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)

The ability to recall past events is a major determinant of survival strategies in all species and is of paramount importance in determining our uniqueness as individuals. In contrast to memory formation, the information about the molecular mechanisms of memory retrieval is surprisingly scarce and fragmentary. Here we show that pretest inhibition of the specific upstream activator of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, or of protein kinase A in the hippocampus, blocked retrieval of long-term memory for an inhibitory avoidance task, a hippocampal-dependent learning task. An activator of protein kinase A enhanced retrieval. Mitogen-activated protein kinase activation increased in the hippocampus during retrieval, while protein kinase A activity remained unchanged. Pretest intrahippocampal blockade of metabotropic glutamate receptors or alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolone propionic acid/kainate receptors, but not N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors or calcium/calmodulin dependent-protein kinase II, impaired retrieval. Thus, recall of inhibitory avoidance activates mitogen-activated protein kinase, which is necessary, along with metabotropic glutamate receptors, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolone propionic acid/kainate receptors, and protein kinase A, for long-term memory expression. Our results indicate that memory formation and retrieval may share some molecular mechanisms in the hippocampus.
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PMID:Participation of hippocampal metabotropic glutamate receptors, protein kinase A and mitogen-activated protein kinases in memory retrieval. 1092 46

We previously reported that the metabotropic glutamate receptor R1alpha (mGluR1alpha) can be activated not only by applying glutamate but also by raising extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o) concentration, and that the constant stimulation by Ca2+o causes morphological change of transfected Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells (Kubo Y Miyashita T and Murata Y (1998) Science 279, 1722-1725). The physiological role of the Ca2+o-sensing function of mGluR1alpha, however, is not fully clear yet, especially because Ca2+ is constitutively present in the extracellular space unlike other neurotransmitters. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the physiological significance of the Ca2+o-sensing function of mGluR1alpha. The effect of mGluR1alpha activation by Ca2+o on the morphological change of CHO cells was mimicked by forskolin. The effect of mGluR1alpha activation on the morphological change was suppressed by the inhibitors of adenylate cyclase, protein kinase A (PKA) and MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), and the effect of forskolin was also decreased by the inhibitors of PKA and MAPKK. These results demonstrate the involvement of cAMP, PKA, MAPKK, MAPK pathway in the morphological change. We actually confirmed that the Ca2+o stimulation of mGluR1alpha increased the basal cAMP level of transfected CHO cells. This increase in cAMP was observed even when only the membrane fraction of mGluR1alpha transfected CHO cells were used, and the increase was inhibited by anti-Gs alpha antibody. Taken together, we concluded that the Ca2+o-sensing function of mGluR1alpha and the continuous stimulation by Ca2+o caused the increase in the basal cAMP level by direct coupling with Gs, and triggered the subsequent activation of PKA, MAPKK, and MAPK cascade which resulted in the morphological change of transfected CHO cells.
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PMID:Extracellular Ca2+ sensitivity of mGluR1alpha induces an increase in the basal cAMP level by direct coupling with Gs protein in transfected CHO cells. 1095 86

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/ERK2) have been shown transiently activated and involved in excitotoxicity. We searched for upstream molecules responsible for the regulation of glutamate-induced ERK1/ERK2 activation and ERK1/ERK2-mediated apototic-like death in cultured rat cortical neurons. ERK1/ERK2 activation (monitored by anti-active ERK1/ERK2 antibody) was almost completely prevented by blockage of NMDA receptor (NMDA-R) or elimination of extracellular Ca(2+), but not any other glutamate receptor or L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel. It was prevented largely by inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC), protein-tyrosine kinases (PTK), respectively, but mildly by that of CaM kinase II. Combined inhibition of CaM kinase II (but not PTK) and PKC had an additive effect. Reversion of ERK1/ERK2 activation was largely prevented by inhibition of protein phosphatase (PP) 1 or protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP). Combined inhibition of PP 1 and PTP had no additive effect. Glutamate-induced apoptotic-like death (determined by DAPI staining) was largely prevented by inhibition of NMDA-R, PKC, CaM kinase II, PTK and MEK1/MEK2 (ERK1/ERK2 kinase), respectively. Combined inhibition of CaM kinase II (but not PKC or PTK) and MEK1/MEK2 had an additive effect. Glutamate-induced apoptotic-like death was promoted by inhibition of PP1 and PTP, respectively. The above results suggested that in glutamate-induced cortical neurotoxicity ERK1/ERK2 activation be mainly mediated by NMDA-R. Subsequently, a pathway dependent on both PKC and PTK was mainly involved, which was also mainly responsible for ERK1/ERK2-mediated apoptotic-like death, and a CaM kinase II-dependent pathway was relatively mildly involved. Reversion of ERK1/ERK2 activation was mainly mediated by a pathway dependent on both PP1 and PTP, which might be involved in the restrain of glutamate-induced neurotoxicity.
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PMID:N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation results in regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases by protein kinases and phosphatases in glutamate-induced neuronal apototic-like death. 1113 17

