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)

When the Ras mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway of quiescent cells is stimulated with growth factors or phorbol esters, the early response genes c-fos and c-myc are rapidly induced, and concurrently there is a rapid phosphorylation of histone H3. Using an antibody specific for phosphorylated Ser-10 of H3, we show that Ser-10 of H3 is phosphorylated, and we provide direct evidence that phosphorylated H3 is associated with c-fos and c-myc genes in stimulated cells. H3 phosphorylation may contribute to proto-oncogene induction by modulating chromatin structure and releasing blocks in elongation. Previously we reported that persistent stimulation of the Ras-MAPK signaling pathway in oncogene-transformed cells resulted in increased amounts of phosphorylated histone H1. Here we show that phosphorylated H3 is elevated in the oncogene-transformed mouse fibroblasts. Further we show that induction of ras expression results in a rapid increase in H3 phosphorylation. H3 phosphatase, identified as PP1, activities in ras-transformed and parental fibroblast cells were similar, suggesting that elevated H3 kinase activity was responsible for the increased level of phosphorylated H3 in the oncogene-transformed cells. Elevated levels of phosphorylated H1 and H3 may be responsible for the less condensed chromatin structure and aberrant gene expression observed in the oncogene-transformed cells.
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PMID:Increased Ser-10 phosphorylation of histone H3 in mitogen-stimulated and oncogene-transformed mouse fibroblasts. 1045 66

Heme oxygenase (HO) is responsible for the physiological breakdown of heme into equimolar amounts of biliverdin, carbon monoxide, and iron. Three isoforms (HO-1, HO-2, and HO-3) have been identified. HO-1 is ubiquitous and its mRNA and activity can be increased several-fold by heme, other metalloporphyrins, transition metals, and stimuli that induce cellular stress. HO-1 is recognized as a major heat shock/stress response protein. Recent work from our laboratory has demonstrated several potential consensus regulatory elements in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of HO-1, including activator protein 1 (AP-1), metal responsive element (MRE), oncogene c-myc/max heterodimer binding site (Myc/Max), antioxidant response element (ARE), and GC box binding (Sp1) sites. Using deletion-reporter gene constructs, we have mapped sites that mediate the arsenite-dependent induction of HO-1, and we have shown that components of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 (a homologue of the yeast HOG1 kinase), but not c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways are involved in arsenite-dependent upregulation. In contrast, HO-2 is present chiefly in the brain and testes and is virtually uninducible. HO-3 has very low activity; its physiological function probably involves heme binding. Products of the HO reaction have important effects: carbon monoxide is a potent vasodilator, which is thought to play a key role in the modulation of vascular tone, especially in the liver under physiological conditions, and in many organs under "stressful" conditions associated with HO-1 induction. Biliverdin and its product bilirubin, formed in most mammals, are potent antioxidants. In contrast, "free" iron increases oxidative stress and regulates the expression of many mRNAs (e.g., DCT-1, ferritin, and transferrin receptor) by affecting the conformation of iron regulatory protein (IRP)-1 and its binding to iron regulatory elements (IREs) in the 5'- or 3'-UTRs of the mRNAs.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase: recent advances in understanding its regulation and role. 1051 65

The kidneys are the primary organ for the accumulation and toxicity of inorganic mercury. In these studies the molecular response of precision-cut rabbit renal cortical slices to low levels of inorganic mercury was examined. Cortical slices (275 microm) were obtained from 1.0 kg NZW rabbits and exposed to mercuric chloride [Hg(II)] at concentrations of 0.01-10 microM for 2-8 h. Overt cytotoxicity, as assessed by intracellular K(+) levels, was not observed following exposure to these concentrations of Hg(II). However, an induction of heme-oxygenase-1 (Hsp32) was seen following a 2-h challenge to Hg(II). A dose-dependent induction of the DNA binding activity of the AP-1 transcription factor after 4 h of Hg(II) exposure correlated with a dose-dependent enhancement of c-jun gene expression following 2 h of Hg(II) exposure. Additionally, an increase in phosphorylated c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase (JNK) was observed following 2 h of Hg(II) exposure. These results suggest activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) signal transduction pathway, specifically the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase (JNK) pathway. No changes were observed, however, in the DNA binding activity of ATF2 and Elk-1, transcription factors involved in both the JNK and p38 pathways of MAP signal transduction, nor in the gene expression of c-myc. This selectivity of alterations in molecular signaling suggests an acute response in signal transduction, specifically activation of the JNK pathway in renal tissue following exposure to nanomolar concentrations of Hg(II).
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PMID:Selective activation in the MAPK pathway by Hg(II) in precision-cut rabbit renal cortical slices. 1054 60

