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)

c-jun is a member of the family of immediate-early genes whose expression is induced by factors such as serum stimulation, phorbol ester, and differentiation signals. Here we show that increased Jun synthesis after serum stimulation is accompanied by a concomitant increase in phosphorylation. Several serine-threonine kinases were evaluated for their ability to phosphorylate Jun in vitro. p34cdc2, protein kinase C, casein kinase II, and pp44mapk phosphorylated Jun efficiently, whereas cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and glycogen synthase kinase III did not. The sites phosphorylated by p34cdc2 were similar to those phosphorylated in vivo after serum induction. The major sites of phosphorylation were mapped to serines 63, 73, and 246. Phosphorylation of full-length Jun with several kinases did not affect the DNA-binding activity of Jun homodimers or Fos-Jun heterodimers. Comparison of the DNA binding and in vitro transcription properties of wild-type and mutated proteins containing either alanine or aspartic acid residues in place of Ser-63, -73, and -246 revealed only minor differences among homodimeric complexes and no differences among Fos-Jun heterodimers. Thus, phosphorylation of Jun did not produce a significant change in dimerization, DNA-binding, or in vitro transcription activity. The regulatory role of phosphorylation in the modulation of Jun function is likely to be considerably more complex than previously suggested.
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PMID:Jun is phosphorylated by several protein kinases at the same sites that are modified in serum-stimulated fibroblasts. 132 60

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to remove a critical phosphorylation site, Thr-197, near the active site of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. This residue is present in a number of protein kinases, and its phosphorylation largely influences catalytic activity. We changed Thr-197 to aspartic acid and alanine and measured the effects of these substitutions on the kinetic mechanism and inhibitor affinities. The mutants were expressed as the free catalytic subunit and as soluble fusion proteins of glutathione-S-transferase. The values for KATP and Kpeptide for all three mutants are raised by approximately 2 orders of magnitude relative to the wild-type enzyme. Viscosometric measurements indicate that elevations in Kpeptide are the result of reduced rates for phosphoryl transfer and not reduced substrate affinities. This implies that the loop that contains the phosphothreonine, the activation loop, does not reduce access to the substrate site as proposed for the inactive forms of cdk2 kinase [DeBont, H. L., et al. (1993) Nature 363, 595-602] and MAP kinase [Zhang, F., et al. (1994) Nature 367, 704-711]. The mutants associate slowly with the wild-type regulatory subunit, although the cAMP-free wild-type regulatory subunit inhibits the mutants stoichiometrically. A mutant regulatory subunit that binds cAMP poorly and rapidly inhibits the wild-type catalytic subunit does not inhibit the mutant proteins. These data suggest that the phosphothreonine region serves as a docking surface for the regulatory subunit in the holoenzyme complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Phosphorylation modulates catalytic function and regulation in the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. 787 23

We expressed the C-terminal 99 amino acids of chicken gizzard caldesmon (658C) and two point mutants in which the preferred phosphorylation sites of MAP kinase and p34cdc2 kinase, Ser702 and Thr673 were altered to aspartic acid. The T673D mutant was indistinguishable from 658C but S702D was not phosphorylated by MAP kinase, was significantly less potent as an inhibitor of actin-tropomyosin activation of myosin MgATPase, and bound less actin-tropomyosin at low concentrations. Thus Ser702 is involved in the tropomyosin-dependent inhibitory mechanism of caldesmon, and its phosphorylation by MAP kinase or p34cdc2 kinase could modulate caldesmon function.
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PMID:The functional effects of mutations Thr673-->Asp and Ser702-->Asp at the Pro-directed kinase phosphorylation sites in the C-terminus of chicken gizzard caldesmon. 839 47

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

Abnormal migration and proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells may be a central event in inflammatory proliferative arterial diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis after angioplasty. The proto-oncogene c-H-ras is considered to be a key transducer in various growth-signaling events. We constructed an adenoviral vector (AdexCAHRasY57) expressing a potent dominant-negative mutated form of c-H-ras in which tyrosine replaces aspartic acid at residue 57. Infection of smooth muscle cells with AdexCAHRasY57 produced a large quantity of H-ras-p21, completely inhibited serum-stimulated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, and abolished the DNA synthesis in response to serum mitogens. However, a surge of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in response to platelet-derived growth factor was not affected, suggesting that some cellular functions were preserved. When we applied AdexCAHRasY57 into balloon-injured rat carotid arteries from inside the lumen, neointimal formation was significantly reduced (neointima/media ratio: 0.28) compared with that (1.50) in arteries treated with either injury alone or injury and infection with a control adenovirus, AdexCALacZ, expressing bacterial beta-galactosidase. Our results suggest that adenovirus-mediated arterial transfer of dominant-negative H-ras may be a practical form of effective molecular intervention for proliferative arterial diseases.
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PMID:Adenovirus-mediated transfer of a dominant-negative H-ras suppresses neointimal formation in balloon-injured arteries in vivo. 915 53

