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 PI3K/Akt and Raf/MEK/ERK signal transduction cascades are pivotal in transmitting signals from membrane receptors to downstream targets that regulate apoptosis, gene expression, and cell growth. The abilities of activated PI3K, Akt, Raf, and MEK proteins to abrogate the cytokine dependence of three different hematopoietic cell lines were determined. Activated PI3K or Akt expression by themselves did not efficiently annul cytokine dependence. Raf and MEK could abrogate the cytokine dependence of murine FDC-PI and human TF-1 cells; however, the frequency of transformation was dependent on the particular oncogene examined, as more factor-independent cells were isolated after infection with activated retroviruses encoding A-Raf or Raf-1 than were with MEK1 or B-Raf. Cytokine-independent deltaRaf-1-infected cells formed tumors on injection into immunocompromised mice, whereas cytokine-dependent cell lines did not, demonstrating the oncogenic effects of activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Overexpression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein synergized with activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK cascade and increased the efficiency of transformation of FDC-PI and TF-1 cells. In contrast to the results observed with FDC-P1 and TF-I cells, the activated Raf genes did not relieve the cytokine dependence of murine FL5.12 cells. The abilities of the Raf and PI3K pathways to interact and annul the cytokine dependence of FL5.12 cells were determined. The combination of Raf and either PI3K or Akt expression relieved cytokine dependence of some FL5.12 cells, and the efficiency of transformation could be enhanced further by Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL overexpression. Thus, the antiapoptotic PI3K/Akt and Bcl-2/Bcl-XL proteins can interact with the growth-promoting Raf/MEK/ERK pathway and annul the cytokine dependence of certain hematopoietic cells.
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PMID:Interactions between the PI3K and Raf signaling pathways can result in the transformation of hematopoietic cells. 1153 Oct 15

The binding of cytokines to the gp130 receptor activates the STAT3, MEK/MAPK, and PI3K/Akt signalling pathways. To assess the relative importance of these pathways in promoting the survival of cytokine-dependent neurons, we conditionally inactivated STAT3 in mice and inhibited MEK, PI3K, and Akt in cultured neurons using pharmacological reagents and by expressing specific inhibitory proteins. Inactivation of STAT3 enhanced the death of the cytokine-dependent sensory neurons of the nodose ganglion in vivo and substantially reduced the response of these neurons to CNTF and LIF in vitro. LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3K, but not PD98059, an inhibitor of MEK, markedly reduced the response of these neurons to CNTF, as did dominant-negative PI3K, dominant-negative Akt, and overexpression of Ruk (a natural PI3K inhibitor). These results demonstrate that STAT3 and PI3K/Akt signalling play major roles in mediating the survival response of neurons to cytokines.
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PMID:Role of STAT3 and PI 3-kinase/Akt in mediating the survival actions of cytokines on sensory neurons. 1159 Nov 28

We investigated the attachment and spreading of v-Crk-transformed cells, v-Crk3Y1, on fibronectin. Transformation by v-Crk virtually suppressed the spreading, but not the attachment, of cells on fibronectin. This suppression of cell spreading was not correlated with the suppression of integrin alpha5 and beta1 expression. However, the spreading of v-Crk3Y1 on fibronectin was dramatically restored by either expression of dominant-negative Ras or treatment with manumycin A, a Ras farnesyltransferase inhibitor. Moreover, both expression of dominant-negative MEK1 and treatment of cells with U0126, a MEK1 inhibitor, restored the cell spreading of v-Crk3Y1. In contrast, neither treatment with LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, nor expression of dominant-negative C3G showed no effect on cell spreading on fibronectin. Taken together, our results suggest that, among multiple signaling pathways activated by v-Crk, the Ras-MEK1-MAP kinase cascade plays a pivotal role in the suppression of cell spreading on fibronectin, but C3G and the PI3 kinase do not.
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PMID:Suppression of cell spreading by v-Crk requires Ras-MEK-MAP kinase signaling. 1159 97

