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)

Several studies have shown that HER-2/neu (erbB-2) blocking therapy strategies can cause tumor remission. However, the responsible molecular mechanisms are not yet known. Both ERK1/2 and Akt/PKB are critical for HER-2-mediated signal transduction. Therefore, we used a mouse tumor model that allows downregulation of HER-2 in tumor tissue by administration of anhydrotetracycline (ATc). Switching-off HER-2 caused a rapid tumor remission by more than 95% within 7 d of ATc administration compared to the volume before switching-off HER-2. Interestingly, HER-2 downregulation caused a dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2 by more than 80% already before tumor remission occurred. Levels of total ERK protein were not influenced. In contrast, dephosphorylation of p-Akt occurred later, when the tumor was already in remission. These data suggest that in our HER-2 tumor model dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2 may be more critical for tumor remission than dephosphorylation of p-Akt. To test this hypothesis we used a second mouse tumor model that allows ATc controlled expression of BXB-Raf1 because the latter constitutively signals to ERK1/2, but cannot activate Akt/PKB. As expected, downregulation of BXB-Raf1 in tumor tissue caused a strong dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2, but did not decrease levels of p-Akt. Interestingly, tumor remission after switching-off BXB-Raf1 was similarly efficient as the effect of HER-2 downregulation, despite the lack of p-Akt dephosphorylation. In conclusion, two lines of evidence strongly suggest that dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2 and not that of p-Akt is critical for the rapid tumor remission after downregulation of HER-2 or BXB-Raf1 in our tumor model: (i) dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2 but not that of p-Akt precedes tumor remission after switching-off HER-2 and (ii) downregulation of BXB-Raf1 leads to a similarly efficient tumor remission as downregulation of HER-2, although no p-Akt dephosphorylation was observed after switching-off BXB-Raf1.
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PMID:Dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2 in relation to tumor remission after HER-2 and Raf1 blocking therapy in a conditional mouse tumor model. 1649 87

The cellular and molecular effects of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib on breast cancer cells are as yet poorly characterized. Here, in a panel of six breast cancer cell lines, bortezomib reduced viability in a concentration-dependent, time-dependent, and cell line-dependent manner. Proteasome activity was relatively high in two of the three more resistant cell lines. No relationship was observed between bortezomib effects on cell viability and expression/phosphorylation of HER-2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), AKT, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Molecular effects of bortezomib were further studied in SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cells because they share expression of EGFR and overexpression of HER-2 while, in contrast, SK-BR-3 cells were 200-fold more sensitive to this agent. Proteasome activity was inhibited to a similar extent in the two cell lines, and known proteasome substrates accumulated similarly. In SK-BR-3 cells, a marked inhibition of EGFR, HER-2, and AKT phosphorylation was observed at a clinically relevant concentration of bortezomib. In contrast, phosphorylation of Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK 1/2)/ERK1/2 increased by bortezomib. In BT-474 cells, the effects were much less pronounced. Treatment of SK-BR-3 cells with bortezomib combined with pharmacologic inhibitors of EGFR, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, or MEK resulted in modest or no enhancement of the effects on cell viability. Collectively, these results show that bortezomib has differential cellular and molecular effects in human breast cancer cells. The bortezomib-observed effects on signaling transduction molecules might be relevant to help to design mechanistic-based combination treatments.
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PMID:Differential cellular and molecular effects of bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, in human breast cancer cells. 1654 81