The catalytic domains of the Raf family of protein kinases (deltaRaf) differ in their ability to activate MEK in vitro and in vivo and in their ability to oncogenically transform mammalian cells. The kinase domain of B-Raf is more active than the equivalent portion of Raf-1 which in turn is more active than A-Raf. In Raf-1 the phosphorylation or mutation to aspartic acid of two key tyrosine residues upstream of the ATP binding site has been demonstrated to significantly potentiate catalytic activity. In A-Raf the analogous amino acids are also tyrosine whereas in B-Raf they are aspartic acid. To determine if these differences in amino acid sequence influence the relative catalytic activity of the Raf kinase domains we constructed forms of deltaA-Raf, deltaB-Raf and deltaRaf-1 that encode either aspartic acid [DD], phenylalanine [FF] or tyrosine [YY] at these positions. These proteins were expressed both in mammalian cells as fusions with the hormone binding domain of the estrogen receptor and as epitope-tagged proteins in Sf9 insect cells to test their oncogenic and catalytic potentials. When expressed in Rat1 or 3T3 cells in the presence of hormone all of the deltaRaf-1:ER and deltaA-Raf:ER proteins were transforming with the exception of the [FF] form of deltaA-Raf. In general the [DD] forms of the deltaRaf-1:ER and deltaA-Raf:ER proteins were the most potently oncogenic which correlated with their ability to elicit activation of the MAP kinase pathway. Consistent with the transformation data, the catalytic activity of the [DD] forms of deltaA-Raf:ER and deltaRaf-1:ER was about ten times greater than the cognate [FF] and [YY] forms of the proteins. By contrast all of the deltaB-Raf:ER proteins were highly transforming and deltaB-Raf catalytic activity was largely unaffected by mutation of the aforementioned aspartic acids to either tyrosine or phenylalanine. Similar results were obtained with epitope-tagged forms of deltaA-Raf, deltaB-Raf and deltaRaf-1 expressed in Sf9 cells. These data provide support for the model that key tyrosine residues in the protein kinase domains of A-Raf and Raf-1 are important in the regulation of catalytic activity. In addition they demonstrate that the higher intrinsic activity of B-Raf cannot be explained simply by the presence of aspartic acids at the analogous positions.
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PMID:Mutations of critical amino acids affect the biological and biochemical properties of oncogenic A-Raf and Raf-1. 928 56

Integrins, which connect the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and mediate a variety of signaling cascades, may transduce mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals. We studied integrin- and matrix-dependent activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK2), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK1), and p38 in response to 4% static biaxial stretch in rat cardiac fibroblasts. ERK2 and JNK1, but not p38, were rapidly activated by stretch when the fibroblasts were allowed to synthesize their own matrices. When the cells were limited to specific matrix substrates, ERK2 and JNK1 were differentially activated: ERK2 was only activated when the cells were plated on fibronectin, while JNK1 was activated when the cells were plated on fibronectin, vitronectin, or laminin. Plating cells on collagen before stretching did not activate either kinase. Adhesion to all matrices was integrin-dependent because it could be blocked by inhibitors of specific integrins. ERK2 activation could be blocked with a combination of anti-alpha4 and -alpha5 antibodies and an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide, while the antibodies or peptide used separately failed to block ERK2 activation. This result suggests that at least two integrins, alpha4beta1 and an RGD-directed, non-alpha5beta1 integrin, activate ERK2 in response to mechanical stimulation. Activation of JNK1 could not be blocked with the inhibitors, suggesting that an RGD-independent integrin or integrins other than alpha4beta1 can activate JNK1 in cells adherent to fibronectin. This study demonstrates that integrins act as mechanotransducers, providing insight into potential mechanisms for in vivo responses to mechanical stimuli.
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PMID:Extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activation by mechanical stretch is integrin-dependent and matrix-specific in rat cardiac fibroblasts. 943 1

