Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: 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)

Melanocytes require the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathways to maintain the fine balance between proliferation and differentiation. We have investigated how cross-talk between these pathways affects melanoma progression. We show that cAMP suppresses CRAF activity in melanocytes and that this is essential to suppress the oncogenic potential of CRAF in these cells. As a consequence, BRAF alone is responsible for signaling to MEK. However, when RAS is mutated in melanoma, the cells switch their signaling from BRAF to CRAF. This switch is accompanied by dysregulated cAMP signaling, a step that is necessary to allow CRAF to signal to MEK. Thus, a fundamental switch in RAF isoform usage occurs when RAS is mutated in melanoma, and this occurs in the context of disrupted cAMP signaling. These data have important implications for the development of therapeutic strategies to treat this life-threatening disease.
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PMID:In melanoma, RAS mutations are accompanied by switching signaling from BRAF to CRAF and disrupted cyclic AMP signaling. 1701 4

MEK1 is a member of the MAPK signal transduction pathway that responds to growth factors and cytokines. A wealth of information about the enzymatic activity of MEK1, its domain functions, and inhibitor action is available; however, the thermodynamic properties of the interaction between MEK1 and ligands, such as nucleotides and non-ATP-competitive inhibitors, have not been reported. This study describes the thermodynamic parameters for the binding interactions of MEK1, nucleotides, and non-ATP-competitive inhibitor complexes using temperature-dependent circular dichroism (TdCD) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Non-phosphorylated MEK1 (npMEK1) has a high affinity for both AMP-PNP and ADP (Kd approximately 2microM). The binding is enthalpically favored and Mg-dependent. The active, phosphorylated form of MEK1 (pMEK1) bound nucleotides with a similar high affinity (Kd approximately 2muM) and had a thermodynamic profile and Mg-dependence similar to that of the non-phosphorylated form. The non-ATP-competitive MEK1 inhibitors, U0126 and PD0325901, showed no preference for npMEK1 and pMEK1 by TdCD. TdCD results also showed that these inhibitors are more potent in the presence of the nucleotide than in its absence. The ternary complex, MEK1.PD0325901.nucleotide, showed synergistic binding as evidenced by a large, non-additive shift in the midpoint of the protein unfolding transition (Tm). This was apparent for both npMEK1 and pMEK1 using either ADP or AMP-PNP. ITC binding studies confirmed the synergistic binding effect. The ITC-determined affinity of nucleotide (AMP-PNP, ADP) binding to the npMEK1.PD0325901 complex was enhanced nearly 5-fold compared to nucleotide binding to npMEK1 alone. In addition, the affinity of PD0325901 binding to npMEK1.nucleotide complexes was increased nearly 10-fold relative to the affinity of PD0325901 for npMEK1 alone. These are the first thermodynamic binding studies that characterize the affinity of the allosteric non-ATP-competitive inhibitors U0126 and PD0325901 with and without the nucleotide. The results indicate these allosteric inhibitors have a dynamic range in the type of MEK1 activation states and nucleotide complexes that they can bind.
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PMID:Thermodynamics of nucleotide and non-ATP-competitive inhibitor binding to MEK1 by circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry. 1726 Sep 65

Cholera toxin (CT) is one of the most effective and widely studied mucosal adjuvants. Although the ADP-ribosylating A subunit has been implicated in augmenting immune responses, the receptor-binding B subunit (CT-B) has greater immunogenicity and may be a repository of adjuvant activity without potential toxicity. In order to elucidate mechanisms of immune modulation by CT-B alone, primary B cells and macrophages were assessed for responses to CT-B in vitro, as measured by the expression of cell surface markers, cellular signaling events, and cytokine secretion. Increased phosphorylation of multiple signaling molecules, including Erk1/2 and p38, was detected. CT-B also induced transactivation of the transcription elements cyclic AMP-responsive element and NF-kappaB, the latter of which was inhibited by phosphotyrosine inhibition. While specific inhibition of MEK1/2 did not reduce CT-B induction of cell surface marker expression, it did attenuate CT-B-mediated interleukin-6 secretion. These data show that CT-B induces a set of signaling events related to cellular activation, surface molecule expression, and cytokine production that has potential implications for elucidating CT-B adjuvant activity in the absence of enzymatically active holotoxin.
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PMID:Induction of cell signaling events by the cholera toxin B subunit in antigen-presenting cells. 1735 79

Adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1 (ADCYAP1) binds both Gs- and Gq-coupled receptors and stimulates adenylate cyclase/cAMP and protein kinase C/mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/1 (MAPK3/1) signaling pathways in pituitary gonadotrophs. In this study, we investigated the cAMP and MAPK3/1 signaling pathways induced by ADCYAP1 stimulation and examined the effects of ADCYAP1 on the expression of gonadotropin subunit genes using a clonal gonadotroph cell line, LbetaT2. ADCYAP1 increased intracellular cAMP accumulation up to 19-fold in LbetaT2 cells. Common alpha-glycoprotein subunit gene (Cga) promoter activity was strongly activated by both ADCYAP1 and the cyclic-AMP analog, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio) adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (CPT-cAMP). Both had little effect on luteinizing hormone beta (Lhb) and follicle-stimulating hormone beta (Fshb) promoter activities. Cga promoter activity was significantly increased by transfection with constitutively active cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Activities of the Lhb and Fshb promoters were only modestly increased. Both ADCYAP1 and CPT-cAMP induced MAPK3/1 activation in LbetaT2 cells. The MEK inhibitor, U0126, and the PKA inhibitors, H89 and cAMP-dependent protein kinase peptide inhibitor (PKI), completely inhibited MAPK3/1 activation by either ADCYAP1 or CPT-cAMP. Using luciferase reporter constructs containing cis-elements, the cAMP response element (Cre) promoter was stimulated about 4-fold by ADCYAP1. ADCYAP1-induced Cre promoter activity was completely inhibited by H89, but not by U0126. ADCYAP1 also increased the activity of the serum response element (Sre) promoter, a target for MAPK3/1, and treatment of the cells with U0126 completely inhibited ADCYAP1-induced Sre promoter activity. ADCYAP1-increased Cga promoter activity was inhibited partially by both H89 and U0126. Although combining the inhibitors showed an additive inhibition effect, it did not result in complete inhibition. These results suggest that in LbetaT2 cells, ADCYAP1 mainly increases Cga through activation of PKA and MAPK3/1, as well as through an additional unknown pathway.
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PMID:Cyclic adenosine 3',5'monophosphate/protein kinase A and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/1 pathways are involved in adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1-induced common alpha-glycoprotein subunit gene (Cga) expression in mouse pituitary gonadotroph LbetaT2 cells. 1759 63

Vitamin A and its metabolite retinoic acid (RA) are essential elements for normal lung development and the differentiation of lung epithelial cells. We previously showed that RA rapidly activated cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in a nonclassical manner in normal human tracheobronchial epithelial (NHTBE) cells. In the present study, we further demonstrated that this nonclassical signaling of RA on the activation of CREB plays a critical role in regulating the expression of airway epithelial cell differentiation markers, the MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC5B genes. We found that RA rapidly activates the protein kinase Calpha isozyme and transmits the activation signal to CREB via the Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase/p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) pathway. Activated RSK translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where it phosphorylates CREB. Activated CREB then binds to a cis-acting replication element motif on the promoter (at nucleotides [nt] -878 to -871) of the MUC5AC gene. The depletion of CREB using small interfering RNA abolished not only the RA-induced MUC5AC but also RA-induced MUC2 and MUC5B. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that CREB activation via this nonclassical RA signaling pathway may play an important role in regulating the expression of mucin genes and mediating the early biological effects of RA during normal mucous differentiation in NHTBE cells.
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PMID:Regulation of mucin gene expression by CREB via a nonclassical retinoic acid signaling pathway. 1764 88

