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)

Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) induces differentiation and inhibits proliferation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of these processes are not clearly understood. Previous studies have shown that calcitriol mediates cell differentiation not only by interaction with nuclear vitamin D receptor, but also by numerous rapid, membrane--mediated effects. Since in the light of past studies, involvement of raf/MEK1,2/erk1,2 signal transduction pathway in calcitriol-induced cell differentiation was questionable, another attempt was undertaken in this study in order to investigate the problem. PD 98059, the specific inhibitor of MEK1 and MEK2 was found to inhibit calcitriol-induced monocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells. This finding proves that activation of the raf/MEK1,2/erk1,2 signal transduction pathway is essential for monocytic differentiation of human leukemia cells. The results reported in this paper suggest that inhibition of protein kinase C, which upstream regulates activation of erk1 and erk2, may be bypassed during the process of calcitriol-induced leukemia cell differentiation.
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PMID:Evidence that activation of MEK1,2/erk1,2 signal transduction pathway is necessary for calcitriol-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. 1129 87

Epidemiologic data suggest that low exposure to vitamin D or 1alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol) increases the risk of prostate cancer. Calcitriol, a central factor in bone and mineral metabolism, is also a potent antiproliferative agent in a wide variety of malignant cell types. We have demonstrated that calcitriol has significant antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo in prostate and squamous cell carcinoma model systems. Calcitriol, in these models, induces a significant G0/G1 arrest and modulates p21(Waf1/Cip1) and p27(Kip1), the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Calcitriol induces poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase cleavage, increases bax/bcl-2 ratio, reduces levels of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (P-MAPKs; also known as extracellular signal-related kinase [ERK] 1/2) and phosphorylated Akt, induces caspase-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) cleavage and upregulation of MEK kinase-1, all potential markers of the apoptotic pathway. We also have demonstrated that dexamethasone (dex) potentiates the antitumor effect of calcitriol through effects on the vitamin D receptor and decreases calcitriol-induced hypercalcemia. We initiated phase 1 and phase 2 trials of calcitriol, either alone or in combination with carboplatin, paclitaxel, or dex. Data from these studies indicate that high-dose calcitriol is feasible on an intermittent schedule, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is unclear, and dex or paclitaxel appear to ameliorate hypercalcemia. Studies continue to define the MTD of calcitriol on this intermittent schedule, either alone or with other agents, and to evaluate the mechanisms of calcitriol effects in prostate cancer models.
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PMID:Vitamin D receptor: a potential target for intervention. 1223 Oct 68

Synthetic analogs of vitamin D for potential use in differentiation therapy should selectively regulate genes necessary for differentiation without inducing any perturbations in calcium homeostasis. PRI-1906, an analog of vitamin D2, and PRI-2191, an analog of vitamin D3 bind nuclear vitamin D receptor (nVDR) with substantially lower affinity than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-D3), but have higher differentiation-inducing activity as estimated in HL-60 leukemia cellmodel. To examine how their increased differentiation-inducing activity is regulated we tested the hypothesis that membrane-mediated events, unrelated to nVDR, take part in the differentiation in response to PRI-1906 and PRI-2191. The induction of leukemia cell differentiation in response to the analogs of vitamin D was inhibited by LY294002 (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor), PD98059 (inhibitor of MEK1,2, an upstream regulator of extracellular-signal regulated kinase) and rapamycin (p70S6K inhibitor) pointing out that activation of signal transduction pathways unrelated to nVDR is necessary for differentiation. On the other hand, inhibition of cytosolic phospholipase A2 accelerated the differentiation of HL-60 cells induced by either 1,25-D3 or by the vitamin D analogs suggesting possible existence of a feedback loop between extracellular-signal regulated kinases and phospholipase A2.
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PMID:Side-chain modified vitamin D analogs require activation of both PI 3-K and erk1,2 signal transduction pathways to induce differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells. 1236 81

If both rapid and genomic pathways may co-exist in the same cell, the involvement of the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the rapid effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)) remains unclear. We therefore studied rapid and long term effects of 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) in cultured skin fibroblasts from three patients with severe vitamin D-resistant rickets and one age-matched control. Patients bear homozygous missense VDR mutations that abolished either VDR binding to DNA (patient 1, mutation K45E) or its stable ligand binding (patients 2 and 3, mutation W286R). In patient 1 cells, 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) (1 pm-10 nm) had no effect on either intracellular calcium or 24-hydroxylase (enzyme activity and mRNA expression). In contrast, cells bearing the W286R mutation had calcium responses to 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) (profile and magnitude) and 24-hydroxylase responses to low (1 pm-100 pm) 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) concentrations (activity, CYP24, and ferredoxin mRNAs) similar to those of controls. The blocker of Ca(2+) channels, verapamil, impeded both rapid (calcium) and long term (24-hydroxylase activity, CYP24, and ferredoxin mRNAs) responses in patient and control fibroblasts. The MEK 1/2 kinase inhibitor PD98059 also blocked the CYP24 mRNA response. Taken together, these results suggest that 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) rapid effects require the presence of VDR and control, in part, the first step of 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) catabolism via increased mRNA expression of the CYP24 and ferredoxin genes in the 24-hydroxylase complex.
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PMID:The rapid effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 require the vitamin D receptor and influence 24-hydroxylase activity: studies in human skin fibroblasts bearing vitamin D receptor mutations. 1466 37

