Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.11.26 (GSK)
 6,788 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Molecular cloning of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) has demonstrated the existence of a novel form, termed GSK-3 beta, which is highly related to the well characterised GSK-3 alpha protein but derived from a distinct gene. The cDNA cloning also revealed a striking degree of amino acid identity between the two GSK-3 proteins, particularly the beta-form, and the zeste-white3/shaggy (zw3sgg) homeotic gene of Drosophila melanogaster. Abrogation of zw3sgg causes pleiotropic effects on fruitfly development affecting segmental organisation and cell fate determination. In view of the potential importance of GSK-3 beta in mammalian development and the lack of previous characterisation, we have expressed this protein in insect cells using recombinant baculovirus. A rapid purification scheme has been developed yielding essentially pure GSK-3 beta protein in three chromatographic steps. The protein has autonomous protein kinase activity and similar, but not identical, substrate preferences to GSK-3 alpha. Both GSK-3 proteins activate the MgATP-dependent form of protein phosphatase-1 and thus display 'factor A' activity. Since GSK-3 beta exhibits an identical site specificity to GSK-3 alpha with respect to phosphorylation of the proto-oncogene/transcription factors c-jun and c-myc, it is likely that the Drosophila zw3sgg protein kinase has a similar specificity for such transcription factors which may underlie the pleiotropic phenotypes observed when the Drosophila homologue is mutationally inactivated.
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PMID:Baculovirus-mediated expression and characterisation of rat glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta, the mammalian homologue of the Drosophila melanogaster zeste-white 3sgg homeotic gene product. 134 4

The Frat1 gene was first identified as a proto-oncogene involved in progression of mouse T cell lymphomas. More recently, FRAT/GBP (GSK-3beta Binding Protein) family members have been recognized as critical components of the Wnt signal transduction pathway. In an attempt to gain more insight into the function of Frat1, we have generated Frat1-deficient mice in which most of the coding domain was replaced by a promoterless beta-galactosidase reporter gene. While the pattern of LacZ expression in Frat1(lacZ)/+ mice indicated Frat1 to be expressed in various neural and epithelial tissues, homozygous Frat1(lacZ) mice were apparently normal, healthy and fertile. Tissues of homozygous Frat1(lacZ) mice showed expression of a second mouse Frat gene, designated Frat3. The Frat1 and Frat3 proteins are structurally and functionally very similar, since both Frat1 and Frat3 are capable of inducing a secondary axis in Xenopus embryos. The overlapping expression patterns of Frat1 and Frat3 during murine embryogenesis suggest that the apparent dispensability of Frat1 for proper development may be due to the presence of a second mouse gene encoding a functional Frat protein.
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PMID:In vivo analysis of Frat1 deficiency suggests compensatory activity of Frat3. 1053 17

Wnt regulates developmental and oncogenic processes through its downstream effector, beta-catenin, and a set of other intracellular regulators that are largely conserved among species. Wnt family genes encode secreted glycoproteins that act as ligands for membrane receptors belonging to the Frizzled family of proteins. Wnt-1 originally was found as a proto-oncogene that was upregulated in tumors caused by the mouse mammary tumor virus. The Drosophila homologue of Wnt-1, wingless, is a segment polarity gene that regulates body patterning of the fly embryo. In Xenopus, the Wnt pathway regulates formation of the ventral-dorsal axis. Although Wnt proteins are expressed widely in mammals, the function of the Wnt signaling pathway in normal adult mammalian tissues is not understood. Downstream components of the Wnt pathway, APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) and beta-catenin, clearly are involved in human cancer. There are also several reports that Wnt ligands are highly expressed in tumors. Wnt stabilizes cytoplasmic beta-catenin and activates beta-catenin/Lef-1 (lymphoid enhancer factor), Tcf (T-cell factor)-dependent gene transcription. This regulation of cytosolic beta-catenin is mediated by glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) activity but in neither case is the mechanism known. The mechanism by which Wnt inhibits GSK-3 is unknown. Recent studies have shown that some of the intracellular signaling molecules that mediate the Wnt pathway are in complexes, including Dishevelled (Dsh or Dvl), GSK-3beta, and APC protein. However, little is known about how Wnt or other upstream stimuli regulate these complexes to stabilize beta-catenin. We took a variety of approaches to identify new components of the Wnt pathway. Using an expression-cloning technique, we isolated casein kinase I (CKI)epsilon as a positive regulator of beta-catenin in the Wnt pathway. Overexpression of CKIepsilon mimics Wnt by stabilizing beta-catenin, thereby increasing expression of beta-catenin-dependent genes. Inhibition of endogenous CKIepsilon attenuated gene transcription stimulated by Wnt or by Dsh. CKIepsilon forms a complex with Axin and the other downstream components of the Wnt pathway. CKIepsilon is a positive regulator of the Wnt pathway and a possible functional link between upstream signals and the intracellular Axin signaling complex that regulates beta-catenin. In separate experiments, we have identified a Dishevelled-associated kinase (DAK) that binds to Dsh and regulates its functions. Dsh is required for two different pathways, the Wnt pathway and planar polarity pathway in Drosophila. DAK dramatically enhances the function of Dsh in the Wnt pathway and inhibits its function in the planar polarity pathway. This chapter will discuss these newly identified components of the Wnt pathway.
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PMID:New steps in the Wnt/beta-catenin signal transduction pathway. 1103 39

