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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 investigated the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) on Raf-1-
MAP kinase
cascade, including Raf-1-kinase (Raf-1-K),
MAP kinase kinase
(
MAPKK
),
MAP kinase
(
MAPK
) and S6 kinase (S6K) in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In a dose-dependent manner (10(-10) M to 10(-6) M), EGF increased autophosphorylation of Raf-1-K and activated
MAPKK
,
MAPK
and S6K. Sequential activation of these kinases was indicated by their peak times of activation (Raf-1-K 5 min;
MAPKK
10 min;
MAPK
15 min; and S6K 30 min). AVP (10(-9) M to 10(-6) M) inhibited EGF-stimulated
MAP kinase
cascade. 8-Bromo-cyclic AMP (cAMP) could mimic the inhibitory effect of AVP on EGF-stimulated
MAP kinase
cascade. These results were confirmed using H-89, an inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA) that blocked the effect of AVP on EGF-stimulated
MAPK
activity. We conclude that AVP inhibits EGF-stimulated Raf-1-K,
MAPKK
,
MAPK
, and S6K activity via cAMP in MDCK cells. Our results indicate that
MAP kinase
cascade may play an important role in integrating the effects of AVP and EGF on distal tubule function.
...
PMID:AVP inhibits EGF-stimulated MAP kinase cascade in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. 747 60
Eukaryotic cells respond to different extracellular stimuli by recruiting homologous signalling pathways that use members of the MEKK,
MEK
and ERK families of protein kinases. The MEKK-->
MEK
-->ERK core pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may themselves be regulated by members of the STE20 family of protein kinases. Here we report specific activation of the mammalian
stress-activated protein kinase
(
SAPK
) pathway by germinal centre kinase (GCK), a human STE20 homologue. SAPKs, members of the ERK family, are activated in situ by inflammatory stimuli, including tumour-necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1, and phosphorylate and probably stimulate the transactivation function of c-Jun. Although GCK is found in many tissues, its expression in lymphoid follicles is restricted to the cells of the germinal centre, where it may participate in B-cell differentiation. Activation of the
SAPK
pathway by GCK illustrates further the striking conservation of eukaryotic signalling mechanisms and defines the first physiological function of a mammalian Ste20.
...
PMID:Activation of the SAPK pathway by the human STE20 homologue germinal centre kinase. 747 68
The sphingomyelin pathway, initiated by hydrolysis of sphingomyelin to ceramide and stimulation of a Ser/Thr ceramide-activated protein (CAP) kinase, mediates tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta action. CAP kinase is membrane-bound and proline-directed, recognizing the minimal substrate motif Thr-Leu-Pro. TNF may use the sphingomyelin pathway to signal Raf1 to activate the
MAP kinase
cascade. Evidence shows that cytoplasmic Raf1 binds to GTP-ras upon cellular stimulation, is recruited to the plasma membrane, and activated. How membrane-bound Raf1 is activated is uncertain, but regulation of its kinase activity may involve its phosphorylation. Specific Raf kinases, however, have not hitherto been identified. Here we report that CAP kinase phosphorylates Raf1 on Thr 269, increasing its activity towards
MEK
(
MAP kinase or ERK kinase
). Moreover, in intact HL-60 cells, CAP kinase complexes with Raf1 and, in response to TNF and ceramide analogues, phosphorylates and activates Raf1, implicating CAP kinase as a link between the TNF receptor and Raf1.
...
PMID:Phosphorylation of Raf by ceramide-activated protein kinase. 747 54
The sequential activation of the
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
and its substrate, the
mitogen-activated protein kinase
is involved in a cascade of protein kinases which link a number of cell surface signals to intracellular changes in enzyme activity and gene expression. In vitro,
mitogen-activated protein kinase
is able to phosphorylate the microtubule-associated protein tau at Ser-Pro and Thr-Pro sites, thereby generating abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau species that are similar to paired helical filament-tau found in Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we analysed the levels of immunoreactive
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
and
mitogen-activated protein kinase
in the temporal cortex (area 22) of patients with Alzheimer's disease by means of enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assays and compared these changes with the content of abnormally phosphorylated paired helical filament-tau. The levels of immunochemically detected
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
and
mitogen-activated protein kinase
were both increased in Alzheimer's disease by between 35 and 40% compared with age-matched controls. Elevation of
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
was most pronounced during early stages of Alzheimer's disease and was inversely related to the tissue content of abnormally phosphorylated paired helical filament-tau. Pronounced immunoreactivity of
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
and
mitogen-activated protein kinase
was present in both tangle bearing neurons and unaffected neurons of the temporal cortex. Immunoreactive neurons were most often localized in the direct vicinity of neuritic plaques. In Alzheimer's disease, the subcellular distribution of
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
and
mitogen-activated protein kinase
showed a striking translocation from the cytoplasmic to the nuclear compartment. It is suggested that the activation of the
mitogen-activated protein kinase
cascade which appears to be an early feature of Alzheimer's disease might be critically involved in self-stimulating processes of neurodegeneration and aberrant repair under these conditions.
...