Ras is the most characterized oncogene in human cancer, and yet there are no effective therapeutics to selectively target this oncogene. Our previous work demonstrated the inhibitory activity of the p38 pathway in Ras proliferative signaling in experimental NIH 3T3 cells (Chen, G., Hitomi, M., Han, J., and Stacey, D. W. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 38973-38980). Here we explore the therapeutic potential of p38 kinase activation in human colon cancer cells with and without endogenous K-ras activation. p38 activation by both adenovirus-mediated gene delivery of constitutively active p38 activator MKK6 and by arsenite selectively induces cell death in K-ras-activated human colon cancer HCT116 cells but not in the K-ras-disrupted HCT116-derived sublines. The cell death-inducing effect of MKK6 is not because of its selective activation of p38 kinase or its downstream transcription factor substrates, ATF-2 or c-Jun, in K-ras-activated cells. Rather, cell death in K-ras-activated cells is linked to the down-regulation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) by an AP-1-dependent mechanism. Forced VDR expression in K-ras-activated cells inhibits p38 activation-induced cell death, and inhibition of endogenous VDR protein expression in K-ras-disrupted cells increased the arsenite-induced toxicity. Analysis of an additional two human colon cancer cell lines with and without K-ras mutation also showed a K-ras- and VDR-dependent toxicity of MKK6. Hence, p38 pathway activation selectively induces cell death in K-ras-mutated human colon cancer cells by mechanisms involving the suppression of VDR activity.
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PMID:p38 MAPK activation selectively induces cell death in K-ras-mutated human colon cancer cells through regulation of vitamin D receptor. 1503 31

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) is known to induce the expression of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) in human colon carcinoma Caco-2 cells. Recently, it was demonstrated that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced CYP3A4 gene expression through the xenobiotic-responsive element and the vitamin D-responsive element located on the 5'-flanking region of the CYP3A4 gene. On the other hand, we previously reported that protein kinases such as protein kinase C and tyrosine kinases contribute to the induction of CYP3A4 mRNA by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). In the present study, we examined the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in the 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced CYP3A4 gene expression using MAPK inhibitors. Curcumin, a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway inhibitor, and anthra[1,9-cd]pyrazole-6(2H)-one (SP600125), a JNK inhibitor, suppressed the induction of CYP3A4 mRNA by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), but not 2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone (PD098059), a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway inhibitor, or 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)1H-imidazole (SB203580), a p38 inhibitor. In addition, we demonstrated that SP600125 dose-dependently inhibited the CYP3A4 promoter activity induced by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) using the reporter plasmid of the CYP3A4 promoter. However, SP600125 did not affect 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced transactivation of the DR3 via VDR. These results indicate that JNK, but not ERK or p38, is required for the optimal activation of the CYP3A4 gene induced by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3).
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PMID:C-jun N-terminal kinase modulates 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced cytochrome P450 3A4 gene expression. 1520 82

The actions of the active metabolite of 1,25-(OH)2D3 (1,25-D) are mediated primarily by the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors. Although their ligands cause transcriptional activation, many of the ligands also rapidly activate cellular signaling pathways through mechanisms that have not been fully elucidated. We find that 1,25-D causes a rapid, but sustained activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in bone cell lines. However, the effect of ERK activation on VDR transcriptional activity was cell line-specific. Inhibition of ERK activation by the MEK inhibitor, U0126, stimulated VDR activity in MC3T3-E1 cells, but inhibited the activity in MG-63 cells as well as in HeLa cells. VDR is not a known target of ERK. We found that the ERK target responsible for reduced VDR activity in MC3T3-E1 cells is RXRalpha. MC3T3-E1 cells express lower levels of RXRbeta and RXRgamma than either HeLa or MG-63 cells. Although overexpression of RXRalpha in MC3T3-E1 cells increased VDR activity, U0126 further enhanced the activity. In contrast, overexpression of RXRgamma stimulated VDR activity but abrogated the stimulation by U0126. Thus, although 1,25-D treatment activates ERK in many cell types, subsequently inducing changes independent of VDR, the effects of treatment with 1,25-D on the transcriptional activity of VDR are RXR isoform-specific. In cells in which RXRalpha is the VDR partner, the transcriptional activation of VDR by 1,25-D is attenuated by the concomitant activation of ERK. In cells utilizing RXRgamma, ERK activation enhances VDR transcriptional activity.
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PMID:The functional consequences of cross-talk between the vitamin D receptor and ERK signaling pathways are cell-specific. 1533 95

