Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.11.24 (mitogen-activated protein kinase)
95,810 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The spatial expression patterns of genes involved in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responses during morphogenesis in Dictyostelium discoideum were analyzed by in situ hybridization. Genes encoding adenylyl cyclase A (ACA), cAMP receptor 1, G-protein alpha2 and beta subunits, cytosolic activator of ACA (CRAC and Aimless), catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA-C) and cAMP phosphodiesterases (PDE and REG-A) were preferentially expressed in the anterior prestalk (tip) region of slugs, which acts as an organizing center. MAP kinase ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2) mRNA, however, was enriched in the posterior prespore region. At the culmination stage, the expression of ACA, CRAC and PKA-C mRNA increased in prespore cells in contrast with the previous stage. However, no alteration in the site of expression was observed for the other mRNA analyzed. Based on these findings, two and four classes of expression patterns were catalogued for these genes during the slug and culmination stages, respectively. Promoter analyses of genes in particular classes should enhance understanding of the regulation of dynamic and coordinated gene expression during morphogenesis.
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PMID:Spatial expression patterns of genes involved in cyclic AMP responses in Dictyostelium discoideum development. 1142 93

Disruption of Dictyostelium rasC, encoding a Ras subfamily protein, generated cells incapable of aggregation. While rasC expression is enriched in a cell type-specific manner during post-aggregative development, the defect in rasC(-) cells is restricted to aggregation and fully corrected by application of exogenous cAMP pulses. cAMP is not produced in rasC(-) cells stimulated by 2'-deoxy-cAMP, but is produced in response to GTPgammaS in cell lysates, indicating that G-protein-coupled cAMP receptor activation of adenylyl cyclase is regulated by RasC. However, cAMP-induced ERK2 phosphorylation is unaffected in rasC(-) cells, indicating that RasC is not an upstream activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase required for cAMP relay. rasC(-) cells also exhibit reduced chemotaxis to cAMP during early development and delayed response to periodic cAMP stimuli produced by wild-type cells in chimeric mixtures. Furthermore, cAMP-induced Akt/PKB phosphorylation through a phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent pathway is dramatically reduced in rasC(-) cells, suggesting that G-protein-coupled serpentine receptor activation of PI3K is regulated by RasC. Cells lacking the RasGEF, AleA, exhibit similar defects as rasC(-) cells, suggesting that AleA may activate RasC.
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PMID:RasC is required for optimal activation of adenylyl cyclase and Akt/PKB during aggregation. 1150 Mar 76

Differentiation-inducing factor-1 (DIF-1; 1-(3,5-dichloro-2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)hexan-1-one) is a putative morphogen that induces stalk-cell formation in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. DIF-1 has previously been shown to suppress cell growth in mammalian cells. In this study, we examined the effects of DIF-1 on the progesterone-induced germinal vesicle breakdown in Xenopus laevis, which is thought to be mediated by a decrease in intracellular cAMP and the subsequent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and maturation-promoting factor, a complex of cdc2 and cyclin B, which regulates germinal vesicle breakdown. DIF-1 at 10-40 microM inhibited progesterone-induced germinal vesicle breakdown in de-folliculated oocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Progesterone-induced cdc2 activation, MAPK activation, and c-Mos accumulation were inhibited by DIF-1. Furthermore, DIF-1 was found to inhibit the progesterone-induced cAMP decrease in the oocytes. These results indicate that DIF-1 inhibits progesterone-induced germinal vesicle breakdown possibly by blocking the progesterone-induced decrease in [cAMP](i) and the subsequent events in Xenopus oocytes.
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PMID:DIF-1, an anti-tumor substance found in Dictyostelium discoideum, inhibits progesterone-induced oocyte maturation in Xenopus laevis. 1255 68

