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)

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disorder characterized by the loss of alveolar architecture through epithelial and endothelial cell apoptosis and fibroblast proliferation. Recent studies showed that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is increased in fibrotic tissues, and ACE inhibitors administered in vivo ameliorate fibrosis, suggesting that ACE may play a critical role. However, the regulation of ACE expression is not well understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that bleomycin, a chemotherapeutic agent which induces pulmonary fibrosis in animals and humans, increases gene expression of ACE. Treatment of primary bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells with 0.1 to 1.0 microg/ml bleomycin increased ACE enzymatic activity and ACE mRNA, as monitored by hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine assay and competitive quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Luciferase reporter constructs showed that upregulation of ACE transcription by bleomycin is mediated through element(s) in the 97-bp ACE promoter. Bleomycin activated p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and induced nuclear translocation and activation of the early growth response (Egr)-1 transcription factor, a factor previously shown to positively regulate ACE expression. The MAPK kinase1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor U0126 blocked MAPK and Egr-1 activation by bleomycin, suggesting that Egr-1 activation is MAPK dependent. These data provide the first evidence that bleomycin activates ACE gene expression through the MAPK pathway and Egr-1.
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PMID:Bleomycin upregulates gene expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme via mitogen-activated protein kinase and early growth response 1 transcription factor. 1171 4

It is well accepted that viruses require access to specific intracellular environments in order to proliferate or, minimally, to secure future proliferative potential as latent reservoirs. Hence, identification of essential virus-cell interactions should both refine current models of virus replication and proffer alternative targets for therapeutic intervention. In the present study, we examined the activation states of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), ERK-1/2, in primary cells susceptible to visna virus and report that virus infection induces and sustains activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway. Treatment of infected cells with PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK/MAPK pathway, abolishes visna virus replication, as evidenced by extremely low levels of Gag protein expression and reverse transcriptase activity in culture supernatants. In addition, although visna virus-induced activation of MAPK is detectable within 15 min, early events of viral replication (i.e., reverse transcription, integration, and transcription) are largely unaffected by PD98059. Interestingly, further examination demonstrated that treatment with PD98059 results in decreased cytoplasmic expression of gag and env, but not rev, mRNA, highly suggestive of an ERK/MAPK-dependent defect in Rev function. In vivo analysis of ERK-1/2 activation in brains derived from visna virus-infected sheep demonstrates a strong correlation between ERK/MAPK activation and virus-associated encephalitis. Moreover, double-labeling experiments revealed that activation of MAPK occurs not only in cells classically infected by visna virus (i.e., macrophages and microglia), but also in astrocytes, cells not considered to be major targets of visna virus replication, suggesting that activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway may contribute to the virus-induced processes leading to neurodegenerative pathology.
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PMID:Visna virus-induced activation of MAPK is required for virus replication and correlates with virus-induced neuropathology. 1175 71

A hepatotropic factor originally identified in weanling or regenerating rat livers, known as hepatic stimulator substance (HSS), is characterized by promoting markedly liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Although HSS gene and the gene product have been described recently, the cellular mechanism of HSS and its genetic function remain obscure. In our previous studies, human HSS (hHSS) was demonstrated to promote the growth of hepatoma cells and phosphorylate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In this study, we reported the growth features of human hepatoma cells response to hHSS gene transfection. The hHSS eukaryotic vector was transfected to BEL-7402 hepatoma cells and the expression of hHSS was analyzed with Northern and Southern blot. The results showed that the HSS recombinant construct was functionally expressed in the target cells as analyzed with Northern blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The growth potential of HSS transfected hepatoma cells was markedly enhanced as compared with the non transfected cells. The S-phase of the hHSS-transfected cells increased by 61.5% than that of the non-transfected cells as shown by flow cytometry. Moreover, MAPK phosphorylation, one of the most important mitogenic indexes of growth signal cascade, was profoundly activated at sites of Thr202/Tyr204 due to HSS gene transfer. Based on these results, it is concluded that the introduction of HSS gene into hepatoma cells might be able to stimulate directly the cellular growth in vitro, allowing a possibility of reevaluation of HSS mechanism in intact cells.
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PMID:[Increased cellular proliferation in BEL-7402 hepatoma cells transfected by human hepatic stimulator substance gene]. 1193 Feb 29