Insulin regulates the expression of several hepatic genes. Although the general definition of insulin signaling has progressed dramatically, the elucidation of the complete signaling pathway from insulin receptor to transcription factors involved in the regulation of a specific gene remains to be established. In fact, recent works suggest that multiple divergent insulin signaling pathways regulate the expression of distinct genes. 5-Aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS) is a mitochondrial matrix enzyme that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of heme biosynthesis. It has been reported that insulin caused the rapid inhibition of housekeeping ALAS transcription, but the mechanism involved in this repression has not been explored. The present study investigates the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in insulin signaling relevant to ALAS inhibition. To explore this, we combined the transient overexpression of regulatory proteins involved in these pathways and the use of small cell permeant inhibitors in rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. Wortmannin and LY294002, PI3-kinase inhibitors, as well as lovastatin and PD152440, Ras farnesylation inhibitors, and MEK inhibitor PD98059 abolished the insulin repression of ALAS transcription. The inhibitor of mTOR/p70(S6K) rapamycin had no effect whatsoever upon hormone action. The overexpression of vectors encoding constitutively active Ras, MEK, or p90(RSK) mimicked the inhibitory action of insulin. Conversely, negative mutants of PKB, Ras, or MEK impaired insulin inhibition of ALAS promoter activity. Furthermore, inhibition of one of the pathways blocks the inhibitory effect produced by the activation of the other. Our findings suggest that factors involved in two signaling pathways that are often considered to be functionally separate during insulin action, the Ras/ERK/p90(RSK) pathway and the PI3K/PKB pathway, are jointly required for insulin-mediated inhibition of ALAS gene expression in rat hepatocytes and human hepatoma cells.
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PMID:Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways are required for the regulation of 5-aminolevulinate synthase gene expression by insulin. 1171 32

GnRH acts on pituitary gonadotropes to stimulate the synthesis and release of LH and FSH. However, the signaling pathways downstream of the GnRH receptor that mediate these effects are not fully understood. In this paper, we demonstrate that GnRH activates ERK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38MAPK in the LbetaT2 gonadotrope cell line. Phosphorylation of both ERK and p38MAPK are stimulated rapidly, 30- to 50-fold in 5 min, but activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase has slower kinetics, reaching only 10-fold after 30 min. Activation of ERK by GnRH is blocked by inhibition of MAPK kinase (MEK) and partially blocked by inhibition of PKC and calcium, but not PI3K or p38MAPK signaling. We demonstrate that phosphorylated ERK accumulates in the nucleus in a PKC-dependent manner. We also show that GnRH induces c-fos and LHbeta subunit protein expression in LbetaT2 cells via MEK. Experiments with EGTA or calcium channel antagonists indicated that calcium influx is important for the induction of both genes by GnRH. In conclusion, these results show that GnRH activates all three MAPK subfamilies in LbetaT2 cells and induces c-fos and LHbeta protein expression through calcium and MEK-dependent mechanisms. These results also demonstrate that the nuclear translocation of ERK by GnRH requires PKC signaling.
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PMID:GnRH activates ERK1/2 leading to the induction of c-fos and LHbeta protein expression in LbetaT2 cells. 1187 99

Tumor immunity requires the participation of lymphocyte effector cells that display powerful processes to destroy malignant cells. Natural killer (NK) cells and CTLs, once activated, use the same lytic processes for mediating target cell death. However, they are triggered through distinctly separate antigen receptors. NK cells are currently known to express at least three families of receptors unrelated to the T cell receptor, i.e., NKG2, KIR, and NCR, to mediate cytotoxicity. This review provides a view to a kill, bringing together a unifying concept for a common signal pathway that dictates lytic function. What emerges is a specific Syk/Zap70 --> PI3K --> Rac --> PAK --> MEK --> ERK signal cascade triggered by target cell recognition, which is responsible for mobilizing the lytic granules containing perforin and granzyme B toward the contacted target cell.
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PMID:A view to a kill: signals triggering cytotoxicity. 1189 90

1. This study characterizes the mouse beta(3a)-adrenoceptor (AR) and the splice variant of the beta(3)-AR (beta(3b)-AR) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). 2. Stable clones with high (approximately 1200), medium (approximately 500) or low receptor expression (approximately 100 fmol mg protein(-1)) were determined by saturation binding with [(125)I]-(-)-cyanopindolol. Competition binding studies showed no significant differences in affinity of beta-AR ligands for either receptor. 3. Several functional responses of each receptor were measured, namely extracellular acidification rate (EAR; cytosensor microphysiometer), cyclic AMP accumulation, and Erk1/2 phosphorylation. The beta(3)-AR agonists BRL37344, CL316243, GR265162X, L755507, SB251023, the non-conventional partial beta-AR agonist CGP12177 and the beta-AR agonist (-)-isoprenaline caused concentration-dependent increases in EAR in cells expressing either splice variant. CL316243 caused concentration-dependent increases in cyclic AMP accumulation and Erk1/2 phosphorylation in cells expressing either receptor. 4. PTX treatment increased maximum EAR and cyclic AMP responses to CL316243 in cells expressing the beta(3b)-AR but not in cells expressing the beta(3a)-AR at all levels of receptor expression. 5. CL316243 increased Erk1/2 phosphorylation with pEC(50) values and maximum responses that were not significantly different in cells expressing either splice variant. Erk1/2 phosphorylation was insensitive to PTX or H89 (PKA inhibitor) but was inhibited by LY294002 (PI3K gamma inhibitor), PP2 (c-Src inhibitor), genistein (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and PD98059 (MEK inhibitor). 6. The adenylate cyclase activators forskolin or cholera toxin failed to increase Erk1/2 levels although both treatments markedly increased cyclic AMP accumulation in both beta(3a)- or beta(3b)-AR transfected cells. 7. These results suggest that in CHO-K1 cells, the beta(3b)-AR, can couple to both G(s) and G(i) to stimulate and inhibit cyclic AMP production respectively, while the beta(3a)-AR, couples solely to G(s) to increase cyclic AMP levels. However, the increase in Erk1/2 phosphorylation following receptor activation is not dependent upon coupling of the receptors to G(i) or the generation of cyclic AMP.
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PMID:Mouse beta 3a- and beta 3b-adrenoceptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells display identical pharmacology but utilize distinct signalling pathways. 1195 93

