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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)

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 identified, in Xenopus oocyte cytosol, a protein kinase named REKS (Ras-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) stimulator), which phosphorylates and activates recombinant ERK2 through recombinant MEK in a recombinant GTP gamma S (guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate)-Ras-dependent manner. We show here that this REKS activity is synergistically enhanced by a combination of mammalian recombinant GTP gamma S-KiRas and 14-3-3 protein purified from rat brain. 14-3-3 protein is known to activate tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases, to modulate the protein kinase C activity, to stimulate secretion, and to show phospholipase A2 activity per se. 14-3-3 protein did not affect the MEK activity. 14-3-3 protein neither interacted with Ki-Ras nor affected the neurofibromin activity to stimulate the GTPase activity of Ki-Ras under the conditions where the recombinant N-terminal fragment of c-Raf-1 inhibited it. These results suggest that 14-3-3 protein has an additional function in the regulation of the Ras-MEK-ERK cascade pathway through the activation of REKS.
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PMID:Synergistic activation by Ras and 14-3-3 protein of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase named Ras-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase stimulator. 808 86

Intracellular signaling from receptor tyrosine kinases in mammalian cells results in activation of a signal cascade that includes the guanine nucleotide-binding protein Ras and the protein kinases Raf, MEK [mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase], and MAPK. MAPK activation that is dependent on the coupling of Ras and Raf was reconstituted in yeast. Yeast genes were isolated that, when overexpressed, enhanced the function of Raf. One of them is identical to BMH1, which encodes a protein similar to members of the mammalian 14-3-3 family. Bacterially synthesized mammalian 14-3-3 protein stimulated the activity of Raf prepared from yeast cells expressing c-Raf-1. Thus, the 14-3-3 protein may participate in or be required for activation of Raf.
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PMID:Stimulatory effects of yeast and mammalian 14-3-3 proteins on the Raf protein kinase. 808 59

Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or mitogen-activated protein kinase by MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase or extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase) is an essential event in the mitogenic growth factor signal transduction. We now demonstrate that three recombinant MEKs (MEK1, MEK2, MEK3) show remarkably different activity toward recombinant ERK1 and ERK2. MEK2 is the most active ERK activator. The recombinant MEK1 has an activity approximately seven times lower than that of MEK2. MEK3, which is identical to MEK1 except for missing an internal 26-amino acid residue and probably represents an alternative splicing product of MEK1, shows neither autophosphorylation nor ERK-activating activity. Recombinant MEK1 and MEK2 can be activated by epidermal growth factor-stimulated SWISS3T3 cell lysate. MEK1 and MEK2 can also be activated by autophosphorylation. Autophosphorylation of MEKs correlates with their ability to phosphorylate and activate ERKs. Phosphorylation of MEK is also stimulated by ERK. Phosphoamino acid analysis showed that ERK1 preferentially phosphorylated threonine residue of MEKs. MEKs complex with ERKs in vitro. Interestingly, MEK3 also forms a complex with ERK1, although it is totally inactive as an ERK activator.
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PMID:Properties of MEKs, the kinases that phosphorylate and activate the extracellular signal-regulated kinases. 822 33

The activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) by a dual specific kinase, MEK (MAPK or ERK kinase), is a critical event in the mitogenic signal transduction pathway. However, little is known about the mechanism of ERK inactivation, which occurs after stimulation. In this report, we demonstrated that a dual specific protein phosphatase, HVH1 (human VH1 phosphatase homolog) whose expression is induced by mitogenic growth factors, specifically inactivates ERK. When several phosphoproteins were tested for recombinant HVH1, only MEK-activated ERK1 was dephosphorylated. HVH1 selectively dephosphorylated threonine and tyrosine residues but not serine residues of the activated ERK1. Inactivation of ERK1 by HVH1 could be reversed by MEK, suggesting that HVH1 dephosphorylates the same residues that are recognized and phosphorylated by MEK. Our results suggest that mitogenic growth factors transiently activate ERK (peak at 5 min followed by a rapid decline) by temporally activating MEK (the on signal) and inducing the expression of HVH phosphatase (the off signal).
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PMID:Dephosphorylation and inactivation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase by a mitogen-induced Thr/Tyr protein phosphatase. 834 96

To identify the direct target molecule of ras p21 in higher eukaryotes, we have recently developed the cell-free system in which ras p21 activates mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In this cell-free system, the guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate- bound form of Ki-ras p21, but not the GDP-bound form, activates endogenous Xenopus MAP kinase as well as recombinant ERK2 in the presence of the cytosol fraction of Xenopus oocytes. We separated two protein factors from the cytosol fraction of Xenopus oocytes by column chromatography: one was the inactive form of MAP kinase kinase and the other was a factor tentatively named ras p21-dependent ERK-kinase stimulator (REKS). The former and latter showed M(r) values of approximately 45,000 and 150,000-200,000, respectively, as estimated by gel filtration. Both factors were necessary for Ki-ras p21-dependent activation of MAP kinase/ERK2. These results indicate that an additional protein factor (REKS) is essential for Ki-ras p21 to activate MAP kinase through MAP kinase kinase.
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PMID:A protein factor for ras p21-dependent activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase through MAP kinase kinase. 838 39

