Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

---

Query: EC:2.7.11.24 (mitogen-activated protein kinase)
95,810 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Endocrine therapy for advanced prostate cancer is based on androgen ablation or blockade of the androgen receptor (AR). AR action in prostate cancer has been investigated in a number of cell lines, their derivatives, and transgenic animals. AR expression is heterogenous in prostate cancer in vivo; it could be detected in most primary tumors and their metastases. However, some cells lack the AR because of epigenetic changes in the gene promoter. AR expression increases after chronic androgen ablation in vitro. In several xenografts, AR upregulation is the most consistent change identified during progression towards therapy resistance. In contrast, the AR pathway may be by-passed during chronic treatment with a nonsteroidal anti-androgen. AR sensitivity in prostate cancer increases as a result of activation of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. One of the major difficulties in endocrine therapy for prostate cancer is acquisition of agonistic properties of AR antagonists observed in the presence of mutated AR. Enhancement of AR function by associated coactivator proteins has been extensively investigated. Cofactors SRC-1, RAC3, p300/CBP, TIF-2, and Tip60 are upregulated in advanced prostate cancer. Most studies on ligand-independent activation of the AR are focused on Her-2/neu and interleukin-6 (IL-6). On the basis of studies that showed overexpression and activation of the AR in advanced prostate cancer, it was suggested that novel therapies that reduce AR expression will provide a benefit to patients. There is experimental evidence showing that prostate tumor growth in vitro and in vivo is inhibited following administration of chemopreventive drugs or antisense oligonucleotides that downregulate AR mRNA and protein expression.
...
PMID:Androgen axis in prostate cancer. 1659 69

Optic nerve head (ONH) astrocytes from patients with glaucomatous optic neuropathy exhibit increased production of 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol), a neuroactive metabolite of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5alpha-DHT). To determine whether ONH astrocytes are androgen target cells, and whether 3alpha-diol is capable of regulating astrocyte functions, we studied the response of human ONH astrocytes to 3alpha-diol compared with 17beta-hydroxy-17alpha-methyl-estra-4,9,11-trien-3-one (R1881), a synthetic 5alpha-DHT agonist. In ONH astrocytes, both 3alpha-diol and R1881 increased protein levels of androgen receptor (AR) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), however, only R1881 also increased the AR mRNA level and astrocyte proliferation. Both R1881 and 3alpha-diol rapidly activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in ONH astrocytes, as confirmed by phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). 3Alpha-diol also activates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. 3Alpha-diol regulates the increase of AR protein level and the phosphorylation through the PI3K/Akt pathway, whereas R1881 regulates them through the MAPK/ERK pathway. Our findings demonstrate that human ONH astrocytes are androgen target cells and respond to androgens by the rapid activation of cell signaling. The activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway by 3alpha-diol may regulate various properties of astrocytes, including cell motility and survival, and may play a role in the formation and maintenance of the reactive phenotype of ONH astrocytes in glaucoma.
...
PMID:A neuroactive steroid 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol regulates androgen receptor level in astrocytes. 1663 15

Expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch in the androgen receptor (AR) protein leads to spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by lower motor neuron degeneration. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying SBMA remain unknown, but recent experiments show that inhibition of fast axonal transport (FAT) by polyQ-expanded proteins, including polyQ-AR, represents a new cytoplasmic pathogenic lesion. Using pharmacological, biochemical and cell biological experiments, we found a new pathogenic pathway that is affected in SBMA and results in compromised FAT. PolyQ-AR inhibits FAT in a human cell line and in squid axoplasm through a pathway that involves activation of cJun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Active JNK phosphorylated kinesin-1 heavy chains and inhibited kinesin-1 microtubule-binding activity. JNK inhibitors prevented polyQ-AR-mediated inhibition of FAT and reversed suppression of neurite formation by polyQ-AR. We propose that JNK represents a promising target for therapeutic interventions in SBMA.
...
PMID:JNK mediates pathogenic effects of polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor on fast axonal transport. 1675 63