Hsp90 is a highly abundant chaperone whose clientele includes hundreds of cellular proteins, many of which are central players in key signal transduction pathways and the majority of which are protein kinases. In light of the variety of Hsp90 clientele, the mechanism of selectivity of the chaperone toward its client proteins is a major open question. Focusing on human kinases, we have demonstrated that the chaperone recognizes a common surface in the amino-terminal lobe of kinases from diverse families, including two newly identified clients, NFkappaB-inducing kinase and death-associated protein kinase, and the oncoprotein HER2/ErbB-2. Surface electrostatics determine the interaction with the Hsp90 chaperone complex such that introduction of a negative charge within this region disrupts recognition. Compiling information on the Hsp90 dependence of 105 protein kinases, including 16 kinases whose relationship to Hsp90 is first examined in this study, reveals that surface features, rather than a contiguous amino acid sequence, define the capacity of the Hsp90 chaperone machine to recognize client kinases. Analyzing Hsp90 regulation of two major signaling cascades, the mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, leads us to propose that the selectivity of the chaperone to specific kinases is functional, namely that Hsp90 controls kinases that function as hubs integrating multiple inputs. These lessons bear significance to pharmacological attempts to target the chaperone in human pathologies, such as cancer.
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PMID:Hsp90 recognizes a common surface on client kinases. 1655 24

While fruits and vegetables are recommended for prevention of cancer and other diseases, their active ingredients (at the molecular level) and their mechanisms of action less well understood. Extensive research during the last half century has identified various molecular targets that can potentially be used not only for the prevention of cancer but also for treatment. However, lack of success with targeted monotherapy resulting from bypass mechanisms has forced researchers to employ either combination therapy or agents that interfere with multiple cell-signaling pathways. In this review, we present evidence that numerous agents identified from fruits and vegetables can interfere with several cell-signaling pathways. The agents include curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (red grapes, peanuts and berries), genistein (soybean), diallyl sulfide (allium), S-allyl cysteine (allium), allicin (garlic), lycopene (tomato), capsaicin (red chilli), diosgenin (fenugreek), 6-gingerol (ginger), ellagic acid (pomegranate), ursolic acid (apple, pears, prunes), silymarin (milk thistle), anethol (anise, camphor, and fennel), catechins (green tea), eugenol (cloves), indole-3-carbinol (cruciferous vegetables), limonene (citrus fruits), beta carotene (carrots), and dietary fiber. For instance, the cell-signaling pathways inhibited by curcumin alone include NF-kappaB, AP-1, STAT3, Akt, Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L), caspases, PARP, IKK, EGFR, HER2, JNK, MAPK, COX2, and 5-LOX. The active principle identified in fruit and vegetables and the molecular targets modulated may be the basis for how these dietary agents not only prevent but also treat cancer and other diseases. This work reaffirms what Hippocrates said 25 centuries ago, let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
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PMID:Molecular targets of dietary agents for prevention and therapy of cancer. 1656 57

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of activated (phosphorylated) ERK1/2, oestrogen receptor alpha phosphorylated at S118 (ERalphaS118), and HER2 in primary breast cancer, and to make correlations with the outcome of tamoxifen therapy. We performed immunohistochemical analysis to determine the expression of HER2, ERalphaS118, and activated ERK1/2 in tumours obtained from 279 women with primary breast cancer. HER2 status was also estimated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. We identified 108 women with ERalpha-positive tumours who had received adjuvant tamoxifen. Activated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) and ERalphaS118 were found to be associated with each other and with other factors correlated with good prognosis. HER2 was inversely associated with pERK1/2. Positive staining for pERK1/2 (particularly intense staining) indicated better relapse-free survival (P=0.05) and a trend towards better breast cancer-corrected survival in women treated with tamoxifen. To conclude, this study shows that activated ERK1/2 and ERalphaS118 are associated with improved survival. The poorer outcome in HER2-positive women who receive adjuvant tamoxifen cannot be explained by the crosstalk between HER2 and ERalphaS118 via activated ERK1/2 alone.
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PMID:Activated ERK1/2 and phosphorylated oestrogen receptor alpha are associated with improved breast cancer survival in women treated with tamoxifen. 1660 46

