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)

Molecular mechanisms in the development of drug abuse and dependence were reviewed by taking behavioral sensitization induced by psychostimulants like amphetamines and cocaine as a typical example. Behavioral sensitization is characterized by three main features, progressive quantitative and qualitative changes in responsiveness to the drug, very long-lastingness, and development of vulnerability to other drugs and nonspecific physical and psychological stressors, in other words, cross-sensitization. These serial changes in response to the drug during abuse must result from plastic changes in the brains of abusers. As to subcellular neurochemical mechanisms of sensitization, the activation of three main cascades is indispensable, 1) D1 dopamine (DA) receptors/PKA/phospho-34Thr-DARPP-32/PP-1 cascade activated by psychostimulant-induced enhancement of DA release in the accumbens, 2) NMDA receptors and CaM-KII activated by enhanced release of glutamate, 3) activation of MAP kinase cascade by BDNF and beta 1 subunit of G protein. These, in turn, activate several transcription factors, including delta-Fos B, and affect transcription and translation of 4th or later messengers. Finally, these result in the rearrangement of neural networks, where the tone of the A10 dopamine pathway from the ventral tegmentum area to the accumbens is strengthened, and regulation by glutamatergic afferents from the frontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus shifts into abnormal positive regulation. As amphetamines increase expression of some plasticity-related genes (e.g. synaptophysin, stathmin and arc), synaptogenesis, neuritic sprouting and elongation must develop during behavioral sensitization. These plastic changes with structural modification of neural networks in the CNS during drug abuse could induce and reinforce psychological dependence and susceptibility to drug-induced psychoses, which become increasingly intractable.
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PMID:[Molecular biology of drug dependence and behavioral sensitization]. 1264 9

Endocannabinoids form a novel class of intercellular messengers, the functions of which include retrograde signaling in the brain and mediation or modulation of several types of synaptic plasticity. Yet, the signaling mechanisms and long-term effects of the stimulation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1-R) are poorly understood. We show that anandamide, 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol, and Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in hippocampal slices. In living mice, THC activated ERK in hippocampal neurons and induced its accumulation in the nuclei of pyramidal cells in CA1 and CA3. Both effects were attributable to stimulation of CB1-R and activation of MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK). In hippocampal slices, the stimulation of ERK was independent of phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase but was regulated by cAMP. The endocannabinoid-induced stimulation of ERK was lost in Fyn knock-out mice, in slices and in vivo, although it was insensitive to inhibitors of Src-family tyrosine kinases in vitro, suggesting a noncatalytic role of Fyn. Finally, the effects of cannabinoids on ERK activation were dependent on the activity of glutamate NMDA receptors in vivo, but not in hippocampal slices, indicating the existence of several pathways linking CB1-R to the ERK cascade. In vivo THC induced the expression of immediate-early genes products (c-Fos protein, Zif268, and BDNF mRNAs), and this induction was prevented by an inhibitor of MEK. The strong potential of cannabinoids for inducing long-term alterations in hippocampal neurons through the activation of the ERK pathway may be important for the physiological control of synaptic plasticity and for the general effects of THC in the context of drug abuse.
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PMID:Regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase by cannabinoids in hippocampus. 1265 97

The survival of rat postnatal mesencephalic dopamine (DA) neurons in dissociated cell cultures was studied by examining the combinatorial effects of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as well as selective inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Postnatal DA neurons were maintained for 14 days in vitro, and were identified by immunohistochemistry using tyrosine hydroxylase antibody. The survival and growth of DA neurons was significantly increased by the inclusion of either >100 microM db-cAMP or 10 microM Forskolin plus 100 microM IBMX in the culture medium. Neither 10-50 ng/ml GDNF nor 50 ng/ml BDNF alone significantly increased DA neuron survival in vitro. However, the combined use of GDNF and BDNF did increase DA neuron survival, and the addition of either db-cAMP or IBMX/Forskolin to media containing these neurotrophins markedly increased DA neuron survival and growth. The cAMP inhibitor Rp-cAMP, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A inhibitor H89, and the MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitor PD98059 significantly reduced the survival of DA neurons when applied alone in the absence of added growth factors. Application of GDNF plus BDNF, or db-cAMP significantly protected the DA neurons from the deleterious effects on survival of either 20 microM H89 or 20 microM PD 98059. The results suggest that BDNF, GDNF, and cAMP produce convergent signals to activate PKA and MAPK pathways which are involved in the survival of postnatal mesencephalic DA neurons in vitro.
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PMID:Interactions of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor treatment on the survival and growth of postnatal mesencephalic dopamine neurons in vitro. 1266 47