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a pivotal role in the mediation of cellular responses to a variety of signalling molecules. In the present study, we investigated possible linkage between glutamate signalling and the MAPK cascade in cultured rat cortical astrocytes. Exposure of the cells to L-glutamate (100-1000 microM) resulted in an increase in phosphorylated p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The glutamate-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was blocked by U0126 and PD98059, specific inhibitors of the MAPK-activating enzyme MEK. Furthermore, L-glutamate-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was not mimicked by glutamate receptor agonists and was not blocked by glutamate receptor antagonists. In contrast, the effect of L-glutamate was mimicked by D- and L-aspartate and transportable glutamate uptake inhibitors. These results suggest that the MEK/ERK cascade is activated by a mechanism related to glutamate transporters. We propose that the glutamate transporter functions as a receptor transmitting extracellular glutamate signal to intracellular messengers.
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PMID:Possible linkage between glutamate transporter and mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in cultured rat cortical astrocytes. 1114 95

Kainic acid, an analogue of glutamate, causes limbic seizures and induces cell death in the rat brain. We examined the activation of MAPK family kinases; ERKs, JNKs and p38 kinase in rat hippocampus after KA treatment. Activation of all three kinases were observed at 30 min after the treatment, but, in contrary to ERK phosphorylation, which lasted up to 3 h, the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 returned to the basal level by 2 h. The phosphorylation of' upstream kinases for the MAPK family was distinct. The phosphorylation of MEK1 clearly increased at 30 min but diminished rapidly thereafter. The phosphorylation of MKK6 was also increased but reached peak at 2 h after KA treatment. However, the phosphorylation of other upstream kinases, SEK1 and MKK3, gradually decreased to 3 h after KA treatment. These results indicate that the KA activates all of the three MAPK family kinases with different time patterns and suggest the possibility that MKK3 and MKK6, and SEK1 may not be the upstream kinases for p38 and JNK in rat hippocampus.
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PMID:Activation of JNK and p38 in rat hippocampus after kainic acid induced seizure. 1119 Feb 75

Microtubule-associated protein MAP-2 is a neuronal phosphoprotein which modulates microtubule stability and spatial organization of signal transduction pathways. The functions of MAP-2 are modulated by phosphorylation. We studied the modulation of MAP-2 phosphorylation using the N-methyl- D-aspartate (NMDA) type of glutamate receptors and the signal transduction pathways mediating this modulation in primary cultures of rat cerebellar neurons. NMDA induced a rapid increase (330% of basal at 5 min) in MAP-2 phosphorylation which was not prevented by KN-62, indicating that it is not mediated by activation of Ca-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. NMDA-induced phosphorylation of MAP-2 was inhibited by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors nitroarginine and 7-nitroindazole and by PD098059 (an inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase), but was only slightly reduced by calphostin C or U-73122, inhibitors of protein kinase C and of phospholipase C, respectively. This indicates that the main pathway mediating NMDA-induced phosphorylation of MAP-2 is activation of nitric oxide synthase and subsequent activation of MAP kinase. We show that activation of NMDA receptors induces an activation of MAP kinase which is prevented by nitroarginine. The nitric oxide-generating agent (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) also induced activation of MAP kinase and increased phosphorylation of MAP-2. Other nitric oxide-generating agents (NOC-18 and NOR-3) also increased MAP-2 phosphorylation. The interplay between NMDA receptors-associated signal transduction pathways and MAP-2 may be involved in the modulation of neuronal responses to extracellular signals and in the regulation of neuronal function.
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PMID:NMDA-induced phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein MAP-2 is mediated by activation of nitric oxide synthase and MAP kinase. 1129 88

The members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family -- p44/p42 MAP kinase (ERK), c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAP kinase (p38) are known to be important mediators of the physiological plasticity or neurotoxicity induced in the striatum by activation of ionotropic glutamate receptors. However, our knowledge of the class of glutamate receptor and the intracellular pathways involved derives totally from studies on embryonic neurons, where the mechanisms are likely to be totally different from those operating in mature neurons. In superfused striatal slices from adult rats, NMDA and kainate, but not AMPA, were found to activate ERK. No activation of p38 or JNK was detected following treatment with any ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist. The activation of ERK by kainate was blocked by the ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059, and the PI3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin, but not by the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580. This provides evidence for a novel pathway linking striatal kainate receptors to ERK activation via PI3 kinase and MEK.
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PMID:Activation of p44/p42 MAP kinase in striatal neurons via kainate receptors and PI3 kinase. 1131 83