The majority of prostate cancers (PCa) that relapse after androgen deprivation therapy (androgen-independent PCa) continue to express androgen receptor (AR). To study the functional importance of AR in these tumors, we derived androgen-independent CWR22 PCa xenografts in castrated mice and generated a cell line from one of these xenografts (CWR22R3). Similarly to androgen-independent PCa in patients, the relapsed xenografts and cell line expressed AR and were resistant to treatment with bicalutamide. However, expression of the AR-regulated PSA gene in the CWR22R3 cell line was markedly decreased compared to the relapsed xenografts in vivo. Transfections with androgen-regulated reporter genes further indicated that the cells lacked androgen-independent AR transcriptional activity and were not hypersensitive to low androgen concentrations despite constitutive activation of the Erk/MAP kinases. Nonetheless, AR remained essential for androgen-independent growth because retroviral shRNA-mediated AR down-regulation resulted in marked long-term growth suppression. This was associated with increased levels of p27(kip1) and hypophosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein but not with decreases in D-type cyclin levels or MAP kinase activation. These results reveal a potentially critical function of AR in androgen-independent PCa that is distinct from its previously described transcriptional or nontranscriptional functions.
...
PMID:Androgen receptor remains critical for cell-cycle progression in androgen-independent CWR22 prostate cancer cells. 1687 66

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a promising agent for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis (PMO), but the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which this steroid modulates apoptosis of osteoblasts (OB) are still poorly understood. In this study,the OBs were cultured in vitro by the enzyme-digested method,treated with DHEA (10(-7) mol/L) for 0h, 24h, 48h, 72h, respectively. The expressions of ER alpha, ER beta and AR mRNA in OB were analyzed by RT-PCR. After the primary OBs were deprived of serum for a further 24h, and then pretreated with 1 micromol/L ICI 182,780 (an estrogen receptor antagonist), 10 micromol/L Flutamide (an androgen receptor antagonist) or 100 micromol/L U0126 (a specific inhibitor of MAPK pathway) for 1h, they were treated with a series of concentrations of DHEA (10(-10) - 10(-5) mol/L) in serum-free medium for 72h,the apoptotic cells were analyzed by FCM with the Annexin-V-FITC/PI dual labeling technique. The OBs were incubated in 1 micromol/L ICI 182,780 or 10 micromol/L Flutamide for 25 minutes,and then treated with different concentrations of DHEA for the further 10 minutes. The phosphorylation status of ERK1/2 was analyzed by Western blot. After the OBs were incubated with DHEA (10(-7)mol/L) for 24h, 48h or 72h, respectively, its ERbeta and AR mRNA level were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively), but the ER alpha mRNA level had no change. The 10(-9) - 10(-6) mol/L of DHEA inhibited OBs early apoptosis induced by the serum deprivation (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). The inhibiting effect, moreover, could be blocked by the specific inhibitor of MAPK pathway, U0126. The effects of DHEA were neither blocked by the steroid hormone antagonist ICI 182,780 nor by Flutamide. Western blot showed that neither receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 nor Flutamide could block the DHEA-induced ERKs phosphorylation in OBs,which was similar to the apoptosis. DHEA inhibits apoptosis in OBs presumably via a DHEA-specific receptor that involves mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway, phospho-pERK1/2, independent of either ARs or ERs.
...
PMID:[DHEA inhibits apoptosis of murine OB through MAPK signaling pathways independent of either ARs or ERs]. 1695 95

Androgen independence is responsible for most prostate cancer lethality, yet currently there are no effective clinical treatments. We have been investigating the mechanisms underlying androgen-independent prostate cancer in Nkx3.1;Pten mutant mice, which display salient features of the disease, including a requirement for wild-type androgen receptor (AR) signaling. We now demonstrate that the Akt and Erk MAP kinase signaling pathways are activated in androgen-independent lesions of these mice. Forced activation of either Akt or Erk signaling in an androgen-responsive prostate cancer cell line promotes hormone-independent but AR-dependent growth in culture. Although these pathways act additively in culture, they act synergistically in vivo to promote tumorigenicity and androgen independence in the context of the prostate microenvironment. We propose that androgen independence emerges by means of epithelial-stromal competition, in which activation of Akt and Erk promotes AR activity in the prostate epithelium while counteracting antagonistic effects of the stroma.
...
PMID:Combinatorial activities of Akt and B-Raf/Erk signaling in a mouse model of androgen-independent prostate cancer. 1697 50

