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)

We have previously shown that the IL-6R in a growth-responsive B cell line, AF10, induces activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Here we demonstrate the activation of Raf-1 and MEK-1, which act as a MAP kinase kinase kinase and a MAP kinase kinase, respectively, in the MAP kinase cascade induced by IL-6 in AF10 cells. IL-6 also induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the signaling transducing subunit of the IL-6R in AF10 cells, along with tyrosine phosphorylation of the gp130-associated tyrosine protein kinase JAK1 and the adaptor molecule p52shc. Although induction of tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of MAP kinase by IL-6 in a differentiation-responsive B cell line, SKW 6.4, were below the limits of detection, the phorbol ester PMA did activate Raf-1, MEK-1, and MAP kinase without inducing the phosphorylation of gp130, JAKs, or p52shc. These results suggest that JAK kinase family members associated with the IL-6R may participate in the activation of MAP kinase in AF10 cells by way of an adaptor protein and Ras-dependent kinase cascade.
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PMID:Involvement of Janus kinases, p52shc, Raf-1, and MEK-1 in the IL-6-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade of a growth-responsive B cell line. 796 20

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and its direct activator, MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), comprise the MAPKK/MAP kinase cascade, which may play a pivotal role in a variety of intracellular signal transduction pathways from yeast to human. Vertebrate MAPKK, a dual-specificity kinase, is activated by serine phosphorylation catalyzed by upstream serine/threonine kinases, MAPKK kinases (MAPKK-Ks). MAPKK is, on the other hand, threonine phosphorylated by MAP kinase, although a physiological role of this MAP kinase-mediated phosphorylation of MAPKK is unknown. Biochemical fractionation of extracts from Xenopus mature oocytes revealed two major and one minor peaks for the MAPKK-K activity. One of the major peaks contained a proto-oncogene product c-Mos, while the other peaks did not. These observations, together with a recent finding that several MAPKK-Ks such as Raf-1 and MEKK may function within a cell, suggest a diversity of MAPKK-Ks. A variety of extracellular signals converge at the MAPKK/MAP kinase cascade through different MAPKK-Ks and elicit a wide spectrum of cellular responses. Therefore, mechanisms that control activation of the MAP kinase cascade temporally and spatially may be important for specification of cellular responses.
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PMID:Signaling pathways mediated by the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase/MAP kinase cascade. 796 62

We have recently described the properties of delta Raf-1:ER, a fusion protein consisting of an oncogenic form of human Raf-1 and the hormone binding domain of the human estrogen receptor. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of delta Raf-1:ER in quiescent 3T3 cells (C2 cells), while sufficient to promote morphological oncogenic transformation, was insufficient to promote the entry of cells into DNA synthesis. Indeed, activation of delta Raf-1:ER potently inhibited the mitogenic response of cells to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment. Addition of beta-estradiol to quiescent C2 cells led to rapid, sustained activation of delta Raf-1:ER and MEK but only two- to threefold activation of p42 mitogen-activating protein (MAP) kinase activity. Addition of PDGF or EGF to quiescent C2 cells in which delta Raf-1:ER was inactive led to rapid activation of Raf-1, MEK, and p42 MAP kinase activities, and entry of the cells into DNA synthesis. In contrast, when delta Raf-1:ER was activated in quiescent C2 cells prior to factor addition, there was a significant inhibition of certain aspects of the signaling response to subsequent treatment with PDGF or EGF. The expression and activation of PDGF receptors and the phosphorylation of p70S6K in response to PDGF treatment were unaffected by prior activation of delta Raf-1:ER. In contrast, PDGF-mediated activation of Raf-1 and p42 MAP kinases was significantly inhibited compared with that of controls. Interestingly, the mitogenic and signaling responses of quiescent C2 cells to stimulation with fetal bovine serum or phorbol myristate acetate were unaffected by prior activation of delta Raf-1:ER. It seems likely that at least two mechanisms contribute to the effects of delta Raf-1:ER in these cells. First, activation of delta Raf-1:ER appeared to uncouple the activation of Raf-1 from the activation of the PDGF receptor at the cell surface. This may be due to the fact that mSOS1 is constitutively phosphorylated as a consequence of the activation of delta Raf-1:ER. Second, quiescent C2 cells expressing activated delta Raf-1:ER appear to contain an inhibitor of the MAP kinase pathway that, because of its apparent sensitivity to sodium orthovanadate, may be a phosphotyrosine phosphatase. It is likely that the inhibitory effects of delta Raf-1:ER observed in these cells are a manifestation of the activation of some of the feedback inhibition pathways that normally modulate a cell's response to growth factors. 3T3 cells expressing delta Raf-1:ER will be a useful tool in unraveling the role of Raf-1 kinase activity in the regulation of such pathways.
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PMID:Inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor- and epidermal growth factor-mediated mitogenesis and signaling in 3T3 cells expressing delta Raf-1:ER, an estradiol-regulated form of Raf-1. 796 25

