Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:2.7.12.2 (MEK)
18,161 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

v-H-ras effector mutants have been assessed for transforming activity and for the ability of the encoded proteins to interact with Raf-1-, B-Raf-, byr2-, ralGDS-, and CDC25-encoded proteins in the yeast two-hybrid system. Transformation was assessed in rat2 cells as well as in a mutant cell line, rv68BUR, that affords a more sensitive transformation assay. Selected mutant Ras proteins were also examined for their ability to interact with an amino-terminal fragment of Raf-1 in vitro. Finally, possible cooperation between different v-H-ras effector mutants and between effector mutants and overexpressed Raf-1 was assessed. Ras transforming activity was shown to correlate best with the ability of the encoded protein to interact with Raf-1. No evidence for cooperation between v-H-ras effector mutants was found. Signaling through the Raf1-MEK-mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade may be the only effector pathway contributing to RAS transformation in these cells.
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PMID:Interaction of activated Ras with Raf-1 alone may be sufficient for transformation of rat2 cells. 915 3

The catalytic domains of the Raf family of protein kinases (deltaRaf) differ in their ability to activate MEK in vitro and in vivo and in their ability to oncogenically transform mammalian cells. The kinase domain of B-Raf is more active than the equivalent portion of Raf-1 which in turn is more active than A-Raf. In Raf-1 the phosphorylation or mutation to aspartic acid of two key tyrosine residues upstream of the ATP binding site has been demonstrated to significantly potentiate catalytic activity. In A-Raf the analogous amino acids are also tyrosine whereas in B-Raf they are aspartic acid. To determine if these differences in amino acid sequence influence the relative catalytic activity of the Raf kinase domains we constructed forms of deltaA-Raf, deltaB-Raf and deltaRaf-1 that encode either aspartic acid [DD], phenylalanine [FF] or tyrosine [YY] at these positions. These proteins were expressed both in mammalian cells as fusions with the hormone binding domain of the estrogen receptor and as epitope-tagged proteins in Sf9 insect cells to test their oncogenic and catalytic potentials. When expressed in Rat1 or 3T3 cells in the presence of hormone all of the deltaRaf-1:ER and deltaA-Raf:ER proteins were transforming with the exception of the [FF] form of deltaA-Raf. In general the [DD] forms of the deltaRaf-1:ER and deltaA-Raf:ER proteins were the most potently oncogenic which correlated with their ability to elicit activation of the MAP kinase pathway. Consistent with the transformation data, the catalytic activity of the [DD] forms of deltaA-Raf:ER and deltaRaf-1:ER was about ten times greater than the cognate [FF] and [YY] forms of the proteins. By contrast all of the deltaB-Raf:ER proteins were highly transforming and deltaB-Raf catalytic activity was largely unaffected by mutation of the aforementioned aspartic acids to either tyrosine or phenylalanine. Similar results were obtained with epitope-tagged forms of deltaA-Raf, deltaB-Raf and deltaRaf-1 expressed in Sf9 cells. These data provide support for the model that key tyrosine residues in the protein kinase domains of A-Raf and Raf-1 are important in the regulation of catalytic activity. In addition they demonstrate that the higher intrinsic activity of B-Raf cannot be explained simply by the presence of aspartic acids at the analogous positions.
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PMID:Mutations of critical amino acids affect the biological and biochemical properties of oncogenic A-Raf and Raf-1. 928 56

We conditionally overexpressed a MEK1 mutant that contains triple mutations in the regulatory and kinase domains, and investigated its effects on the MAP kinase cascade in Swiss 3T3 cells. Expression of the mutant produced a 60% blockade in MAP kinase activity. However, only a modest blockade in DNA synthesis was observed, without any reductions in the phosphorylation of two proteins known to be substrates of MAP kinase. Moreover, the overexpression of MEK1(3A) failed to block endogenous MEK1 activation, although MEK1(3A) formed complexes with both c-Raf and B-Raf as well as p42/p44 MAPK. These results suggest that there may be multiple biochemical inputs into the MEK/MAPK pathway.
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PMID:Inducible expression of a mutant form of MEK1 in Swiss 3T3 cells. 936 Nov 91