In three alternative splice variants of Homer 1 transcripts, Homer 1a mRNA has been shown to be upregulated selectively and rapidly by neural stimulation and represents a member of the immediate early gene (IEG) family. We investigated the mechanism underlying Homer 1a mRNA induction in cerebellar granule cell culture. All Homer 1 variants were expressed in cultured granule cells as analyzed by RNA blotting and immunochemical characterization. Glutamate stimulation of granule cells selectively upregulated Homer 1a mRNA via NMDA receptor-mediated influx of extracellular calcium. The induction of Homer 1a mRNA was much slower (peaked at 4 hr) and sustained longer than that of the typical IEG c-fos mRNA. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide experiments have revealed that, despite the presence of the mRNA-destabilizing AU-rich motif, transcriptional activation is a main determinant for selective Homer 1a mRNA induction. Inhibitor analysis as well as immunochemical characterization has indicated that the MEK (MAPK/ERK kinase)-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) cascade plays an indispensable role in glutamate-stimulated induction of Homer 1a mRNA. Consistent with this observation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is known to activate the ERK cascade, similarly upregulated Homer 1a mRNA. These results demonstrate that MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) is a key mediator that links distinct extracellular stimuli to the transcriptional activation of Homer 1a mRNA.
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PMID:NMDA receptor stimulation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor upregulate homer 1a mRNA via the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in cultured cerebellar granule cells. 1135 68

Perturbation of normal survival mechanisms may play a role in a large number of disease processes. Glutamate neurotoxicity, particularly when mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors, has been hypothesized to underlie several types of acute brain injury, including stroke. Several neurological insults linked to excessive release of glutamate and neuronal death result in tyrosine kinase activation, including p44/42 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase. To further explore a role for MAP kinase activation in excitotoxicity, we used a novel tissue culture model to induce neurotoxicity. Removal of the endogenous blockade by Mg2+ of the NMDA receptor in cultured hippocampal neurons triggers a self perpetuating cycle of excitotoxicity, which has relatively slow onset, and is critically dependent on NMDA receptors and activation of voltage gated Na+ channels. These injury conditions led to a rapid phosphorylation of p44/42 that was blocked by MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors. MEK inhibition was associated with protection against synaptically mediated excitotoxicity. Interestingly, hippocampal neurons preconditioned by a sublethal exposure to Mg(2+)-free conditions were rendered resistant to injury induced by a subsequently longer exposure to this insult; the preconditioning effect was MAP kinase dependent. The MAP kinase signaling pathway can also promote polypeptide growth factor mediated neuronal survival. MAP kinase regulated pathways may act to promote survival or death, depending upon the cellular context in which they are activated.
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PMID:Neuronal protein kinase signaling cascades and excitotoxic cell death. 1146 62

In the HT22 mouse hippocampal cell line and primary immature embryonic rat cortical neurons, glutamate-induced oxidative toxicity is associated with a delayed but chronic activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK-1/2). ERK-1/2 is also activated in HT22 cells that undergo caspase-dependent cell death upon inhibition of proteasome-dependent protein degradation brought about by MG132 treatment. As in glutamate-treated HT22 cells and primary neurons, inhibition of MEK-1, an upstream activator of ERK-1/2 protects against MG132-induced toxicity. Furthermore, activated ERK-1/2 is retained within the nucleus in glutamate- and MG132-treated HT22 cells. Although previous studies suggested that ERK-1/2 activation was downstream of many cell death-inducing signals in HT22 cells, we show here that cycloheximide, the Z-vad caspase inhibitor, and a nonlethal heat shock protect against glutamate- and MG132-induced toxicity without diminishing ERK-1/2 activation. In these cases, ERK-1/2, although chronically activated, is not retained within the nucleus but accumulates within the cytoplasm. Thus, persistent nuclear retention of activated ERK-1/2 may be a critical factor in eliciting proapoptotic effects in neuronal cells subjected to oxidative stress or proteasome inhibition.
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PMID:Prolonged nuclear retention of activated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase promotes cell death generated by oxidative toxicity or proteasome inhibition in a neuronal cell line. 1172 47


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