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

Treatment of U937 human leukemic cells with the phorbol ester PMA, activates both mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK), stimulates c-Jun phosphorylation and transcriptional activity, and induces a macrophage-like differentiation of U937 cells. The involvement of the MAPK pathway in mediating both the early phosphorylation and transcriptional activation events and the chronic differentiation of U937 cells was examined utilizing constitutively active MAPK kinase (MEK1) mutants. Transient expression of an activated MEK1 construct in U937 cells was found to stimulate MAPK and SAPK activity, as well as enhancing AP1-, SRE- and c-Jun-mediated transcriptional activity. Transient transfection of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), a protein phosphatase which preferentially dephosphorylates and inactivates MAPK, inhibited the functional effects of both PMA and the constitutively active MEK1 mutants. To determine whether specific activation of the MEK/MAPK pathway was sufficient to induce hematopoietic differentiation, U937 cell lines were established that conditionally expressed the activated MEK1 mutant under the control of the human IIa metallothionein promoter. The induction of constitutively active MEK1 protein expression resulted in an increase in MEK1 activity, c-Jun and AP-1 transcriptional activity and an inhibition of U937 cell growth. However, this growth inhibition was not accompanied by U937 cell differentiation. These results suggest that a cross-talk mechanism exists between the MAPK and SAPK signal transduction pathways in U937 cells and that PMA-mediated SAPK activation may involve the MAPK pathway. Furthermore, selective activation of the MEK/MAPK pathway utilizing a constitutively active MEK1 mutant, while growth inhibitory, was not sufficient to induce the macrophage-like differentiation of U937 cells.
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PMID:Constitutively active MAP kinase kinase (MEK1) stimulates SAP kinase and c-Jun transcriptional activity in U937 human leukemic cells. 857 Jan 88

ATF3 gene, which encodes a member of the activating transcription factor/cAMP responsive element binding protein (ATF/CREB) family of transcription factors, is induced by many physiological stresses. As a step toward understanding the induction mechanisms, we isolated the human ATF3 gene and analyzed its genome organization and 5'-flanking region. We found that the human ATF3 mRNA is derived from four exons distributed over 15 kilobases. Sequence analysis of the 5'-flanking region revealed a consensus TATA box and a number of transcription factor binding sites including the AP-1, ATF/CRE, NF-kappa B, E2F, and Myc/Max binding sites. As another approach to understanding the mechanisms by which the ATF3 gene is induced by stress signals, we studied the regulation of the ATF3 gene in tissue culture cells by anisomycin, an approach that has been used to study the stress responses in tissue culture cells. We showed that anisomycin at a low concentration activates the ATF3 promoter and stabilizes the ATF3 mRNA. Significantly, co-transfection of DNAs expressing ATF2 and c-Jun activates the ATF3 promoter. A possible mechanism implicating the C-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) stress-inducible signaling pathway in the induction of the ATF3 gene is discussed.
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PMID:ATF3 gene. Genomic organization, promoter, and regulation. 857 71

B chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and hairy cell leukemia (HCL) cells are refractory to many of the signals which activate normal B cells but are stimulated to proliferate by tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Cell signalling by TNF is mediated in part by the induction of the transcription factor families AP-1 and NF-kappa B. In some cellular contexts, these factors play a role in regulating cell cycle transit. AP-1 binds DNA as dimers of jun and fos family proteins and is regulated by a cascade of protein kinases which eventually activate a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) and also by protein kinase C. Three pathways have been implicated in the activation of NF-kappa B by extracellular ligands. 1, the activation of protein kinase C by diacylglycerol generated by ligand-mediated activation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis, 2, stimulation of specific protein kinases by ceramide generated following activation of a sphingomyelinase by diacylglycerol and 3, a novel pathway involving ligand-induced generation of free radical species. In B-CLL and HCL cells, the generation of nuclear-localized c-jun and c-fos proteins (components of AP-1) in response to TNF or PMA appears to be blocked. Whereas PMA failed to induce NF-kappa B in these cells, this factor was readily induced by TNF. TNF induction of NF-kappa B was abolished by antioxidants, suggesting involvement of the free radical pathway. The data discussed here suggest defects in coupling of some protein kinase C-dependent pathways in B-CLL and HCL cells and that TNF is able to bypass these blocks by the activation of NF-kappa B via a free radical-dependent pathway which is independent of protein kinase C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Defects in signal transduction pathways in chronic B lymphocytic leukemia cells. 858 Aug 20