The Raf/MEK/ERK (MAPK) signal transduction cascade is a vital mediator of a number of cellular fates including growth, proliferation and survival, among others. The focus of this review centers on the MAPK signal transduction pathway, its mechanisms of activation, downstream mediators of signaling, and the transcription factors that ultimately alter gene expression. Furthermore, negative regulators of this cascade, including phosphatases, are discussed with an emphasis placed upon chemotherapeutic intervention at various points along the pathway. In addition, mounting evidence suggests that the PI3K/Akt pathway may play a role in the effects elicited via MAPK signaling; as such, potential interactions and their possible cellular ramifications are discussed.
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PMID:The Raf/MEK/ERK signal transduction cascade as a target for chemotherapeutic intervention in leukemia. 1196 Mar 26

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase 2 (PEMT2) is an isoform of PEMT that converts phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine in mammalian liver. Overexpression of PEMT2 led to inhibition of proliferation of hepatoma cells [J. Biol. Chem. 269 (1994) 24531]. The present study aims to unravel the molecular mechanism of the reduced proliferation, especially the signaling transducer proteins involved in this process. Thus, we chose PI3K/Akt pathway that is initiated by growth factors and leads to cell survival and proliferation. Rat hepatoma CBRH-7919 cells transfected with pemt2-cDNA showed that: (1) signaling proteins including c-Met, PDGF receptor, PI3K, Akt and Bcl-2 all had reduced expression as shown by Western blotting studies; (2) flow cytometric and DNA ladder assays showed that 22.9% of the pemt2-transfected cells were undergoing apoptosis; (3) the activity of Akt was decreased as shown by Western blotting using antibody directed against p-Akt (Thr308); (4) wortmannin and PD98059, inhibitors of PI3K and MEK, respectively, both inhibited Akt activity, indicating that PI3K and MAPK pathways were merging at Akt in CBRH-7919 cells. The above results suggest that overexpression of PEMT2 strongly downregulated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway at multiple sites and induced apoptosis. This, at least partly, explains the molecular mechanism of impaired proliferation induced by pemt2 transfection.
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PMID:Overexpression of PEMT2 downregulates the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in rat hepatoma cells. 1196 Jul 51

Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins (MCPs) form a distinct, structurally-related subclass of CC chemokines. They are major chemoattractants for monocytes and T lymphocytes. The MCPs bind to specific G-protein-coupled receptors, initiating a signal cascade within the cell. Though the signal transduction pathways involved in MCP-1-mediated chemotaxis have been studied, the signalling pathways through which MCP-2, -3 and -4 trigger cell migration are not established. In this study, we examined the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation elicited by the MCPs (1-4) and its specific role in chemotaxis. Within 2 min, the MCPs (1-4) elicited a rapid and transient activation of MAPK in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in HEK-293 cells expressing CCR2b. U0126, an inhibitor of MAPK-kinase (MEK) activation, not only prevented extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation but also significantly inhibited the MCP-mediated chemotaxis. PI3K inhibitors Wortmannin and LY294002 also partially inhibited the MCP-induced chemotaxis. However, these compounds did not significantly inhibit ERK1/2 activation. As PI3K inhibitors partially inhibit the MCP-mediated chemotaxis but do not significantly effect ERK1/2 activation, these data suggest that co-ordinated action of distinct signal pathways is required to produce chemokine-mediated chemotaxis.
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PMID:Leucocyte chemotaxis: Examination of mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase activation by Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins-1, -2, -3 and -4. 1196 59


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