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 nucleolus is the site of ribosomal gene transcription, processing of rRNA transcripts and maturation of preribosomal particles. Recent studies have shown that nucleoli are also involved in processes as diverse as aging, proliferation control, stress response and mitotic regulation. The proliferation-dependent nucleolar antigen pKi-67 is a sensitive marker of both proliferative activity and nucleolar integrity. We show that staining for the nucleolar-associated antigen pKi-67 is lost from nucleoli during growth arrest following UV irradiation. Surprisingly, before cells enter growth arrest, Ki-67 staining translocates from nucleolar to nucleoplasmic sites within 4-6 h of irradiation. Ki-67 redistribution is accompanied by segregation of nucleolar components. The timing of p53 response correlates well with pKi-67 translocation, growth arrest and restoration of proliferation. However, nucleolar segregation and pKi-67 translocation occur in the absence of functional p53 and other components of damage response pathways (DNA-PK, CSA, CSB, XPA, XPC, ATM ATR, p38(MAPK) and MEK1). Neither gamma-irradiation nor H(2)O(2) treatment causes pKi-67 translocation or loss of nucleolar integrity. In marked contrast, treatment of cells with UV-mimetic 4-NQO does induce nucleolar disruption and relocalisation of pKi-67, suggesting that bulky adduct formation in rDNA rather than strand breaks is sufficient to cause nucleolar segregation. Our data reveal a previously unrecognized cellular response to genotoxic stress and may reveal novel pathways leading to growth arrest.
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PMID:A p53-independent pathway regulates nucleolar segregation and antigen translocation in response to DNA damage induced by UV irradiation. 1472 May 17

A better understanding of the dynamics of molecular changes occurring during the early stages of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies. We generated genome-wide expression profiles of microdissected normal mucosa, hyperplasia, dysplasia and tumors derived from the 4-NQO mouse model of oral tumorigenesis. Genes differentially expressed between tumor and normal mucosa defined the "tumor gene set" (TGS), including 4 non-overlapping gene subsets that characterize the dynamics of gene expression changes through different stages of disease progression. The majority of gene expression changes occurred early or progressively. The relevance of these mouse gene sets to human disease was tested in multiple datasets including the TCGA and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer project. The TGS was able to discriminate oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) from normal oral mucosa in 3 independent datasets. The OSCC samples enriched in the mouse TGS displayed high frequency of CASP8 mutations, 11q13.3 amplifications and low frequency of PIK3CA mutations. Early changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with a trend toward a shorter oral cancer-free survival in patients with oral preneoplasia that was not seen in multivariate analysis. Progressive changes observed in the 4-NQO model were associated with an increased sensitivity to 4 different MEK inhibitors in a panel of 51 squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the areodigestive tract. In conclusion, the dynamics of molecular changes in the 4-NQO model reveal that MEK inhibition may be relevant to prevention and treatment of a specific molecularly-defined subgroup of OSCC.
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PMID:The dynamics of gene expression changes in a mouse model of oral tumorigenesis may help refine prevention and treatment strategies in patients with oral cancer. 2702 32