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)

Stimulation of osteoblast survival signals may be an important mechanism of regulating bone anabolism. Protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), a serine-threonine protein kinase, is a critical regulator of normal cell growth, cell cycle progression, and cell survival. In this study we have investigated the signaling pathways activated by growth factors PDGF-BB, EGF, and FGF-2 and determined whether PDGF-BB, EGF, and FGF-2 activated Akt in human or mouse osteoblastic cells. The results demonstrated that both ERK1 and ERK2 were activated by FGF-2 and PDGF-BB. Activation of ERK1 and ERK2 by PDGF-BB and FGF-2 was inhibited by PD 098059 (100 microM), a specific inhibitor of MEK. Wortmannin (500 nM), a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase ( PI 3-K), inhibited the activation of ERK1 and ERK2 by PDGF-BB but not by FGF-2 suggesting that PI 3-K mediated the activation of ERK MAPK pathway by PDGF-BB but not by FGF-2. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of p70 S6 protein kinase and a downstream target of ERK1/2 and PI 3-K, did not affect the activation of ERK1 and ERK2 by the growth factors. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that Akt, a downstream target of PI 3-K, was activated by PDGF-BB but not by FGF-2. Akt activation by PDGF-BB was inhibited by PI 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. Rapamycin had no effect on Akt activation. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) also activated Akt in osteoblastic cells which was inhibited by LY294002 but not by rapamycin. Taken together, our data for the first time revealed that the activation of ERK1/2 by PDGF-BB is mediated by PI 3-K, and secondly, Akt is activated by PDGF-BB and EGF but not by FGF-2 in human and mouse osteoblastic cells. These results are of critical importance in understanding the role of these growth factors in apoptosis and cell survival. PDGF-BB and EGF but not FGF-2 may stimulate osteoblast cell survival.
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PMID:The cell survival signal Akt is differentially activated by PDGF-BB, EGF, and FGF-2 in osteoblastic cells. 1124 70

The alpha(1)-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE) and insulin each stimulate protein synthesis in cardiomyocytes. Activation of protein synthesis by PE is involved in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. One component involved here is p70 S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), which lies downstream of mammalian target of rapamycin, whose regulation is thought to involve phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (PKB). S6K2 is a recently identified homolog of S6K1 whose regulation is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that in adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes, PE and insulin each activate S6K2, activation being 3.5- and 5-fold above basal, respectively. Rapamycin completely blocked S6K2 activation by either PE or insulin. Three different inhibitors of MEK1/2 abolished PE-induced activation of S6K2 whereas expression of constitutively active MEK1 activated S6K2, without affecting the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and JNK pathways, indicating that MEK/ERK signaling plays a key role in regulation of S6K2 by PE. PE did not activate PKB, and expression of dominant negative PKB failed to block activation of S6K2 by PE, indicating PE-induced S6K2 activation is independent of PKB. However, this PKB mutant did partially block S6K2 activation by insulin, indicating PKB is required here. Another hypertrophic agent, endothelin 1, also activated S6K2 in a MEK-dependent manner. Our findings provide strong evidence for novel signaling connections between MEK/ERK and S6K2.
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PMID:Cross-talk between the ERK and p70 S6 kinase (S6K) signaling pathways. MEK-dependent activation of S6K2 in cardiomyocytes. 1143 69

Immunosuppressants are now known to modulate bone metabolism, including bone formation and resorption. Because cartilage, formed by differentiated chondrocytes, serves as a template for endochondral bone formation, we examined the effects of the immunosuppressant rapamycin on the chondrogenesis of mesenchymal cells and on the cell signaling that is required for chondrogenesis, such as protein kinase C, extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 (ERK-1), and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. Rapamycin inhibited the expression of type II collagen and the accumulation of sulfate glycosaminoglycan, indicating inhibition of the chondrogenesis of mesenchymal cells. Rapamycin treatment did not affect precartilage condensation, but it prevented cartilage nodule formation. Exposure of chondrifying mesenchymal cells to rapamycin blocked activation of the protein kinase C alpha and p38 MAP kinase, but had no discernible effect on ERK-1 signaling. Selective inhibition of PKCalpha or p38 MAP kinase activity, which is dramatically increased during chondrogenesis, with specific inhibitors in the absence of rapamycin blocked the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal cells. Taken together, our data indicate that the immunosuppressant rapamycin inhibits the chondrogenesis of mesenchymal cells at the post-precartilage condensation stage by modulating signaling pathways including those of PKCalpha and p38 MAP kinase.
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PMID:Immunosuppressant rapamycin inhibits protein kinase C alpha and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase leading to the inhibition of chondrogenesis. 1156 47

