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)

We have previously shown that murine recombinant leptin directly stimulates catecholamine synthesis through the long form of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) expressed in cultured porcine chromaffin cells. Additionally, we found that leptin activates IP3 production after PLC activation. It is well established that activation of PLC elicits IP3 production as well as an increase in diacylglycerol, a compound that stimulates PKC. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of PKC in leptin-induced catecholamine synthesis. Leptin was found to induce significant increases in PKC activity in a dose-dependent manner (1, 10, and 100 nM); chelation of extracellular Ca(2+) by EDTA abolished this PKC stimulatory activity. We also confirmed by Western blot analysis that leptin (at 100 nM) induced significant increases in Ca(2+)-dependent PKC alpha, -beta(I), and -gamma expression. The activity of the rate-limiting enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the biosynthesis of catecholamine is regulated at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. TH enzyme activity and TH mRNA levels induced by 100 nM leptin were significantly inhibited by the PKC inhibitor Ro 32-0432 as well as by EDTA. In addition, increases in TH protein and intracellular catecholamine content stimulated by leptin were completely inhibited by Ro 32-0432. Leptin markedly activated ERKs and, to a lesser extent, JNK; these stimulatory effects on ERKs and JNK were completely inhibited by Ro 32-0432 as well as EDTA. In contrast, leptin did not activate P38 MAPK. Similar to leptin, PMA activated ERK and JNK. Nicardipine and omega-conotoxin GVIA, each at 1 microM, were effective at inhibiting leptin-induced TH enzyme activity, TH mRNA accumulation, PKC activity, and ERK activity. Leptin increased activating protein-1 DNA-binding activity, and this was diminished by Ro 32-0432 as well as EDTA, similar to the reduction of TH mRNA levels. In addition, using supershift analysis, we documented the involvement of c-Fos and, to a lesser extent, c-Jun in leptin-induced activating protein-1 activity. These results indicate that leptin stimulates Ca(2+)-dependent PKC isoform-dependent catecholamine synthesis in porcine chromaffin cells. Previously, we had shown that leptin stimulated cAMP. The present study also showed that H89 (a PKA inhibitor) moderately, but significantly, inhibited leptin-induced ERK and TH mRNA. Consistent with this finding, leptin is shown here to activate novel PKC epsilon, which is assumed to stimulate Raf, upstream of ERKs, via cAMP, supporting the suggestion that Ca(2+)-independent novel PKC may also play some physiological role in regulating catecholamine synthesis.
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PMID:Leptin stimulates catecholamine synthesis in a PKC-dependent manner in cultured porcine adrenal medullary chromaffin cells. 1160 54

Activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) requires dimerization that is induced by phosphorylation of Tyr705, but its activity can be further modulated by phosphorylation at Ser727 in a manner that is dependent on cell context and the stimulus used. The role of STAT3 Ser727 phosphorylation in leptin signalling is currently not known. While cells transfected with the signalling-competent long form of the leptin receptor (ObRb) have been used to study leptin signalling, these are likely to be of limited use in studying STAT3 Ser727 phosphorylation due to the importance of cell background in determining the nature of the response. However, we have recently found that J774.2 macrophages endogenously express high levels of ObRb, and using these cells we find that leptin stimulates STAT3 phosphorylation on both Tyr705 and Ser727. The phosphorylation of Ser727 was not affected by rapamycin or the protein kinase C inhibitor H7 [1-(5-isoquinolinylsulphonyl)-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride]. While the MEK-1 [mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase)/extracellular-signal-related kinase (ERK) kinase-1] inhibitor PD98059 [(2-amino-3'-methoxyphenyl)oxanaphthalen-4-one] had no effect on leptin-stimulated phosphorylation of STAT3 Tyr705, it greatly attenuated leptin's effects on STAT3 Ser727 phosphorylation. Further, Ob's effect on the DNA binding activity of STAT3 was also greatly reduced at all time points by PD98059. Leptin-induced ERK activation in J774.2 cells shows a biphasic pattern, with an initial reduction in ERK phosphorylation for up to 10 min following leptin stimulation, while at later time points phosphorylation of ERK was increased above basal levels. The increase in ERK activity corresponded with an increase in both phosphorylation of Ser727 and STAT3 DNA binding activity. These data provide the first evidence that ERK-mediated phosphorylation of Ser727 is required for full stimulation of STAT3 by leptin.
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PMID:Biphasic regulation of extracellular-signal-regulated protein kinase by leptin in macrophages: role in regulating STAT3 Ser727 phosphorylation and DNA binding. 1204 54

Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, regulates food intake and energy expenditure in the hypothalamus via its receptor, member of the class I cytokine receptor family. Leptin resistance has been observed in rodents and in humans. However, the mechanisms could not be explained in most cases of human obesity, except for rare cases with mutations in the leptin receptor. Recent reports demonstrated that ethanol inhibited the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway activated by some members of the class I cytokine receptor family. In this study, we examined the effects of ethanol on the leptin-induced JAK/STAT signaling pathway using human hepatoma cell lines transiently expressing long form of the leptin receptor. A 30 min pretreatment with ethanol dose-dependently inhibited the leptin-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, to determine the time course of ethanol inhibitory effects, the cells were incubated in 10 mM ethanol for various times. Partial inhibition of leptin-induced STAT3 activation was seen after 1 min of treatment with ethanol and completely inhibited after 30 min pretreatment. SB 202190, a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor, partly prevented this inhibition by ethanol of leptin-induced STAT3 activation. These findings suggest that ethanol time- and dose-dependently inhibits the leptin action, in part via p38 MAPK.
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PMID:Ethanol inhibits leptin-induced STAT3 activation in Huh7 cells. 1216 72

Bim is a proapoptotic, BH3-domain-only member of the Bcl-2 family that plays a role in death of trophic factor-deprived sympathetic neurons as well as in other paradigms of apoptotic death. We report here that nerve growth factor (NGF) leads to both a slow down-regulation of Bim expression in neuronal PC12 cells and rapid Bim phosphorylation. Both effects appear to be mediated by the MEK/MAPK pathway. An assay for Bim-mediated death revealed that NGF-promoted phosphorylation suppresses the proapoptotic activity of Bim. The phosphorylation sites responsible for this effect in the extra long form of rBim were identified as Ser-109 and Thr-110. Thus, NGF protects neurons from the proapoptotic effects of Bim both by acute phosphorylation and the longer term repression of expression.
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PMID:Nerve growth factor (NGF) down-regulates the Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain-only protein Bim and suppresses its proapoptotic activity by phosphorylation. 1238 45

We have recently shown that leptin strongly induces the expression and secretion of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) [Gabay, Dreyer, Pellegrinelli, Chicheportiche and Meier (2001) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 86, 783-791] in monocytes. However, the intracellular signalling mechanisms involved remained unknown. We now demonstrate that the activation of the IL-1Ra promoter by leptin is strictly dependent on the presence of the long form of the leptin receptor (OB-Rb), and that it also requires the activation of the p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as well as the presence of a nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappa B)/PU.1 composite site at position -80 of the IL-1Ra promoter. Although leptin is capable of activating a NF-kappa B reporter element in transient transfection experiments, the protein complex binding to the NF-kappa B/PU.1 site of the IL-1Ra promoter is not composed of the p65/p50 subunits of NF-kappa B, as is evident in electrophoretic gel mobility-shift experiments. In contrast, a protein complex which does not contain PU.1 binds to this composite element in a leptin-dependent manner. In summary, we characterize the signalling pathway for leptin and OB-Rb involved in the induction of IL-1Ra, involving p42/44 MAPK, and a yet uncharacterized complex of transcription factor(s) binding to a NF-kappa B/PU.1 composite element of the IL-1Ra promoter.
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PMID:Leptin activates the promoter of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist through p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase and a composite nuclear factor kappa B/PU.1 binding site. 1242 2

