Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.22 (cdc2)
 8,319 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neurotoxicity is one of the side-effects of the therapeutically useful antitumour agent, Ara-C (or 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosyl-cytosine, cytarabine). This agent is also reported to induce cell death of cultured neurons. In this study, we show that Ara-C-induced death of differentiating rat cerebellar granule neurons is prevented by cycloheximide at concentrations corresponding to its action in preventing protein synthesis. The death is accompanied by cleavage of the caspase substrate poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) and c-Abl-dependent activation of the stress-activated protein kinases c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38. However, c-Jun levels do not rise and the activation of the stress-activated protein kinases is not required for this form of neuronal death. Cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) activity and inappropriate cell-cycle re-entry have been implicated in some forms of death in differentiated neurons. Here we show that Ara-C-induced death of cerebellar granule neurons is prevented by an inhibitor of cdk4, whereas inhibition of cdk1, -2 and -5 mimics the death, and non-cdk4/6 cdks are inhibited by Ara-C treatment. Cdk1 and -2 are dramatically down-regulated during neuronal differentiation, and neither Ara-C nor inhibition of these cdks induces death in mature neurons. This mechanism could also play a significant role in the neurotoxicity associated with the therapeutic use of Ara-C, as cdk levels can be upregulated in stressed neurons of adult brain. We propose that the balance between cdk4/6 and cdk1/2/5 activity may determine the survival of early differentiating neurons, and that DNA-damaging agents may induce neuronal death by inhibiting cdk1/2/5 under conditions which require these activities for survival.
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PMID:The mechanism of Ara-C-induced apoptosis of differentiating cerebellar granule neurons. 1010

To elucidate the biological functions of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP, [EC 2.4.2.30]) in DNA damage responses, genetic and biochemical approaches were undertaken. By disrupting exon 1 of the mouse PARP gene by a homologous recombination, PARP-deficient mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and mice could be produced without demonstrating lethality. PARP-/- ES cells showed complete loss of PARP activity and increased sensitivity to gamma-irradiation and an alkylating agents, indicating a physiological role for PARP in the response to DNA damage. p53, a key molecule in cellular DNA damage response, was found to stimulate PARP activity and became poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated in the presence of damaged DNA. However, PARP-/- ES cells showed p21 and Mdm-2 mRNA induction following gamma-irradiation, indicating that PARP activity is not indispensable for p21 and Mdm-2 mRNA induction in the established p53-cascade. On the other hand, in a reconstituted reaction system, purified PARP from human placenta suppressed the pRB-phosphorylation activity in the presence of NAD and damaged DNA. Human PARP expressed in E. coli showed a similar effect on pRB-phosphorylation activity of cdk2. These findings suggest a direct involvement of PARP in the regulation of cdk activity for cell-cycle arrest.
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PMID:Function of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in response to DNA damage: gene-disruption study in mice. 1033 51

Cells require optimum protein synthetic activity in order to support cell proliferation, maintain homeostatic and metabolic integrity, and repair damage. Since growth depends on protein synthesis through ribosome biogenesis, the control of biosynthesis of ribosomes is necessarily a key element for control of growth. Nucleolin is a major nucleolar protein of exponentially growing eukaryotic cells, which is directly involved in the regulation of ribosome biogenesis and maturation. The highly conserved nucleolin contains three major domains through which it controls the organization of nucleolar chromatin, packaging of pre-RNA, rDNA transcription, and ribosome assembly. Numerous reports have implicated the involvement of nucleolin either directly or indirectly in the regulation of cell proliferation and growth, cytokinesis, replication, embryogenesis, and nucleogenesis. Nucleolin, an RNA binding protein, is also an autoantigen, a transcriptional repressor, and a switch region targeting factor. In addition, nucleolin exhibits autodegradation, DNA and RNA helicase activities, and DNA-dependent ATPase activity. An interesting aspect of nucleolin action is that it is a target for regulation by proteolysis, methylation, ADP-ribosylation, and phosphorylation by CKII, cdc2, PKC-xi, cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, and ecto-protein kinase. For these and other reasons, nucleolin is fundamental to the survival and proliferation of cells. Considerable progress has been made in recent years with the identification of new nucleolin binding proteins that may mediate these many nucleolin-dependent functions. Nucleolin also functions as a cell surface receptor, where it acts as a shuttling protein between cytoplasm and nucleus, and thus can even provide a mechanism for extracellular regulation of nuclear events. Exploration of the regulation of this multifaceted protein in a remarkable number of diverse functions is challenging.
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PMID:Molecular dissection of nucleolin's role in growth and cell proliferation: new insights. 1054 74