Rapamycin binds and inhibits the Tor protein kinases, which function in a nutrient-sensing signal transduction pathway that has been conserved from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to humans. In yeast cells, the Tor pathway has been implicated in regulating cellular responses to nutrients, including proliferation, translation, transcription, autophagy, and ribosome biogenesis. We report here that rapamycin inhibits pseudohyphal filamentous differentiation of S. cerevisiae in response to nitrogen limitation. Overexpression of Tap42, a protein phosphatase regulatory subunit, restored pseudohyphal growth in cells exposed to rapamycin. The tap42-11 mutation compromised pseudohyphal differentiation and rendered it resistant to rapamycin. Cells lacking the Tap42-regulated protein phosphatase Sit4 exhibited a pseudohyphal growth defect and were markedly hypersensitive to rapamycin. Mutations in other Tap42-regulated phosphatases had no effect on pseudohyphal differentiation. Our findings support a model in which pseudohyphal differentiation is controlled by a nutrient-sensing pathway involving the Tor protein kinases and the Tap42-Sit4 protein phosphatase. Activation of the MAP kinase or cAMP pathways, or mutation of the Sok2 repressor, restored filamentation in rapamycin treated cells, supporting models in which the Tor pathway acts in parallel with these known pathways. Filamentous differentiation of diverse fungi was also blocked by rapamycin, demonstrating that the Tor signaling cascade plays a conserved role in regulating filamentous differentiation in response to nutrients.
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PMID:The TOR signal transduction cascade controls cellular differentiation in response to nutrients. 1173 4

Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to be associated with diabetic angiopathy. Migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are the processes required for the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we attempted to determine whether insulin affects mitogenic signaling induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in a rat VSMC cell line (A10 cells). PDGF stimulated DNA synthesis which was totally dependent on Ras, because transfection of dominant negative Ras resulted in complete loss of PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis. Initiation of DNA synthesis was preceded by activation of Raf-1, MEK and MAP kinases (Erk 1 and Erk2). Treatment of the cells with PD98059, an inhibitor of MAPK kinase (MEK) attenuated but did not abolish PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis, suggesting that MAPK is required but not essential for DNA synthesis. PDGF also stimulated phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and p70 S6Kinase (p70S6K) in a wortmannin-sensitive manner. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of p70S6K, markedly suppressed DNA synthesis. Low concentrations of insulin (1-10 nmol/l) alone showed little mitogenic activity and no significant effect on MAPK activity. However, the presence of insulin enhanced both DNA synthesis and MAPK activation by PDGF. The enhancing effect of insulin was not seen in cells treated with PD98059. Insulin was without effect on PDGF-stimulated activations of protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) and p70S6K. We conclude that insulin, at pathophysiologically relevant concentrations, potentiates the PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis, at least in part, by potentiating activation of the MAPK cascade. These results are consistent with the notion that hyperinsulinemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Potentiation of mitogenic activity of platelet-derived growth factor by physiological concentrations of insulin via the MAP kinase cascade in rat A10 vascular smooth muscle cells. 1199 Nov 99

Although the cellular functions of TSC2 and its protein product, tuberin, are not known, somatic mutations in the TSC2 tumor suppressor gene are associated with tumor development in lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). We found that ribosomal protein S6 (S6), which exerts translational control of protein synthesis and is required for cell growth, is hyperphosphorylated in the smooth muscle-like cell lesions of LAM patients compared with smooth muscle cells from normal human blood vessels and trachea. Smooth muscle (SM) cells derived from these lesions (LAMD-SM) also exhibited S6 hyperphosphorylation, constitutive activation of p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K), and increased basal DNA synthesis. In parallel, TSC2-/- smooth muscle cells (ELT3) and TSC2-/- epithelial cells (ERC15) also exhibited hyperphosphorylation of S6, constitutive activation of p70S6K, and increased basal DNA synthesis. Re-introduction of wild type tuberin into LAMD-SM, ELT3, and ERC15 cells abolished phosphorylation of S6 and significantly inhibited p70S6K activity and DNA synthesis. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant, inhibited hyperphosphorylation of S6, p70S6K activation, and DNA synthesis in LAMD-SM cells. Interestingly, the basal levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt/protein kinase B, and p42/p44 MAPK activation were unchanged in LAMD-SM and ELT3 cells relative to levels in normal human tracheal and vascular SM. These data demonstrate that tuberin negatively regulates the activity of S6 and p70S6K specifically, and suggest a potential mechanism for abnormal cell growth in LAM.
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PMID:Tuberin regulates p70 S6 kinase activation and ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation. A role for the TSC2 tumor suppressor gene in pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). 1204

Chronic insulin exposure induces serine/threonine phosphorylation and degradation of IRS-1 through a rapamycin-sensitive pathway, which results in a down-regulation of insulin action. In this study, to investigate whether rapamycin (an mTOR inhibitor) could prevent insulin resistance induced by hyperinsulinemia, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated chronically in the presence of insulin with or without the addition of rapamycin. Subsequently, the cells were washed and re-stimulated acutely with insulin. Chronic insulin stimulation caused a reduction of GLUT-4 and IRS-1 proteins with a correlated decrease in acute insulin-induced PKB and MAPK phosphorylations as well as a reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Rapamycin prevented the reduction of IRS-1 protein levels and insulin-induced PKB Ser-473 phosphorylation with a partial normalization of insulin-induced glucose transport. In contrast, rapamycin had no effect on the decrease in insulin-induced MAPK phosphorylation or GLUT-4 protein levels. These results suggest that chronic insulin exposure leads to a down-regulation of PKB and MAPK pathways through different mechanisms in adipocytes.
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PMID:Rapamycin partially prevents insulin resistance induced by chronic insulin treatment. 1205 62