The deletion of the gene for the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A (PKA) results in constitutively active PKA in the pkaR mutant. To investigate the role of PKA in the basic motile behavior and chemotaxis of Dictyostelium discoideum, pkaR mutant cells were subjected to computer-assisted two- and three-dimensional motion analysis. pkaR mutant cells crawled at only half the speed of wild-type cells in buffer, chemotaxed in spatial gradients of cyclic AMP (cAMP) but with reduced efficiency, were incapable of suppressing lateral pseudopods in the front of temporal waves of cAMP, a requirement for natural chemotaxis, did not exhibit the normal velocity surge in response to the front of a wave, and were incapable of chemotaxing toward an aggregation center in natural waves generated by wild-type cells that made up the majority of cells in mixed cultures. Many of the behavioral defects appeared to be the result of the constitutively ovoid shape of the pkaR mutant cells, which forced the dominant pseudopod off the substratum and to the top of the cell body. The behavioral abnormalities that pkaR mutant cells shared with regA mutant cells are discussed by considering the pathway ERK2 perpendicular RegA perpendicular [cAMP] --> PKA, which emanates from the front of a wave. The results demonstrate that cells must suppress PKA activity in order to elongate along a substratum, suppress lateral-pseudopod formation, and crawl and chemotax efficiently. The results also implicate PKA activation in dismantling cell polarity at the peak and in the back of a natural cAMP wave.
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PMID:Constitutively active protein kinase A disrupts motility and chemotaxis in Dictyostelium discoideum. 1258 23

We have identified a gene encoding RGS domain-containing protein kinase (RCK1), a novel regulator of G protein signaling domain-containing protein kinase. RCK1 mutant strains exhibit strong aggregation and chemotaxis defects. rck1 null cells chemotax approximately 50% faster than wild-type cells, suggesting RCK1 plays a negative regulatory role in chemotaxis. Consistent with this finding, overexpression of wild-type RCK1 reduces chemotaxis speed by approximately 40%. On cAMP stimulation, RCK1 transiently translocates to the membrane/cortex region with membrane localization peaking at approximately 10 s, similar to the kinetics of membrane localization of the pleckstrin homology domain-containing proteins CRAC, Akt/PKB, and PhdA. RCK1 kinase activity also increases dramatically. The RCK1 kinase activity does not rapidly adapt, but decreases after the cAMP stimulus is removed. This is particularly novel considering that most other chemoattractant-activated kinases (e.g., Akt/PKB, ERK1, ERK2, and PAKa) rapidly adapt after activation. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we further show that both the RGS and kinase domains are required for RCK1 function and that RCK1 kinase activity is required for the delocalization of RCK1 from the plasma membrane. Genetic evidence suggests RCK1 function lies downstream from Galpha2, the heterotrimeric G protein that couples to the cAMP chemoattractant receptors. We suggest that RCK1 might be part of an adaptation pathway that regulates aspects of chemotaxis in Dictyostelium.
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PMID:A regulator of G protein signaling-containing kinase is important for chemotaxis and multicellular development in dictyostelium. 1268 22

Mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades regulate various cellular functions, including growth, cell differentiation, development, and stress responses. We have identified a new Dictyostelium kinase (stress-activated protein kinase [SAPK]alpha), which is related to members of the mixed lineage kinase class of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases. SAPKalpha is activated by osmotic stress, heat shock, and detachment from the substratum and by a membrane-permeable cGMP analog, a known regulator of stress responses in Dictyostelium. SAPKalpha is important for cellular resistance to stresses, because SAPKalpha null cells exhibit reduced viability in response to osmotic stress. We found that SAPKalpha mutants affect cellular processes requiring proper regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, including cell motility, morphogenesis, cytokinesis, and cell adhesion. Overexpression of SAPKalpha results in highly elevated basal and chemoattractant-stimulated F-actin levels and strong aggregation and developmental defects, including a failure to polarize and chemotax, and abnormal morphogenesis. These phenotypes require a kinase-active SAPKalpha. SAPKalpha null cells exhibit reduced chemoattractant-stimulated F-actin levels, cytokinesis, developmental and adhesion defects, and a motility defect that is less severe than that exhibited by SAPKalpha-overexpressing cells. SAPKalpha colocalizes with F-actin in F-actin-enriched structures, including membrane ruffles and pseudopodia during chemotaxis. Although SAPKalpha is required for these F-actin-mediated processes, it is not detectably activated in response to chemoattractant stimulation.
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PMID:Dictyostelium stress-activated protein kinase alpha, a novel stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase-like kinase, is important for the proper regulation of the cytoskeleton. 1459 72