The expression of c-myc promotes cell proliferation and also sensitizes cells to various extracellular apoptotic stimuli. However, signal pathways regulating the function of Myc proteins during apoptosis are unknown. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is activated by various apoptotic stimuli, but neither the target molecule(s) or the action of JNK has been identified in Myc-mediated apoptosis. Here, we found that JNK selectively interacted with, and phosphorylated, c-Myc at Ser-62 and Ser-71 as confirmed with phospho-c-Myc-specific antibodies. Interestingly, dominant negative mutant JNK(APF) impaired the c-Myc-dependent apoptosis, but not mutated c-Myc (S62A/S71A)-dependent apoptosis triggered by UV irradiation. Furthermore, c-Myc (S62A/S71A)-expressing NIH3T3 cells were not sensitized like wild type c-Myc-expressing NIH3T3 cells to JNK-activating apoptotic stimuli, such as UV and Taxol. These results indicate that the JNK pathway is selectively involved in the c-Myc-mediated apoptosis and that the apoptotic function of c-Myc is directly regulated by JNK pathway through phosphorylation at Ser-62 and Ser-71.
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PMID:Regulation of c-Myc through phosphorylation at Ser-62 and Ser-71 by c-Jun N-terminal kinase. 1055 11

Although most eukaryotic mRNAs need a functional cap binding complex eIF4F for efficient 5' end- dependent scanning to initiate translation, picornaviral, hepatitis C viral, and a few cellular RNAs have been shown to be translated by internal ribosome entry, a mechanism that can operate in the presence of low levels of functional eIF4F. To identify cellular mRNAs that can be translated when eIF4F is depleted or in low abundance and that, therefore, may contain internal ribosome entry sites, mRNAs that remained associated with polysomes were isolated from human cells after infection with poliovirus and were identified by using a cDNA microarray. Approximately 200 of the 7000 mRNAs analyzed remained associated with polysomes under these conditions. Among the gene products encoded by these polysome-associated mRNAs were immediate-early transcription factors, kinases, and phosphatases of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and several protooncogenes, including c-myc and Pim-1. In addition, the mRNA encoding Cyr61, a secreted factor that can promote angiogenesis and tumor growth, was selectively mobilized into polysomes when eIF4F concentrations were reduced, although its overall abundance changed only slightly. Subsequent tests confirmed the presence of internal ribosome entry sites in the 5' noncoding regions of both Cyr61 and Pim-1 mRNAs. Overall, this study suggests that diverse mRNAs whose gene products have been implicated in a variety of stress responses, including inflammation, angiogenesis, and the response to serum, can use translational initiation mechanisms that require little or no intact cap binding protein complex eIF4F.
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PMID:Identification of eukaryotic mRNAs that are translated at reduced cap binding complex eIF4F concentrations using a cDNA microarray. 1055 83

Smad4/DPC4 is a tumor suppressor gene frequently mutated or deleted in pancreatic and metastatic colon cancers. Smad4 acts as a cofactor that binds transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor-activated Smad2 and Smad3 generating transcriptional complexes. Using SW480.7 colon carcinoma cells, defective in Smad4 function, we have investigated whether this loss plays a role in the resistance of colon cancer cells to the antiproliferative effects of TGF-beta. SW480.7 cells contain only one Smad4 allele, which we found encodes a wild type protein that is not expressed. We generated SW480.7 cells conditionally expressing Smad4 via an ecdysone-inducible system. Smad4 expression in these cells failed to rescue TGF-beta antiproliferative and gene responses (c-myc down-regulation and induction of p21/Cip1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1). SW480.7 cells contain an activated Ki-ras oncogene. Hyperactivation of Ras can inhibit Smad nuclear accumulation by their phosphorylation at mitogen-activated protein kinase sites. Co-transfection into SW480.7 cells of Smad4 together with a Ras phosphorylation-resistant Smad3 (but not with wild type Smad2, Smad3, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), or TGF-beta type II receptor) restored the TGF-beta antiproliferative response. These results suggest that loss of Smad4 function by both deletion and silencing and inhibition of Smad2/3 function by a hyperactive Ras pathway jointly prevent TGF-beta antiproliferative responses in SW480.7 colon cancer cells.
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PMID:Smad4/DPC4 silencing and hyperactive Ras jointly disrupt transforming growth factor-beta antiproliferative responses in colon cancer cells. 1055 52

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) induces proliferation and sustains the viability of the mouse interleukin-3-dependent cell line BA/F3 expressing the hGM-CSF receptor. Analysis of the antiapoptosis activity of GM-CSF receptor betac mutants showed that box1 but not the C-terminal region containing tyrosine residues is essential for GM-CSF-dependent antiapoptotic activity. Because betac mutants, which activate Janus kinase 2 but neither signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 nor the MAPK cascade sustain antiapoptosis activity, involvement of Janus kinase 2, excluding the above molecules, in antiapoptosis activity seems likely. GM-CSF activates phosphoinositide-3-OH kinase as well as Akt, and activation of both was suppressed by addition of wortmannin. Interestingly, wortmannin did not affect GM-CSF-dependent antiapoptosis, thus indicating that the phosphoinositide-3-OH kinase pathway is not essential for cell surivival. Analysis using the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein and a MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase 1 inhibitor, PD98059, indicates that activation of either the genistein-sensitive signaling pathway or the PD98059-sensitive signaling pathway from betac may be sufficient to suppress apoptosis. Wild-type and a betac mutant lacking tyrosine residues can induce expression of c-myc and bcl-x(L) genes; however, drug sensitivities for activation of these genes differ from those for antiapoptosis activity of GM-CSF, which means that these gene products may be involved yet are inadequate to promote cell survival.
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PMID:Two distinct signaling pathways downstream of Janus kinase 2 play redundant roles for antiapoptotic activity of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. 1056 83