To investigate the mechanisms through which p130Cas adaptor protein is linked to tumorigenesis, we generated mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-p130Cas mice overexpressing p130Cas in the mammary gland. MMTVp130Cas transgenic mice are characterized by extensive mammary epithelial hyperplasia during development and pregnancy and by delayed involution at the end of lactation. These phenotypes are associated with activation of Src kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and Akt pathways, leading to an increased rate of proliferation and a decreased apoptosis. A double-transgenic line derived from crossing MMTV-p130Cas with MMTV-HER2-Neu mice expressing the activated form of the HER2-Neu oncogene develops multifocal mammary tumors with a significantly shorter latency than the HER2-Neu parental strain alone. Mammary epithelial cells isolated from tumors of double-transgenic mice display increased tyrosine phosphorylation, c-Src, and Akt activation compared with cells derived from HER2-Neu tumors. In addition, p130Cas down-regulation by RNA interference increases apoptosis in HER2-Neu-expressing cells, indicating that p130Cas regulates cell survival. Consistently with the double-transgenic mice model, p130Cas is overexpressed in a significant subset of human breast cancers and high levels of p130Cas in association with HER2 expression correlate with elevated proliferation. These findings provide evidences for a role of p130Cas as a positive regulator of both proliferation and survival in normal and transformed mammary epithelial cells. Its overexpression contributes to HER2-Neu-induced breast tumorigenesis, thus identifying this protein as a putative target for clinical therapy.
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PMID:p130Cas as a new regulator of mammary epithelial cell proliferation, survival, and HER2-neu oncogene-dependent breast tumorigenesis. 1665 18

Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland and other sites that acts both systemically and locally to cause lactation and other biological effects by interacting with the PRL receptor, a Janus kinase (JAK)2-coupled cytokine receptor family member, and activating downstream signal pathways. Recent evidence suggests PRL is a player in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) also has effects on breast tissue, working through its receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB-2 (c-neu, HER2), both intrinsic tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors. EGFR promotes pubertal breast ductal morphogenesis in mice, and both EGFR and ErbB-2 are relevant in pathogenesis and behavior of breast and other human cancers. Previous studies showed that PRL and EGF synergize to enhance motility in the human breast cancer cell line, T47D. In this study, we explored crosstalk between the PRL and EGF signaling pathways in T47D cells, with an ultimate aim of understanding how these two important factors might work together in vivo to affect breast cancer behavior. Both PRL and EGF caused robust signaling in T47D cells; PRL acutely activated JAK2, signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 and -2 (ERK1 and ERK2), whereas EGF caused EGFR activation and consequent src homology collagen (SHC) activation and ERK activation. Notably, PRL also caused phosphorylation of the EGFR and ErbB-2 at sites detected by PTP101, an antibody that recognizes threonine phosphorylation at consensus motifs for ERK-induced phosphorylation. PRL-induced PTP101-reactive phosphorylation was prevented by pretreatment with PD98059, an ERK pathway inhibitor. Furthermore, PRL synergized with EGF in activating SHC and ERK and transactivating a luciferase reporter driven by c-fos gene enhancer elements, suggesting that PRL allowed markedly enhanced EGF signaling. This was accompanied by substantial inhibition of EGF-induced EGFR downregulation when PRL and EGF cotreatment was compared to EGF treatment alone. This effect of PRL was abrogated by ERK pathway inhibitor pretreatment. Our data suggest that PRL synergistically augments EGF signaling in T47D breast cancer cells at least in part by lessening EGF-induced EGFR downregulation and that this effect requires PRL-induced ERK activity and threonine phosphorylation of EGFR.
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PMID:Prolactin modulates phosphorylation, signaling and trafficking of epidermal growth factor receptor in human T47D breast cancer cells. 1678 91

