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

The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) protein is functionally pleiotropic. LANA contributes to KSHV-associated pathogenesis, in part, by increasing entry of cells into S phase through a process that is driven by LANA interaction with the serine-threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) and stabilization of beta-catenin. We now show that LANA affects the activity of another protein involved in cell cycle regulation, c-Myc. Sequencing of c-Myc coding sequences revealed that c-Myc in KSHV-positive primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cell lines is wild type in the N-terminal region that regulates c-Myc protein stability. Despite this, c-Myc in PEL cells is stabilized. In LANA-expressing cells, inactivation of nuclear GSK-3 reduced phosphorylation of c-Myc at Thr58 and contributed to c-Myc stabilization by decreasing c-Myc ubiquitination. Phosphorylation of c-Myc on Ser62 also affects c-Myc stability and function. We now show that LANA increases the level of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and increases ERK phosphorylation of c-Myc on Ser62. LANA also interacted with c-Myc, and c-Myc amino acids 147 to 220 were required for this interaction. LANA (L1006P) retained the ability to bind to c-Myc and activate ERK1, indicating that these events did not require LANA interaction with GSK-3. Thus, LANA stabilizes c-Myc; prevents the phosphorylation of c-Myc at Thr58, an event that promotes Myc-induced apoptosis; and independently stimulates phosphorylation of c-Myc at Ser62, an event that transcriptionally activates c-Myc. LANA-mediated manipulation of c-Myc function is likely to contribute to KSHV-associated tumorigenesis through the induction of c-Myc regulated cellular genes, as well as by the stimulation of cell cycle progression.
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PMID:The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus LANA protein stabilizes and activates c-Myc. 1763 26

The growth factor hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), also known as scatter factor, and its tyrosine kinase receptor c-Met play important roles in medulloblastoma malignancy. The transcription factor c-Myc is another contributor to the malignancy of these most common pediatric brain tumors. In the present study, we observed strong morphological similarities between medulloblastoma xenografts overexpressing HGF and medulloblastoma xenografts overexpressing c-Myc. We therefore hypothesized a biologically significant link between HGF/c-Met and c-Myc in medulloblastoma malignancy and studied the molecular and functional interactions between them. We found that HGF induces c-Myc mRNA and protein in established and primary medulloblastoma cells. HGF regulated c-Myc levels via transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms as evidenced by HGF induction of c-Myc promoter activity and induction of c-Myc protein levels in the setting of inhibited transcription and translation. We also found that HGF induces cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, apoptosis and increase in cell size in a c-Myc-dependent manner. Activation of MAPK and PI3K, inhibition of GSK-3beta and translocation of beta-catenin to the nucleus as well as Tcf/Lef transcriptional activity were involved in mediating c-Myc induction by HGF. Induction of Cdk2 kinase activity was involved in mediating the cell cycle progression effects, and downregulation of Bcl-XL was involved in mediating the proapoptotic effects of HGF downstream of c-Myc. All molecules that mediated the effects of HGF on c-Myc expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis were expressed in human large-cell medulloblastoma tissues. We therefore established for the first time a functional cooperation between HGF/c-Met and c-Myc in human medulloblastoma and elucidated the molecular mechanisms of this cooperation. The findings provide a potential explanation for the high frequency of c-Myc overexpression in medulloblastoma and suggest a cooperative role for c-Met and c-Myc in large-cell anaplastic medulloblastoma formation.
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PMID:Functional and molecular interactions between the HGF/c-Met pathway and c-Myc in large-cell medulloblastoma. 1805 65

Ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) was first shown to be mitogenic for fibroblasts, but the mechanisms whereby it stimulated cell proliferation have remained largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that C1P stimulates DNA synthesis and cell division in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages. C1P caused rapid phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB, also known as Akt), a downstream target of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K). Selective inhibition of PI3-K blocked both DNA synthesis and cell growth. C1P induced phosphorylation of GSK-3beta, which is a major target of PKB, and this effect was also abolished by inhibition of PI3-K. In addition, C1P upregulated the expression of cyclin D1 and c-Myc, two major targets of GSK-3beta, which are important regulators of cell proliferation. C1P stimulated the activity of NF-kappaB, and inhibitors of this transcription factor completely blocked macrophage proliferation. Lastly, C1P induced phosphorylation of the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) extracellularly regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Inhibition of ERK1/2 and JNK also blocked C1P-induced macrophage proliferation. It can be concluded that C1P stimulates macrophage proliferation through activation of the PI3-K/PKB, ERK and JNK pathways, and that GSK-3beta, c-Myc, cyclin D1, and NF-kappaB are important downstream effectors in this action.
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PMID:Ceramide 1-phosphate stimulates macrophage proliferation through activation of the PI3-kinase/PKB, JNK and ERK1/2 pathways. 1823 73