In our previous study (Katayama B et al, Int J Mol Med 2: 603-606, 1998), cell growth inhibition caused by ATP added to cultures was found to be greater in immortalized human fibroblasts than in the normal human fibroblasts. Since it has been reported that ATP affects cells via P2-purinergic receptors, growth inhibitory effects of ATP and its derivatives on immortalized human fibroblasts were investigated in the present study in order to learn what type of receptors are involved in ATP cytotoxicity. The ATP derivatives used in this study were: ATP, ADP, beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (MeATP), 2' & 3'-o-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) adenosine, triethylammonium salt (BzATP), adenosine 5'-o-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATPgammaS), 2-methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate (2-MeSATP) and UTP. The extent of cytotoxicity induced by these drugs was found to be in the order of: ATP=ADP>ATPgammaS>MeATP=BzATP. On the other hand, neither 2-MeSATP nor UTP showed any cytotoxicity. These findings indicate that ATP may exert the cell growth inhibition by certain kinds of signal transduction via P2x or P2y purinergic receptors which affect intrinsic channels/pores of cell membrane and/or G protein activation. As a result, intracellular elevation in the concentrations of ions such as calcium and potassium, membrane depolarization, loss of endogenous ions/metabolites, and activation of inositol phospholipid-specific phospholipase C may occur. Actually, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, and an ATP-sensitive K+-channel blocker, glybenclamide, reduced the growth inhibitory effects of ATP on the cells to some extent. The growth inhibition caused by ATP was not due to apoptosis or induction of a cyclin/CDK kinase inhibitor, P21.
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PMID:Growth inhibitory effects of ATP and its derivatives on human fibroblasts immortalized with 60Co-gamma rays. 1060 75

Interactions between pharmacologic NF-kappaB inhibitors (eg, Bay 11-7082, SN-50) and the checkpoint abrogator UCN-01 have been examined in human multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Exposure of U266 cells to Bay 11-7082 (Bay) in combination with UCN-01 resulted in the abrogation of NF-kappaB/DNA binding activity and the synergistic induction of apoptosis. Comparable synergism was observed in other MM cell lines and patient-derived CD138+ cells and between an inhibitory peptide of NF-kappaB (SN50) and UCN-01. Bay/UCN-01-mediated lethality involved mitochondrial dysfunction, caspase cleavage, and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP) degradation. Although Bay modestly blocked UCN-01-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, coadministration activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and cdc2/cdk1 and down-regulated Mcl-1, XIAP, and Bcl-xL. Transfection with a constitutively activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1)/green fluorescent protein (GFP) construct failed to block apoptosis induced by Bay/UCN-01 but significantly attenuated MEK inhibitor (U0126)/UCN-01-induced lethality. Inhibiting JNK activation with SP600125 or D-JNKI1 peptide markedly reduced Bay/UCN-01-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis and the down-regulation of Mcl-1, XIAP, and Bcl-xL but not of cdc2/cdk1 activation. Stable transfection of cells with dominant-negative caspase-9 dramatically diminished Bay/UCN-01 lethality without altering JNK or cdc2/cdk1 activation. Neither interleukin-6 (IL-6)- nor fibronectin-mediated adherence conferred resistance to Bay/UCN-01-induced apoptosis. Together, these findings suggest that a strategy combining UCN-01 with disruption of the IkappaB kinase (IKK)/IkappaB/NF-kappaB pathway warrants attention in MM.
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PMID:Interruption of the NF-kappaB pathway by Bay 11-7082 promotes UCN-01-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in human multiple myeloma cells. 1464 3

We have used HeLa cells without mitochondrial DNA (rho0-cells) and transient rho0-phenocopies, obtained from wild-type cells by short-term treatment with ethidium bromide, to analyze how the absence of a functional mitochondrial respiratory chain slows down proliferation. We ruled out an energetic problem (ATP/ADP content) as well as defective synthesis of pyrimidine, iron-sulfur clusters or heme as important causes for the proliferative defect. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that reactive oxygen species were reduced in rho0-cells and in rho0-phenocopies, and that, quite unusually, all stages of the cell cycle were slowed down. Specific quenching of mitochondrial ROS with the ubiquinone analog MitoQ also resulted in slower growth. Some important cell-cycle regulators were reduced in rho0-cells: cyclin D3, cdk6, p18INK4C, p27KIP1, and p21CIP1/WAF1. In the rho0-phenocopies, the expression pattern did not fully duplicate the complex response observed in rho0-cells, and mainly p21CIP1/WAF1 was downregulated. Activities of the growth regulatory PKB/Akt and MAPK/ERK-signaling pathways did not correlate with proliferation rates of rho0-cells and rho0-phenocopies. Our study demonstrates that loss of a functional mitochondrial electron transport chain inhibits cell-cycle progression, and we postulate that this occurs through the decreased concentration of reactive oxygen species, leading to downregulation of p21CIP1/WAF1.
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PMID:Respiratory chain deficiency slows down cell-cycle progression via reduced ROS generation and is associated with a reduction of p21CIP1/WAF1. 1677 40

