Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.11.24 (mitogen-activated protein kinase)
 95,810 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Rat hippocampal precursor cells isolated from hippocampi of embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5) rat embryos were found to proliferate in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor. Addition of soluble neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) to these precursor cells reduced cell proliferation in a dose dependent manner and enhanced the induction of precursor cells' differentiation to the neuronal lineage. Given these findings that NCAM induces the differentiation of hippocampal precursor cells, we investigated possible effects of NCAM on the expression of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors during the differentiation. Soluble NCAM upregulated the transcription of bHLH transcription factors, neurogenin1 and NeuroD, but decreased HES5. Western blot analysis showed that NCAM increased the expression levels of CaMKII, p-MAPK, GluR1 and NR1 but decreased p-STAT3. These results support a role for NCAM in the inhibition of proliferation and the induction of neural differentiation of hippocampal neural precursor cells, and act as developmental regulators of the bHLH families, ultimately leading to the generation of glutamatergic neural cell types in the differentiation of hippocampal precursor cells.
 ...
PMID:Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) promotes the differentiation of hippocampal precursor cells to a neuronal lineage, especially to a glutamatergic neural cell type. 1252 81

The NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors (NMDAR) at excitatory neuronal synapses plays a key role in synaptic plasticity. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1,2 or ERK) pathway is an essential component of NMDAR signal transduction controlling the neuroplasticity underlying memory processes, neuronal development, and refinement of synaptic connections. Here we show that NR2B, but not NR2A or NR1 subunits of the NMDAR, interacts in vivo and in vitro with RasGRF1, a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent Ras-guanine-nucleotide-releasing factor. Specific disruption of this interaction in living neurons abrogates NMDAR-dependent ERK activation. Thus, RasGRF1 serves as NMDAR-dependent regulator of the ERK kinase pathway. The specific association of RasGRF1 with the NR2B subunit and study of ERK activation in neurons with varied content of NR2B suggests that NR2B-containing channels are the dominant activators of the NMDA-dependent ERK pathway.
 ...
PMID:The NMDA receptor is coupled to the ERK pathway by a direct interaction between NR2B and RasGRF1. 1462 81

Early overstimulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), such as the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) receptors, produces excitotoxicity in several brain regions. The molecular composition of those receptors and their regulation by intracellular signaling systems could be determinants in the development of progressive neurodegenerative mechanisms in the central nervous system (CNS). Studies of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, morphologic changes including cell number, and the expression of the NR1 and GluR2 subunits, by reverse transcriptase-PCR were evaluated at early postnatal ages (postnatal day [PD]8-14) in cerebral cortex of rats treated with monosodium glutamate (MSG; 4 mg/g body weight) administered subcutaneously on PD1, 3, 5, and 7. An important increase in p38 activity at PD8 and loss of cortical cell number were observed from PD8-14 in animals treated with MSG, together with significant morphologic changes characterized by cell shrinkage, nuclear hyperchromatism, and cytoplasmic vacuolation. These morphologic changes were prevented by SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 signaling, at PD8-14. No change in cerebral cortex thickness was observed among experimental or control rats. A significant increase in NR1 subunit expression was observed in response to MSG from PD8-14. GluR2 expression increased from PD8-12, but at PD14, its expression was reduced to 54% with respect to controls. SB203580 prevented alone the decreased in GluR2 expression induced by MSG. These results suggest that initial neuronal death (at PD8 and 10) in cerebral cortex may be due to an excessive Ca2+ influx through NMDA receptors, whereas the further damage process could be mediated by AMPA receptors through p38 signaling. This could represent a determinant mechanism to decide whether nerve cells survive or die.
 ...
PMID:NMDA and AMPA receptor expression and cortical neuronal death are associated with p38 in glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in vivo. 1513 26

Hindpaw inflammation induces tyrosine phosphorylation (tyr-P) of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) 2B (NR2B) subunit in the rat spinal dorsal horn that is closely related to the initiation and development of hyperalgesia. Here, we show that in rats with Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammation, the increased dorsal horn NR2B tyr-P is blocked by group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) antagonists [7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b] chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (CPCCOEt) and 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP), by the Src inhibitor CGP 77675, but not by the MAP kinase inhibitor 2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone. Analysis of the calcium pathways shows that the in vivo NR2B tyr-P is blocked by an IP3 receptor antagonist 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate (2APB) but not by antagonists of ionotropic glutamate receptors and voltage-dependent calcium channels, suggesting that the NR2B tyr-P is dependent on intracellular calcium release. In a dorsal horn slice preparation, the group I (dihydroxyphenylglycine), but not group II [(2R,4R)-4-aminopyrrolidine-2,3-dicarboxylate] and III [L-AP 4 (L-(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid)], mGluR agonists, an IP3 receptor (D-IP3) agonist, and a PKC (PMA) activator, induces NR2B tyr-P similar to that seen in vivo after inflammation. Coimmunoprecipitation indicates that Shank, a postsynaptic density protein associated with mGluRs, formed a complex involving PSD-95 (postsynaptic density-95), NR2B, and Src in the spinal dorsal horn. Double immunofluorescence studies indicated that NR1 is colocalized with mGluR5 in dorsal horn neurons. mGluR5 also coimmunoprecipitates with NR2B. Finally, intrathecal pretreatment of CPCCOEt, MPEP, and 2APB attenuates inflammatory hyperalgesia. Thus, inflammation and mGluR-induced NR2B tyr-P share similar mechanisms. The group ImGluR-NMDAR coupling cascade leads to phosphorylation of the NMDAR and appears necessary for the initiation of spinal dorsal horn sensitization and behavioral hyperalgesia after inflammation.
 ...
PMID:Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor NMDA receptor coupling and signaling cascade mediate spinal dorsal horn NMDA receptor 2B tyrosine phosphorylation associated with inflammatory hyperalgesia. 1548 35