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and the parathyroid hormone-PTHrP receptor increase chondrocyte proliferation and delay chondrocyte maturation in endochondral bone development at least partly through cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent signaling pathways. Because data suggest that the ability of cAMP to stimulate cell proliferation involves the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase B-Raf, we hypothesized that B-Raf might mediate the proliferative action of PTHrP in chondrocytes. Though B-Raf is expressed in proliferative chondrocytes, its conditional removal from cartilage did not affect chondrocyte proliferation and maturation or PTHrP-induced chondrocyte proliferation and PTHrP-delayed maturation. Similar results were obtained by conditionally removing B-Raf from osteoblasts. Because A-raf and B-raf are expressed similarly in cartilage, we speculated that they may fulfill redundant functions in this tissue. Surprisingly, mice with chondrocytes deficient in both A-Raf and B-Raf exhibited normal endochondral bone development. Activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was detected primarily in hypertrophic chondrocytes, where C-raf is expressed, and the suppression of ERK activation in these cells by PTHrP or a MEK inhibitor coincided with a delay in chondrocyte maturation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that B-Raf and A-Raf are dispensable for endochondral bone development and they indicate that the main role of ERK in cartilage is to stimulate not cell proliferation, but rather chondrocyte maturation.
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PMID:A-raf and B-raf are dispensable for normal endochondral bone development, and parathyroid hormone-related peptide suppresses extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in hypertrophic chondrocytes. 1796 76

The Ser/Thr kinase ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) has been demonstrated to phosphorylate transcription factor CREB (cyclic AMP-responsive-binding protein) and histone H3 in response to mitogenic stimulation by epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGF activates the MEK/ERK pathway to activate RSK2. We recently reported that receptor tyrosine kinase fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) directly tyrosine phosphorylates RSK2 at Tyr-529, which consequently regulates RSK2 activation by facilitating inactive ERK binding to RSK2 that is required for ERK-dependent phosphorylation and activation of RSK2 (Kang, S., Dong, S., Gu, T. L., Guo, A., Cohen, M. S., Lonial, S., Khoury, H. J., Fabbro, D., Gilliland, D. G., Bergsagel, P. L., Taunton, J., Polakiewicz, R. D., and Chen, J. (2007) Cancer Cell 12, 201-214). Here we report that upon treatment of EGF, RSK2 was tyrosine-phosphorylated at Tyr-529 and activated in 293T and COS7 cells that do not express FGFR3. In contrast to FGFR3, the receptor tyrosine kinase EGF receptor did not directly phosphorylate RSK2 at Tyr-529 in an in vitro kinase assay using recombinant RSK2 and active EGF receptor or FGFR3. By mass spectroscopy-based studies, we identified Src tyrosine kinase family members Src and Fyn as upstream kinases of RSK2 Tyr-529. Treatment of Src inhibitor PP2 effectively attenuated EGF-dependent activation and Tyr-529 phosphorylation of RSK2, suggesting that Src family members are the kinases that phosphorylate RSK2 at Tyr-529 in response to EGF. Src and Fyn were able to directly phosphorylate RSK2 at Tyr-529 in the in vitro kinase assay. In vitro reconstitution of Tyr-529 phosphorylation by Src in glutathione S-transferase-tagged RSK2 enhanced inactive ERK binding to RSK2 wild type, but not the Y529F mutant. Together, our findings suggest that Src-dependent phosphorylation at Tyr-529 facilitates inactive ERK binding to RSK2, which might be a general requirement for RSK2 activation by EGF through the MEK/ERK pathway.
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PMID:Epidermal growth factor stimulates RSK2 activation through activation of the MEK/ERK pathway and src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of RSK2 at Tyr-529. 1815 74

Isoflavones have attracted much attention due to their association with health benefits; however, comprehensive understanding of the beneficial impacts of isoflavones on uterine biology at the molecular level remains unexplored. In the present study, our data showed that isoflavones aglycones AglyMax, genistein, and equol, but not daidzein, within the range of plasma concentration, displayed bioavailability in regulating the secretion of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in Ishikawa cells, which was blocked by an estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182 780, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)1/2 inhibitor PD98059, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor SB203580. We also found that AglyMax and genistein increased in cyclic AMP release and the expression of glycodelin protein in Ishikawa cells assayed using western blot and immunochemical staining. The MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 and the protein kinase A inhibitor H89, but not SB203580, attenuated this glycoprotein expression. Moreover, isoflavone aglycones AglyMax stimulated LIF, and TGF-beta secretion, and glycodelin expression in separate primary endometrial epithelial cells in the follicular phase or luteal phase from healthy subject donors. Overall, our findings suggest that isoflavones may alter the uterine expression of estrogen-responsive genes.
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PMID:Isoflavones regulate secretion of leukemia inhibitory factor and transforming growth factor {beta} and expression of glycodelin in human endometrial epithelial cells. 1825 65