The second messenger cAMP mediates its intracellular effects in spermatozoa through cAMP-dependent kinase (PKA, formally known as PRKACA). The intracellular organization of PKA in spermatozoa is controlled through its association with A-kinase-anchoring proteins (AKAPs). AKAP4 (A kinase [PRKA] anchor protein 4; also called fibrous sheath component 1 or AKAP 82) is sperm specific and the major fibrous sheath protein of the principal piece of the sperm flagellum. Presumably, AKAP4 recruits PKA to the fibrous sheath and facilitates local phosphorylation to regulate flagellar function. It is also proposed to act as a scaffolding protein for signaling proteins and proteins involved in metabolism. Akap4 gene knockout mice are infertile due to the lack of sperm motility. The fibrous sheath is disrupted in spermatozoa from mutant mice. In this article, we used Akap4 gene knockout mice to study the effect of fibrous sheath disruption on the presence, subcellular distribution, and/or activity changes of PKA catalytic and regulatory subunits, sperm flagellum proteins PP1gamma2 (protein phosphatase 1, catalytic subunit, gamma isoform, formally known as PPP1CC), GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase-3), SP17 (sperm autoantigenic protein 17, formally known as SPA17), and other signaling proteins. There were no changes in the presence and subcellular distribution for PP1gamma2, GSK-3, hsp90 (heat shock protein 1, alpha, formally known as HSPCA), sds22 (protein phosphatase 1, regulatory [inhibitor] subunit 7, formally known as PPP1R7), 14-3-3 protein (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein), and PKB (thymoma viral proto-oncogene, also known as AKT) in mutant mice. However, the subcellular distributions for PKA catalytic subunit and regulatory subunits, PI 3-kinase (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), and SP17 were disrupted in mutant mice. Furthermore, there was a significant change in the activity and phosphorylation of PP1gamma2 in mutant compared with wild-type spermatozoa. These studies have identified potentially significant new roles for the fibrous sheath in regulating the activity and function of key signaling enzymes.
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PMID:Changes in intracellular distribution and activity of protein phosphatase PP1gamma2 and its regulating proteins in spermatozoa lacking AKAP4. 1538 10

Signaling by the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway is essential for neural precursor population expansion during normal central nervous system (CNS) development, and is implicated in the childhood brain tumor, medulloblastoma. The proto-oncogene N-myc plays essential roles as a downstream effector of Shh proliferative effects in neural precursors of the cerebellum, where medulloblastomas arise. It is likely that N-Myc has analogous functions in medulloblastomas and other CNS tumors where it is highly expressed due to altered regulation or gene amplification. Myc destabilization occurs in response to phosphorylation by GSK-3beta. N-Myc degradation is required for cerebellar neural precursors to exit the cell cycle. During mitosis in cerebellar neural precursors, levels of N-Myc primed for phosphorylation by GSK-3beta increase, due to cdk1 complex activity towards N-Myc. GSK-3beta is kept in check by insulin-like growth factor signaling, which also plays critical roles in brain development and cancer. These findings indicate that therapeutic strategies targeting N-myc and the IGF pathway might be effective against medulloblastoma.
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PMID:Neural precursor cycling at sonic speed: N-Myc pedals, GSK-3 brakes. 1632 94

Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) and Akt are important regulators of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and thus are important to the regulation of a wide spectrum of tumor-related biological processes. Akt regulates several critical cellular functions, including cell cycle progression; cell migration, invasion, and survival; and angiogenesis. Decreased expression of PTEN and overexpression of the Akt proto-oncogene, which is located downstream of PI3K, have been shown in a variety of cancers, including glioblastoma. Novel small-molecule inhibitors of receptors and signaling pathways, including inhibitors of the PI3K pathway, have shown antitumor activity, but inhibitors of Akt have not been examined. In this study, we tested our hypothesis that the pharmacologic inhibition of Akt has an antiproliferative effect on gliomas. We showed that two newly developed Akt inhibitors, KP-372-1 and KP-372-2 (herein called KP-1 and KP-2), effectively inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade. KP-1 and KP-2 blocked both the basal and epidermal growth factor-induced phosphorylation of Akt Ser473 at 125 and 250 nmol/L, which, in turn, reduced the activation of intracellular downstream targets of Akt, including GSK-3beta and p70s6k. Furthermore, the treatment of U87 and U251 glioma cells with 125 to 250 nmol/L KP-1 and KP2 for 48 hours inhibited cell growth by approximately 50%. This decrease in cell growth stemmed from the induction of apoptosis. Collectively, these results provide a strong rationale for the pharmacologic targeting of Akt for the treatment of gliomas.
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PMID:Inhibition of Akt survival pathway by a small-molecule inhibitor in human glioblastoma. 1654 78

