular endothelial growth factor-induced prostacyclin production is mediated by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 involving PKC-delta and by mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. 1117 Oct 46

It has been recognized that tissue-specific growth factors and angiogenic factors play important roles in the growth of tumors and in the tissue-repair system. In uterine myometrial smooth muscle cells, it has also been reported that the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) binds to PDGF receptors and stimulates proliferation. In this paper, we examine whether or not PDGF is able to stimulate production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cultured human myometrial smooth muscle cells. PDGF treatment enhanced immunoreactive VEGF production as well as cell proliferation. Production of VEGF121 and VEGF165 in the cells was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis, but the PDGF treatment did not change the ratio of VEGF165 to VEGF121. The effect of PDGF on cell proliferation leveled off at 10 ng/ml, whereas its effect on VEGF production continued to increase linearly at concentrations above 10 ng/ml. Upon treatment of the cells with antibody against VEGF, the cell proliferation increased linearly even at PDGF concentrations above 10 ng/ml. The enhanced [3H]thymidine incorporation by PDGF was abolished by either mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) inhibitor or protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor. In contrast, VEGF production was abolished by MAPKK inhibitor, but not by PKC inhibitor. These results indicate that PDGF stimulates both cell proliferation and VEGF production in partly different signal pathways, and thus PDGF might play a role in the physiology and pathology of the myometrium.
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PMID:Human uterine myometrial smooth muscle cell proliferation and vascular endothelial growth-factor production in response to platelet-derived growth factor. 1125 Jun 49


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