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Although aberrant activation of beta-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) pathway has been observed in ESCC, mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unknown. Frequently rearranged in advanced T-cell lymphomas-1 (FRAT1), overexpressed in some ESCC lines, is a positive regulator of beta-catenin/TCF pathway. However, little is known about the molecular relationship between FRAT1 and beta-catenin/TCF in ESCC. In this study, we analyzed freshly resected ESCC specimens and demonstrated that FRAT1 was overexpressed in approximately 74% of tumor samples compared with matched normal tissue. Overexpression of FRAT1 significantly promoted esophageal cancer cells growth, whereas suppression of FRAT1 level by RNAi markedly inhibited their growth. In addition, FRAT1 overexpression induced the nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin and promoted the transcriptional activity of beta-catenin/TCF. These effects were reversed by coexpression of GSK 3beta or DeltaN TCF4. Furthermore, accumulation of beta-catenin was correlated with FRAT1 overexpression in ESCC and the basal layer of normal esophageal epithelium. Finally, continued expression of c-Myc is necessary and sufficient for maintenance of the growth state in cells expressing FRAT1. Taken together, these results support the novel hypothesis that aberrant activation of beta-catenin/TCF pathway in esophageal cancer appears to be due to upstream events such as FRAT1 overexpression, and c-Myc may be an important element in oncogenesis of human ESCC induced by FRAT1.
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PMID:FRAT1 overexpression leads to aberrant activation of beta-catenin/TCF pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. 1849 36

Based on extensive preclinical data, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) has been proposed to be a viable drug target for a wide variety of disease states, ranging from diabetes to bipolar disorder. Since these new drugs, which will be more powerful GSK-3 inhibitors than lithium, may potentially be given to women of childbearing potential, and since it has controversially been suggested that lithium therapy might be linked to congenital cardiac defects, we asked whether GSK-3 family members are required for normal heart development in mice. We report that terminal cardiomyocyte differentiation was substantially blunted in Gsk3b(-/-) embryoid bodies. While GSK-3alpha-deficient mice were born without a cardiac phenotype, no live-born Gsk3b(-/-) pups were recovered. The Gsk3b(-/-) embryos had a double outlet RV, ventricular septal defects, and hypertrophic myopathy, with near obliteration of the ventricular cavities. The hypertrophic myopathy was caused by cardiomyocyte hyperproliferation without hypertrophy and was associated with increased expression and nuclear localization of three regulators of proliferation - GATA4, cyclin D1, and c-Myc. These studies, which we believe are the first in mammals to examine the role of GSK-3alpha and GSK-3beta in the heart using loss-of-function approaches, implicate GSK-3beta as a central regulator of embryonic cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation, as well as of outflow tract development. Although controversy over the teratogenic effects of lithium remains, our studies suggest that caution should be exercised in the use of newer, more potent drugs targeting GSK-3 in women of childbearing age.
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PMID:Deletion of GSK-3beta in mice leads to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy secondary to cardiomyoblast hyperproliferation. 1883 Apr 17

There is an inverse correlation between exposure to sunlight (the major source of vitamin D) and the risk for prostate cancer, the most common noncutaneous cancer and second most common cause of death from cancer in American men. The active metabolite of vitamin D, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)] acting through the vitamin D receptor decreases prostate cancer cell growth and invasiveness. The precise mechanisms by which 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) inhibits growth in prostate cancer have not been fully elucidated. Treatment with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) causes an accumulation in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle in several prostate cancer cell lines. One potential target known to regulate the G(0)/G(1) to S phase transition is c-Myc, a transcription factor whose overexpression is associated with a number of cancers including prostate cancer. We find that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) reduces c-Myc expression in multiple prostate epithelial cell lines, including C4-2 cells, an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line. Reducing c-Myc expression to the levels observed after 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) treatment resulted in a comparable decrease in proliferation and G(1) accumulation demonstrating that down-regulation of c-Myc is a major component in the growth-inhibitory actions of 1,25(OH)2D(3). Treatment with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) resulted in a 50% decrease in c-Myc mRNA but a much more extensive reduction in c-Myc protein. Treatment with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) decreased c-Myc stability by increasing the proportion of c-Myc phosphorylated on T58, a glycogen synthase kinase-3beta site that serves as a signal for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Thus, 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) reduces both c-Myc mRNA levels and c-Myc protein stability to inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells.
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PMID:1Alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 reduces c-Myc expression, inhibiting proliferation and causing G1 accumulation in C4-2 prostate cancer cells. 1916 69