We studied the G protein alpha-subunit Galpha12 in various tissues and cell lines. Significant amounts of Galpha12 were detected by immunoblots in liver, chromaffin cells, RINm5F cells, 3T3-F442A cells, and preadipocytes, but not in adipocytes, sperm, kidney, NB2A cells, or brain. To study the role of Galpha12 in adipose tissue differentiation, the preadipocyte cell line 3T3-F442A was transfected with wild-type Galpha12 or a constitutively activated mutant of Galpha12. Stable expression of the activated mutant of Galpha12 stimulated cell growth and inhibited preadipocyte differentiation. In contrast, wild-type Galpha12 overexpression inhibited preadipocyte differentiation, without any effect on cell proliferation. The role of Galpah12 on the Raf/MEK/mitogen-activating protein kinase (MAPK) cascade was studied. In confluent preadipocytes, expression of the activated mutant of Galpha12 induced an increase in B-Raf expression, but no change in MAPK activity. Differentiation was associated with a decrease in MAPK activity in control 3T3-F442A cells. Wild-type Galpha12 overexpression prevented the decrease in MAPK activity and induced MEK1, but not B-Raf, expression. Moreover, the activated mutant of Galpha12 induced an increase in MAPK activity and in the expression of both MEK1 and B-Raf. These data indicate that the activated mutant of Galpha12 stimulates the proliferation of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes, possibly through an increase in B-Raf expression, independently of the MEK/MAPK pathway, but prevents differentiation, probably through an increase in MEK1 expression and MAPK activity.
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PMID:Mutant alpha-subunit of the G protein G12 activates proliferation and inhibits differentiation of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. 960 99

Upon binding to its G protein-coupled transmembrane receptors, the actions of PGF2alpha on the corpus luteum are initiated by the phospholipase C/diacylglycerol-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)/Ca2+-protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. However, little is known about the downstream intracellular signaling events that can lead to transcriptional activation in response to PGF2alpha. The present study was conducted to examine the involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade in the corpus luteum. Three isoforms of the Raf family of oncoprotein kinases (A-Raf, B-Raf, and Raf-1 or c-Raf) were detected in bovine luteal cells. Raf-1 and B-Raf, but not A-Raf, were activated by PGF2alpha (1 microM) and the pharmacological PKC activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA, 20 nM). Kinetic analysis revealed that PGF2alpha rapidly and transiently activated Raf-1. In vitro protein kinase assays demonstrated that activation of Raf-1 and B-Raf resulted in the phosphorylation and activation of MAPK kinase (MEK1), which subsequently phosphorylated p42mapk. As determined by hyperphosphorylation, tyrosine phosphorylation, and enzymatic activity, p42mapk and p44mapk were rapidly and transiently activated by both PGF2alpha (1 microM) and PMA (20 nM). Additionally, both PGF2alpha (1 microM) and PMA (20 nM) stimulated phosphorylation of Raf-1, MEK1, and p42mapk in 32P-labeled cells. Our data demonstrate that PGF2alpha activates the Raf/MEK1/p42/44mapk signaling cascade in bovine luteal cells and that the actions of PGF2alpha are mimicked by the PKC activator PMA. Activation of the Raf/MEK1/MAPK signaling cascade by PGF2alpha in luteal cells provides a mechanism to transduce signals initiated by PGF2alpha receptors on the cell surface into the nucleus. Activation of the Raf/MEK1/MAPK signaling cascade may be associated with transcriptional activation of luteal genes possessing activator protein-1-binding sites.
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PMID:Prostaglandin F2alpha stimulates the Raf/MEK1/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade in bovine luteal cells. 972 43

