Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.12.2 (MEK)
18,161 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK-1 and ERK-2 are activated by a wide variety of oncogenes and extracellular stimuli. The MAPKs participate in a signalling cascade downstream of growth factor/cytokine receptors, Ras, Raf, and MEK. However, MAPK activation is more complicated than a simple linear pathway, and the evidence presented here supports a model of multiple, temporally distinct pathways converging on MAPK which are differentially utilized by various stimuli and cell types. In addition to MEK-dependent MAPK activation, we provide evidence for MEK-independent regulation of the MAPKs. Our results suggest that phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI(3)K) or conventional protein kinase C isoforms (cPKCs) partially contribute to MEK-dependent activation. Importantly, we also find that PI3K and cPKCs play a major role in the MEK-independent, prolonged MAPK activation by platelet-derived growth factor signalling. This finding is of interest as the maintained activation of MAPK has been correlated by others to the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation.
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PMID:Evidence for MEK-independent pathways regulating the prolonged activation of the ERK-MAP kinases. 913 64

Using a guinea pig gastric longitudinal smooth muscle preparation, we have compared the contractile signaling pathways triggered by the thrombin receptor-activating peptide, TFLLR-NH2 (TF) and by epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (EGF). In addition to inhibitors of tyrosine kinase [tyrphostin 47/AG213, genistein and the src-selective inhibitor CP118,556/PP1], cyclooxygenase (indomethacin, INDO) and diacylglycerol lipase (U57, 908), we also used the signal pathway probe inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein-kinase-kinase (MEK:PD98059), phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase [PI3K: Wortmannin (WM) and LY294002], protein kinase C [PKC: GF109203X (GF)], and of the EGF-receptor kinase (PD153035). We found that in addition to the inhibition of both TF and EGF-stimulated contractions by the inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, cyclooxygenase and diacylglycerol lipase, the actions of TF and EGF were also attenuated by PD98059, WM/LY294002 and GF. However, PD153035 blocked only EGF-triggered contractions. The contractile actions of both TF and EGF were dependent on extracellular calcium. In contrast, the contractile action of arachidonic acid, via a presumed cyclooxygenase product that mediated the contractions caused by both TF and EGF, was not blocked by any of the signal pathway probe inhibitors. The contractile actions of both TF and EGF were accompanied by increases in tissue phosphotyrosyl proteins and an increase in tissue c-src kinase activity. We conclude that protease-activated receptor no. 1- (thrombin receptor) mediated contractions in the logitudial muscle, like EGF receptor-activated responses, require the influx of extracellular calcium and use parallel signal pathways upstream of the cyclooxygenase step, involving MEK, PI3K, kinase C and possibly cellular src. The TF-induced response did not involve trans-activation of the EGF receptor kinase; but the converse (i.e., trans-activation of protease-activated receptor no. 1 (thrombin receptor) by the EGF receptor kinase) could not be ruled out.
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PMID:Parallel contractile signal transduction pathways activated by receptors for thrombin and epidermal growth factor-urogastrone in guinea pig gastric smooth muscle: blockade by inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase and phosphatidyl inositol 3'-kinase. 953 28

Overexpression of EGFR and c-erbB2 frequently occurs in human breast cancers, correlating with poor prognosis. Here we show that overexpression of EGFR and c-erbB2 in cell lines increases cell migration, an important step in metastasis formation. The effect of EGFR on migration is dependent on the addition of EGF to the cells. In contrast, c-erbB2 seems to act independently of its ligand in these assays. Overexpression of this receptor is sufficient to induce cell migration. In addition, we investigated the involvement of a number of signal transduction pathways known to be activated by the EGFR. We found that inactivation of MAPKK results in a decreased migration, while inactivation of PI3K increases migration.
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PMID:Overexpression of EGFR and c-erbB2 causes enhanced cell migration in human breast cancer cells and NIH3T3 fibroblasts. 954 Oct 25

The scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor regulates scattering and morphogenesis of epithelial cells through activation of the MET tyrosine kinase receptor. In particular, the noncatalytic C-terminal tail of MET contains two autophosphorylation tyrosine residues, which form a multisubstrate-binding site for several cytoplasmic effectors and are thought to be essential for signal transduction. We show here that a MET receptor mutated on the four C-terminal tyrosine residues, Y1311F, Y1347F, Y1354F, and Y1363F, can induce efficiently a transcriptional response and cell scattering, whereas it cannot induce cell morphogenesis. Although the mutated receptor had lost its ability to recruit and/or activate known signaling molecules, such as GRB2, SHC, GAB1, and PI3K, by using a sensitive association-kinase assay we found that the mutated receptor can still associate and phosphorylate a approximately 250-kDa protein. By further examining signal transduction mediated by the mutated MET receptor, we established that it can transmit efficient RAS signaling and that cell scattering by the mutated MET receptor could be inhibited by a pharmacological inhibitor of the MEK-ERK (MAP kinase kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway. We propose that signal transduction by autophosphorylation of the C-terminal tyrosine residues is not the sole mechanism by which the activated MET receptor can transmit RAS signaling and cell scattering.
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PMID:The multisubstrate docking site of the MET receptor is dispensable for MET-mediated RAS signaling and cell scattering. 1006 3

Extracellular signals often result in simultaneous activation of both the Raf-MEK-ERK and PI3K-Akt pathways (where ERK is extracellular-regulated kinase, MEK is mitogen-activated protein kinase or ERK kinase, and PI3K is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). However, these two signaling pathways were shown to exert opposing effects on muscle cell hypertrophy. Furthermore, the PI3K-Akt pathway was shown to inhibit the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway; this cross-regulation depended on the differentiation state of the cell: Akt activation inhibited the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway in differentiated myotubes, but not in their myoblast precursors. The stage-specific inhibitory action of Akt correlated with its stage-specific ability to form a complex with Raf, suggesting the existence of differentially expressed mediators of an inhibitory Akt-Raf complex.
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PMID:Differentiation stage-specific inhibition of the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway by Akt. 1057 41

The Gab1-docking protein has been shown to regulate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase PI3K activity and potentiate nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced survival in PC12 cells. Here, we investigated the potential of Gab1 to induce neurite outgrowth and DNA synthesis, two other important aspects of NGF-induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells and NGF-independent survival. We generated a recombinant adenovirus encoding hemagglutinin (HA)-epitope-tagged Gab1 and expressed this protein in PC12 cells. HA-Gab1 was constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated in PC12 cells and induced the phosphorylation of Akt/protein kinase B and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase. HA-Gab1-stimulated a 10-fold increase in neurite outgrowth in the absence of NGF and a 5-fold increase in NGF-induced neurite outgrowth. HA-Gab1 also stimulated DNA synthesis and caused NGF-independent survival in PC12 cells. Finally, we found that HA-Gab1-induced neuritogenesis was completely suppressed by pharmacological inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) activity and 50% suppressed by inhibition of PI3K activity. In contrast, HA-Gab1-stimulated cell survival was efficiently suppressed only by inhibition of both PI3K and MEK activities. These results indicate that Gab1 is capable of mediating differentiation, DNA synthesis, and cell survival and uses both PI3K and MEK signaling pathways to achieve its effects.
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PMID:Gab1 mediates neurite outgrowth, DNA synthesis, and survival in PC12 cells. 1060 Dec 97

Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta-like trophic factors have been shown to be protective in acute neuronal injury paradigms. In the current study, we analyzed and compared members of this growing family, including glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurturin, nodal, persephin, and TGFbeta1, for protection against chronic glutamate toxicity. In parallel, we developed a organotypic spinal cord culture system to study the ability of these factors to promote motor axon outgrowth across white matter. Using these systems, we were able to differentiate the neuroprotective effect of the TGFbeta-like factors from their motor axon outgrowth-promoting activity. GDNF, neurturin, persephin, nodal, and TGFbeta1 all protected against excitotoxic motor neuron degeneration. Low amounts of GDNF (1 ng/ml) and high concentrations of neurturin induced vigorous motor axon outgrowth. In contrast, nodal, persephin, and TGFbeta1 did not induce motor axon outgrowth. Both GDNF and neurturin bind to Ret receptor complexes and were capable of activating the MAP kinase pathway. A specific inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase, PD98059, inhibited the motor axon outgrowth-promoting activity of the GDNF but not the neuroprotective activity. Similarly, the specific PI3K inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin, were able to inhibit the promotion of motor axon outgrowth by GDNF, but did not affect neuroprotective activity. Our results suggest that the neurite outgrowth-promoting effect of GDNF is mediated through the PI3K and MAP kinase pathways. The neuroprotective effect of GDNF appears to be through a separate pathway.
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PMID:TGFbeta trophic factors differentially modulate motor axon outgrowth and protection from excitotoxicity. 1068 85