The effects of prostaglandin (PG) E(1) on NO neurotoxicity were examined using rat cultured spinal neurons. Rat cultured spinal neurons exposed to the NO donor, 2,2'-(hydroxynitrosohydrazono) bis-ethanamine (NOC18), showed neurotoxic effects that were accompanied by apoptotic nuclear change, free radical generation, a reduction in glutathione, and mitochondrial dysfunction. PGE(1), at concentrations of 1-100 nM, protected cultured spinal neurons from NO toxicity by reversing the oxidative and pro-apoptotic properties elicited by NOC18 exposure. The administration of PGE(1) increased the intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels in cultured spinal neurons. In addition, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis confirmed the existence of EP4, a cAMP-elevating PGE receptor, in cultured spinal neurons. The protective effects of PGE(1) against NO neurotoxicity was partially blocked by an inhibitor of MEK [the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase], suggesting that the MAPK/ERK pathway may play a significant role in the activity of PGE(1). PGE(1) up-regulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, as determined by Western blot analysis. PGE(1) also induced the expression of thioredoxin in cultured spinal neurons. Our data indicate that PGE(1) exerts a protective action against NO neurotoxicity in cultured spinal neurons, and suggests a therapeutic potential of PGE(1) against spinal cord disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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PMID:Prostaglandin E1 protects cultured spinal neurons against the effects of nitric oxide toxicity. 1198 30

Aminoglycoside antibiotics (AGAs) are nephrotoxic, with most of the damage confined to the proximal tubule, but the mechanism for cellular toxicity is not clear. It has been previously shown that the extracellular-calcium sensing receptor (CaR) is expressed in intact rat proximal tubule and can be stimulated by the AGA neomycin. To investigate whether CaR could contribute to AGA-induced nephrotoxicity, the acute responses to various AGAs in the proximal tubule-derived opossum kidney (OK) cell line were examined. The presence in OK cells of CaR-related transcripts and protein was demonstrated by northern analyses, reverse transcriptase-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and immunoblotting. OK cells responded to elevated extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)(o)) and neomycin but also to gentamicin and tobramycin with an increase in cytosolic [Ca(2+)]. Ca(2+)(o), neomycin, and gentamicin also activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinases, ERK1 and ERK2. Neomycin-induced ERK activation was both dose- and time-dependent and was attenuated by inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP(2))-specific phospholipase C, and MEK1, but not of protein kinase C. Thus, proximal tubular OK cells express a CaR that mediates Ca(2+)(i) mobilization and PIP(2)-PLC-dependent ERK activation in response to AGAs and thus could play a role in AGA-induced nephrotoxicity.
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PMID:Aminoglycosides increase intracellular calcium levels and ERK activity in proximal tubular OK cells expressing the extracellular calcium-sensing receptor. 1203 77

Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) present an incomplete barrier to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) neuroinvasion. In order to clarify the mechanisms of HIV-1 invasion, we have examined HIV-1 uptake and transcellular penetration in an in vitro BMVEC model. No evidence of productive infection was observed by luciferase, PCR, and reverse transcriptase assays. Approximately 1% of viral RNA and 1% of infectious virus penetrated the BMVEC barrier without disruption of tight junctions. The virus upregulated ICAM-1 on plasma membranes and in cytoplasmic vesiculotubular structures. HIV-1 virions were entangled by microvilli and were taken into cytoplasmic vesicles through surface invaginations without fusion of the virus envelope with the plasma membrane. Subsequently, the cytoplasmic vesicles fused with lysosomes, the virions were lysed, and the vesicles diminished in size. Upon cell entry, HIV-1 colocalized with cholera toxin B, which targets lipid raft-associated GM1 ganglioside. Cholesterol-extracting agents, cyclodextrin and nystatin, and polyanion heparin significantly inhibited virus entry. Anti-CD4 had no effect and the chemokine AOP-RANTES had only a slight inhibitory effect on virus entry. HIV-1 activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, and inhibition of MAPK/Erk kinase inhibited virus entry. Entry was also blocked by dimethylamiloride, indicating that HIV-1 enters endothelial cells by macropinocytosis. Therefore, HIV-1 penetrates BMVECs in ICAM-1-lined macropinosomes by a mechanism involving lipid rafts, MAPK signaling, and glycosylaminoglycans, while CD4 and chemokine receptors play limited roles in this process.
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PMID:Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 enters brain microvascular endothelia by macropinocytosis dependent on lipid rafts and the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. 1205 Mar 82

The liver is an important site of host-microbe interaction. Although hepatocytes have been reported to be responsive to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the global gene expression changes by LPS and mechanism(s) by which LPS stimulates cultured hepatocytes remain uncertain. Cultures of primary mouse hepatocytes were incubated with LPS to assess its effects on the global gene expression, hepatic transcription factors, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation. DNA microarray analysis indicated that LPS modulates the selective expression of more than 80 genes and expressed sequence tags. We have shown previously that hepatocytes express CD14, which is required both for uptake and responsiveness to LPS. In other cells, responsiveness to microbial products requires expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) and their associated accessory molecules. Hepatocytes expressed TLR1 through TLR9 as well as MyD88 and MD-2 transcripts, as shown by reverse transcriptase PCR analysis, indicating that hepatocytes express all known microbe recognition molecules. The MAP kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 was phosphorylated in response to LPS in mouse hepatocytes, and the levels of phosphorylation were lower in hepatocytes from TLR4-null mice. NF-kappa B activation was reduced in TLR4-mutant or -null hepatocytes compared to control hepatocytes, and this defect was partially restored by adenoviral transduction of mouse TLR4. Thus, hepatocytes respond to nanogram concentrations of LPS through a TLR4 response pathway.
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PMID:Role of toll-like receptors in changes in gene expression and NF-kappa B activation in mouse hepatocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. 1206 83

