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)

Cell interaction with adhesive proteins or growth factors in the extracellular matrix initiates Ras/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling. Evidence is provided that MAP kinase (ERK1 and ERK2) influences the cells' motility machinery by phosphorylating and, thereby, enhancing myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activity leading to phosphorylation of myosin light chains (MLC). Inhibition of MAP kinase activity causes decreased MLCK function, MLC phosphorylation, and cell migration on extracellular matrix proteins. In contrast, expression of mutationally active MAP kinase kinase causes activation of MAP kinase leading to phosphorylation of MLCK and MLC and enhanced cell migration. In vitro results support these findings since ERK-phosphorylated MLCK has an increased capacity to phosphorylate MLC and shows increased sensitivity to calmodulin. Thus, we define a signaling pathway directly downstream of MAP kinase, influencing cell migration on the extracellular matrix.
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PMID:Regulation of cell motility by mitogen-activated protein kinase. 912 57

Many receptors that couple to heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding (G) proteins mediate rapid activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases, Erk1 and Erk2. The Gi-coupled serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) 5-HT1A receptor, heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary or human embryonic kidney 293 cells, mediated rapid activation of Erk1/2 via a mechanism dependent upon both Ras activation and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This activation was attenuated by chelation of intracellular Ca2+ and Ca2+/calmodulin (CAM) inhibitors or the CAM sequestrant protein calspermin. The CAM-dependent step in the Erk1/2 activation cascade is downstream of Ras activation, because inhibitors of CAM antagonize Erk1/2 activation induced by constitutively activated mutants of Ras and c-Src but not by constitutively activated mutants of Raf and MEK (mitogen and extracellular signal-regulated kinase). Inhibitors of the classical CAM effectors myosin light chain kinase, CAM-dependent protein kinases II and IV, PP2B, and CAM-sensitive phosphodiesterase had no effect upon 5-HT1A receptor-mediated Erk1/2 activation. Because clathrin-mediated endocytosis was required for 5-HT1A receptor-mediated Erk1/2 activation, we postulated a role for CAM in receptor endocytosis. Inhibition of receptor endocytosis by use of sequestration-defective mutants of beta-arrestin1 and dynamin attenuated 5-HT1A receptor-stimulated Erk1/2 activation. Inhibition of CAM prevented agonist-dependent endocytosis of epitope-tagged 5-HT1A receptors. We conclude that CAM-dependent activation of Erk1/2 through the 5-HT1A receptor reflects its role in endocytosis of the receptor, which is a required step in the activation of MEK and subsequently Erk1/2.
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PMID:Serotonin 5-HT1A receptor-mediated Erk activation requires calcium/calmodulin-dependent receptor endocytosis. 998 12

Integrin engagement generates cellular signals leading to the recruitment of structural and signalling molecules which, in concert with rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton, leads to the formation of focal adhesion complexes. Using antisera reactive either with total ERK or with phosphorylated/activated forms of ERK, in rat embryo fibroblasts and embryonic avian cells that express v-Src, we found that active ERK is targeted to newly forming focal adhesions after integrin engagement or activation of v-Src. UO126, an inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), suppressed focal adhesion targeting of active ERK and cell spreading. Also, integrin engagement and v-Src induced myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)-dependent phosphorylation of myosin light chain downstream of the MEK/ERK pathway, and MLCK and myosin activities are required for the focal adhesion targeting of ERK. The translocation of active ERK to newly forming focal adhesions may direct specificity towards appropriate downstream targets that influence adhesion assembly. These findings support a role for ERK in the regulation of the adhesion/cytoskeletal network and provide an explanation for the role of ERK in cell motility.
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PMID:Active ERK/MAP kinase is targeted to newly forming cell-matrix adhesions by integrin engagement and v-Src. 1085 36

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria interacts with a CD14-independent receptor of mouse bone marrow granulocytes (BMC), and triggers in these cells the expression of CD14, an inducible type of LPS receptor (iLpsR). This particular response of BMC to LPS required the activation of protein tyrosine kinase and p38 MAP kinase. The inhibition of the LPS effect by the MEK inhibitor PD-98059 suggested that the ERK pathway was also involved. Unexpectedly, protein kinase C, myosin light chain kinase, cAMP-, cGMP-, and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinases, as well as ecto-protein kinases, were not required for iLpsR expression. However, other yet unidentified serine/threonine protein kinase(s) were implied since the BMC response to LPS was markedly reduced after exposure to three inhibitors of such kinases (K-252a, H-7, and KT-5823). The atypical kinase requirements observed in this study may be due either to a novel signaling LPS receptor complex present in BMC, or to the particular events involved in CD14 biosynthesis.
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PMID:Protein phosphorylation pathways involved during lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of CD14 in mouse bone marrow granulocytes. 1086 78

