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)

In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, insulin activates three major signaling cascades, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, the Cbl pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Although PI3K and Cbl mediate insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by promoting the translocation of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane, the MAPK pathway does not have an established role in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. We demonstrate in this report that PI3K inhibitors also inhibit the MAPK pathway. To investigate the role of the MAPK pathway separately from that of the PI3K pathway in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, we used two specific inhibitors of MAPK kinase (MEK) activity, PD-98059 and U-0126, which reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by approximately 33 and 50%, respectively. Neither MEK inhibitor affected the activation of Akt or PKCzeta/lambda, downstream signaling molecules in the PI3K pathway. Inhibition of MEK with U-0126 did not prevent GLUT4 from translocating to the plasma membrane, nor did it inhibit the subsequent docking and fusion of GLUT4-myc with the plasma membrane. MEK inhibitors affected glucose transport mediated by GLUT4 but not GLUT1. Importantly, the presence of MEK inhibitors only at the time of the transport assay markedly impaired both insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and MAPK signaling. Conversely, removal of MEK inhibitors before the transport assay restored glucose uptake and MAPK signaling. Collectively, our studies suggest a possible role for MEK in the activation of GLUT4.
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PMID:MEK inhibitors impair insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 1517 88

A rapid increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has been extensively documented in cells stimulated by multiple signaling molecules, but very little is known about the regulation of FAK phosphorylation at serine residues. Stimulation of Swiss 3T3 cells with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) promoted a striking increase in the phosphorylation of FAK at Ser-910, as revealed by site-specific antibodies that recognized the phosphorylated state of this residue. FAK phosphorylation at Ser-910 could be distinguished from that at Tyr-397 in terms of dose-response relationships and kinetics. Furthermore, the selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitors wortmannin and LY 294002 abrogated FAK phosphorylation at Tyr-397 but did not interfere with PDGF-induced FAK phosphorylation at Ser-910. Conversely, treatment with U0126, a potent inhibitor of MEK-mediated ERK activation, prevented FAK phosphorylation at Ser-910 induced by PDGF but did not interfere with PDGF-induced FAK phosphorylation at Tyr-397. These results were extended using growth factors that either stimulate, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), or do not stimulate (insulin) the ERK pathway activation in Swiss 3T3 cells. FGF but not insulin promoted a striking ERK-dependent phosphorylation of FAK at Ser-910. Our results indicate that FAK phosphorylation at Tyr-397 and FAK phosphorylation at Ser-910 are induced in response to PDGF stimulation through different signaling pathways, namely PI 3-kinase and ERK, respectively.
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PMID:PDGF and FGF induce focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation at Ser-910: dissociation from Tyr-397 phosphorylation and requirement for ERK activation. 1517 91

We have previously shown that HeLa cells express P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptors endogenously and determined the pathways by which the P2Y2 controls proliferation and Na+/K+ATPase activity. Our objective in this study was to investigate the hypothesis that P2Y6 also controls proliferation and Na+/K+ATPase activity; the pathways used in these actions were partially characterised. We found that P2Y6 activation controlled cell proliferation but not the activity of the Na+/K+ATPase. UDP activation of P2Y6 provoked: (a) an increase in free cytosolic calcium; (b) the activation of protein kinase C-alpha, -beta, -delta, -epsilon, and -zeta but not of PKC-iota and -eta; (c) the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2); (d) the expression of c-Fos protein. The P2Y6 induced cell proliferation was blocked by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) inhibitor PD098059, thereby indicating that the ERK pathway mediates the mitogenic signalling of P2Y6. PKC and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors were tested at two different time points of ERK1/2 phosphorylation (10 and 60 min). The results suggest that novel PKCs and PI3K initiate the response but both conventional and atypical PKCs are required for the maintenance of the UDP-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2. The induction of c-Fos was greatly diminished by conventional or atypical PKC-zeta inhibition, suggesting that it may be due to PKC-alpha/beta and -zeta activity. These observations demonstrate that UDP acts as a proliferative agent in HeLa cells activating multiple signalling pathways involving conventional, novel, and atypical PKCs, PI3K, and ERK. Of these pathways, conventional and atypical PKCs appear responsible for the induction of c-Fos, while ERK is responsible for cell proliferation and depends upon both novel and atypical PKCs and PI3K activities.
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PMID:Differential signalling of purinoceptors in HeLa cells through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and protein kinase C pathways. 1525 71

The alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase FucT-VII is essential for the biosynthesis of selectin ligands, but the signaling pathways mediating FucT-VII induction in T cells and other lymphocytes are poorly understood. We have shown previously that sustained activation of Ras in Jurkat T cells induces FucT-VII transcription, which requires the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway. In this study we report that FucT-VII induction is specific to the H-Ras isoform. Jurkat T cells retrovirally transduced with constitutively active H-Ras but not N- or K-Ras up-regulated expression of FucT-VII. Pharmacological inhibition studies also revealed that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity is required for H-Ras-mediated FucT-VII induction. However, the ability of H-Ras to selectively induce FucT-VII is not a function of the inability of the N- or K-Ras isoforms to activate Raf or PI3K pathways. The use of effector-loop domain mutants of H-Ras, which are impaired for their ability to interact selectively with individual effectors alone or in combination with active Raf, indicated that induction of FucT-VII requires the concomitant activation of at least three signaling pathways. These studies show that H-Ras mediates FucT-VII induction in Jurkat T cells via the activation of the Raf, PI3K, and a distinct, H-Ras-specific effector signaling pathway.
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PMID:H-Ras and phosphoinositide 3-kinase cooperate to induce alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase VII expression in Jurkat T cells. 1526 95

Interleukin (IL)-13 is a novel lymphokine produced by activated Type 2 helper cells. In this study, we examined the target genes of IL-13 by the cDNA microarray analysis in human dermal fibroblasts. We focused on the human alpha2(I) collagen gene, which was one of the IL-13-induced genes by the microarray analysis. IL-13 induced type I collagen protein as well as mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. Actinomycin D, an RNA synthesis inhibitor, significantly blocked the IL-13-mediated up-regulation of alpha2(I) collagen mRNA expression, whereas cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, did not block this up-regulation. In addition, IL-13 treatment induced the promoter activity of alpha2(I) collagen by nuclear run-on transcription assay and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay. IL-13-mediated transcriptional activation of alpha2(I) collagen gene or type I collagen protein up-regulation was inhibited by the treatment of fibroblasts with a selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, LY294002, or STAT6 antisense oligonucleotide, but not by PD98059, a specific inhibitor of MEK/ERK, or SB202190 or SB203580, specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK; IL-13 induced the phosphorylation of PI3K p85 regulatory subunit and STAT6. These results suggest that IL-13 may play a role in the regulation of extracellular matrix and indicate the possible therapeutic value of the blockade of IL-13 signaling pathways via PI3K and STAT6 in fibrosis.
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PMID:Interleukin-13 stimulates the transcription of the human alpha2(I) collagen gene in human dermal fibroblasts. 1527 99

In previous studies we demonstrated that IGF-I induces proliferation of pituitary lactotrophs. In addition to its mitotrophic actions, IGF-I is known to prevent apoptosis induced by diverse stimuli in several cell types. In this study, we investigated the action of IGF-I on pituitary cell survival and the intracellular signaling transduction pathway implicated in this effect. Treatment of cultured male rat pituitary cells with IGF-I (10(-7) M) for 24 h prevented pituitary cell death induced by serum deprivation. The protective effect of IGF-I was blocked by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) inhibitor, LY294002, but was unaffected by PD98059, which inhibits MAP/ERK kinase (MEK1). IGF-I activation of PI3-kinase induced the phosphorylation and activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt. Moreover, IGF-I increased the phosphorylation of the pro-apoptotic factor Bad and the levels of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 through the PI3-kinase pathway in primary pituitary cells.
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PMID:IGF-I inhibits apoptosis through the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway in pituitary cells. 1529 50

In this study we have investigated the effects of the small GTP-binding-protein Ras on the redox signalling of the human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-BE stably transfected with HaRas(Val12). The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide anions were significantly higher in HaRas(Val12) expressing (SK-HaRas) cells than in control cells. The treatment of cells with 4-(2-aminoethyl) benzenesulfonylfluoride, a specific inhibitor of the membrane superoxide generating system NADPH oxidase, suppressed the rise in ROS and significantly reduced superoxide levels produced by SK-HaRas cells. Moreover, HaRas(Val12) induced the translocation of the cytosolic components of the NADPH oxidase complex p67(phox) and Rac to the plasma membrane. These effects depended on the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK/ERK1/2) pathway, as the specific MEK inhibitor, PD98059, prevented HaRas-mediated increase in ROS and superoxide anions. In contrast, the specific phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin were unable to reverse the effects of HaRas(Val12). Moreover, cholinergic stimulation of neuroblastoma cells by carbachol, which activated endogenous Ras/ERK1/2, induced a significant increase in ROS levels and elicited membrane translocation of p67(phox) and Rac. ROS generation induced by carbachol required the activation of ERK1/2 and PI3K. Hence, these data indicate that HaRas-induced ERK1/2 signalling selectively activates NADPH oxidase system in neuroblastoma cells.
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PMID:HaRas activates the NADPH oxidase complex in human neuroblastoma cells via extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 pathway. 1548 92