Members of the raf oncogene family encode serine/threonine protein kinases, which activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEKs (MAPK or ERK kinases) through direct interaction and phosphorylation. Several recent studies have revealed interesting differences between two members of this family, Raf-1 and B-Raf, regarding their activation, regulation, and kinase activity. In particular, B-Raf was shown to display higher MEK kinase activity than Raf-1. By using both two-hybrid analysis and coimmunoprecipitation experiments, we demonstrate here that B-Raf also markedly differs from Raf-1 by a higher affinity for MEK. We previously reported that the B-raf gene encodes multiple protein isoforms resulting from complex alternative splicing of two exons (exons 8b and 10) located upstream of B-Raf kinase domain. In the present study, we show that these naturally occurring modifications within the protein sequence markedly modulate both the biochemical and oncogenic properties of B-Raf. The presence of exon 10 sequences enhances the affinity for MEK, the basal kinase activity, as well as the mitogenic and transforming properties of full-length B-Raf, whereas the presence of exon 8b sequences seems to have opposite effects. Therefore, alternative splicing represents a novel regulatory mechanism for a protein of the Raf family.
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PMID:Modulation of kinase activity and oncogenic properties by alternative splicing reveals a novel regulatory mechanism for B-Raf. 973 1

Raf is a key serine-threonine protein kinase which participates in the transmission of growth, anti-apoptotic and differentiation messages. These signals can be initiated after receptor ligation and are transmitted to members of the MAP kinase cascade that subsequently activate transcription factors controlling gene expression. Raf is a member of a multigene family which includes: Raf-1, A-Raf and B-Raf. The roles that individual Raf kinases play in the regulation of normal and malignant hematopoietic cell growth are not clear. The following studies show that all three Raf kinases are functionally present in certain human hematopoietic cells, and their aberrant expression can result in abrogation of cytokine dependency. Cytokine-dependent TF-1 cells were infected with retroviruses encoding amino-terminal deleted (delta) A-Raf, B-Raf and Raf-1 proteins. These Raf proteins were conditionally inducible as they were fused to the hormone-binding domain of the estrogen receptor (ER). A hierarchy in the abilities of Raf-containing retroviruses to abrogate cytokine dependency was observed as deltaA-Raf:ER was 20- to 200-fold more efficient than either deltaRaf-1:ER or deltaB-Raf:ER, respectively. This result was unexpected as A-Raf is an intrinsically weaker kinase than either Raf-1 or B-Raf. The activated Raf proteins induced downstream MEK and MAP (ERK1 and ERK2) kinase activities in the cells which proliferated in response to Raf activation. Furthermore, a functional MEK signaling pathway was necessary as treatment of the cells with a MEK1-inhibitor suppressed Raf-mediated proliferation. To determine whether the regulatory phosphorylation residues contained in the modified Raf oncoproteins were necessary for transformation, they were altered by site-directed mutagenesis. Substitution of the regulatory phosphorylation tyrosine residues with phenylalanine in either A-Raf or Raf-1 reduced the capacity of these oncoproteins to abrogate cytokine dependency. In contrast, changing the critical aspartic acid residues of B-Raf to either tyrosine or phenylalanine increased the frequency of estradiol-responsive cells. Thus, the amino acids present in the regulatory residues modulated the capability of Raf proteins to abrogate the cytokine dependency of TF-1 cells. Differences in the levels of Raf and downstream kinase activities were observed between cytokine-dependent and estradiol-responsive deltaRaf:ER-infected cells as estradiol-responsive cells usually expressed more Raf and MEK activity than GM-CSF-dependent, deltaRaf:ER-infected cells. Abrogation of cytokine dependency by the activated deltaRaf:ER proteins was associated with autocrine growth factor synthesis which was sufficient to promote the growth of uninfected TF-1 cells. In summary, these observations indicate that the aberrant expression of certain activated deltaRaf:ER oncoproteins can alter the cytokine dependency of human hematopoietic TF-1 cells. These cells will be useful in evaluating the roles of the individual Raf oncoproteins in signal transduction, cell cycle progression, autocrine transformation, regulation of apoptosis and differentiation. Moreover, these Raf-infected cells may be important in evaluating the efficacy of novel anticancer drugs designed to inhibit Raf and downstream signal transduction molecules.
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PMID:Differential abilities of activated Raf oncoproteins to abrogate cytokine dependency, prevent apoptosis and induce autocrine growth factor synthesis in human hematopoietic cells. 984 21