It is well known that GH-PRL secreting GH3 cells express constitutive neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and produce nitric oxide (NO*). In addition, these cells possess plasma membrane prolactin (PRL) receptors which can be responsible for an autocrine 'short-loop' feedback. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the activation of PRL receptors modulates the expression of the different spliced forms of nNOS gene, and the transductional mechanisms involved in this action. In GH3 cells, both exon 2-containing nNOSalpha and exon 2-lacking nNOSbeta were time-dependently expressed, whereas the other two isoforms eNOS and iNOS were not. The antibodies directed against the residues 53-68 of the external domain common to both the long and short form of rat PRL receptors, and the selective D2 agonist cabergoline (1 nm) reduced both basal and exogenous PRL-induced expressions of nNOSalpha and nNOSbeta, but to a greater extent for the beta splicing form. In line with these results, oPRL (1 and 10 microm) added to the incubation medium increased to a greater extent the expression of nNOSbeta form than of the nNOSalpha. The receptor and non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors, genistein (10 microm), the Src-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2 (100 microm), the MAPK inhibitor PD 098059 (50 nm) and the two PI3'-K inhibitors, wortmannin (300 nm) and LY-294002 (25 microm) prevented both basal and exogenous PRL-induced expression of nNOSalpha and nNOSbeta isoforms. In addition, exogenous PRL induced a phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB) (Akt) that was prevented both by the two MAPK inhibitors PD 098059 and U 0126, and by the PI3'-K inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002. Up-regulation of the expression of the two splicing forms of nNOS elicited by PRL-receptor activation was mirrored by the increased synthesis of NO*. In conclusion, PRL receptor activation up-regulated the expression of both nNOSalpha and nNOSbeta proteins via a PTK, PI3'-K, MAPK and PKB signalling transduction components. This action may represent the molecular mechanism by which PRL exerts the 'short-loop' feedback on its own secretion.
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PMID:Involvement of PI3'-K, mitogen-activated protein kinase and protein kinase B in the up-regulation of the expression of nNOSalpha and nNOSbeta splicing variants induced by PRL-receptor activation in GH3 cells. 1261 37

Leptin is recognized as a profibrogenic hormone in the liver, but the mechanisms involved have not been clarified. The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, which acts through inhibition of collagen degradation, is synthesized by activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in response to fibrogenic substances. The capacity of leptin to induce TIMP-1 and its signaling molecules were investigated in a human HSC cell line, LX-2. Leptin stimulated TIMP-1 protein, mRNA, and promoter activity. JAK1 and -2, as well as STAT3 and -5, were activated. After leptin, there was increased expression of tyrosine 1141-phosphorylated leptin receptor, which may contribute to STAT3 activation. AG 490, a JAK inhibitor, blocked JAK phosphorylation with concomitant inhibition of STAT activation, TIMP-1 mRNA expression, and promoter activity. Leptin also induced an oxidative stress, which was inhibited by AG 490, indicating a JAK mediation process. ERK1/2 MAPK and p38 were activated, which was prevented by catalase, indicating an H2O2-dependent mechanism. Catalase treatment resulted in total suppression of TIMP-1 mRNA expression and promoter activity. SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, prevented p38 activation and reduced TIMP-1 message half-life with down-regulation of TIMP-1 mRNA. These changes were reproduced by overexpression of the dominant negative p38alpha and p38beta mutants. PD098059, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, opposed ERK1/2 activation and TIMP-1 promoter activity, leading to TIMP-1 mRNA down-regulation. Thus, leptin has a direct action on liver fibrogenesis by stimulating TIMP-1 production in activated HSC. This process appears to be mediated by the JAK/STAT pathway via the leptin receptor long form and the H2O2-dependent p38 and ERK1/2 pathways via activated JAK.
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PMID:Leptin stimulates tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in human hepatic stellate cells: respective roles of the JAK/STAT and JAK-mediated H2O2-dependant MAPK pathways. 1462 4