Bacterial LPS is a potent macrophage activator. The early steps in LPS signal transduction involve the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of a number of kinases of the src family, and inhibition of this pathway causes a severe impairment in the production of the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta. We find that LPS-induced macrophages activation also involves the Raf-1 kinase, a key component in mitogenic signal transduction. Treatment of BAC-1.2F5 macrophages with LPS causes phosphorylation and activation of Raf-1. This is paralleled by the stimulation of MEK-1 and MAP-kinase activity and by the phosphorylation of the transcription factor Elk-1, a nuclear target of MAP-kinase. Activation of the Raf/MAP-kinase pathway was inhibited upon pretreatment of the cells with genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Raf-1 must thus lie downstream of tyrosine kinase in LPS signal transduction. However, Raf-1 is not a direct substrate of a LPS-induced tyrosine kinase, because Raf-1 immunoisolated from LPS-induced cells contains only phosphoserine. This resembles the situation after CSF-1-stimulation of macrophages, in which Raf-1 clearly transduces a signal generated by the CSF-1 receptor kinase, but is phosphorylated exclusively in serine. Phosphopeptide maps of Raf-1 immunoprecipitated from LPS- or CSF-1-treated cells are indistinguishable, suggesting that these agents activate Raf-1 by similar mechanisms. Finally, v-raf-infected BAC-1.2F5 macrophages were found to constitutively express low levels of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha. These data argue that Raf-1 functions downstream of tyrosine kinases in LPS-mediated macrophage activation and cytokine production.
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PMID:Lipopolysaccharide induces activation of the Raf-1/MAP kinase pathway. A putative role for Raf-1 in the induction of the IL-1 beta and the TNF-alpha genes. 798 71

Growth factors activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and Jun kinases (JNKs). Although the signaling cascade from growth factor receptors to ERKs is relatively well understood, the pathway leading to JNK activation is more obscure. Activation of JNK by epidermal growth factor (EGF) or nerve growth factor (NGF) was dependent on H-Ras activation, whereas JNK activation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was Ras-independent. Ras activates two protein kinases, Raf-1 and MEK (MAPK, or ERK, kinase) kinase (MEKK). Raf-1 contributes directly to ERK activation but not to JNK activation, whereas MEKK participated in JNK activation but caused ERK activation only after overexpression. These results demonstrate the existence of two distinct Ras-dependent MAPK cascades--one initiated by Raf-1 leading to ERK activation, and the other initiated by MEKK leading to JNK activation.
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PMID:Differential activation of ERK and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases by Raf-1 and MEKK. 799 57

