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)

To study the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase in the regulation of M2 receptors, we studied the effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on M2 receptor gene expression. PDGF (4 ng/ml) caused a time-dependent decrease in M2 receptor number and in m2 receptor mRNA levels in HEL 299 cells. The PDGF-induced loss in m2 mRNA required de novo protein synthesis and occurred through a decrease in the rate of transcription of the m2 receptor gene. The down-regulation of M2 receptors was not accompanied by an uncoupling of the remaining receptors, indicating a large receptor reserve in these cells. Preincubations with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, the protein kinase C inhibitor GF 109203X and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor H-8 did not attenuate PDGF-induced down-regulation, indicating a lack of involvement of these enzymes in the down-regulation process. Activation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 proteins was measured by an "in gel" phosphorylation assay. Carbachol did not activate ERK1 or 2, whereas PDGF and 4 beta-phorbol 13,14-dibutyrate resulted in a large increase in ERK1 and 2 activity along with a decrease in m2 mRNA. Preincubation with PD 098059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, inhibited PDGF- and 4 beta-phorbol 13,14-dibutyrate-mediated activation of ERK 1 and 2 in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory action of PD 098059 was reflected at the mRNA level attenuating both PDGF- and 4 beta-phorbol 13,14-dibutyrate-mediated decreases in m2 mRNA. These results suggest a role of ERK1 and 2 in the regulation of muscarinic m2 receptor gene expression.
Mol Pharmacol 1997 Dec
PMID:Regulation of m2 muscarinic receptor gene expression by platelet-derived growth factor: involvement of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases in the down-regulation process. 941 6

We investigated subcellular distribution of ERK2 in osteoblast-like UMR-106 cell and explored to determine if its activities are regulated by insulin. 23%, 34% and 43% of total ERK2 were distributed in membrane, cytosol and nucleus, respectively. Insulin caused 40% increase of ERK2 content in membrane in 10 min whereas it induced approximately 50% decrease of ERK2 in cytosol in 10 min. In terms of kinase activity, insulin stimulated phosphorylation of the membrane-associated ERK2 by 2-fold and 1.8-fold in 1 min and 10 min and cytosolic ERK2 by 2.7-fold and 2.3-fold in 1 min and 10 min, respectively. In contrast, the phosphorylation of nuclear ERK2 was stimulated by insulin in time-dependent manner with maximal (3-fold) activity observed at 30 min. Insulin also increased the content of MEK2 in membrane by 2.2- to 2.6-fold in 10 min. MEK2 translocated into membrane in response to insulin may play a role in the activation of the membrane-associated ERK2 via phosphorylation.
Biochem Mol Biol Int 1997 Dec
PMID:Insulin rapidly stimulates ERK2 in the membrane of osteoblast-like UMR-106 cell. 941 11

Oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system, express muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR). Activation of this neurotransmitter receptor by the stable acetylcholine analog carbachol (CCh) triggers transducing events, modulating c-fos expression and cellular proliferation. To elucidate the signal transduction pathways involved in the transmission of these cellular events, we examined the ability of CCh to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in primary cultures of oligodendrocyte progenitors prepared from newborn rat brain. CCh produced a concentration- and time-dependent increase in MAPK activity (predominantly the p42mapk or ERK2) as determined by in-gel MBP kinase assays. Using the non-selective muscarinic antagonist atropine we determined that MAPK-activation by CCH is mediated by muscarinic receptors. In the presence of PD098059, a specific inhibitor of MAPK kinase (MEK), MAPK activity was blocked. Similarly, the presence of extracellular calcium was required for CCh-mediated MAPK activation. To further elucidate the mechanisms involved in MAPK activation by CCh, the role of PKC was studied. In cells in which protein kinase had been downregulated by chronic treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), the effect of carbachol on MAPK activation was maintained. In contrast, the response to CCh was blocked by the PKC inhibitors H7 and bisindolylmaleimide GF109203X. Our results suggest that MAPK is implicated in the transmission of the signal for mACh receptors and involves a TPA-insensitive PKC pathway. Further work is required to define the upstream and downstream events which result in CCh-mediated MAPK activation and proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitors.
J Neurosci Res 1997 Dec 01
PMID:Acetylcholine agonists stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase in oligodendrocyte progenitors by muscarinic receptors. 941 62

Two competitive enzyme immunoassays using digoxigenin-labeled peptides have been developed for the quantification of the protein kinase MEK2 in cell extracts. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies directed against either the amino-terminal or proline-rich amino acid sequences of MEK2 were used for the immunoconcentration of the protein. Anti-digoxigenin Fab fragments labeled with horseradish peroxidase allowed the detection of the immune complexes. Amino-terminal and proline-rich enzyme immunoassays exhibited a sensitivity level of 63 and 71 fmol/mL, respectively, and displayed a half-maximal saturation value of 1320 and 1780 fmol/mL. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation for both assays assessed at three different concentrations of MEK2 were lower than 6% and 12%, respectively. The amount of MEK2 measured by the two methods demonstrated an excellent correlation with the expression level of the protein detected by immunoblot analyses when tested on different cell lysates.
Biotechniques 1997 Dec
PMID:Digoxigenin-labeled peptides for the immunological quantification of intracellular signaling proteins: application to the MAP kinase kinase isoform MEK2. 942 43