1. The present study was undertaken to determine whether Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) participates in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction, and if so, to investigate the nature of the downstream effectors. 2. The contractility of isolated ferret aorta was measured while inhibiting CaMKII either with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against CaMKII or with the CaMKII inhibitor KN93. 3. Treatment with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides against CaMKII resulted in, on average, a decrease in protein levels of CaMKII to 56 % of control levels and significantly decreased the magnitude of the contraction in response to 51 mM potassium physiological saline solution (KCl). Contraction in response to the phorbol ester DPBA was not significantly affected. 4. The CaMKII blocker KN93 also resulted in a significant decrease in the force induced by 51 mM KCl but caused no significant change in the contraction in response to DPBA or the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist phenylephrine. 5. During contraction with 51 mM KCl, both CaMKII and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity increased, as determined by phospho-specific antibodies. The MAPK phosphorylation level was inhibited by KN93, PD098059 (a MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor) and calcium depletion. 6. Myosin light chain (LC20) phosphorylation also increased during contraction with KCl and the increase was significantly blocked by PD098059 as well as by both KN93 and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to CaMKII. 7. The data indicate that CaMKII plays a significant role in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction and suggest that CaMKII activates a pathway by which MAPK activation leads to phosphorylation of LC20 via activation of myosin light chain kinase.
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PMID:Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-dependent activation of contractility in ferret aorta. 1089 25

The time- and dose-dependent effects of wortmannin on transepithelial electrical resistance (Rte) and forskolin-stimulated chloride secretion in T84 monolayer cultures were studied. In both instances, maximal effects developed over 2 h and were stable thereafter. Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated chloride secretion, as measured by the short-circuit current (Isc) technique, had an IC50 of 200-500 nM, which is 100-fold higher than for inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), but similar to the IC50 for inhibition of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Previous work demonstrated that 500 nM wortmannin did not inhibit the cAMP activation of apical membrane chloride channels. We show here that 500 nM wortmannin has no affect on basolateral Na/K/2Cl-cotransporter activity, but inhibits basolateral membrane Na/K-ATPase activity significantly. The MLCK inhibitors ML-7 and KT5926 were without affect on forskolin-stimulated Isc. Similarly, the p38- and MEK-specific MAPK inhibitors SB203580 and PD98059 did not reduce forskolin-stimulated Isc. In contrast, the non-specific MAPK inhibitor apigenin reduced forskolin-stimulated Isc and basolateral membrane Na/K-ATPase activity similar to wortmannin. In isolated membranes from T84 cells, wortmannin did not inhibit Na/K-ATPase enzymatic activity directly. We conclude that one or more MAPK may regulate the functional expression of basolateral membrane Na/K-ATPase by controlling the abundance of enzyme molecules in the plasma membrane.
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PMID:Wortmannin inhibition of forskolin-stimulated chloride secretion by T84 cells. 1093 May 8

When fibroblasts are plated on a type I collagen gel they reduce the size of the gel and the extent of collagen gel contraction reflects the motile activity of the fibroblasts. We found that both bovine and human lactoferrin (Lf) enhanced the collagen gel contractile activity of WI-38 human fibroblasts. Rho inhibitor (exoenzyme C3), Rho kinase inhibitor (Y-27632), myosin light chain kinase inhibitor (ML-7), MEK inhibitor (PD98059) and Src family tyrosine kinase inhibitor inhibited the Lf-enhanced collagen gel contraction. Treatment of fibroblasts with Lf induced the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) within 30 min. Lf-enhanced MLC phosphorylation was inhibited by Y-27632 and ML-7. These results suggest that Lf promotes the motility of fibroblasts by regulating MLC phosphorylation.
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PMID:Effects of lactoferrin on collagen gel contractile activity and myosin light chain phosphorylation in human fibroblasts. 1170 79