The differentiation-inducing factor-1 (DIF-1) is a signal molecule that induces stalk cell differentiation in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. In addition, DIF-1 is a potent antileukemic agent that induces growth arrest in K562 cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of DIF-1 in K562 cells in the light of cell-cycle regulators such as cyclins, retinoblastoma protein (pRb), and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. DIF-1 down-regulated cyclins D/E and a phosphorylated form of pRb (p-pRb), and thereby induced G(1) arrest of the cell cycle. DIF-1 inactivated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in a biphasic manner but did not affect the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) or p38 MAPK. The MEK (MAPK kinase) inhibitor, U0126, which has been shown to induce growth arrest, inactivated ERK and down-regulated cyclins D and E. Although DIF-1 activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K)/Akt pathway, neither wortmannin nor 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (LY294002; PI-3K inhibitors) cancelled DIF-1-induced growth arrest. The present results suggest that ERK inactivation may be involved in DIF-1-induced growth arrest and that PI-3K activity is not required for DIF-1-induced growth arrest in K562 cells.
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PMID:Differentiation-inducing factor-1-induced growth arrest of K562 leukemia cells involves the reduction of ERK1/2 activity. 1475 20

Self-regulating systems often use robust oscillatory circuits. One such system controls the chemotactic signaling mechanism of Dictyostelium, where pulses of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) are generated with a periodicity of 7 minutes. We have observed spontaneous oscillations in activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK2 that occur in phase with peaks of cAMP, and we show that ERK2 modulates cAMP levels through the phosphodiesterase RegA. Computer modeling and simulations of the underlying circuit faithfully account for the ability of the cells to spontaneously generate periodic pulses during specific stages of development. Similar oscillatory processes may occur in cells of many different species.
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PMID:Periodic signaling controlled by an oscillatory circuit that includes protein kinases ERK2 and PKA. 1513 7

We found novel development rescuing factors (DRFs) secreted from developing Dictyostelium cells, by using a mutant (erkB-) which is missing MAP-kinase ERK2 as a test strain for bioassay. The mutant erkB- fails to undergo multicellular morphogenesis due to impaired cAMP signaling. However, such developmental defect can be restored by the presence of low-molecular weight DRFs that are secreted from developing wild-type cells. We previously showed that DIF-1 (Differentiation-Inducing Factor 1 for stalk cells) possesses this activity, indicating a newly discovered role of DIF-1. Surprisingly, however, the mutant dmtA-, which is incapable of DIF-1 synthesis still exerts a strong inducing activity of the multicellular morphogenesis of erkB-. After analysis of HPLC fractions of conditioned media prepared from both wild type Ax2 and dmtA- strains revealed that both strains secrete at least two novel DRF activities with DIF-like mobility. However, these activities were not derived from other DIFs such as DIF-2 and DIF-3. Identification of these DRFs found in this study would provide insight into the mechanism by which the development of the erkB- mutant is restored and how these factors act in the normal development of Dictyostelium.
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PMID:Novel development rescuing factors (DRFs) secreted by the developing Dictyostelium cells, that are involved in the restoration of a mutant lacking MAP-kinase ERK2. 1533 95

A gene encoding mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) from the human enteric parasite, Entamoeba histolytica has been identified. Sequence analyses of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) products reveal that the EhMAPK gene is intronless and encodes a protein of 352 amino acids. EhMAPK shows significant homology with other MAPKs and contains the 11 subdomains including the invariant residues characteristic of serine/threonine protein kinases. The MAPK signature residues and motifs are also present in EhMAPK. The atomic model of EhMAPK built with rat ERK2 as template exhibits the conservation of all major secondary structural features. However, a deletion in close proximity to the dual phosphorylation/activation site is of particular interest as it may have functional implications. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that EhMAPK is tightly clustered with Giardia intestinalis ERK2 and Dictyostelium discoideum ERK2. Detailed sequence analysis and phylogenetic study aided us to postulate that EhMAPK belongs to the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) family. Although EhMAPK bears good homology and phylogenetic closeness with human ERK8 and rat ERK7, sequence analysis indicates that they may be functionally different. The significant differences such as the deletions in the vicinity of the phosphorylation lip, variations in the P+1 specificity pocket, presence of additional acidic amino acids in the common docking domain provide a ground for postulations that activators and substrates for EhMAPK may be to some extent divergent from that of the ERKs of the mammalian host. Although functional characterization of EhMAPK remains to be done, this is the first study of any member of the MAPK signaling system in this organism.
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PMID:Identification, structure, and phylogenetic relationships of a mitogen-activated protein kinase homologue from the parasitic protist Entamoeba histolytica. 1571 29


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