P19 embryonic carcinoma cells can be differentiated into neurons that form synaptic connections and that produce a variety of neurotransmitters. Results of RT-PCR indicate that P19 neurons express several neurotrophin receptors (p75(NTR), trkB, and trkC, but not trkA) but they do not express any of the four neurotrophins. Consistent with the presence of trkB but not trkA, BDNF causes rapid phosphorylation of MAP kinases ERK1 and ERK2, but NGF does not. Neurotrophins induce translocation of NF-kappaB into the nucleus. All four neurotrophins induce activation of NF-kappaB in a biphasic manner. This effect is apparently mediated by p75(NTR), because an inhibitor of trk receptors, K252a, does not inhibit activation of NF-kappaB. Instead, K252a itself promotes activation of NF-kappaB and this effect is additive with the effect of neurotrophins. Inhibition of reactive oxygen intermediates with PDTC completely abolishes basal activity of NF-kappaB and strongly inhibits activation of NF-kappaB by neurotrophins, indicating an important role of reactive oxygen intermediates in the pathway by which neurotrophins activate NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB is known to promote expression of the iNOS gene. We found that all four neurotrophins increased iNOS mRNA levels, resulting in increased accumulation of iNOS protein. In contrast, none of the neurotrophins stimulated nNOS mRNA or protein synthesis. PDTC abolishes constitutive and neurotrophin-induced expression of iNOS mRNA and protein and abolishes constitutive expression of nNOS mRNA, suggesting that reactive oxygen intermediates promote expression of nNOS.
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PMID:p75 neurotrophin receptor mediates neurotrophin activation of NF-kappa B and induction of iNOS expression in P19 neurons. 1267 17

Trk receptors are a family of three receptor tyrosine kinases, each of which can be activated by one or more of four neurotrophins-nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophins 3 and 4 (NT3 and NT4). Neurotrophin signaling through these receptors regulates cell survival, proliferation, the fate of neural precursors, axon and dendrite growth and patterning, and the expression and activity of functionally important proteins, such as ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors. In the adult nervous system, the Trk receptors regulate synaptic strength and plasticity. The cytoplasmic domains of Trk receptors contain several sites of tyrosine phosphorylation that recruit intermediates in intracellular signaling cascades. As a result, Trk receptor signaling activates several small G proteins, including Ras, Rap-1, and the Cdc-42-Rac-Rho family, as well as pathways regulated by MAP kinase, PI 3-kinase and phospholipase-C-gamma (PLC-gamma). Trk receptor activation has different consequences in different cells, and the specificity of downstream Trk receptor-mediated signaling is controlled through expression of intermediates in these signaling pathways and membrane trafficking that regulates localization of different signaling constituents. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Trk receptor-mediated signaling is its interplay with signaling promoted by the pan-neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. p75NTR activates a distinct set of signaling pathways within cells that are in some instances synergistic and in other instances antagonistic to those activated by Trk receptors. Several of these are proapoptotic but are suppressed by Trk receptor-initiated signaling. p75NTR also influences the conformations of Trk receptors; this modifies ligand-binding specificity and affinity with important developmental consequences.
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PMID:Trk receptors: roles in neuronal signal transduction. 1267 95

Ependymin (EPN) is a goldfish brain neurotrophic factor previously shown to function in a variety of cellular events related to long-term memory formation and neuronal regeneration. CMX-8933, an 8-amino-acid synthetic peptide fragment of EPN, was designed for aiding an investigation of the biological properties of this glycoprotein. We reported from previous studies that treatment of mouse neuroblastoma (NB2a) cultures with CMX-8933 promotes activation of transcription factor AP-1, a characteristic previously associated with the following full-length neurotrophic factors: nerve growth factor, neurotropin-3, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The CMX-8933-activated AP-1 specifically bound an AP-1 consensus probe and appeared to contain c-Jun and c-Fos protein components in antibody supershift experiments. Because AP-1 influences a variety of positive and negative cellular processes, determined in part by its exact protein composition and mechanism of activation, we extended these initial AP-1 observations in the current study to confirm the identity of the CMX-8933-activated c-Jun and c-Fos components. CMX-8933 increases the enzymatic activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), increases the phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun proteins, and increases the cellular titers of c-Jun and c-Fos mRNAs. Furthermore, the AP-1 activated by CMX-8933 is functional, insofar as it transactivates both synthetic and natural AP-1-dependent reporter plasmids. Inhibition studies indicate that activation of the 8933-induced AP-1 occurs via the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These data are in agreement with the recently proposed model for the conversion of short- to long-term synaptic plasticity and memory, in which a JNK-activated transcription factor AP-1, containing c-Jun and c-Fos components, functions at the top of a hierarchy of transcription factors known to regulate long-term neural plasticity.
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PMID:A peptide fragment of ependymin neurotrophic factor uses protein kinase C and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway to activate c-Jun N-terminal kinase and a functional AP-1 containing c-Jun and c-Fos proteins in mouse NB2a cells. 1269 7

Four positive modulators of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (cyclothiazide, CX614, LY404187 and S18986-1) given in acute or chronic manner exerted a neuroprotective effect in lesions induced in postnatal day 5 (P5) mice by intracerebral injection of ibotenate, an NMDA agonist. The neuroprotective effects were mediated via the MAPK pathway since coinjection of the MEK inhibitor, PD98059, blocked the neuroprotective effects. Administration of CX614 to neonatal mice was followed by upregulation of hippocampal and cortical BDNF expression.
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PMID:Positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors are neuroprotective against lesions induced by an NMDA agonist in neonatal mouse brain. 1270 64