The mitogenic response to insulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) was studied in subconfluent and confluent cultures of primary rat hepatocytes. In subconfluent cultures, wortmannin, LY294002, and rapamycin reversed insulin- and EGF-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 1 (MEK1) inhibitor PD98059 was without significant effect on either insulin- or EGF-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation. Insulin treatment did not alter levels of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc. EGF induced an increase in c-myc, but not c-fos or c-jun, mRNA levels in subconfluent hepatocyte cultures. This increase in c-myc mRNA was abolished by PD98059. In confluent cells that could not be induced to synthesize DNA, EGF treatment also promoted an increase in c-myc mRNA to levels seen in subconfluent cultures. This increase was also abrogated by PD98059. These data indicate that in primary rat hepatocyte cultures, 1) the phosphoinositol 3-kinase pathway, perhaps through p70s6k activation, regulates DNA synthesis in response to insulin and EGF; 2) the MAPKpathway is not involved in insulin- and EGF-induced DNA synthesis; and 3) p44/42 MAPKs are involved the induction of c-myc mRNA levels, although this induction is not required for DNA synthesis. These studies define two distinct signal transduction pathways that independently mediate growth-related responses in a physiologically relevant, normal cell system.
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PMID:Epidermal growth factor and insulin-induced deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in primary rat hepatocytes is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase dependent and dissociated from protooncogene induction. 1057 26

Cooperation of myc and activated ras has been suggested to cause malignant cell transformation but the mechanism is still unknown. Here we isolated a transformed cell line in which activation of c-Myc and Ras are independently controllable, and show that after establishment of the transformed state by c-myc and activated ras, removal of activated Ras initiates apoptosis that is dependent on c-Myc activity. Apoptosis is also initiated by an inhibitor of MEK (MAPK/ERK kinase), a kinase downstream of Ras, and apoptosis is blocked by activated Mek1. These results suggest that one of the conditions required for establishment of the transformed state is a block of apoptosis involving MEK activity. We tested the effect of MEK inhibition on cells transformed by various oncogenes. Suppression of apoptosis by MEK is not critical in general, but in cells transformed by c-myc plus a gene that activates the MAPK cascade it is necessary to avoid cell death. Activated Ras/MEK did not suppress c-myc-dependent apoptosis due to serum-limitation. Overexpression of chicken bcl-xL suppressed apoptosis under serum-limiting conditions, but not apoptosis initiated by Ras/MEK inhibition in cells transformed by myc and activated ras. Altogether, these results suggest the existence of a novel regulatory mechanism for myc-dependent apoptosis in certain transformed cells.
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PMID:Ras/MEK signaling suppresses Myc-dependent apoptosis in cells transformed by c-myc and activated ras. 1064 86

Recent studies have shown that during apoptosis protein synthesis is inhibited and that this is in part due to the proteolytic cleavage of eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G). Initiation of translation can occur either by a cap-dependent mechanism or by internal ribosome entry. The latter mechanism is dependent on a complex structural element located in the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA which is termed an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES). In general, IRES-mediated translation does not require eIF4E or full-length eIF4G. In order to investigate whether cap-dependent and cap-independent translation are reduced during apoptosis, we examined the expression of c-Myc during this process, since we have shown previously that the 5' untranslated region of the c-myc proto-oncogene contains an IRES. c-Myc expression was determined in HeLa cells during apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. We have demonstrated that the c-Myc protein is still expressed when more than 90% of the cells are apoptotic. The presence of the protein in apoptotic cells does not result from either an increase in protein stability or an increase in expression of c-myc mRNA. Furthermore, we show that during apoptosis initiation of c-myc translation occurs by internal ribosome entry. We have investigated the signaling pathways that are involved in this response, and cotransfection with plasmids which harbor either wild-type or constitutively active MKK6, a specific immediate upstream activator of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), increases IRES-mediated translation. In addition, the c-myc IRES is inhibited by SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK. Our data, therefore, strongly suggest that the initiation of translation via the c-myc IRES during apoptosis is mediated by the p38 MAPK pathway.
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PMID:c-Myc protein synthesis is initiated from the internal ribosome entry segment during apoptosis. 1064 1


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