Biological drive states exert homeostatic control in part by increasing the reinforcing effects of environmental incentive stimuli. An apparent by-product of this adaptive response is the enhanced acquisition of drug self-administration behavior in food-restricted (FR) animals. While previous research has demonstrated increased central sensitivity to rewarding effects of abused drugs and direct dopamine (DA) receptor agonists in FR subjects, the underlying neurobiology is not well understood. Recently, it was demonstrated that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of the D-1 DA receptor agonist, SKF-82958 produces a stronger activation of striatal extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in FR relative to ad libitum (AL) fed rats. The main purpose of the present study was to characterize the involvement and mechanisms of interaction between NMDA receptor function and the augmented cellular responses to D-1 DA receptor stimulation in nucleus accumbens (NAc) of FR rats. In experiment 1, Western immunoblotting was used to demonstrate that i.c.v. injection of SKF-82958 (20 microg) produces greater phosphorylation of the NMDA NR1 subunit and calcium-calmodulin kinase II (CaMK II) in NAc of FR as compared with AL rats. In experiment 2, pretreatment of subjects with the NMDA antagonist, MK-801 (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased SKF-82958-induced activation of CaMK II, ERK1/2 and CREB, and reversed the augmenting effect of FR on activation of all three proteins. In experiment 3, pretreatment with the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase inhibitor SL-327 (60 mg/kg, i.p.) suppressed SKF-82958- induced activation of ERK1/2 and reversed the augmenting effect of FR on CREB activation. These results point to specific neuroadaptations in the NAc of FR rats whereby D-1 DA receptor stimulation leads to increased NMDA NR1 subunit phosphorylation and consequent increases in NMDA receptor-dependent CaMK II and ERK1/2 signaling, and increased NMDA receptor/ERK1/2-dependent phosphorylation of the nuclear transcription factor, CREB. The upregulated cellular responses to D-1 DA agonist challenge may play a role in the augmentation of drug reward and appetitive instrumental learning during periods of food restriction.
 ...
PMID:Food restriction increases NMDA receptor-mediated calcium-calmodulin kinase II and NMDA receptor/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-mediated cyclic amp response element-binding protein phosphorylation in nucleus accumbens upon D-1 dopamine receptor stimulation in rats. 1585 8

This study investigated the role of protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) in regulating phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) NR1 subunits and other phosphoproteins in the rat striatum in vivo. In chronically cannulated rats, microinjection of the calcineurin selective inhibitor cyclosporin A increased phosphorylation of NMDAR NR1 subunits at serine 896 and serine 897 in the injected dorsal striatum. The increase in NMDAR NR1 phosphorylation was dose-dependent in a dose range surveyed (0.005, 0.05, and 0.5 nmol). Parallel with increased serine phosphorylation of NR1 subunits, cyclosporin A dose-dependently increased phosphorylation of a Ca2+-sensitive protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and a Ca2+/cAMP-sensitive transcription factor, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), in the dorsal striatum. Using an immediate early gene product Fos as a reporter of inducible gene expression, cyclosporin A was found to upregulate Fos expression in the dorsal striatum. These results indicate that calcineurin plays an important role in the tonic dephosphorylation of NMDAR NR1 subunits and other two key cytoplasmic and nuclear signaling proteins (ERK1/2 and CREB) in striatal neurons.
 ...
PMID:Inhibition of protein phosphatase 2B upregulates serine phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1 subunits in striatal neurons in vivo. 1589 Apr 44

