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)

Oncogene-induced senescence is an important mechanism by which normal cells are restrained from malignant transformation. Here we report that the suppression of the c-Myc (MYC) oncogene induces cellular senescence in diverse tumor types including lymphoma, osteosarcoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. MYC inactivation was associated with prototypical markers of senescence, including acidic beta-gal staining, induction of p16INK4a, and p15INK4b expression. Moreover, MYC inactivation induced global changes in chromatin structure associated with the marked reduction of histone H4 acetylation and increased histone H3 K9 methylation. Osteosarcomas engineered to be deficient in p16INK4a or Rb exhibited impaired senescence and failed to exhibit sustained tumor regression upon MYC inactivation. Similarly, only after lymphomas were repaired for p53 expression did MYC inactivation induce robust senescence and sustained tumor regression. The pharmacologic inhibition of signaling pathways implicated in oncogene-induced senescence including ATM/ATR and MAPK did not prevent senescence associated with MYC inactivation. Our results suggest that cellular senescence programs remain latently functional, even in established tumors, and can become reactivated, serving as a critical mechanism of oncogene addiction associated with MYC inactivation.
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PMID:Cellular senescence is an important mechanism of tumor regression upon c-Myc inactivation. 1766 22

N-Methyl-N'-nitro-N'-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) is a DNA-methylating agent, and deficiency in mismatch repair (MMR) results in lack of sensitivity to this genotoxin (termed alkylation tolerance). A number of DNA damage response pathways are activated in a MMR-dependent manner following MNNG, and several also require ATM kinase activity. Here we show that activation of the transcription factor c-Jun is dependent upon both the MMR component MLH1 and ATM, but not ATR, in response to MNNG. In addition to c-Jun, the upstream MAPKs JNK and MKK4 are also activated in a MLH1- and ATM-dependent manner. We document that c-Jun activation is dependent on the MAPK kinase kinase MEKK1. Additionally, the tyrosine kinase c-Abl is required to activate this signaling cascade and forms a complex with MEKK1 and MLH1. This study indicates that an arm of DNA damage-activated MAPK signaling is activated in an MLH1- and ATM-dependent manner in response to MNNG and perhaps suggests that dysregulation of this signaling is responsible, in part, for alkylation tolerance.
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PMID:MLH1- and ATM-dependent MAPK signaling is activated through c-Abl in response to the alkylator N-methyl-N'-nitro-N'-nitrosoguanidine. 1780 21

Signal transduction pathways play a key role in the regulation of key cellular processes, including survival and death. Growing evidence points to changes in signaling pathway that occur during skin tumor development and progression. Such changes impact the activity of downstream substrates, including transcription factors. The activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) has been implicated in malignant and non-malignant skin tumor developments. ATF2 mediates both transcription and DNA damage control, through its phosphorylation by JNK/p38 or ATM/ATR respectively. Here, we summarize our present understanding of ATF2 regulation, function and contribution to malignant and non-malignant skin tumor development.
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PMID:ATF2 on the double - activating transcription factor and DNA damage response protein. 1793 92

The wild-type p53-induced phosphatase Wip1 (PP2Cdelta or PPM1D) is a member of the protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) family and controls cell cycle checkpoints in response to DNA damage. p38 MAPK and ATM were identified as physiological substrates of Wip1, and we previously reported a substrate motif that was defined using variants of the p38(180pT 182pY) diphosphorylated peptide, TDDEMpTGpYVAT. However, the substrate recognition motifs for Wip1 have not been fully defined as the sequences surrounding the targeted residues in ATM and p38 MAPK appear to be unrelated. Using a recombinant human Wip1 catalytic domain (rWip1), in this study we measured the kinetic parameters for variants of the ATM(1981pS) phosphopeptide, AFEEGpSQSTTI. We found that rWip1 dephosphorylates phosphoserine and phosphothreonine in the p(S/T)Q motif, which is an essential requirement for substrate recognition. In addition, acidic, hydrophobic, or aromatic amino acids surrounding the p(S/T)Q sequence have a positive influence, while basic amino acids have a negative influence on substrate dephosphorylation. The kinetic constants allow discrimination between true substrates and nonsubstrates of Wip1, and we identified several new putative substrates that include HDM2, SMC1A, ATR, and Wip1 itself. A three-dimensional molecular model of Wip1 with a bound substrate peptide and site-directed mutagenesis analyses suggested that the important residues for ATM(1981pS) substrate recognition are similar but not identical to those for the p38(180pT 182pY) substrate. Results from this study should be useful for predicting new physiological substrates that may be regulated by Wip1 and for developing selective anticancer drugs.
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PMID:The Wip1 phosphatase PPM1D dephosphorylates SQ/TQ motifs in checkpoint substrates phosphorylated by PI3K-like kinases. 1793 84

Protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) is a unique member of the PPP family of serine/threonine phosphatases based on the presence of tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains within its structure. Since its discovery, PP5 has been implicated in wide ranging cellular processes, including MAPK-mediated growth and differentiation, cell cycle arrest and DNA damage repair via the p53 and ATM/ATR pathways, regulation of ion channels via the membrane receptor for atrial natriuretic peptide, the cellular heat shock response as mediated by heat shock transcription factor, and steroid receptor signaling, especially glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Given this diversity of effects, the recent development of viable PP5-deficient mice was surprising and suggests that PP5 is a modulatory, rather than essential, factor in phosphorylation pathways. Here, we review the signaling involvement of PP5 in light of new findings and relate these activities to the structural features of the protein.
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PMID:Protein phosphatase 5. 1795 Oct 98

PKC (protein kinase C) isoenzymes are key signalling components involved in the regulation of normal cell proliferation, differentiation, polarity and survival. The aberrant regulation of PKC isoenzymes has been implicated in the development of many human diseases including cancer [Fields and Gustafson (2003) Methods Mol. Biol. 233, 519-537]. To date, however, only one PKC isoenzyme, the aPKC [atypical PKCiota (protein kinase Ciota)], has been identified as a human oncogene [Regala, Weems, Jamieson, Khoor, Edell, Lohse and Fields (2005) Cancer Res. 65, 8905-8911]. PKCiota has also proven to be a useful prognostic marker and legitimate target for the development of novel pharmacological agents for the treatment of cancer. The PKCiota gene resides at chromosome 3q26 and is a frequent target of tumour-specific gene amplification in multiple forms of human cancer. PKCiota gene amplification in turn drives PKCiota overexpression in these cancers. Genetic disruption of PKCiota expression blocks multiple aspects of the transformed phenotype of human cancer cells including transformed growth in soft agar, invasion through Matrigel and growth of subcutaneous tumours in nude mice. Genetic dissection of oncogenic PKCiota signalling mechanisms demonstrates that PKCiota drives transformed growth by activating a PKCiota --> Rac1 --> PAK (p21-activated kinase) --> MEK [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) 1,2/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase] 1,2 signalling pathway [Regala, Weems, Jamieson, Copland, Thompson and Fields (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 31109-31115]. The transforming activity of PKCiota requires the N-terminal PB1 (Phox-Bem1) domain of PKCiota, which serves to couple PKCiota with downstream effector molecules. Hence, there exists a strong rationale for developing novel cancer therapeutics that target the PB1 domain of PKCiota and thereby disrupt its interactions with effector molecules. Using a novel high-throughput drug screen, we identified compounds that can disrupt PB1-PB1 domain interactions between PKCiota and the adaptor molecule Par6 [Stallings-Mann, Jamieson, Regala, Weems, Murray and Fields (2006) Cancer Res. 66, 1767-1774]. Our screen identified the gold compounds ATG (aurothioglucose) and ATM (aurothiomalate) as specific inhibitors of the PB1-PB1 domain interaction between PKCiota and Par6 that exhibit anti-tumour activity against NSCLC (non-small-cell lung cancer) both in vitro and in vivo. Structural analysis, site-directed mutagenesis and modelling indicate that ATM specifically targets the PB1 domain of PKCiota to mediate its anti-tumour activity [Erdogan, Lamark, Stallings-Mann, Lee, Pellechia, Thompson, Johansen and Fields (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281, 28450-28459]. Taken together, our recent work demonstrates that PKCiota signalling is required for transformed growth of human tumours and is an attractive target for development of mechanism-based cancer therapies. ATM is currently in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of NSCLC.
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PMID:Targeting the oncogenic protein kinase Ciota signalling pathway for the treatment of cancer. 1795 62

The c-MYC proto-oncogene encodes a transcription factor that is critical for cell growth and proliferation. It is one of the genes frequently altered in cancer cells in which it exhibits constitutive activity. The half-life of c-MYC is very short in quiescent cells due to ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. We report here the rapid and dose-dependent decline of c-MYC protein level after UV-irradiation in various human and rodent cells. This decline is due to a proteasomal degradation of c-MYC protein and does not require the binding sites for the FBW7 and SKP2 ubiquitin ligases. Together, our data exclude a prominent role for the stress-responsive kinase PAK2, for the major phosphoinositide 3-kinase related protein kinases ATR, ATM, DNA-PK and mTOR and for ERK, JNK and p38 mitogen activated protein kinases in this UV-induced degradation process. We propose that c-MYC degradation is part of the global cell response to UV-damage, complementary to the accumulation and activation of the p53 transcription factor. By contributing to the replication arrest after infliction of lesions to the genome, the induced degradation of c-MYC may be part of the safeguard mechanisms maintaining genome stability.
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PMID:c-MYC protein is degraded in response to UV irradiation. 1819 73