The unicellular green alga Acetabularia acetabulum has proven itself to be a superior model for studies of morphogenesis because of its large size and distinctive polar morphology. The giant cell forms an elongated tube (a stalk of up to 60 mm in length), which at its apical pole makes whorls of hairs, followed by one whorl of gametophores in the shape of a cap. At its basal pole, the cell extends into a rhizoid wherein the single nucleus is positioned. In this study, we have determined the level of specific messenger RNAs in the apical, middle, and basal regions using reverse transcriptase-PCR methodology. Four mRNA classes were distinguished: those that were uniformly distributed (small subunit of Rubisco, actin-1, ADP-glucose, centrin, and alpha- and beta-tubulin), those that expressed apical/basal (calmodulin-4) or basal/apical gradients (calmodulin-2 and a Ran-G protein), and those with development-specific patterns of distribution (mitogen-activated protein kinase, actin-2, and UDP-glucose-epimerase). Restoration of the apical/basal calmodulin-4 mRNA gradient after amputation of the apical region of the cell requires the nucleus and was abolished by cytochalasin D. Accumulation of actin-1 mRNA in the vicinity of the wound set by the amputation needs, likewise, the presence of the nucleus and was also inhibited by cytochalasin. This suggests that actin microfilaments of the cytoskeleton are involved in directed transport and/or anchoring of these mRNAs.
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PMID:Differential messenger RNA gradients in the unicellular alga Acetabularia acetabulum. Role of the cytoskeleton. 1211 94

Alterations in gene expression represent key events in carcinogenesis. We have studied HPV-induced cervical carcinogenesis, using an HPV-33-positive cell line (UT-DEC-1) established from a low-grade vaginal dysplasia (VAIN-I). Early-passage cells contained HPV-33 in episomal form, but these were superseded at later passages by cells carrying only integrated virus. To gain insight into the biologic significance of HPV integration, we compared the level of gene expression in normal vaginal keratinocytes, early-passage and late-passage UT-DEC-1 cells, using cDNA microarrays. Total RNA was isolated from cells by CsCl-gradient centrifugation, reverse-transcribed with MMLV reverse transcriptase and labeled with alpha-(32)P ATP. A cDNA microarray expression profile analysis was performed with Clontech's Human Cancer 1.2 cDNA expression array kit. The 16 upregulated genes (cut-off 2-fold), identified by comparing both cell types to control keratinocytes, appeared to support cell-cycle progression or to be functional in mitosis. These included, e.g., MCM4 DNA replication licensing factor, cdc2p34 and chromatin assembly factor 1 p48 subunit. Downregulated genes (44 altogether) interfered with apoptosis and cell adhesion, including the apoptosis-inducing genes FRAP, Bik and caspase-9 precursor. The most significant differences between the late and early passages (29 and 46 constantly up- and downregulated genes without any fluctuation) were overexpression of the transcription factors E2F5 with its dimerization partner DP1, NF-kappa B and serine/threonine kinases and underexpression of enzymes of the MAPK pathway. Acquisition of a selective growth advantage after viral integration might be explained by a major shift from a MAPK pathway to cell-cycle dysregulation (G(2)/M).
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PMID:Transcriptional profiling of a human papillomavirus 33-positive squamous epithelial cell line which acquired a selective growth advantage after viral integration. 1211 47

The regulation of glioma cell proliferation by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was studied using the human glioblastoma cell line U-373 MG. U-373 MG cells responded mitogenically to nanomolar concentrations of S1P, and express mRNA encoding the S1P receptors S1P1/endothelial differentiation gene (EDG)-1, S1P3/EDG-3 and S1P2/EDG-5. S1P-induced proliferation required extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation and was partially sensitive to pertussis toxin and wortmannin, indicating involvement of a Gi-coupled receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Moreover, S1P1, S1P3 and S1P2 receptors are expressed in the majority of human glioblastomas as determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Thus, S1P signaling through EDG receptors may contribute to glioblastoma growth in vivo.
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PMID:Sphingosine-1-phosphate stimulates human glioma cell proliferation through Gi-coupled receptors: role of ERK MAP kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase beta. 1217 35


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