Activation of macrophages by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces transcription of genes that encode for proinflammatory regulators of the immune response. Previous work has suggested that activation of the transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) is one LPS-induced event that mediates this response. Consistent with this notion, we found that LPS stimulated AP-1-mediated transcription of a transfected reporter gene in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. As AP-1 activity is regulated in part by activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which phosphorylates and subsequently increases the transcriptional activity of c-Jun, we examined whether LPS treatment of macrophages resulted in activation of this kinase. LPS treatment of RAW 264.7 cells, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, and the human monocyte cell line THP-1 resulted in rapid activation of the p46 and p54 isoforms of JNK. Treatment with wild-type and rough mutant forms of LPS and synthetic lipid A resulted in JNK activation, while pretreatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A inhibited this response. Binding of LPS-LPS binding protein (LBP) complexes to CD14, a surface receptor that mediates many LPS responses, was found to be crucial, as pretreatment of THP-1 cells with the monoclonal antibody 60b, which blocks this binding, inhibited JNK activation. These results suggest that LPS activation of JNK in monocyte/macrophage cells is a CD14- and protein tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent event that may mediate the early activation of AP-1 in regulating LPS-triggered gene induction.
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PMID:Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in bacterial lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. 861 Jan 16

We have recently shown that mechanical stress activates a phosphorylation cascade of protein kinases including Raf-1 and the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) in cultured cardiac myocytes partially through the enhanced secretion of angiotensin II. Osmotic stress in budding yeast has been shown to activate similar signaling molecules including Hog-1, a distant relative of the ERK family. In the present study, we examined whether mechanical stretch of cardiac myocytes activates the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs)/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, the mammalian homologs of yeast Hog-1 that regulate gene expression through activation of the transcription factor, AP-1. When cardiac myocytes of neonatal rats cultured on a deformable silicone dish were stretched, activity of SAPKs was increased from 10 min, peaked at 30 min, and gradually decreased thereafter. The increase in activity of SAPKs was proportional to the stretch. Unlike ERKs, the activation of SAPKs by stretching cardiac myocytes was not dependent on the secreted angiotensin II. The chelation of extracellular Ca2+ or down-regulation of protein kinase C did not attenuate activation of SAPKs by stretch. Transfection experiments using an AP-1 binding site-containing reporter gene revealed that stretch increases AP-1 activity in cardiac myocytes. In conclusion, like osmotic stress in yeast, mechanical stretch activates SAPKs in cardiac myocytes without the participation of angiotensin II. These results suggest that the activation of SAPKs may regulate gene expression during mechanical stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy.
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PMID:Mechanical stretch activates the stress-activated protein kinases in cardiac myocytes. 862 Oct 62

c-Fos is phosphorylated by MAP kinase and the 90 kDa-ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) in vitro at serines 362 and 374 (rat) which we demonstrate are major in vivo phosphorylation sites in early G1. We have constructed c-Fos mutants with these serines changed to aspartic acid residues (FosD) to mimic phosphorylation or to alanine residues (FosA) to prevent phosphorylation. Cells expressing FosD exhibited a more extensive transformed phenotype than those expressing either FosA or wild type c-Fos (FosWT). We also observed that FosA has a reduced half-life in comparison with FosD in G1. Furthermore, we observed enhanced AP-1 transactivation activity in cells expressing FosD. These results indicate that phosphorylation of c-Fos at its extreme carboxyterminus, possibly by MAP kinase and RSK, supports the proliferative response by increasing c-Fos stability and/or by increasing its transactivation activity. Under conditions in which the MAP kinase pathway is constitutively activated, c-Fos phosphorylation probably contributes to cellular transformation. The highly conserved nature of these phosphorylation sites in other c-fos family members suggests that these may also be targets of MAP kinase and RSK.
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PMID:Phosphorylation of c-Fos at the C-terminus enhances its transforming activity. 862 65

A number of studies have demonstrated that the proliferative capacity of cells declines with aging. In particular, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated DNA synthesis is reduced in hepatocytes from aged rats relative to young rats. Growth factor stimulation activates a genetic program in large part regulated by a family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) that phosphorylate and thereby activate transcription factors involved in controlling the expression of proliferation-associated genes. In the present study, we compared the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) MAPK in EGF-stimulated hepatocytes derived from young (6-month) and aged (24-month) rats. JNK activity was not appreciably altered by EGF treatment of cells from either age group. In contrast, ERK2 was highly activated by EGF treatment, but the magnitude of activation was significantly lower in hepatocytes of aged animals compared to those of young animals (7-fold versus 20-fold, respectively). The reduced ERK2 activity in response to EGF was associated with decreased c-fos and c-jun mRNA expression and lower levels of AP-1 transcription factor DNA binding activity in the aged hepatocytes. Finally, the basal expression of MAPK phosphatase 1, a MAPK-regulated gene involved in regulating MAPK activity, was higher in aged hepatocytes. Taken together, these findings suggest that an alteration in the balance between MAP kinase-phosphatase activities could contribute to the age-related decline in proliferative capacity.
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PMID:Age-related decline in mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in epidermal growth factor-stimulated rat hepatocytes. 863 68