Expression of the GTPase-deficient G alpha 16 polypeptide G alpha 16Q212L, a member of the Gq family of heterotrimeric G proteins, constitutively activated phospholipase C beta activity in Swiss 3T3 cells. Expression of G alpha 16Q212L appears to persistently stimulte a low level of protein kinase C activity which also increases protein kinase A activity in Swiss 3T3 cells. Growth of G alpha 16Q212L expressing cells was significantly inhibited relative to wild-type Swiss 3T3 cells. Bombesin-stimulated DNA synthesis was completely inhibited in G alpha 16Q212L expressing clones, whereas the growth responses to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and serum were inhibited 50-80% relative to wild-type cells. In addition to the inhibition of cell growth, G alpha 16Q212L expression significantly inhibited the stimulation of protein kinase C, Raf-1, MEK, mitogen-activated protein kinase, phospholipase A2 activity, and Ca2+ mobilization in response to PDGF. In contrast, PDGF receptor activation of phospholipase C gamma, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and Ras GTP loading was similar in wild-type and G alpha 16Q212L expressing clones. PDGF regulation of membrane ruffling and actin fiber assembly, responses mediated in part by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, were unaffected in G alpha 16Q212L expressing clones. The growth inhibitory action of G alpha 16Q212L expression in Swiss 3T3 cells is downstream of the initial SH2 domain-encoded signal transduction proteins regulated in response to PDGF receptor autophosphorylation. The findings demonstrate that constitutively activated G alpha 16Q212L persistently activates phospholipase C activity and effectively inhibits a subset of cytoplasmic signal transduction pathways involved in growth factor tyrosine kinase receptor stimulation of cell growth. G16/Gq-regulated signal transduction can acutely stimulate specific response pathways involved in mitogenesis; but persistent activation of G16/Gq-regulated effectors, including phospholipase C beta, inhibit tyrosine kinase-initiated mitogenesis. One role for G16/Gq response systems may be to modulate growth factor receptor signaling.
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PMID:Expression of GTPase-deficient G alpha 16 inhibits Swiss 3T3 cell growth. 802 Dec 43

In response to various external stimuli, MAP kinases are activated by phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine by MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), a dual specificity kinase. This kinase is in turn activated via Raf-1 and MAPKK kinase (MAPKKK). To determine regulatory phosphorylation sites of MAPKK, we isolated a Chinese hamster cDNA, that we epitope-tagged and expressed in fibroblasts. This hamster MAPKK (MEK1 isoform) can reactivate recombinant p44mapk when immunoprecipitated from growth factor-stimulated cells or when incubated with an active form of MAPKKK. Mutations at either of two residues that are conserved among kinases, D208N or S222A, abolished MAPKK activity. However, only S222A/MAPKK showed a reduction in phosphorylation in response to active MAPKKK and exerted a dominant negative effect on the serum-stimulated endogenous MAPKK. Finally, replacing Ser222 with Asp, a negatively charged residue, restored MAPKK activity independently of the upstream kinase. These results strongly suggest that Ser222 represents one key MAPKKK-dependent phosphorylation site switching on and off the activity of MAPKK, an event crucial for growth control.
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PMID:Constitutive mutant and putative regulatory serine phosphorylation site of mammalian MAP kinase kinase (MEK1). 803 96

Chemoattractants bind to seven transmembrane-spanning, G-protein-linked receptors on polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils) and induce a variety of functional responses, including activation of microtubule-associated protein (MAP) kinase. Although the pathways by which MAP kinases are activated in neutrophils are unknown, we hypothesized that activation of the Ras/Raf pathway leading to activation of MAP/ERK kinase (MEK) would be induced by the chemoattractant f-met-leu-phe. Human neutrophils exposed to 10 nM FMLP for 30 s exhibited an MAP kinase kinase activity coeluting with MEK-1. Immunoprecipitation of Raf-1 kinase after stimulation with FMLP revealed an activity that phosphorylated MEK, was detectable at 30 s, and peaked at 2-3 min. Immunoprecipitation of Ras from both intact neutrophils labeled with [32P]orthophosphate and electropermeabilized neutrophils incubated with [32P]GTP was used to determine that FMLP treatment was associated with activation of Ras. Activation of both Ras and Raf was inhibited by treatment of neutrophils with pertussis toxin, indicating predominant linkage to the Gi2 protein. Although phorbol esters activated Raf, activation induced by FMLP appeared independent of protein kinase C, further suggesting that Gi2 was linked to Ras and Raf independent of phospholipase C and protein kinase C. Dibutyryl cAMP, which inhibits many neutrophil functional responses, blocked the activation of Raf by FMLP, suggesting that interruption of the Raf/MAP kinase pathway influences neutrophil responses to chemoattractants. These data suggest that Gi2-mediated receptor regulation of the Ras/Raf/MAP kinase pathway is a primary response to chemoattractants.
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PMID:FMLP activates Ras and Raf in human neutrophils. Potential role in activation of MAP kinase. 804 Feb 99