Cyclin D1 is known as a proto-oncogene whose gene amplification and protein overexpression are frequently observed in tumor cells. It acts as a mitogenic signal sensor and is expressed as a delayed-early response to many mitogenic signals. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6 are cyclin D1 binding partners, and activated cyclin D1/CDK4 and cyclin D1/CDK6 complex phosphorylate the retinoblastoma protein to induce the expression of target genes essential for S phase entry, resulting in facilitation of the progression from G1 to S phase. As well as acting as a positive regulator of the cell cycle, cyclin D1 is known to bind and modulate the actions of several transcription factors. Since the protein level of cyclin D1 reflects cell cycle progression, the rates of protein production and degradation are strictly regulated. Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), a serine/threonine protein kinase, has been shown to play an important role in the determination of cyclin D1 expression level by regulating mRNA transcription and protein degradation. This review highlights the regulatory mechanisms of cyclin D1 expression level, with special attention to the involvement of GSK-3beta.
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PMID:GSK-3beta regulates cyclin D1 expression: a new target for chemotherapy. 1802 28

Mammalian sterile 20 (MST1) kinase, a member of the sterile 20 (Ste-20) family of proteins, is a proapoptotic cytosolic kinase that plays an important role in the cellular response to oxidative stress. In this study, we report on the development of a potent and selective MST1 kinase inhibitor based on a ruthenium half-sandwich scaffold. We show that the enantiopure organoruthenium inhibitor, 9E1, has an IC50 value of 45 nM for MST1 and a greater than 25-fold inhibitor selectivity over the related Ste-20 kinases, p21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1), and p21 activated kinase 4 (PAK4) and an almost 10-fold selectivity over the related thousand-and-one amino acids kinase 2 (TAO2). Compound 9E1 also displays a promising selectivity profile against unrelated protein kinases; however, the proto-oncogene serine/threonine protein kinase PIM1 (PIM-1) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3beta) are inhibited with IC50 values in the low nanomolar range. We also show that 9E1 can inhibit MST1 function in cells. A cocrystal structure of a related compound with PIM-1 and a homology model with MST1 reveals the binding mode of this scaffold to MST1 and provides a starting point for the development of improved MST1 kinase inhibitors for possible therapeutic application.
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PMID:Toward the development of a potent and selective organoruthenium mammalian sterile 20 kinase inhibitor. 1922 37

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of several immunodeficiency-linked cancers, including KS. Our previous work showed that the proto-oncogene c-kit is upregulated in KSHV-infected endothelial cells (ECs), as well as in KS lesions. We show here that KSHV-dependent induction of both c-kit mRNA and protein requires the establishment of a latent infection and that this upregulation occurs in primary DMVECs as well as in immortalized DMVECs (eDMVECs). Interestingly, we find that while the lymphatic EC (LEC) subpopulation exhibits KSHV-induced c-Kit upregulation, the blood EC (BEC) subpopulation does not. Despite this upregulation of c-Kit, receptor activation and phosphorylation of downstream effectors such as MAP Kinase Erk 1/2 and GSK-3 still requires the addition of exogenous c-Kit ligand, stem cell factor (SCF). These data indicate that KSHV does not induce constitutive c-Kit signaling, but instead upregulates c-Kit receptor levels, thus allowing infected ECs to respond to endogenous and exogenous SCF. Nonetheless, inhibition of either c-Kit activation or its downstream effectors reverses the characteristic spindle phenotype of infected eDMVECs. Together, these results contribute to our overall understanding of the role that the c-kit proto-oncogene plays in KS pathogenesis.
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PMID:Characterization of c-Kit expression and activation in KSHV-infected endothelial cells. 1950 68

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is increasingly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV is not thought to be directly oncogenic but, by modulating a range of cellular functions, may predispose patients to the development of liver tumours. However, the molecular mechanisms by which HCV infection might contribute to HCC remain to be characterized. In this regard, we showed previously that the HCV NS5A protein bound to the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K), thereby stimulating the activity of the p110 catalytic subunit of the enzyme. One of the downstream consequences of this was the stabilization of the proto-oncogene, beta-catenin, with a concomitant stimulation of its transcriptional activity. Here, we further analyse the mechanism by which NS5A mediates activation of beta-catenin. Although our previous data were consistent with a role for the PI3K downstream effector kinases, Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, in NS5A-mediated activation of beta-catenin, we demonstrate here that it is in fact independent of both of these kinases. Truncation analysis revealed that both the N and C termini of NS5A are required for full activation of beta-catenin. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NS5A, either alone or in complex with p85, is able to bind directly to beta-catenin; again both N and C termini contribute to this interaction. We propose that NS5A activates beta-catenin via a novel mechanism that involves a direct interaction between the two proteins and is augmented by PI3K activity. This may contribute to the association between chronic HCV infection and the development of HCC.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus NS5A protein interacts with beta-catenin and stimulates its transcriptional activity in a phosphoinositide-3 kinase-dependent fashion. 1984 73


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