Prolactin induces cell proliferation and cell differentiation through well-known MAPK Erk, and JAK2/STAT5 pathways depending on the cell line. The aim of the present study was to delineate the functional domains of the PRL receptor involved in PRL induced MAPK regulation. Using various PRL-R mutants of the cytoplasmic domain we found, that the membrane proximal domain is necessary for PRL induced MAPK activation and that the C-terminal part of the receptor exerts a negative regulatory role. A pharmacological approach, using different types of inhibitors, provided evidence that PRL induced MAPK activation requires both a MEK dependent pathway and a PI3K dependent pathway. The negative regulation induced by the carboxy-terminal part of the receptor involves a combination of tyrosine phosphatases and serine/threonine phosphatases as concluded from the actions of the phosphatase inhibitors: pervanadate, PAO and okadaic acid. The mechanism by which these phosphatases are recruited or are induced by the last 141 cytoplasmic residues of the receptor remains to be determined. Finally the negative regulatory role of the carboxy-terminal part of the receptor, first demonstrated in the present study, is discussed in terms of the regulation of different effects of PRL on growth and differentiation.
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PMID:Effect of PRL on MAPK activation: negative regulatory role of the C-terminal part of the PRL receptor. 1068 59

Motoneurons require neurotrophic factors for their survival and axonal projection during development, as well as nerve regeneration. By using the axotomy-induced neuronal death paradigm and adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, we attempted to gain insight into the functional significances of major growth factor receptor downstream cascades, Ras-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Ras-ERK) pathway and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase-Akt (PI3K-Akt) pathway. After neonatal hypoglossal nerve transection, the constitutively active Akt-overexpressing neurons could survive as well as those overexpressing Bcl-2, whereas the constitutively active ERK kinase (MEK)-overexpressing ones failed to survive. A dominant negative Akt experiment demonstrated that inhibition of Akt pathway hastened axotomy-induced neuronal death in the neonate. In addition, the dominant active Akt-overexpressing adult hypoglossal neurons showed accelerated axonal regeneration after axotomy. These results suggest that Akt plays dual roles in motoneuronal survival and nerve regeneration in vivo and that PI3K-Akt pathway is probably more vital in neuronal survival after injury than Ras-ERK pathway.
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PMID:Akt/protein kinase B prevents injury-induced motoneuron death and accelerates axonal regeneration. 1075 40

In mouse C3H 10T1/2 cells, we previously reported that TGF-beta1 first delays and later potentiates EGF-induced DNA synthesis corresponding to an inhibition of EGF-induced cyclin D1 expression at t = 13 h. We report here that in accord with DNA synthesis kinetics, TGF-beta1 initially suppresses EGF-induced cyclin D1 expression then later releases the inhibition. Furthermore, TGF-beta1 also first decreases and later potentiates the levels of EGF-activated MEK1/MAPK and PKB, indicating the existence of cross talk between TGF-beta 1- and EGF-activated signal transduction pathways. PD98059, the specific inhibitor of MEK1, significantly blocks EGF-induced DNA synthesis, whereas wortmannin, the PI3K inhibitor, exerts a modest inhibitory effect, which suggests that the activation of MEK1-MAPK pathway plays a major role in EGF-induced DNA synthesis and the activation of PI3K-PKB pathway plays a minor role. Upon examination of mechanisms underlying the cross talk, it was discovered that application of TGF-beta1 triggers a rapid association between Raf-1 and catalytic subunits of PKA, which are reported to be able to inactivate Raf-1 upon activation. Therefore, TGF-beta1 may activate PKA to inhibit the EGF-activated MEK1-MAPK pathway. The wortmannin-sensitive phosphorylation at the thr(389) site is necessary for activation of p70s6K, an important kinase involved in mitogen-stimulated protein synthesis. Although we found that EGF-stimulated p70s6K phosphorylates through a MAPK-dependent and a MAPK-independent (wortmannin-sensitive) pathway, TGF-beta1 failed to block EGF-triggered phosphorylation of p70s6K at thr(389) and thr(421)/ser(424) sites, implying that PKB inhibition by TGF-beta1 may result from inhibition of PDK1 activity instead of inhibition of PI3K activity. These data also suggest that TGF-beta1 may selectively perturb certain EGF-activated MAPK pools.
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PMID:Perturbation of EGF-activated MEK1 and PKB signal pathways by TGF-beta1 correlates with perturbation of EGF-induced cyclin D1 and DNA synthesis by TGF-beta1 in C3H 10T1/2 cells. 1094 24


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