Mitogen-induced signal transduction is mediated by a cascade of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. One of the immediate responses of mitogen stimulation is the activation of a family of protein kinases known as mitogen-activated protein kinase or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). MEK (MAP kinase or ERK kinase) is the immediate upstream activator kinase of ERK. Two cDNAs, MEK1 and MEK2, were cloned and sequenced. MEK1 and MEK2 encode 393 and 400 amino acid residues, respectively. The human MEK1 shares 99% amino acid sequence identity with the murine MEK1 and 80% with human MEK2. Both MEK1 and MEK2 were expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to be able to activate recombinant human ERK1 in vitro. The purified MEK2 protein stimulated threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation on ERK1 and concomitantly activated ERK1 kinase activity more than 100-fold. The recombinant MEK2 showed lower activity as an ERK activator as compared with MEK purified from tissue. However, the recombinant MEK2 can be activated by serum-stimulated cell extract in vitro. MEKs, in a manner similar to ERKs, are likely to consist of a family of related proteins playing critical roles in signal transduction.
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PMID:Cloning and characterization of two distinct human extracellular signal-regulated kinase activator kinases, MEK1 and MEK2. 838 92

A paradigm has been established whereby mutant tyrosine kinase receptors such as the v-erbB and v-fms gene products function as oncoproteins in the absence of ligand. A spontaneously occurring deletional mutant of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-vIII) has been isolated from astrocytic neoplasms and transforms NIH3T3 cells in the absence of ligand. The EGFRvIII is constitutively complexed with the majority of cellular GRB2, suggesting a link to the Ras-Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway (D. Moscatello, R. B. Montgomery, P. Sundareshan, H. McDanel, M. Y. Wong, and A. J. Wong, submitted for publication). In this report, we document that expression of EGFRvIII in fibroblasts is associated with downstream activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK) and modest activation of p42 and p44 MAP kinases. The presence of EGFRvIII suppresses activation of p42 and p44 MAP kinases by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and serum; however, MEK activation by PMA is not suppressed by EGFRvIII. Basal and PMA-stimulated MAP kinase activity in EGFRvIII-transfected cells is augmented by the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium vanadate. EGFR-vIII is capable of transducing downstream signals through MAP kinase as evidenced by activation of cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 at levels similar to that induced by intact EGFR. Our results suggest that EGFR-vIII constitutively activates downstream signal transduction through MAP kinase, and this chronic stimulation of the MAP kinase pathway may represent one means by which mutant EGFR transduces an oncogenic signal.
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PMID:Differential modulation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/extracellular signal-related kinase kinase and MAP kinase activities by a mutant epidermal growth factor receptor. 853 Apr 89

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play a role in biological processes such as cell growth and development, angiogenesis, and wound healing. Several genes have been shown to be induced by FGFs, but the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. We investigated the effect of FGF-2 (basic FGF) on the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. We found that the uPA gene is transcriptionally induced by FGF-2 as well as by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 -acetate involving a PEA3/AP1 element located 2.4 kb upstream of the transcription initiation site; neither induction requires ongoing protein synthesis. Unlike 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate induction, FGF-2 induction was not impaired by protein kinase C down-regulation. Analyses of various signaling molecules by Western blotting, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity assays, and transient transfection assays (cotransfection of a uPA-reporter gene construct with expression vectors for wild-type or dominant negative type of these molecules or for ERK-specific protein phosphatase MKP-1) showed that a Ras/Raf-1/MEK/ERK-2/JunD pathway is induced by FGF-2 and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, leading to the activation of the uPA gene.
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PMID:Elucidation of a signaling pathway induced by FGF-2 leading to uPA gene expression in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. 854 15

The intracellular mechanisms involved in the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) are relatively well understood. However, the intracellular signaling pathways which regulate the termination of ERK activity remain to be elucidated. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) has been shown to dephosphorylate and inactivate ERK in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we show in NIH3T3 fibroblasts that activation of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway by either specific extracellular stress stimuli or via induction of MEKK, an upstream kinase of SAPK, results in MKP-1 gene expression. In contrast, selective stimulation of the ERK pathway by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or following expression of constitutively active MEK, the upstream dual specificity kinase of ERK did not induce the transcription of MKP-1. Hence, these findings demonstrate the existence of cross-talk between the ERK and SAPK signaling cascades since activation of SAPK induced the expression of MKP-1 that can inactivate ERK. This mechanism may modulate the cellular response to stimuli which employ the SAPK signal transduction pathway.
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PMID:Induction of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 by the stress-activated protein kinase signaling pathway but not by extracellular signal-regulated kinase in fibroblasts. 855 67


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