Clinical studies indicate that Herceptin (trastuzumab), a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor, provides a significant but transient survival advantage to a subset of patients with HER-2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer when given as a first-line agent. Increased insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I receptor (IGF-IR) signaling has recently been identified as a potential factor adversely influencing the response to Herceptin. We examined the effect of recombinant human IGF binding protein 3 (rhIGFBP-3), an antagonist of IGF-IR signaling, in Herceptin-resistant breast cells in vitro and in tumors in vivo. Consistent with results obtained using HER-2- or IGF-IR-transfected cells (MCF-7/HER2-18 and SKBR3/IGF-IR, respectively), we found that rhIGFBP-3 significantly reduced IGF-I-induced IGF-IR phosphorylation and displayed a synergistic interaction with Herceptin against cultured HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer cells in vitro. We show, for the first time, the antitumor activity of rhIGFBP-3 against advanced-stage MCF-7/HER2-18-transfected human breast cancer xenografts and its potentiation of Herceptin activity. We also provide evidence that IGF-IR activation counters the early suppressive effect of Herceptin on HER-2 signaling via Akt and p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and that inhibition of HER-2-overexpressing human breast tumor growth by rhIGFBP-3 is associated with restored down-regulation of Akt and p44/p42 MAPK phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. These results emphasize the merit of evaluating simultaneous blockade of the HER-2 and IGF-IR pathways using combination therapy with rhIGFBP-3 plus Herceptin in human clinical trials of patients with HER-2-positive breast cancer.
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PMID:Recombinant human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 inhibits growth of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-overexpressing breast tumors and potentiates herceptin activity in vivo. 1684 73

The anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody cetuximab has been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. However, there is currently no reliable marker for response to therapy with the EGFR inhibitors. In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of 10 human colorectal tumor cell lines (DiFi, CCL218, CCL221, CCL225, CCL227, CCL228, CCL231, CCL235, CCL244, and HCT-116) to treatment with our anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, ICR62, and/or the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, gefitinib. Of the cells examined, only DiFi contained high levels of constitutively active EGFR and were highly sensitive to treatment with both ICR62 (IC(50) = 0.52 nmol/L) and gefitinib (IC(50) = 27.5 nmol/L). In contrast, the growth of other tumor cell lines, which contained low levels of the EGFR, HER-2, and pAkt but comparable or even higher basal levels of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (pMAPK), were relatively resistant to treatment with both inhibitors. Both ICR62 and gefitinib induced EGFR down-regulation, reduced the basal levels of pEGFR at five known tyrosine residues, pMAPK, and pAkt, and increased the sub-G(1) population in DiFi cells. However, treatment with a combination of ICR62 and gefitinib neither sensitized colorectal tumor cells that were insensitive to treatment with the single agent nor enhanced the growth-inhibitory effect of the single agent in DiFi cells. These results indicate that basal levels of pMAPK and pAkt are not good indicators of response to the EGFR inhibitors in colorectal cancer cells and dual targeting of the EGFR by a combination of ICR62 and gefitinib is not superior to treatment with a single agent.
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PMID:Responses of human colorectal tumor cells to treatment with the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody ICR62 used alone and in combination with the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. 1688 73

HER4 expression in human breast cancers correlates with a positive prognosis. While heregulin inhibits the growth of HER4-positive breast cancer cells, it does so by undefined mechanisms. We demonstrate that heregulin-induced HER4 activity inhibits cell proliferation and delays G(2)/M progression of breast cancer cells. While investigating pathways of G(2)/M delay, we noted that heregulin increased the expression of BRCA1 in a HER4-dependent, HER2-independent manner. Induction of BRCA1 by HER4 occurred independently of the cell cycle. Moreover, BRCA1 expression was elevated in HER4-postive human breast cancer specimens. Heregulin stimulated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and pharmacologic inhibition of JNK impaired heregulin-enhanced expression of BRCA1 and mitotic delay; inhibition of Erk1/2 did not. Knockdown of BRCA1 with small interfering RNA in a human breast cancer cell line interfered with HER4-mediated mitotic delay. Heregulin/HER4-dependent mitotic delay was examined further with an isogenic pair of mouse mammary epithelial cells (MECs) derived from mice harboring homozygous LoxP sites flanking exon 11 of BRCA1, such that one cell line expressed BRCA1 while the other cell line, after Cre-mediated excision, did not. BRCA1-positive MECs displayed heregulin-dependent mitotic delay; however, the isogenic BRCA1-negative MECs did not. These results suggest that heregulin-mediated growth inhibition in HER4-postive breast cancer cells requires BRCA1.
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PMID:Heregulin-dependent delay in mitotic progression requires HER4 and BRCA1. 1691 27


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