One of the intriguing questions regarding cell motility concerns the mechanism that makes stationary cells move. Here, we provide the first physical evidence that the onset of breast cancer cell motility in response to insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) correlates with lowering of adhesion strength from 2.52 +/- 0.20 to 1.52 +/- 0.13 microdynes/microm2 in cells attached to fibronectin via alpha5beta1 integrin. The adhesion strength depends on the dose of IGF-I and time of IGF-I treatment. Weakening of cell-matrix adhesion is blocked significantly (p < 0.01) by the catalytically inactive IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase) inhibitor LY-294002, but it is unaffected by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor UO-126 and Src kinase inhibitor PP2. Sustained blockade of Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) with Y-27632 down-regulates adhesion strength in stationary, but not in IGF-I-treated, cells. Jasplakinolide, a drug that prevents actin filament disassembly, counteracts the effect of IGF-I on integrin-mediated cell adhesion. In the absence of growth factor signaling, ROCK supports a strong adhesion via alpha5beta1 integrin, whereas activation of the IGF-IR kinase reduces cell-matrix adhesion through a PI-3K-dependent, but ROCK-independent, mechanism. We propose that disassembly of the actin filaments via PI-3 kinase pathway contributes to weakening of adhesion strength and induction of cell movement. Understanding how cell adhesion and migration are coordinated has an important application in cancer research, developmental biology, and tissue bioengineering.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor I controls adhesion strength mediated by alpha5beta1 integrins in motile carcinoma cells. 1550 57

Resistin (Rstn) is known as an adipocyte-specific secretory factor that can cause insulin resistance and decrease adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, based on various studies, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) can improve insulin resistance and stimulate adipocyte adipogenesis. Whether IGFs exert their effects through the control of Rstn's production or modulation of Rstn's action is unknown. This study was designed to examine the influence and the signaling of IGF-I on Rstn gene expression and protein secretion by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We found that IGF-I suppressed Rstn mRNA expression and protein release in dose- and time-dependent manners. The IC50 of IGF-I was approximately 1 nM for a range of 6-10 h of treatment. Treatment with cycloheximide, but not with actinomycin D, prevented IGF-I-suppressed Rstn mRNA expression, suggesting that IGF-I destabilizes Rstn mRNA and that IGF-I's effect requires new protein, but not mRNA, synthesis. Pretreatment with IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) antibody blocked IGF-I-altered IGF-IR activity and Rstn mRNA levels. Neither PD-98059, SB-203580, nor LY-294002 changed the IGF-I-decreased levels of Rstn mRNA, but they inhibited IGF-I-stimulated activities of MEK1, p38 MAPK, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, respectively. However, SB-203580 antagonized the IGF-I-decreased Rstn protein release. These data demonstrate that IGF-I downregulates Rstn gene expression via IGF-IR-dependent and MEK1-, p38 MAPK-, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-independent pathways and likely modifies the distribution of Rstn protein between the intracellular and extracellular compartments via a p38 MAPK-dependent pathway. Decreases in Rstn production and secretion induced by IGF-I may be related to the mechanism by which IGF-I modulates body weight and diabetes in animals.
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PMID:IGF-I downregulates resistin gene expression and protein secretion. 1558 89

Tumor cells frequently synthesize an N-terminally extended the FGF-2 isoform of 24 kDa devoid of signal peptide but that contains a functional nuclear localization sequence (NLS). Although the signaling pathways elicited by secreted FGF-2 are well described, the molecular mechanisms involved in the growth promoting action of nuclearized 24 kDa FGF-2 remain unknown. The cancer cell line AR4-2J was engineered to stably express only the 24 kDa FGF-2 isoform and cDNA microarrays were used to identify targets implicated in the intracrine-induced cell proliferation. Levels of 27 transcripts were found either upregulated or downregulated compared to control cells. Among the 18 upregulated genes was c-jun, which is often involved in cell proliferation. Real-time PCR and Western blot analyses confirmed c-jun induction at both mRNA and protein levels. The c-jun antisense oligonucleotide strategy pointed out the involvement of c-Jun in the 24 kDa FGF-2-induced cell proliferation. The mitogenic effect was found to depend on ERK pathway and not on phosphoinositide 3-kinase, p38 MAPK, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase signal transducers. In addition, the MEK inhibitor PD98059 reduced the 24 kDa FGF-2-dependent c-Jun level. These data show that intracrine FGF-2-mediated regulation of cell growth involves ERK activation and consequent c-Jun expression. Thus, despite its incapacity to be secreted, the intracellular-localized 24 kDa FGF-2 can activate a growth-related signaling pathway normally elicited by cell surface receptors.
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PMID:Identification of c-Jun as a critical mediator for the intracrine 24 kDa FGF-2 isoform-induced cell proliferation. 1560 98


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