Malfunctioning of high-affinity glutamate transporters is believed to contribute to the accumulation of toxic concentrations of glutamate and, thus, trigger the cellular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Emerging data point to the presence of excitotoxic component in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aberrant expression of glutamate transporters in this neurodegenerative malady. Neuronal soluble factors are essential for differential expression and fine tuning of the astroglial glutamate transporters, GLT-1/EAAT2 and GLAST/EAAT1. However, the nature of factors specifically affecting glutamate uptake in AD is largely unknown. The overproduction of neurotoxic beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta), a major constituent of amyloid plaques, and marked down-regulation of BDNF, a neuroprotective factor, are hallmarks of AD pathophysiology. None of these typically neuronal factors was capable of changing the pattern of glutamate transporter expression in undifferentiated rat astrocytes that predominantly expressed GLAST. In differentiated astrocytes, BDNF and, to a lesser extent, subtoxic concentrations of Abeta 1-42 (1-5 microM) induced the expression of GLT-1 and increased glutamate uptake, whereas the GLAST levels were unaltered by these factors. The BDNF-dependent up-regulation of GLT-1 in differentiated astrocytes was partially antagonized by the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4), but not by group I or II mGluRs. Activation of transcription factor NF-kappaB appeared to be a shared essential, but not a sufficient molecular event in the BDNF- or Abeta-dependent induction of GLT-1. The BDNF-dependent activation of NF-kappaB and up-regulation of GLT-1 was critically dependent on the upstream activation of p42/p44 MAP kinase signaling, whereas the inhibition of these MAP kinases dramatically increased the Abeta-dependent activation of NF-kappaB and production of GLT-1. The capacity to up-regulate astroglial glutamate uptake system, that apparently represents a novel element in the neuroprotective repertoire of BDNF, can, however, provide adverse effect under certain insults when glutamate transporters start operating in reverse direction. The Abeta-dependent up-regulation of GLT-1/EAAT2, more pronounced under the deficit of MAP kinase signaling, may attenuate synaptic efficacy and, thus contribute to the impairment of neuroplasticity in AD.
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PMID:Beta-amyloid and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF, up-regulate the expression of glutamate transporter GLT-1/EAAT2 via different signaling pathways utilizing transcription factor NF-kappaB. 1274 80

Disturbed adaptations at the molecular and cellular levels following stress could represent compromised neural plasticity that contributes to the pathophysiology of stress-induced disorders. Evidence illustrates atrophy and cell death of stress-vulnerable neurones in the prefrontal cortex. Reduced plasticity may be realized through the destabilized function of selective proteins involved in organizing the neuronal skeleton and translating neurotrophic signals. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects, rats were exposed to chronic footshock stress. Patterns of c-fos, phospho-extracellular-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), calcineurin and phospho-cyclic-AMP response-element binding protein (CREB) expression were subsequently investigated. The results indicate chronic stress-induced impairments in prefrontal and cingulate signal transduction cascades underlying neuronal plasticity. The medial prefrontal cortex, demonstrated functional hyperactivity and dendritic phospho-ERK1/2 hyperphosphorylation, while reduced c-fos and calcineurin immunoreactivity occurred in the cingulate cortex. Significantly reduced phospho-CREB expression in both cortical regions, considering its implication in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transcription, suggests reduced synaptic plasticity. This data confirms the damaging effect of stress on cortical activity, on a molecular level. Due to the association of these markers in the regulation of BDNF signalling, these findings suggest a central role for intracellular neurotrophin transduction members in the pathways underlying cellular actions of stress in the brain.
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PMID:Molecular correlates of impaired prefrontal plasticity in response to chronic stress. 1275 89

To investigate the intracellular signal transduction pathways involved in regulating the gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in primary afferent neurons, we examined the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons after peripheral inflammation and sciatic nerve transection. Peripheral inflammation induced an increase in the phosphorylation of ERK, mainly in tyrosine kinase A-containing small-to-medium-diameter DRG neurons. The treatment of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 1/2 inhibitor U0126 reversed the pain hypersensitivity and the increase in phosphorylated-ERK (p-ERK) and BDNF in DRG neurons induced by complete Freund's adjuvant. On the other hand, axotomy induced the activation of ERK mainly in medium-and large-sized DRG neurons and in satellite glial cells. U0126 suppressed the axotomy-induced autotomy behavior and reversed the increase in p-ERK and BDNF. The intrathecal application of nerve growth factor (NGF) induced an increase in the number of p-ERK-and BDNF-labeled cells, mainly small neurons, and the application of anti-NGF induced an increase in p-ERK and BDNF in some medium-to-large-diameter DRG neurons. The activation of MAPK in the primary afferents may occur in different populations of DRG neurons after peripheral inflammation and axotomy, respectively, through alterations in the target-derived NGF. These changes, including the changes in BDNF expression, might be involved in the pathophysiological changes in primary afferent neurons.
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PMID:Differential activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase in primary afferent neurons regulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression after peripheral inflammation and nerve injury. 1276 99


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