T helper type 1 cells (Th1) become anergic when stimulated through the antigen receptor in the absence of costimulation. They do not produce IL-2 or proliferate in response to subsequent stimulation. Previous studies have indicated that anergic T cells are defective in the trnsactivational activity of the transcription factor, AP-1, which is required for optimal IL-2 transcription. Using two murine Th1 cell clones, we demonstrate that anergic Th1 cells have defects in both jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activities. These kinases have been shown to be important for the upregulation of AP-1 activity. Furthermore, our data show that ERK and JNK activities are restored when anergy is induced in the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide, or when anergic T cells are allowed to proliferate in response to exogenous IL-2. These treatments have previously been shown to prevent or reverse the anergic state. Our results suggest that defects in both JNK and ERK may result in the decreased AP-1 activity and the reduced IL-2 transcription observed in anergic T cells.
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PMID:Anergic T cells are defective in both jun NH2-terminal kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. 864 12

The serine/threonine protein kinase Raf-1 is a component of a conserved intracellular signaling cascade that controls responses to various extracellular stimuli. Transcription from several promoters, including the oncogene-responsive element in the polyomavirus enhancer, the c-fos promoter, as well as other AP-1- and Ets-dependent promoters, can be induced by Raf-1 kinase. Previously, we have shown that activated Raf-1 kinase transactivates the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat and have identified the NF-kappaB binding motif as a Raf-1-responsive element (RafRE). We now report that Raf-1 kinase-induced transactivation from the HIV RafRE involves the purine-rich-repeat-binding protein (GABP), which is composed of two distinct subunits (alpha and beta). GABP alpha is an Ets oncogene-related DNA-binding protein, and GABP beta contains four ankyrin-like repeats that have been shown to be essential in protein-protein interactions. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays using nuclear extracts from human Jurkat T cells, a protein-DNA complex which was supershifted with antiserum against GABP alpha and GABP beta was observed. Purified recombinant GABP alpha and beta interact with the HIV RafRE as judged from DNA binding assays. Cotransfection experiments with GABP alpha and beta and Raf-1 kinase demonstrate synergistic transactivation of the HIV-1 promoter. Point mutations in the HIV RafRE abolished the Raf-1 kinase as well as GABP alpha- and beta-induced transactivation. The observed Raf-1-GABP synergism presumably involves phosphorylation of GABP subunits, as treatment of cells with Raf-1 kinase activators serum and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate increases phosphorylation of GABP in vivo. However, GABP is not a target of Raf-1 kinase; instead, it is a substrate of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK), since in vitro phosphorylation of GABP alpha and beta was achieved by the reconstituted protein kinase cascade but not with purified Raf-1 or MEK. These results suggest that Raf-1 kinase- induced activation of the HIV-1 promoter is mediated by the classical cytoplasmic cascade resulting in MAPK/ERK-mediated phosphorylation of GABP alpha and beta. Because the HIV RafRE corresponds to a region within the promoter which is essential for regulation of HIV-1 expression, the data indicate that in addition to NK-kappaB, GABP transcription factors are important for induced expression of HIV.
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PMID:Raf-1 kinase targets GA-binding protein in transcriptional regulation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 promoter. 864 52

Thymocytes develop into mature functional T cells in the inductive environment of the thymus where thymocyte-stromal cell interactions and cytokines provide survival and differentiation signals as cues for thymocyte maturation. Disruption of the thymic microenvironment results in attenuation of T cell maturation, suggesting that intrathymic signals are essential for differentiation and repertoire selection. We have previously shown that several inducible nuclear factors such as AP-1, NF-AT, and NF-kappaB are activated in response to intrathymic signals. Here we demonstrate that in thymocytes p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, a member of the MAP kinase family of proteins that include the extracellular-signal regulated kinases and Jun aminoterminal kinases, is highly activated in response to intrathymic signals in vivo. These studies suggest a role for p38 MAP kinase in T cell survival and differentiation.
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PMID:Intrathymic signals in thymocytes are mediated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. 864 93


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