The TOR (target of rapamycin) pathway controls cell growth in response to nutrient availability in eukaryotic cells. Inactivation of TOR function by rapamycin or nutrient exhaustion is accompanied by triggering various cellular mechanisms aimed at overcoming the nutrient stress. Here we report that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae the protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is regulated by TOR function because upon specific Tor1 and Tor2 inhibition by rapamycin, Mpk1 is activated rapidly in a process mediated by Sit4 and Tap42. Osmotic stabilization of the plasma membrane prevents both Mpk1 activation by rapamycin and the growth defect that occurs upon the simultaneous absence of Tor1 and Mpk1 function, suggesting that, at least partially, TOR inhibition is sensed by the PKC pathway at the cell envelope. This process involves activation of cell surface sensors, Rom2, and downstream elements of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. Rapamycin also induces depolarization of the actin cytoskeleton through the TOR proteins, Sit4 and Tap42, in an osmotically suppressible manner. Finally, we show that entry into stationary phase, a physiological situation of nutrient depletion, also leads to the activation of the PKC pathway, and we provide further evidence demonstrating that Mpk1 is essential for viability once cells enter G(0).
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PMID:Regulation of the cell integrity pathway by rapamycin-sensitive TOR function in budding yeast. 1217 21

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy preliminary localized in the bone marrow and characterized by its capacity to disseminate. IL-6 and IGF-1 have been shown to mediate proliferative and anti-apoptotic signals in plasmocytes. However, in primary plasma-cell leukemia (PCL) and in end-stage aggressive extramedullar disease, the cytokine requirement for both effects may be not mandatory. This suggests that constitutive activation of signaling pathways occurs. One of the signaling pathways whose deregulation may play an oncogenic role in MM is the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) pathway. In human growth factor-independent MM cell lines OPM2 and RPMI8226, we show that the PI 3-K inhibitors LY294002 and Wortmannin strongly inhibited cell proliferation, whereas inhibition of the mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (mTOR)/P70-S6-kinase (P70(S6K)) pathway with rapamycin or of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway with PD98059 had minimal effect on proliferation. In both cell lines, constitutive activation of the PI 3-K/Akt/FKHRL-1, mTOR/P70(S6K) and MAPK pathways was detected. LY294002 inhibited phosphorylation of Akt, FKHRL-1 and P70(S6K) but had no effect on ERK1/2 phosphorylation, indicating that the PI 3-K and MAPK pathways are independent. IGF-1 but not IL-6 increased phosphorylation of Akt, FKHRL-1 and P70(S6K). Purified plasmocytes from four patients with MM and two patients with primary PCL were studied. In three of them including the two patients with PCL, constitutive phosphorylation of Akt, FKHRL-1 and P70(S6K) was present, inhibited by LY294002 and enhanced by IGF-1. In these patients with constitutive Akt activation, normal PTEN expression was detected. PI 3-K inhibition induced caspase-dependent apoptosis as confirmed by inhibition with the large spectrum caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK and cleavage of pro-caspase-3. Both cell lines spontaneously expressed Skp2 and cyclin D1 proteins at high levels but no p27(Kip1) protein. In the presence of LY294002, cell-cycle arrest in G0/G1 was observed, p27(Kip1) protein expression was up-regulated whereas the expression of both Skp2 and cyclin D1 dramatically diminished. PI 3-K-dependent GSK-3alpha/beta constitutive phosphorylation was also detected in OPM2 cells that may contribute to high cyclin D1 expression. Overall, our results suggest that PI 3-K has a major role in the control of proliferation and apoptosis of growth factor-independent MM cell lines. Most of the biological effects of PI 3-K activation in these cell lines may be mediated by the opposite modulation of p27(Kip1) and Skp2 protein expression. Moreover, constitutive activation of this pathway is a frequent event in the biology of MM in vivo and may be more frequently observed in PCL.
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PMID:Role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt and mTOR/P70S6-kinase pathways in the proliferation and apoptosis in multiple myeloma. 1224 56

In differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, insulin stimulated the expression of the mRNA for the genes encoding Fra-1 (>100-fold), which is a component of the AP-1 transcriptional complex, beta-actin (6.0-fold) and hexokinase II (2.4-fold). We have examined the signalling pathways involved in these effects of insulin. Rapamycin, which binds to FRAP/mTOR and completely suppressed the activation of p70S6 kinase by insulin, almost completely blocked the induction of the hexokinase II gene, and caused an approximately 50% inhibition of the induction of the Fra-1 gene. PD98059, which completely blocks MAP kinase activation by insulin, inhibited insulin-induced Fra-1 and beta-actin gene expression by approximately 70% and 40%, respectively. These findings suggest that a FRAP/mTOR-dependent pathway is responsible for the induction of hexokinase II expression, and that MAP kinase is required, at least in part, for the stimulation of beta-actin gene expression. However, the induction of Fra-1 gene expression by insulin requires both the FRAP/mTOR and MAP kinase pathways.
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PMID:Multiple signalling pathways mediate insulin-stimulated gene expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 1239 86


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