Since Fas-induced apoptosis is major pathway to eliminate unwanted or uncontrolled cells, many types of human cancer cells develop tactful mechanisms to get resistance against the apoptosis. One of the resistant mechanisms in human cancer is overexpression of FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), human homolog of viral protein v-FLIP. c-FLIP has multiple splice variants at transcriptional level or two isoforms at protein level, a long (c-FLIP(L)) and a short form of c-FLIP (c-FLIP(S)). However, functional differences between these variants are not fully understood. In this study, we show that c-FLIP(L) but not c-FLIP(S) physically binds to Daxx through interaction between C-terminal domain of c-FLIP(L) and Fas-binding domain of Daxx, an alternative Fas signaling adaptor. Fas-induced cell death and JNK activation are sensitive to Fas stimulation in cell lines carrying undetectable level of c-FLIP(L). To support this, overexpression of c-FLIP(L) but not of c-FLIP(S) renders the cells resistant to Fas-induced cell death and to JNK activation. In signaling context, the interaction of c-FLIP(L) with Daxx is likely to inhibit JNK activation by preventing the normal interaction of Daxx and Fas, which is known to lead to apoptosis via JNK activation. This study implies that through this new mechanism, c-FLIP(L), acting at both FADD- and Daxx-mediated signaling pathways, may be involved in complete inhibition of Fas-induced cell death and may provide an answer to why c-FLIP(L) is more abundant and effective than c-FLIP(S).
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PMID:Long form of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein interacts with Daxx and prevents Fas-induced JNK activation. 1463 55

Elevated secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) or hypersensitivity to GCs has a permissive effect on the development of obesity and leads to abnormalities of body fat distribution. Recent studies demonstrated GCs act as antagonists of leptin in rodents. However, little is known about the interaction between GCs and leptin signaling. In the present study, we investigated the effects of GCs on leptin action in vitro and in vivo. GCs rapidly inhibited the leptin-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as assayed by Western blotting using anti-phosphospecific-STAT3 in human hepatoma cell lines (Huh7) transiently expressing long form leptin receptor. GCs also inhibited the leptin-induced JAK2 tyrosine phosphorylation but unaltered the specific binding of (125)I-leptin to the cells. Parallel experiments, however, demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of GCs were not observed in either IL-6- or LIF-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we examined the feeding behavior and hypothalamic leptin signaling following intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of GCs prior to icv leptin infusion in Sprague-Dawley rats. The food intake after 24 h of icv leptin injection increased 3-fold in GCs-treated animals. In addition, central infusion of GCs resulted in a marked reduction of hypothalamic STAT3 phosphorylation in response to icv infusion of leptin. To clarify the molecular mechanism by which GCs rapidly reduce leptin-induced JAK/STAT signaling, we examined the intracellular signal transduction pathway potentially mediated by GCs. PD98059, a specific MEK inhibitor, blocked the inhibitory effects of GCs on leptin-induced JAK/STAT activation in Huh7 cells. These results suggest GCs antagonize leptin action by a rapid inhibition of the leptin-induced JAK/STAT pathway partly via MAPK cascade.
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PMID:Rapid inhibition of leptin signaling by glucocorticoids in vitro and in vivo. 1499 17

Cellular FLIP long form (c-FLIP(L)) is a caspase-defective homologue of caspase-8 that blocks apoptosis by death receptors. The expression of c-FLIP(L) in T cells can also augment extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation after TCR ligation via the association of c-FLIP(L) with Raf-1. This contributes to the hyperproliferative capacity of T cells from c-FLIP(L)-transgenic mice. In this study we show that activated CD4(+) T cells from c-FLIP(L)-transgenic mice produce increased amounts of Th2 cytokines and decreased amounts of Th1 cytokines. This correlates with increased serum concentrations of the Th2-dependent IgG1 and IgE. The Th2 bias of c-FLIP(L)-transgenic CD4(+) T cells parallels impaired NF-kappa B activity and increased levels of GATA-3, which contribute, respectively, to decreased IFN-gamma and increased Th2 cytokines. The Th2 bias of c-FLIP(L)-transgenic mice extends to an enhanced sensitivity to OVA-induced asthma. Taken together, these results show that c-FLIP(L) can influence cytokine gene expression to promote Th2-driven allergic reaction, in addition to its traditional role of blocking caspase activation induced by death receptors.
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PMID:Cellular FLIP long form-transgenic mice manifest a Th2 cytokine bias and enhanced allergic airway inflammation. 1506 48


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