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a potentially genotoxic and cytotoxic environmental pollutant. Previous studies showed that exposure of HepG(2) cells to BaP causes necrotic cell death [Lin, T., Yang, M.S., 2007b. Cell death induced by benzo[a]pyrene in the HepG(2) cells is dependent on PARP-1 activation and NAD depletion. Toxicology 245, 147-153]. In the present study, the signaling pathways associated with this response was studied. BaP induced accumulation and activation of p53 in HepG(2) cells, which occurred as early as 12h after exposure. Activation of p53 was evidenced by its phosphorylation at serine 15 (Ser15) and acetylation at lysine 382 (Lys382). Chemical inhibition and siRNA-mediated knockdown of p53 expression suppressed its phosphorylation as well as cell death. BaP also activated p38 MAPK and ERK, but not JNK, at 6h after exposure. SB203580 and PD98059, specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK and ERK, respectively, suppressed phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15, but the accumulation of p53 was only moderately reduced. Acetylation of p53 at Lys 382 was not affected by these inhibitors, suggesting that acetylation stabilizes p53 in response to DNA damage. SB203580 and PD98059 prevented downstream energy failure and BaP-induced cell death. Similar results were obtained with siRNA against two isoforms of p38 MAPK, p38alpha and p38beta. Wortmannin, selective inhibitor of DNA-PK and ATM/ATR, abolished p53 phosphorylation, indicating an involvement of multiple pathways of p53 phosphorylation upon exposure to BaP. In summary, the current study demonstrated that both MAPK and p53 activation are required for BaP-induced necrotic cell death. The results also provide a novel model for studying the regulation between p53 and p38 MAPK in the progression of cellular necrosis.
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PMID:MAPK regulate p53-dependent cell death induced by benzo[a]pyrene: involvement of p53 phosphorylation and acetylation. 1840 7

The incidence of melanoma continues to dramatically increase in most Western countries with predominantly Caucasian populations. However, only limited therapies for the metastatic stage of the disease are currently available. The main purpose of this study is to determine approaches that can substantially increase radiosensitivity of melanoma cells. The PI3K-AKT, NF-kappaB and COX-2 pathways, which are involved in the radioprotective response, are highly active in melanoma cells. Pharmacological suppression of COX-2 and PI3K-AKT, or RNAi-mediated knockdown of COX-2, substantially increased levels of G2/M arrest of the cell cycle and decreased clonogenic survival of gamma-irradiated melanomas, predominantly via a necrotic mechanism. On the other hand, resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin, selectively targets numerous cell signaling pathways, decreasing clonogenic survival primarily via an apoptotic mechanism. In melanoma cells, resveratrol inhibits STAT3 and NF-kappaB-dependent transcription, culminating in suppression of cFLIP and Bcl-xL expression, while activating the MAPK- and the ATM-Chk2-p53 pathways. Resveratrol also upregulates TRAIL promoter activity and induces TRAIL surface expression in some melanoma cell lines, resulting in a rapid development of apoptosis. Sequential treatment of melanoma cells, first with gamma-irradiation to upregulate TRAIL-R surface expression, and then with resveratrol to suppress antiapoptotic proteins cFLIP and Bcl-xL and induce TRAIL surface expression, had dramatic effects on upregulation of apoptosis in some melanoma lines, including SW1 and WM35. However, for melanoma lines exhibiting suppressed translocation of TRAIL to the cell surface, a necrotic mechanism of cell death was primarily involved in radiation response. Hence, surface expression of TRAIL induced by resveratrol appears to be a decisive event, one which determines an apoptotic versus a necrotic response of melanoma cells to sequential treatment.
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PMID:Radiosensitization of melanoma cells through combined inhibition of protein regulators of cell survival. 1845 17

The oncogenic Wip1 phosphatase (PPM1D) is induced upon DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner and is required for inactivation or suppression of DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoint arrest and of apoptosis by dephosphorylating and inactivating phosphorylated Chk2, Chk1, and ATM kinases. It has been reported that arsenic trioxide (ATO), a potent cancer chemotherapeutic agent, in particular for acute promyelocytic leukemia, activates the Chk2/p53 pathway, leading to apoptosis. ATO is also known to activate the p38 MAPK/p53 pathway. Here we show that phosphatase activities of purified Wip1 toward phosphorylated Chk2 and p38 in vitro are inhibited by ATO in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, DNA damage-induced phosphorylation of Chk2 and p38 in cultured cells is suppressed by ectopic expression of Wip1, and this Wip1-mediated suppression can be restored by the presence of ATO. We also show that treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia cells with ATO resulted in induction of phosphorylation and activation of Chk2 and p38 MAPK, which are required for ATO-induced apoptosis. Importantly, this ATO-induced activation of Chk2/p53 and p38 MAPK/p53 apoptotic pathways can be enhanced by siRNA-mediated suppression of Wip1 expression, further indicating that ATO inhibits Wip1 phosphatase in vivo. These results exemplify that Wip1 is a direct molecular target of ATO.
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PMID:Arsenic trioxide augments Chk2/p53-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting oncogenic Wip1 phosphatase. 1848 88


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