Progression to androgen independence is the lethal end stage of prostate cancer. We used expression of androgen receptor (AR)-targeted short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) to directly test the requirement for AR in ligand-independent activation of androgen-regulated genes and hormone-independent tumor progression. Transient transfection of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells showed that AR shRNA decreased R1881 induction of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-luciferase reporter by 96%, whereas activation by forskolin, interleukin-6, or epidermal growth factor was inhibited 48% to 75%. Whereas the antiandrogen bicalutamide provided no further suppression, treatment with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor U0126 completely abrogated the residual activity, indicating a MAPK-dependent, AR-independent pathway for regulating the PSA promoter. Expression of doxycycline-inducible AR shRNA expression in LNCaP cells resulted in decreased levels of AR and PSA as well as reduced proliferation in vitro. When these cells were grown as xenografts in immunocompromised mice, induction of AR shRNA decreased serum PSA to below castration nadir levels and significantly retarded tumor growth over the entire 55-day experimental period. This is the first demonstration that, by inducibly suppressing AR expression in vivo, there is an extensive delay in progression to androgen independence as well as a dramatic inhibition of tumor growth and decrease in serum PSA, which exceeds that seen with castration alone. Based on these findings, we propose that suppressing AR expression may provide superior therapeutic benefit in reducing tumor growth rate than castration and may additionally be very effective in delaying progression to androgen independence.
...
PMID:Short hairpin RNA knockdown of the androgen receptor attenuates ligand-independent activation and delays tumor progression. 1707 86

Alterations in the signaling pathways of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and activation of the ERK/MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway by growth factors have been implicated in the development and progression of prostate cancer. Smad1 acts as a substrate for MAPKs and also performs a central role in transmitting signals from BMPs. We found that BMPs/Smad1 signaling inhibits the growth of androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells. Upon the incorporation of ERK/MAPK signals at its linker region, Smad1 physically interacts with androgen-activated androgen receptor (AR) and suppresses its functions. BMPs induce the function of Smad1 as an AR transcriptional corepressor. We demonstrated in vivo that Smad1 signaling is low in androgen-regulated growth of prostate cancer, is activated after castration, and also is decreased in hormone-independent tumors. The activation status of ERK/MAPK parallels Smad1 in the progression of prostate cancer; thus, our findings indicate a molecular basis for the integration of signals of MAPK and Smad1 in the progression and androgen regulation of prostate cancer.
...
PMID:Control of prostate cell growth: BMP antagonizes androgen mitogenic activity with incorporation of MAPK signals in Smad1. 1718 65

Ginsenosides have been shown to stimulate nitric oxide (NO) production in aortic endothelial cells. However, the signaling pathways involved have not been well studied in human aortic endothelial cells. The present study was designed to examine whether purified ginsenoside Rb1, a major active component of ginseng could actually induce NO production and to clarify the signaling pathway in human aortic endothelial cells. NO production was rapidly increased by Rb1. The rapid increase in NO production was abrogated by treatment with nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor, L-NAME. Rb1 stimulated rapid phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473), ERK1/2 (Thr202/Thr204) and eNOS (Ser1177). Rapid phosphorylation of eNOS (Ser1177) was prevented by SH-5, an Akt inhibitor or wortmannin, PI3-kinase inhibitor and partially attenuated by PD98059, an upstream inhibitor for ERK1/2. Interestingly, NO production and eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177 by Rb1 were abolished by androgen receptor antagonist, nilutamide. The results suggest that PI3kinase/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways and androgen receptor are involved in the regulation of acute eNOS activation by Rb1 in human aortic endothelial cells.
...
PMID:Signaling pathway of nitric oxide production induced by ginsenoside Rb1 in human aortic endothelial cells: a possible involvement of androgen receptor. 1719 33

A new pathway of testosterone (T) action in Sertoli cells was recently identified that may be required to support spermatozoa production (spermatogenesis) and fertility. Specifically, T acts via the androgen receptor (AR) to rapidly activate the MAPK cascade and the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) transcription factor in Sertoli cells. In further characterizing the signaling pathway that transduces T actions, we now find that a population of AR is localized to the plasma membrane and that AR associates with Src kinase after T stimulation. In addition, we demonstrate that Src kinase is activated by T and that Src kinase activity is required for stimulation of the ERK MAPK and CREB. Furthermore, we determine that activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor downstream of Src contributes to the activation of the MAPK cascade and CREB. The elucidation of this nonclassical pathway of T action in the testis may provide new targets for the control of male fertility.
...
PMID:Testosterone activates mitogen-activated protein kinase via Src kinase and the epidermal growth factor receptor in sertoli cells. 1727 94


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>

---