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)

The influence of osmolarity and compatible organic osmolytes on the phosphorylation of the MAP-kinases Erk-1 and Erk-2 and on the expression of taurine transporter (TAUT) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) was studied in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages. Hypoosmolarity (205 mosmol/l) but not hyperosmolarity (405 mosmol/l) or challenge of the cells with betaine or taurine increased phosphorylation of Erk-1 and Erk-2. Hypoosmotic Erk-phosphorylation was blocked by the MEK-inhibitor PD098059 but was resistant to depletion of extracellular calcium and to inhibition of PLC, PKC, erbstatin-sensitive tyrosine kinases and elevation of intracellular cAMP. Hyperosmolarity stimulated Na+-dependent taurine uptake and led to an increase of TAUT mRNA levels, whereas hypoosmotic exposure diminished both and induced a rapid efflux of the osmolyte from taurine-preloaded cells. The hyperosmotic elevation of TAUT mRNA levels was antagonized upon addition of taurine but not of betaine or myo-inositol. Hyperosmolarity increased the LPS-induced iNOS expression at the mRNA and the protein level. This was suppressed by betaine but not by taurine or myo-inositol. The osmotic regulation of taurine transport and iNOS expression appeared independent of the MEK-Erk pathway and the p38MAPK.
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PMID:Compatible organic osmolytes and osmotic modulation of inducible nitric oxide synthetase in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages. 970 50

Hypertonicity induces a group of genes that are responsible for the intracellular accumulation of protective organic osmolytes such as sorbitol and betaine. Two representative genes are the aldose reductase enzyme (AR, EC 1.1.1.21), which is responsible for the conversion of glucose to sorbitol, and the betaine transporter (BGT1), which mediates Na+-coupled betaine uptake in response to osmotic stress. We recently reported that the induction of BGT1 mRNA in the renal epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line is inhibited by SB203580, a specific p38 kinase inhibitor. In these studies we report that the hypertonic induction of aldose reductase mRNA in HepG2 cells as well as the osmotic response element (ORE)-driven reporter gene expression in transfected HepG2 cells are both inhibited by SB203580, suggesting that p38 kinase mediates the activation and/or binding of the transcription factor(s) to the ORE. Electrophoretic gel mobility shift assays with cell extracts prepared from SB203580-treated, hypertonically stressed HepG2 cells further show that the binding of trans-acting factors to the ORE is prevented and is thus also dependent on the activity of p38 kinase. Similarly, treatment of hypertonically stressed cells with PD098059, a mitogen-activated extracellular regulated kinase kinase (MEK1) inhibitor, results in inhibition of the hypertonic induction of aldose reductase mRNA, ORE-driven reporter gene expression, and the binding of trans-acting factors to the ORE. ORE-driven reporter gene expression was not affected by p38 kinase inhibition or MEK1 inhibition in cells incubated in iso-osmotic media. These data indicate that p38 kinase and MEK1 are involved in the regulation of the hyperosmotic stress response.
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PMID:Osmotic response element enhancer activity. Regulation through p38 kinase and mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase. 1040 Jun 34

We have previously shown that cultured porcine inner medullary collecting duct cells produce endothelin (ET) which suppressed arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) generation in an autocrine/paracrine feedback-like fashion. Moreover, hyperosmolality, e.g. induced by sodium chloride and urea, stimulated ET synthesis. Since others showed that hyperosmolality also activates mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and that p38 MAP kinase facilitates cellular influx of betaine to protect the cell from high extracellular solute (urea) concentrations, we were tempted to investigate a potential interaction of MAP kinases with ET production in cultured MDCK cells in response to extracellular hyperosmolality induced by betaine and urea, respectively. Increased extracellular tonicity (602 +/- 8 vs. control of 323 +/- 3 mosmol/kg H(2)O) induced by betaine stimulated ERK and, more strongly, p38 kinase activity at 0.5-2 h of incubation with a rise in ET-1 synthesis to 1,713 +/- 68 vs. 378 +/- 51 fmol/mg protein/24 h under control conditions (p < 0.01). The p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580 suppressed the rise in betaine-induced ET-1 synthesis by 91% to 494 +/- 38 fmol/mg protein/24 h, whereas the MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126 suppressed it moderately by 34%. Hypertonicity induced by urea moderately stimulated ERK but not p38 MAP kinase activity at 0.5-2 h and at 24-48 h and resulted in a modest rise in ET-1 synthesis to 681 +/- 61 fmol/mg protein/24 h (p < 0.05) which was significantly suppressed by U0126 to 484 +/- 16 fmol/mg protein/24 h. These results suggest that a functional interaction between the MAP kinases ERK and p38 MAP kinase and ET-1 synthesis is involved in betaine's protection of MDCK cells in vitro which may represent an in vivo mechanism of protection from hyperosmotic stress induced by high extracellular solute concentrations.
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PMID:Hyperosmolality induced by betaine or urea stimulates endothelin synthesis by differential activation of ERK and p38 MAP kinase in MDCK cells. 1207 86

The mechanisms involved in the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are not well established. We investigated the involvement of acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) upregulation in mediating hepatic fat accumulation induced by chronic alcohol consumption. Chronic alcohol feeding caused fatty liver and increased hepatic DGAT2 gene and protein expression, concomitant with a significant suppression of hepatic MAPK/ERK kinase/extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 (MEK/ERK1/2) activation. In vitro studies demonstrated that specific inhibitors of the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway increased DGAT2 gene expression and triglyceride (TG) contents in HepG2 cells, whereas epidermal growth factor, a strong ERK1/2 activator, had the opposite effect. Moreover, chronic alcohol feeding decreased hepatic S-adenosylmethionine (SAM): S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) ratio, an indicator of disrupted transmethylation reactions. Mechanistic investigations revealed that N-acetyl-S-farnesyl-L-cysteine, a potent inhibitor of isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase, suppressed ERK1/2 activation, followed by an enhanced DGAT2 expression and an elevated TG content in HepG2 cells. Lastly, we demonstrated that the beneficial effects of betaine supplementation in ALD were associated with improved SAM/SAH ratio, alleviated ERK1/2 inhibition, and attenuated DGAT2 upregulation. In conclusion, our data suggest that upregulation of DGAT2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ALD, and that abnormal methionine metabolism contributes, at least partially, to DGAT2 upregulation via suppression of MEK/ERK1/2 activation.
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PMID:Involvement and mechanism of DGAT2 upregulation in the pathogenesis of alcoholic fatty liver disease. 2073 40