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), using the porphyrin photosensitizer Photofrin (PH), is approved for the clinical treatment of solid tumors. In addition to the direct cytotoxic responses of PH-PDT-mediated oxidative stress, this procedure also induces expression of angiogenic and prosurvival molecules including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). In vivo treatment efficacy is improved when PH-PDT is combined with inhibitors of COX-2. In the current study we evaluated the signaling pathways involved with PH-PDT-mediated COX-2 expression in a mouse fibrosarcoma cell line. COX-2 promoter reporter constructs with mutated transcription elements documented that the nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) element, cyclic-AMP response element 2 (CRE-2), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) element and activator binding protein-1 (AP-1) element were responsive to PH-PDT. Transcription factor binding assays demonstrated that nuclear protein binding to NFkappaB, CRE-2, c-fos and c-jun elements were elevated following PH-PDT. Kinase phosphorylation upstream of COX-2 expression was also examined following PH-PDT. Stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) and c-Jun were phosphorylated following PH-PDT but the SAPK/JNK inhibitor SP600125 failed to attenuate COX-2 expression. In contrast, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which activates CRE-2 binding, was phosphorylated following PH-PDT and inhibitors of p38 MAPK, SB203580 and SB202190, decreased PH-PDT-induced COX-2 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, which also increases CRE-2 binding activity, was initially high in untreated cells, decreased immediately following PH-PDT and then rapidly increased. MEK1/2 is immediately upstream of ERK1/2 and the MEK1 inhibitor PD98059 failed to attenuate COX-2 expression while the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 induced a slight decrease in COX-2 expression. The NFkappaB inhibitor SN50 failed to reduce COX-2 expression. These results demonstrate that multiple protein kinase cascades can be activated by oxidative stress and that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway and CRE-2 binding are involved in COX-2 expression following PH-PDT.
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PMID:Cyclooxygenase-2 expression induced by photofrin photodynamic therapy involves the p38 MAPK pathway. 1828 82

Malignant melanoma is one of the most lethal cancers. Nowadays, several anti-melanoma therapies have been employed. However, the poor prognosis and/or the increased toxicity of those treatments clearly demonstrate the requirement of searching for new drugs or novel combined chemotherapeutic protocols, contemplating both effectiveness and low toxicity. Guanosine (Guo) has been used in combination with acriflavina to potentiate the latter's antitumor activity, through still unknown mechanisms. Here, we show that Guo induces B16F10 melanoma cell differentiation, attested by growth arrest, dendrite-like outgrowth and increased melanogenesis, and also reduced motility. A sustained ERK 1/2 phosphorylation was observed after Guo treatment and ERK inhibition led to blockage of dendritogenesis. Intracellular cyclic AMP was not involved in ERK activation, since its levels remained unchanged. Protein kinase C (PKC), in contrast to phospholipase C (PLC), inhibition completely prevented ERK activation. While the classical melanoma differentiation agent forskolin activates cAMP-PKA-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway in B16F10 cells, here we suggest that a cAMP-independent, PKC-ERK axis is involved in Guo-induced B16F10 differentiation. Altogether, our results show that Guo acts as a differentiating agent, with cytostatic rather than cytotoxic properties, leading to a decreased melanoma malignancy. Thus, we propose that Guo may be envisaged in combination with lower doses of conventional anti-melanoma drugs, in an attempt to prevent or diminish their adverse effects.
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PMID:Guanosine promotes B16F10 melanoma cell differentiation through PKC-ERK 1/2 pathway. 1845 49


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