The anticancer activities of secalonic acid D separated from the secondary metabolites of the mangrove endophytic fungus No. ZSU44 were investigated in this study. Secalonic acid D showed potent cytotoxicity to HL60 and K562 cells, and the IC(50) values were 0.38 and 0.43 mumol/L, respectively. Annexin V-FITC/PI assay and western blot indicated that secalonic acid D induced apoptosis in HL60 and K562 cells. In addition, secalonic acid D led to cell cycle arrest of G(1) phase related to downregulation of c-Myc. Moreover, our data indicated that downregulation of c-Myc and cell cycle arrest of G(1) phase were caused not by formation of G-quadruplex structures but by activation of GSK-3beta followed by degradation of beta-catenin.
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PMID:Secalonic acid D induced leukemia cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of G(1) with involvement of GSK-3beta/beta-catenin/c-Myc pathway. 1957 78

The forced overexpression of c-Myc in mouse prostate and in normal human prostate epithelial cells results in tumor transformation with an invasive phenotype. How c-Myc regulates cell invasion is poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the interplay of c-Myc and androgens in the regulation of prostate cancer cell invasion. We found that c-Myc induces cell invasion and anchorage-independent growth by regulating ezrin protein expression in the presence of androgens. The activity of the ezrin promoter is controlled by androgens through c-Myc, which binds to a phylogenetically conserved E-Box located in the proximal promoter region. Besides, we also show that ezrin is an important regulator of c-Myc protein levels. These effects are achieved through androgen-induced changes in ezrin phosphorylation, which results in the regulation of downstream signals. These downstream signals involve the modulation of Akt and GSK-3beta activity resulting in increased c-Myc protein synthesis and inhibition of its degradation. In summary, we have shown a key role for ezrin as a mediator of c-Myc-induced tumorigenesis in prostate cancer cells.
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PMID:Ezrin mediates c-Myc actions in prostate cancer cell invasion. 2001 Aug 76

Activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt is associated with aggressive clinical behavior of prostate cancer. We found that the human prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 express predominantly Akt1 and Akt2. Selective down-regulation of Akt1, but not Akt2, by short-hairpin RNA reduced the viability of prostate cancer cells. In addition, structurally different Akt inhibitors were cytotoxic for the prostate cancer cells, confirming that the Akt pathway is indispensable for their viability. We have purified the tetracyclic triterpenoids 3-oxo-tirucallic acid, 3-alpha-acetoxy-tirucallic acid, and 3-beta-acetoxy-tirucallic acid from the oleogum resin of Boswellia carterii to chemical homogeneity. The acetoxy-derivatives in particular potently inhibited the activities of human recombinant Akt1 and Akt2 and of constitutively active Akt immunoprecipitated from PC-3 cells, whereas inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappaB kinases remained unaffected. Docking data indicated that these tetracyclic triterpenoids form hydrogen bonds within the phosphatidylinositol binding pocket of the Akt pleckstrin homology domain. Accordingly, 3-beta-acetoxy-tirucallic acid did not inhibit the activity of Akt1 lacking the pleckstrin homology domain. In the prostate cancer cell lines investigated, these compounds inhibited the phosphorylation of cellular Akt and the Akt signaling pathways, including glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and BAD phosphorylation, nuclear accumulation of p65, the androgen receptor, beta-catenin, and c-Myc. These events culminated in the induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer, but not in nontumorigenic cells. The tirucallic acid derivatives inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in tumors xenografted onto chick chorioallantoic membranes and decreased the growth of pre-established prostate tumors in nude mice without overt systemic toxicity. Thus, tirucallic acid derivatives represent a new class of Akt inhibitors with antitumor properties.
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PMID:Tirucallic acids are novel pleckstrin homology domain-dependent Akt inhibitors inducing apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. 2001 12

Activation of the beta-catenin and receptor kinase pathways occurs often in medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric malignant brain tumor. In this study, we show that molecular cross-talk between the beta-catenin and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways is crucial to sustain medulloblastoma pathophysiology. Constitutive activation of phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1), Akt, and phosphorylation of [corrected] glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) was detected by immunohistochemistry in all primary medulloblastomas examined (n = 41). Small-molecule inhibitors targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway affected beta-catenin signaling by activation [corrected] of GSK-3beta, [corrected] resulting in cytoplasmic retention of beta-catenin and reduced expression of its target genes cyclin D1 and c-Myc. The PDK1 inhibitor OSU03012 induced mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis of medulloblastoma cells and enhanced the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs in a synergistic or additive manner. In vivo, OSU03012 inhibited the growth of established medulloblastoma xenograft tumors in a dose-dependent manner and augmented the antitumor effects of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor CCI-779. These findings demonstrate the importance of cross-talk between the PI3K/Akt and beta-catenin pathways in medulloblastoma and rationalize the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway as a therapeutic target in treatment of this disease.
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PMID:Small-molecule inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling inhibit Wnt/beta-catenin pathway cross-talk and suppress medulloblastoma growth. 2002 53


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