We have shown that estrogen elicits a selective enhancement of the growth and differentiation of axons and dendrites (neurites) in the developing CNS. We subsequently demonstrated widespread colocalization of estrogen and neurotrophin receptors (trk) within developing forebrain neurons and reciprocal transcriptional regulation of these receptors by their ligands. Using organotypic explants of the cerebral cortex, we tested the hypothesis that estrogen/neurotrophin receptor coexpression also may result in convergence or cross-coupling of their signaling pathways. Estradiol elicited rapid (within 5-15 min) tyrosine phosphorylation/activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, ERK1 and ERK2, that persisted for at least 2 hr. This extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) activation was inhibited successfully by the MEK1 inhibitor PD98059, but not by the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182,780, and did not appear to result from estradiol-induced activation of trk. Furthermore, we also found that estradiol elicited an increase in B-Raf kinase activity. The latter and subsequent downstream events leading to ERK activation may be a consequence of our documentation of a multimeric complex consisting of, at least, the ER, hsp90, and B-Raf. These novel findings provide an alternative mechanism for some of the estrogen actions in the developing CNS and could explain not only some of the very rapid effects of estrogen but also the ability of estrogen and neurotrophins to regulate the same broad array of cytoskeletal and growth-associated genes involved in neurite growth and differentiation.
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PMID:Estrogen-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in cerebral cortical explants: convergence of estrogen and neurotrophin signaling pathways. 995 96

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades underlie long-term mitogenic, morphogenic, and secretory activities of purinergic receptors. In HEK-293 cells, N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) activates endogenous A2BARs that signal through Gs and Gq/11. UTP activates P2Y2 receptors and signals only through Gq/11. The MAPK isoforms, extracellular-signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK), are activated by NECA and UTP. H-89 blocks ERK activation by forskolin, but weakly affects the response to NECA or UTP. ERK activation by NECA or UTP is unaffected by a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein), attenuated by a phospholipase C inhibitor (U73122), and is abolished by a MEK inhibitor (PD098059) or dominant negative Ras. Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) by GF 109203X failed to block ERK activation by NECA or UTP, however, another PKC inhibitor, Ro 31-8220, which unlike GF 109203X, can block the zeta-isoform, and prevents UTP- but not NECA-induced ERK activation. In the presence of forskolin, Ro 31-8220 loses its ability to block UTP-stimulated ERK activation. PKA has opposing effects on B-Raf and c-Raf-1, both of which are found in HEK-293 cells. The data are explained by a model in which ERK activity is modulated by differential effects of PKC zeta and PKA on Raf isoforms.
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PMID:A2B adenosine and P2Y2 receptors stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. cross-talk between cyclic AMP and protein kinase c pathways. 1002 23

We demonstrated previously that in bovine tracheal myocytes, pretreatment with either forskolin or histamine significantly reduces both platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)- and epidermal growth factor- induced Raf-1 activation but fails to inhibit extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation substantially, evidence of a Raf-1-independent ERK activation pathway. To identify Raf-1-independent upstream signaling intermediates of mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase-1 (MEK1), the dual-function kinase required and sufficient for ERK activation in these cells, lysates from forskolin and PDGF-treated bovine tracheal myocytes were resolved using ion exchange chromatography. Kinase activity for MEK1 was assessed by in vitro phosphorylation assay. In all experiments, the major peak of MEK1 phosphorylation activity was detected in fractions 18 through 26 (80 to 160 mM NaCl), with the peak fraction eluting at a NaCl concentration of 140 mM. The ability of these fractions to activate MEK1 was confirmed by examining the phosphorylation of myelin basic protein, a known substrate for ERKs, in the presence of functional MEK1 and ERK1. Fractions containing kinase activity were also probed with antibodies against MEK kinase-1, Raf-1, A-Raf, B-Raf, Mos, and Tpl-2. None of these proteins was detected in fractions containing peak kinase activity, suggesting the presence of a novel PDGF-stimulated, forskolin-insensitive MEK1 kinase. Further separation of fractions holding peak MEK phosphorylation activity by gel filtration suggested an apparent molecular mass of 40 to 45 kD. We conclude that PDGF-induced activation of MEK1 in bovine tracheal myocytes is mediated at least in part by a novel kinase.
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PMID:Partial characterization of a novel mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase activator in airway smooth-muscle cells. 1022 75


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