Fission yeast Spc1/StyI MAPK is activated by many environmental insults including high osmolarity, oxidative stress, and heat shock. Spc1/StyI is activated by Wis1, a MAPK kinase (MEK), which is itself activated by Wik1/Wak1/Wis4, a MEK kinase (MEKK). Spc1/StyI is inactivated by the tyrosine phosphatases Pyp1 and Pyp2. Inhibition of Pyp1 was recently reported to play a crucial role in the oxidative stress and heat shock responses. These conclusions were based on three findings: 1) osmotic, oxidative, and heat stresses activate Spc1/StyI in wis4 cells; 2) oxidative stress and heat shock activate Spc1/StyI in cells that express Wis1AA, in which MEKK consensus phosphorylation sites were replaced with alanine; and 3) Spc1/StyI is maximally activated in Deltapyp1 cells. Contrary to these findings, we report: 1) Spc1/StyI activation by osmotic stress is greatly reduced in wis4 cells; 2) wis1-AA and Deltawis1 cells have identical phenotypes; and 3) all forms of stress activate Spc1/StyI in Deltapyp1 cells. We also report that heat shock, but not osmotic or oxidative stress, activate Spc1 in wis1-DD cells, which express Wis1 protein that has the MEKK consensus phosphorylation sites replaced with aspartic acid. Thus osmotic and oxidative stress activate Spc1/StyI by a MEKK-dependent process, whereas heat shock activates Spc1/StyI by a novel mechanism that does not require MEKK activation or Pyp1 inhibition.
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PMID:Heat stress activates fission yeast Spc1/StyI MAPK by a MEKK-independent mechanism. 961 78

Nef is a membrane-associated cytoplasmic phosphoprotein that is well conserved among the different human (HIV-1 and HIV-2) and simian immunodeficiency viruses and has important roles in down-regulating the CD4 receptor and modulating T-cell signaling pathways. The ability to modulate T-cell signaling pathways suggests that Nef may physically interact with T-cell signaling proteins. In order to identify Nef binding proteins and map their site(s) of interaction, we targeted a highly conserved acidic sequence at the carboxyl-terminal region of Nef sharing striking similarity with an acidic sequence at the c-Raf1-binding site within the Ras effector region. Here, we used deletion and site-specific mutagenesis to generate mutant Nef proteins fused to bacterial glutathione S-transferase in in vitro precipitation assays and immunoblot analysis to map the specific interaction between the HIV-1LAI Nef and c-Raf1 to a conserved acidic sequence motif containing the core sequence Asp-Asp-X-X-X-Glu (position 174-179). Significantly, we demonstrate that substitution of the nonpolar glycine residue for either or both of the conserved negatively charged aspartic acid residues at positions 174 and 175 in the full-length recombinant Nef protein background completely abrogated binding of c-Raf1 in vitro. In addition, lysates from a permanent CEM T-cell line constitutively expressing the native HIV-1 Nef protein was used to coimmunoprecipitate a stable Nef-c-Raf1 complex, suggesting that molecular interactions between Nef and c-Raf1, an important downstream transducer of cell signaling through the c-Raf1-MAP kinase pathway, occur in vivo. This interaction may account for the Nef-induced perturbations of T-cell signaling and activation pathways in vitro and in vivo.
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PMID:Binding of c-Raf1 kinase to a conserved acidic sequence within the carboxyl-terminal region of the HIV-1 Nef protein. 962 70

Regulation of c-Jun transcriptional activity is believed to depend on a physical interaction with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) that facilitates signal-regulated phosphorylation of multiple regulatory phosphoacceptor sites within the activation domain. Here we have investigated the structural requirements and consequences of regulatory phosphorylation for the interaction between c-Jun and JNK in vivo. We show that binding of JNK to c-Jun in vivo does not require JNK catalytic activity or the presence of the potential phosphoacceptor sites within c-Jun and that JNK retains the capacity to bind to a pseudo-phosphorylated mutant of c-Jun where these sites are replaced by phospho-mimetic aspartic acid residues. The c-Jun delta region docking site is essential for interaction with JNK in vivo but is not sufficient, because a c-Jun mutant that retains this region but that lacks the C-terminal DNA-binding domain fails to interact. Experiments using purified recombinant c-Jun and JNK proteins show that the c-Jun DNA-binding domain harbors an auxiliary interaction domain that has the potential to bind to JNK independently. Our results suggest that JNK can be tethered passively to c-Jun in situ through multiple interacting regions and, when activated, can stimulate c-Jun phosphorylation without necessarily dissociating from its substrate. Auxiliary interactions mediated by the DNA-binding domain could play a role in targeting JNK preferentially to c-Jun in specific homo- or heterodimeric complexes.
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PMID:Analysis of the interaction between c-Jun and c-Jun N-terminal kinase in vivo. 983 20


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