Raf-1, a serine/threonine kinase, is required for the mitogenic action of ras p21. It has been recently demonstrated that ras p21 directly associates with Raf-1. The C-terminal region of ras p21 is modified by farnesylation and carboxyl methylation. This modification is necessary for ras p21 function. To elucidate the role of post-translational modification of ras p21 in Raf-1 activation, we examined ras p21-dependent Raf-1 activity in baculovirus/Sf9 cells overexpressing Raf-1 and ras p21. Coexpression of Raf-1 with v-ras p21 in Sf9 cells stimulated the autophosphorylating activity of Raf-1. The activity of Raf-1, as assessed by its ability to activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) in vitro, was also increased when Raf-1 was coexpressed with v-ras p21. However, neither the autophosphorylating activity of Raf-1 nor its ability to activate MEK was stimulated by v-ras p21 mutants which are not post-translationally modified. Raf-1 formed a complex with v-ras p21 and the v-ras p21 mutants in Sf9 cells. These results indicate that the post-translational modification of ras p21 is necessary for Raf-1 activation but that the association of Raf-1 with ras p21 is not sufficient to activate Raf-1.
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PMID:The post-translational modification of ras p21 is important for Raf-1 activation. 805 Oct 91

We have studied the role of Raf-1 in mitogenesis and cellular transformation induced by G protein-coupled receptors in NIH 3T3 cells transfected with the human m1 muscarinic receptor. We have observed that in m1-expressing NIH 3T3 cells, the cholinergic agonist carbachol induces a dose- and time-dependent shift in the electrophoretic mobility of p72Raf-1, equivalent to that observed when using phorbol esters or platelet-derived growth factor as stimulants. Phosphoamino acid analysis of slower mobility forms of p72Raf-1 revealed both phosphoserine and phosphothreonine. Carbachol potently induced c-Raf activity as judged by its in vitro phosphorylating activity using MEK as a substrate. However, induction of Raf-1 kinase activity by carbachol occurred much earlier than changes in its electrophoretic mobility. Raf-1 kinase activation followed a kinetic similar to that exhibited by an epitope-tagged ERK2 protein when coexpressed in the same cells. Conventional protein kinase C (PKC) inactivation by means of sustained phorbol ester treatment or by a new nontoxic PKC-specific inhibitor, GF 109203X, abolished p72Raf-1 mobility shift induced by carbachol or by phorbol esters. However, c-Raf and ERK2 enzymatic activity in response to carbachol was at least 50-80% PKC-independent. Furthermore, inhibition of PKC failed to affect DNA synthesis or focus formation induced by carbachol in cells expressing m1 receptors. In contrast, cotransfection of NIH 3T3 cells with the Raf-1 dominant negative mutant Raf-301 (K375W) drastically decreased the transforming ability of m1 receptors. Thus, our findings implicate Raf-1 activation in transformation by G protein-coupled receptors. In addition, our data suggest that activation of p72Raf-1 and ERK2 by G protein-coupled receptors involves PKC-independent pathways.
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PMID:Signaling through transforming G protein-coupled receptors in NIH 3T3 cells involves c-Raf activation. Evidence for a protein kinase C-independent pathway. 806 29


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