PMID:Increased expression and subcellular translocation of the mitogen activated protein kinase kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase in Alzheimer's disease. 747 34
Figure 2 summarizes our current interpretation of data concerning signals from the activated PDGF receptor involved in directed migration and proliferation of human arterial SMC. Binding of PDGF (PDGF-BB or PDGF-AA) causes PDGF-receptor dimerization, tyrosine autophosphorylation, and subsequent binding of several molecules containing SH2 domains to the activated receptor. Binding and activation of PLC gamma by the PDGF receptor leads to PIP2 hydrolysis, resulting in generation of diacylglycerol (DAG) and IP3. Subsequently, intracellular levels of calcium are elevated as a result of IP3-mediated calcium release from intracellular compartments. The decreased levels of PIP2 and increased levels of calcium both favor actin-filament disassembly by inducing capping of actin-filament barbed ends and actin-monomer sequestration. A localized, and transient, actin-filament disassembly enables the cell to extend filopodia towards PDGF, thereby enabling chemotaxis to take place. At a later time and/or in a different compartment, actin-filament assembly is promoted by PDGF by a mechanism that is not completely understood, but that may involve small GTP-binding proteins, such as Rho, and formation of DAG. Migration on collagen requires functional alpha 2 beta 1 integrins, which may either constitute a permissive state required for a cell to migrate, or which may be actively involved in intracellular signals leading to migration. PDGF-induced DNA synthesis and proliferation involves activation of Ras,
MAP kinase kinase
, and
MAP kinase
. Cross-talk between PKA signaling and tyrosine-kinase receptor signaling results in PKA inhibition of the
MAP kinase
cascade, probably at the level of Raf. Activation of PI 3-kinase, or a PI 3-kinase-like enzyme, is also likely to contribute to the mitogenic effects of PDGF in these cells (Bornfeldt, unpublished observation). What determines if a SMC will migrate and/or proliferate in response to PDGF? Results are starting to emerge that show regulation of expression of molecules involved in intracellular signaling with different phenotypic states of SMC. For example, expression of PLC gamma is very low in intact vascular wall (where SMC show a "contractile phenotype"), and induced when SMC are converted to a "synthetic phenotype" in culture. Proliferation and expression of
MAP kinase
, but not calcium signaling, appear to be regulated by the extracellular matrix, and the profile of integrin expression is different in SMC in culture compared to SMC in the vascular wall. Thus, the relation between expression of signaling molecules involved in migration and signaling molecules involved in proliferation, as well as cross-talk between different signal-transduction pathways, may determine the net effect of PDGF.
...
PMID:Platelet-derived growth factor. Distinct signal transduction pathways associated with migration versus proliferation. 748 87
The pleiotropic cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) controls the expression of multiple gene products in macrophages and plays an important role in host defense. TNF alpha is recognized by the receptors, CD120a (p55) and CD120b (p75). Ligation of CD120a (p55) by TNF alpha or by anti-receptor agonistic antibodies initiates signal transduction leading to the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (
p42mapk
/erk2 and p44mapk/erk1). Phosphorylation and activation of
MAPK
are mediated by
MAPK
kinase (MEK), a family of Thr/Tyr kinases. In this study, we investigated the preferential involvement of the MEK isoforms
MEK1
and
MEK2
in the activation of
p42mapk
/erk2 in mouse macrophages stimulated with TNF alpha. Exposure of macrophages to TNF alpha stimulated a time-dependent increase in the activity of
MEK1
as measured by an in vitro kinase assay using kinase-inactive
p42mapk
/erk2 (rMAPKkd) as substrate in the presence of gamma-[32P]ATP. Maximal activation of
MEK1
was detected at 10 min poststimulation and coincided with maximal transphosphorylation of Tyr and Thr residues of rMAPKkd. By contrast, there was no evidence of
MEK2
activation in macrophages in response to TNF alpha. These data suggest that
MEK1
is the preferred substrate for MEK kinase, the upstream kinase implicated in activation of the
MAPK
pathway in macrophages by TNF alpha.
...