Recent linkage studies have identified a significant association of the neuregulin gene with schizophrenia, but how neuregulin is involved in schizophrenia is primarily unknown. Aberrant NMDA receptor functions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Therefore, we hypothesize that neuregulin, which is present in glutamatergic synaptic vesicles, may affect NMDA receptor functions via actions on its ErbB receptors enriched in postsynaptic densities, hence participating in emotional regulation and cognitive processes that are impaired in schizophrenia. To test this, we examined the regulation of NMDA receptor currents by neuregulin signaling pathways in prefrontal cortex (PFC), a prominent area affected in schizophrenia. We found that bath perfusion of neuregulin significantly reduced whole-cell NMDA receptor currents in acutely isolated and cultured PFC pyramidal neurons and decreased NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs in PFC slices. The effect of neuregulin was mainly blocked by application of the ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, IP3 receptor (IP3R) antagonist, or Ca2+ chelators. The neuregulin regulation of NMDA receptor currents was also markedly attenuated in cultured neurons transfected with mutant forms of Ras or a dominant-negative form of MEK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1). Moreover, the neuregulin effect was prevented by agents that stabilize or disrupt actin polymerization but not by agents that interfere with microtubule assembly. Furthermore, neuregulin treatment increased the abundance of internalized NMDA receptors in cultured PFC neurons, which was also sensitive to agents affecting actin cytoskeleton. Together, our study suggests that both PLC/IP3R/Ca2+ and Ras/MEK/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) signaling pathways are involved in the neuregulin-induced reduction of NMDA receptor currents, which is likely through enhancing NR1 internalization via an actin-dependent mechanism.
 ...
PMID:Regulation of NMDA receptors by neuregulin signaling in prefrontal cortex. 1590 78

The role of the ERK1/2 signal transduction pathway and related transcription factors in the regulation of gene expression and pain behavior following excitotoxic spinal cord injury (SCI) was examined. Specifically, phosphorylation of ERK1/2, activation of transcription factors NF-kB, ELK-1, and CREB, and gene expression of the neurokinin-1 receptor and NMDA receptor subunits NR1 and NR-2A were investigated. Excitotoxic injury was produced by intraspinal injection of quisqualic acid (QUIS) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Western blots were used to evaluate phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2 and transcription factors using phospho-specific or total antibodies. Real-time PCR was used to evaluate gene expression of NK-1R, NR-1, and NR-2A. Assessment of excessive grooming behavior was used to evaluate the presence of spontaneous pain behavior. Excitotoxic spinal injury resulted in: (1) increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2; (2) increased activation of NF-kB and phosphorylation of ELK-1; and (3) increased gene expression for the NK-1 receptor and NR1 and NR-2A subunits of the NMDA receptor. Blockade of the ERK cascade with the MEK inhibitor PD98059 inhibited phosphorylation of ELK-1, activation of NF-kB and gene expression of NR1, NR-2A and NK-1R, and prevented the development of excessive grooming behavior. The results have shown that excitotoxic spinal injury leads to the injury-induced activation of the ERK-->ELK-1 and NF-kB signaling cascades and transcriptional regulation of receptors important in the development of chronic pain. Blockade of this intracellular kinase cascade prevented the onset of injury-induced pain behavior.
 ...
PMID:Activation of the ERK1/2 signaling cascade by excitotoxic spinal cord injury. 1592 85

Conditional mouse knock-outs provide an informative approach to drug target validation where no pharmacological blockers exist or global knock-outs are lethal. Here, we used the Cre-loxP system to delete BDNF in most nociceptive sensory neurons. Conditional null animals were healthy with no sensory neuron loss. However, pain-related behavior was substantially altered. Baseline thermal thresholds were reduced. Carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia was inhibited. Formalin-induced pain behavior was attenuated in the second phase, and this correlated with abolition of NMDA receptor NR1 Ser896/897 phosphorylation and ERK1 and ERK2 activation in the dorsal horn; AMPA receptor phosphorylation (GluR1/Ser831) was unaffected. NGF-induced thermal hyperalgesia was halved, and mechanical secondary hyperalgesia caused by intramuscular NGF was abolished. By contrast, neuropathic pain behavior developed normally. Nociceptor-derived BDNF thus plays an important role in regulating inflammatory pain thresholds and secondary hyperalgesia, but BDNF released only from nociceptors plays no role in the development of neuropathic pain.
 ...
PMID:Nociceptor-derived brain-derived neurotrophic factor regulates acute and inflammatory but not neuropathic pain. 1641 88

The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus is the center of an internal biological clock in mammals. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter of retino-hypothalamic tract responsible for mediating the circadian actions of light in rodents. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, particularly NR2B subunit are reported to be principally involved in photic resetting of the biological clock in vivo and in slice culture. But, the precise cellular mechanisms of the resetting are not elucidated, because no adequate neuronal cell lines derived from the suprachiasmatic nucleus have been established. We established a neuronal cell line, N14.5, derived from the suprachiasmatic nucleus of a transgenic rat harboring the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. When the cells were cultured at 39 degrees C, the morphological features were turned fibroblastic into neuronal round cell body with neurite extensions. These cells showed immunoreactivities for neuronal markers (betaIII-tubulin, microtubule-associated protein 2 and TAU2) and as well as for vasoactive intestinal peptide which is expressed in the ventrolateral region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The cells expressed N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, particularly NR1 and NR2B subunits as revealed by quantitative PCR. N-methyl-d-aspartate activated phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and increased expression level of Per1 and Per2 mRNA. These results suggest that the N14.5 is a novel neuronal cell line derived from the ventrolateral region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors expressed in the cells are a functional receptor. The N14.5 cells may be a useful tool to elucidate numerous chronobiological processes, especially resetting mechanism induced by an external light signal.
 ...
PMID:A novel neuronal cell line derived from the ventrolateral region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. 1661 28


1 2 3 4 5 Next >>