We recently reported that Rho kinase is required for sustained ERK signaling and the consequent mid-G(1) phase induction of cyclin D1 in fibroblasts. The results presented here indicate that these Rho kinase effects are mediated by the formation of stress fibers and the consequent clustering of alpha5beta1 integrin. Mechanistically, alpha5beta1 signaling and stress fiber formation allowed for the sustained activation of MEK, and this effect was mediated upstream of Ras-GTP loading. Interestingly, disruption of stress fibers with ML-7 led to G(1) phase arrest while comparable disruption of stress fibers with Y27632 (an inhibitor of Rho kinase) or dominant-negative Rho kinase led to a more rapid progression through G(1) phase. Inhibition of either MLCK or Rho kinase blocked sustained ERK signaling, but only Rho kinase inhibition allowed for the induction of cyclin D1 and activation of cdk4 via Rac/Cdc42. The levels of cyclin E, cdk2, and their major inhibitors, p21(cip1) and p27(kip1), were not affected by inhibition of MLCK or Rho kinase. Overall, our results indicate that Rho kinase-dependent stress fiber formation is required for sustained activation of the MEK/ERK pathway and the mid-G(1) phase induction of cyclin D1, but not for other aspects of cdk4 or cdk2 activation. They also emphasize that G(1) phase cell cycle progression in fibroblasts does not require stress fibers if Rac/Cdc42 signaling is allowed to induce cyclin D1.
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PMID:Effects of rho kinase and actin stress fibers on sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity and activation of G(1) phase cyclin-dependent kinases. 1764 1

We have previously shown that thrombin-induced endothelial cell barrier dysfunction involves cytoskeletal rearrangement and contraction, and we have elucidated the important role of endothelial cell myosin light chain kinase and the actin- and myosin-binding protein caldesmon. We evaluated the contribution of calmodulin (CaM) kinase II and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation in thrombin-mediated bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell contraction and barrier dysfunction. Similar to thrombin, infection with a constitutively active adenoviral alpha-CaM kinase II construct induced significant ERK activation, indicating that CaM kinase II activation lies upstream of ERK. Thrombin-induced ERK-dependent caldesmon phosphorylation (Ser789) was inhibited by either KN-93, a specific CaM kinase II inhibitor, or U0126, an inhibitor of MEK activation. Immunofluorescence microscopy studies revealed phosphocaldesmon colocalization within thrombin-induced actin stress fibers. Pretreatment with either U0126 or KN-93 attenuated thrombin-mediated cytoskeletal rearrangement and evoked declines in transendothelial electrical resistance while reversing thrombin-induced dissociation of myosin from nondenaturing caldesmon immunoprecipitates. These results strongly suggest the involvement of CaM kinase II and ERK activities in thrombin-mediated caldesmon phosphorylation and both contractile and barrier regulation.
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PMID:Role of CaM kinase II and ERK activation in thrombin-induced endothelial cell barrier dysfunction. 1278 88

Elevated Src kinase in epithelial cancer cells induces adhesion changes that are associated with a mesenchymal-like state. We recently showed that Src induces dynamic integrin adhesions in KM12C colon cancer cells, whereas E-cadherin-dependent cell-cell contacts become disorganized. This promotes a fibroblastic-like morphology and expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin. Furthermore, Src-induced deregulation of E-cadherin, and the associated mesenchymal transition, is dependent on integrin signaling (Avizienyte et al., Nat. Cell Biol. 2002, 4, 632-638), although the nature of downstream signals that mediate these Src- and integrin-dependent effects are unknown. Here we show that the SH2 and SH3 domains of Src mediate peripheral accumulation of phospho-myosin, leading to integrin adhesion complex assembly, whereas loss of SH2 or SH3 function restores normal regulation of E-cadherin and inhibits vimentin expression. Inhibitors of MEK, ROCK, or MLCK also suppress peripheral accumulation of phospho-myosin and Src-induced formation of integrin-dependent adhesions, whereas at the same time restoring E-cadherin redistribution to regions of cell-cell contact. Our data therefore implicate peripheral phospho-myosin activity as a point of convergence for upstream signals that regulate integrin- and E-cadherin-mediated adhesions. This further implicates spatially regulated contractile force as a determinant of epithelial cell plasticity, particularly in cancer cells that can switch between epithelial and mesenchymal-like states.
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PMID:Src SH3/2 domain-mediated peripheral accumulation of Src and phospho-myosin is linked to deregulation of E-cadherin and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. 1507 77


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