PMID:Preferential involvement of MEK1 in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced activation of p42mapk/erk2 in mouse macrophages. 749 90
PD 098059 has been shown previously to inhibit the dephosphorylated form of
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
-1 (MAPKK1) and a mutant MAPKK1(S217E,S221E), which has low levels of constitutive activity (Dudley, D. T., Pang, L., Decker, S. J., Bridges, A. J., and Saltiel, A. R. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 7686-7689). Here we report that PD 098059 does not inhibit Raf-activated MAPKK1 but that it prevents the activation of MAPKK1 by Raf or MEK kinase in vitro at concentrations (IC50 = 2-7 microM) similar to those concentrations that inhibit dephosphorylated MAPKK1 or MAPKK1(S217E,S221E). PD 098059 inhibited the activation of MAPKK2 by Raf with a much higher IC50 value (50 microM) and did not inhibit the phosphorylation of other Raf or MEK kinase substrates, indicating that it exerts its effect by binding to the inactive form of MAPKK1. PD 098059 also acts as a specific inhibitor of the activation of
MAPKK
in Swiss 3T3 cells, suppressing by 80-90% its activation by a variety of agonists. The high degree of specificity of PD 098059 in vitro and in vivo is indicated by its failure to inhibit 18 protein Ser/Thr kinases (including two other
MAPKK
homologues) in vitro by its failure to inhibit the in vivo activation of
MAPKK
and
MAP kinase
homologues that participate in stress and interleukin-1-stimulated kinase cascades in KB and PC12 cells, and by lack of inhibition of the activation of p70 S6 kinase by insulin or epidermal growth factor in Swiss 3T3 cells. PD 098059 (50 microM) inhibited the activation of p42MAPK and isoforms of
MAP kinase
-activated protein kinase-1 in Swiss 3T3 cells, but the extent of inhibition depended on how potently c-Raf and
MAPKK
were activated by any particular agonist and demonstrated the enormous amplification potential of this kinase cascade. PD 098059 not only failed to inhibit the activation of Raf by platelet-derived growth factor, serum, insulin, and phorbol esters in Swiss 3T3 cells but actually enhanced Raf activity. The rate of activation of Raf by platelet-derived growth factor was increased 3-fold, and the subsequent inactivation that occurred after 10 min was prevented. These results indicate that the activation of Raf is suppressed and that its inactivation is accelerated by a downstream component(s) of the
MAP kinase
pathway.
...
PMID:PD 098059 is a specific inhibitor of the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase in vitro and in vivo. 749 6
Adult mammalian ventricular cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated cells that enlarge adaptively by hypertrophy. In this situation, genes normally expressed in the fetal ventricular cardiomyocyte (e.g. atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC), and skeletal muscle (SkM) alpha-actin) are re-expressed, and there is transient expression of immediate early genes (e.g. c-fos). Using appropriate reporter plasmids, we studied the effects of transfection of the constitutively active or dominant negative
mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
MEK1
on ANF, beta-MHC, and SkM alpha-actin promoter activities in cultured ventricular cardiomyocytes. ANF expression was stimulated (maximally 75-fold) by the hypertrophic agonist phenylephrine in a dose-dependent manner (EC50, 10 microM), and this stimulation was inhibited by dominant negative
MEK1
. Cotransfection of dominant negative
MEK1
with a dominant negative
mitogen-activated protein kinase
(extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (
ERK2
)) increased this inhibition. Transfection with constitutively active
MEK1
constructs doubled ANF promoter activity. The additional cotransfection of wild-type
ERK2
stimulated ANF promoter activity by about 5-fold. Expression of beta-MHC and SkM alpha-actin was also stimulated. Promoter activity regulated by activator protein-1 or c-fos serum response element consensus sequences was also increased. We conclude that the
MEK1
/
ERK2
cascade may play a role in regulating gene expression during hypertrophy.
...
PMID:The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK1 stimulates a pattern of gene expression typical of the hypertrophic phenotype in rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. 749 96
Recent evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may function as second messengers in intracellular signal transduction pathways. We explored the possibility that ROS were involved in lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway in HeLa cells. Antioxidant N-acetylcysteine inhibited the LPA-stimulated
MAP kinase kinase
activity. Direct exposure of HeLa cells to hydrogen peroxide resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent activation of
MAP kinase kinase
. Inhibition of catalase with aminotriazole enhanced the effect of LPA on induction of
MAP kinase kinase
. Further, LPA stimulated ROS production in HeLa cells. These findings suggest that ROS participate in the LPA-elicited
MAP kinase
signaling pathway.
...
PMID:Participation of reactive oxygen species in the lysophosphatidic acid-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase activation pathway. 749 58
The prototype mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase module is a three-kinase cascade consisting of the
MAP kinase
, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1 or
ERK2
, the MAP/ERK kinase (MEK)
MEK1
or
MEK2
, and the MEK kinase, Raf-1 or B-Raf. This and other
MAP kinase
modules are thought to be critical signal transducers in major cellular events including proliferation, differentiation, and stress responses. To identify novel mammalian
MAP kinase
modules, polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate a new MEK family member, MEK5, from the rat. MEK5 is more closely related to
MEK1
and
MEK2
than to the other known mammalian MEKs, MKK3 and
MKK4
. MEK5 is thought to lie in an uncharacterized
MAP kinase
pathway, because MEK5 does not phosphorylate the ERK/
MAP kinase
family members
ERK1
,
ERK2
, ERK3,
JNK
/
SAPK
, or p38/HOG1, nor will Raf-1, c-Mos, or MEKK1 highly phosphorylate it. Alternative splicing results in a 50-kDa alpha and a 40-kDa beta isoform of MEK5. MEK5 beta is ubiquitously distributed and primarily cytosolic. MEK5 alpha is expressed most highly in liver and brain and is particulate. The 23 amino acids encoded by the 5' exon in the larger alpha isoform are similar to a sequence found in certain proteins believed to associate with the actin cytoskeleton; this alternatively spliced modular domain may lead to the differential subcellular localization of MEK5 alpha.
...
PMID:Isolation of MEK5 and differential expression of alternatively spliced forms. 749 18
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