The molecular mechanisms underlying antiproliferative actions of the steroid 1alpha,25-dihydroxy vitamin D(3) (1,25D) in human osteosarcoma cells are known only partially. To better understand the signaling involved in 1,25D anti-tumorigenic properties in bone, we stably silenced vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in the human osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cell line. We found that 1,25D treatment reduced cell proliferation by approximately 25% after 3 days only in SaOS-2 cells expressing native levels of VDR protein, and involved activation of MAPK/AP-1/p21(waf1) pathways. Both sustained (3 days) and transient (15min) 1,25D treatment activated JNK and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling in a nongenomic VDR-dependent manner. However, only sustained exposure to hormone led to upregulation of p21 and subsequent genomic control of the cell cycle. Specific blockade of MEK1/MEK2 cascade upstream from ERK1/2 abrogated 1,25D activation of AP-1 and p21, and subsequent antiproliferative effects, even in the presence of a nuclear VDR. We conclude that 1,25D-induced inhibition of human osteosarcoma cell proliferation occurs via sustained activation of JNK and MEK1/MEK2 pathways downstream of nongenomic VDR signaling that leads to upregulation of a c-Jun/c-Fos (AP-1) complex, which in turn modulates p21(waf1) gene expression. Our results demonstrate a cross-talk between 1,25D/VDR nongenomic and genomic signaling at the level of MAP kinase activation that leads to reduction of cell proliferation in human osteosarcoma cells.
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PMID:1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) antiproliferative actions involve vitamin D receptor-mediated activation of MAPK pathways and AP-1/p21(waf1) upregulation in human osteosarcoma. 1741 93

This study was designed to provide a direct demonstration of the importance of caveolin-1 in the compartmentalization of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) to the membrane, thus allowing 7beta-estradiol (E2) to control vitamin D receptor (VDR) transcription and expression. Our strategy was to obtain cell lines expressing different levels of caveolin-1. To this end, we transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells with a caveolin-1-expressing vector and obtained three cell-line variants: one expressing high amounts of caveolin-1 (clone A), one expressing low amounts of caveolin-1 (clone B), and one expressing high amounts of the nonfunctional P132L caveolin-1 mutant (clone C), and compared these with parental (wild-type, WT) cells expressing negligible levels of caveolin-1. In clone A, ERbeta colocalized to membrane preparations and E2 treatment induced significant ERK 1/2 phosphorylation and enhanced VDR expression. In clones B and C and the WT, ERbeta did not localize to membrane preparations and E2 treatment was ineffective at inducing VDR upregulation associated with ERK 1/2 phosphorylation. Luciferase reporter gene expression assays showed that the human VDR promoter is only highly responsive to E2 treatment in clone A, except in the presence of the ER-specific inhibitor ICI182 780. Cotransfection of clone A with the VDR promoter and several mutants of MAPK kinase (MEK) demonstrated that the constitutively active form of MEK significantly increases VDR promoter activation, while the catalytically inactive construct is ineffective in this regard. In clone A cells transfected with an activation protein-1 (AP-1)-luciferase construct, E2 significantly upregulated the promoter activity, while ICI182 780 completely eliminated this E2-mediated effect. Clone A cells transfected with a VDR promoter bearing a targeted mutation towards the AP-1 site showed reduced E2-mediated activation of luciferase activity. Taken together, our data confirm the importance of caveolin-1 in the association of ERbeta to the membrane caveolae, allowing ERK 1/2 phosphorylation and upregulation of VDR.
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PMID:Association of estrogen receptor beta with plasma-membrane caveola components: implication in control of vitamin D receptor. 1755 31

Antimicrobial peptides like human beta-defensin-2 (HBD-2) play an important role in the innate immune system protecting the intestinal mucosa against bacterial invasion. The dietary histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors sulforaphane (SFN) and butyrate have received a great deal of attention because of their ability to simultaneously modulate multiple cellular targets involved in cellular protection. In this study the influence of SFN and butyrate on HBD-2 expression as well as the molecular pathways involved in SFN-mediated induction of HBD-2 were scrutinized. Treatment of Caco-2, HT-29 and SW480 cells with SFN led to a time- and dose-dependent upregulation of HBD-2 mRNA expression as determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, HBD-2 protein production increased in response to SFN, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Induction of HBD-2 was also observed in response to butyrate. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the protein was localized in the cytosol. Coincubation of SFN with a vitamin D receptor (VDR), or an extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 or a nuclear factor-kappaB inhibitor all reduced HBD-2 mRNA upregulation. In contrast, transfection of cells with a dominant-negative peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) mutant vector to inhibit PPARgamma wild-type action and inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling did not affect SFN-mediated upregulation of HBD-2 mRNA. Moreover, SFN induced the expression of VDR, PPARgamma and phosphorylated ERK1/2 but did not affect p38 MAPK activation. The data clearly demonstrate for the first time that the dietary HDAC inhibitor SFN is able to induce antimicrobial peptides in colonocytes. In this process HBD-2 expression is regulated via VDR, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular-regulated kinase and nuclear factor-kappaB signalling.
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PMID:The dietary histone deacetylase inhibitor sulforaphane induces human beta-defensin-2 in intestinal epithelial cells. 1837 8


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