Epidemiologic studies show a correlation between increased consumption of fruits and vegetables with reduced risk of ovarian cancer. One major bioactive compound found in cruciferous vegetables, particularly broccoli, is sulforaphane, derived from the breakdown of glucoraphanin. We observed potent antiproliferative effects of sulforaphane on human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 (IC(50) 40 micromol/L) and mouse ovarian cancer cell lines C3 and T3 (IC(50) 25 micromol/L each) by cell viability assays. The loss of viability is reflected by a down-regulation of cell cycle transition regulators cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (cdk4), and cdk6. The upstream mediators of sulforaphane effects on the cell cycle in ovarian cancer are still unknown. However, because the Akt signal transduction pathway is overactivated in ovarian cancer, we investigated the effects of sulforaphane on this prosurvival pathway. Both total Akt protein and active phosphorylated levels of Akt (Ser(473)) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase were significantly decreased in sulforaphane-treated SKOV3, C3, and T3 cells with a concomitant inhibition of Akt kinase activity by sulforaphane in SKOV3 and C3 cells. This inhibitory effect of sulforaphane leads to a potent induction of apoptosis in all three cell lines, along with the cleavage of poly(ADP)ribose polymerase. Our study is the first to report the antiproliferative effects of sulforaphane in ovarian cancer and identifying the Akt pathway as a target of sulforaphane, with implications for the inhibition of carcinogenesis by diet-based chemoprevention.
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PMID:Antiproliferative activity of sulforaphane in Akt-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells. 1723 92

Cdk5/p25 is a member of the family of cyclin-dependent, Ser/Thr kinases and is thought to play a causal role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to its ability to phosphorylate the protein tau, and thus promote the latter's aggregation into intraneuronal tangles. Given this, we and others are seeking inhibitors of cdk5/p25 as possible disease-modifying therapeutics for AD. In this paper, we first report the kinetic mechanism for the cdk5/p25-catalyzed phosphorylation of tau and histone H-1-derived peptide (H1P). These studies served as a necessary kinetic backdrop for investigations of the mechanism of inhibition by prototype inhibitors N4-(6-aminopyrimidin-4-yl)-sulfanilamide (APS) and 1-(5-cyclobutyl-thiazol-2-yl)-3-isoquinolin-5-yl-urea (CTIU). We found that the cdk5/p25-catalyzed phosphorylation of tau follows a rapid equilibrium, random kinetic mechanism, as evidenced by initial velocity analysis indicating sequential addition of tau and ATP, and studies of the mechanism of inhibition by substrate analogue AMP, product ADP, and analogues of peptide substrate H1P. Identical mechanistic conclusions were drawn when H1P was the phosphoryl acceptor. Subsequent studies of inhibition by APS and CTIU revealed that both compounds can bind to all four steady-state forms of the enzyme, to form the complexes E:I, E:I:tau, E:I:ATP, and E:I:tau:ATP. These results contrast with reported claims that APS and CTIU are competitive inhibitors of the binding of ATP.
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PMID:Kinetic studies of Cdk5/p25 kinase: phosphorylation of tau and complex inhibition by two prototype inhibitors. 1863 51

Flap endonuclease-1 (FEN1) is a structure specific endonuclease. The natural substrates of FEN1 are 5'-flap structures formed by three DNA chains one of them has unannealed flapped 5'-end (flap). Flap structures are the intermediates of different processes of DNA metabolism, such as DNA recombination, Okazaki fragment maturation during replication of lagging strand, as well as strand displacement DNA synthesis in base excision repair. FEN1 also possesses 5'-exonuclease activity and newly discovered gap endonuclease activity. FEN1 is known to interact physically and functionally with a number of DNA replication and repair proteins such as the proliferating cell nuclear antigen, helicase/nuclease Dna2, WRN and BLM proteins, replication protein A, apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1, DNA polymerase beta, poly(ADP-riboso) polymerase 1, high mobility group protein 1, integrase of human immunodeficiency virus, transcription coactivator p300, chromatin proteins, cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk1, Cdk2, Cyclin A). FEN1 activity is significant for maintaining the integrity of repeat sequences in genome. Recent data suppose the correlation between the abnormality of hFEN1 activity and arising/progression of neurodegenerative and cancer diseases. FEN1 has the dramatic effect on cell growth and development thereby attracting the interest to this enzyme.
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PMID:[Flap endonuclease-1 and its role in the processes of DNA metabolism in eucaryotic cells]. 1870 99

The Nek family of serine/threonine kinases regulates centrosome and cilia function; in addition, several of its members are potential targets for drug discovery. Nek2 is dimeric, is cell cycle regulated and functions in the separation of centrosomes at G2/M. Here, we report the crystal structures of wild-type human Nek2 kinase domain bound to ADP at 1.55-A resolution and T175A mutant in apo form as well as that bound to a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog. These show that regions of the Nek2 structure around the nucleotide-binding site can adopt several different but well-defined conformations. None of the conformations was the same as that observed for the previously reported inhibitor-bound structure, and the two nucleotides stabilized two conformations. The structures suggest mechanisms for the auto-inhibition of Nek2 that we have tested by mutagenesis. Comparison of the structures with Aurora-A and Cdk2 gives insight into the structural mechanism of Nek2 activation. The production of specific inhibitors that target individual kinases of the human genome is an urgent challenge in drug discovery, and Nek2 is especially promising as a cancer target. We not only identify potential challenges to the task of producing Nek2 inhibitors but also propose that the conformational variability provides an opportunity for the design of Nek2 selective inhibitors because one of the conformations may provide a unique target.
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PMID:Insights into the conformational variability and regulation of human Nek2 kinase. 1912 27


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