MDCK-C7 cells dedifferentiated either by transient alkaline stress (C7F cells) or by transfection with a constitutively active mutant of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK1 (C7caMEK1 cells) were analyzed by western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy to compare the expression of different cytokeratins, vimentin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Expression of all cytokeratins tested, the type II-neutral and basic cytokeratins CK5, CK7, CK8 as well as the type I-acidic keratins CK17 and CK19, was substantially reduced in dedifferentiated cell lines C7F and C7caMEK1 when compared with epithelial wild-type MDCK-C7 cells or mock-transfected MDCK-C7 cells. While vimentin expression was detected in all of the four MDCK-C7 cell lines examined, only the dedifferentiated cell lines C7F and C7caMEK1, which have been reported to express highly active ERK2, exhibited formation of alpha-smooth muscle actin-containing stress fibers. Taken together our results show that, associated with an increase in ERK2 activity, an epithelial to mesenchymal dedifferentiation occurred in both MDCK-C7F cells and caMEK1-transfected MDCK-C7 cells.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1997 Dec 18
PMID:Loss of cytokeratin expression and formation of actin stress fibers in dedifferentiated MDCK-C7 cell lines. 942 7

We report the cloning of a cDNA for MEK1, an Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding a homologue of MAP kinase kinase (MEK). The predicted protein sequence shows 41% identity over 270 amino acids to vertebrate MEK proteins, and contains conserved features characteristic of MEK. Analysis of transcript levels show that expression of the gene is regulated by developmental processes (etiolation/de-etiolation) and by wounding. However in contrast to the rapid wound induction of MAP kinase transcripts in other plant species, MEK1 transcripts first accumulated 6-12 h after wounding.
Plant Mol Biol 1997 Dec
PMID:Cloning and characterisation of MEK1, an Arabidopsis gene encoding a homologue of MAP kinase kinase. 942 29

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases are activated by the sequential activation of Ras, Raf, and MEK (MAP kinase kinase) and regulate a wide variety of cell functions. To determine the kinase cascade for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)- and IL-5-induced MAP kinase activation in eosinophils, we studied the effect of inhibitors of Jak2 kinase, tyrosine kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and protein kinase C on GM-CSF- and IL-5-induced MAP kinase activation in human eosinophils. GM-CSF and IL-5 activated 40, 42, and 44 kilodalton MAP kinase isoforms in eosinophils. This was indicated by the electrophoretic mobility shift of the three isoforms of MAP kinase in immunoblotting with anti-MAP kinase antibody and also by in-gel MAP kinase assay. MAP kinase activation was time- and dose-dependent, becoming maximal 3 to 15 minutes after stimulation. A Jak2 kinase inhibitor AG-490, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, and a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin inhibited GM-CSF- and IL-5-induced MAP kinase activation in eosinophils, whereas a protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine had a weak inhibitory effect. Furthermore, AG-490 and genistein prevented GM-CSF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Jak2 kinase in eosinophils. Taken together, these results indicate that GM-CSF and IL-5 activate MAP kinases through the signaling pathway of Jak2 kinase-tyrosine phosphorylated beta chain-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Ras in eosinophils.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997 Dec
PMID:Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-5 activate mitogen-activated protein kinase through Jak2 kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in human eosinophils. 944 May 44

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulated a time- and concentration-dependent increase in PGI2 synthesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells with a mean maximum increase of 2-fold above basal levels at 25 ng/ml after 60 min. VEGF also rapidly stimulated the release of arachidonic acid and phosphorylation and activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). The VEGF-related factor, placenta growth factor (PIGF), had little effect on PGI2 synthesis, arachidonic acid release or cPLA2 activation. PD98059, a selective inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase, caused complete inhibition of VEGF-stimulated MAP kinase activity, PGI2 synthesis and cPLA2 gel retardation, but had no effect on VEGF-induced vWF secretion. These findings provide the first evidence that VEGF can stimulate PGI2 synthesis via cPLA2-mediated arachidonic acid release and indicate that VEGF stimulation of this biosynthetic pathway may occur, at least in part, via activation of p42/p44 MAP kinases.
FEBS Lett 1997 Dec 22
PMID:Vascular endothelial growth factor stimulates prostacyclin production and activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in endothelial cells via p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase. 945 May 44

Sublytic complement attack through C5b-9 assembly induces oligodendrocytes (OLG) to express proto-oncogenes and to enter the cell cycle from resting G0/G1 phase to S phase. We have investigated whether cell cycle induction by C5b-9 is mediated by mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in OLG. C5b-9 but not C5b6 induced activation of both ERK1 and c-jun NH2 terminal kinases 1 (JNK1) in OLG. The increased ERK1 and JNK1 activities are transient, reaching a maximum around 20 min following exposure to C5b-9. Activation of Raf-1 and MEK1, upstream kinases of ERK1, was shown by increased Raf-1 kinase activity in anti-Raf-1 immunoprecipitates of OLG treated with C5b-9 and ERK1 activity that can be inhibited by PD098,059, a specific MEK1 inhibitor. Requirement for the ERK1 pathway in DNA synthesis was then evaluated using PD098,059. Enhanced DNA synthesis induced by serum complement was completely abolished when OLG were pretreated with PD098,059. On the other hand, c-fos mRNA expression induced by complement was inhibited only 50% by PD098,059, while the c-jun mRNA level was not affected by this MEK1 inhibitor. Interestingly, p70 S6 kinase, an important ribosomal kinase in mitogenesis, was also activated by C5b-9. These findings indicated that the MAPK pathways appears to play a major role in inducing OLG to enter the S phase of the cell cycle from the resting G1/G0 phase.
Immunopharmacology 1997 Dec
PMID:Terminal complement complexes induce cell cycle entry in oligodendrocytes through mitogen activated protein kinase pathway. 947 29

Aging affects both calcium signals and protein kinase cascades in mouse T lymphocytes. The decline in calcium signal development largely represents differences between naive and memory T cells; the latter are resistant to increases in calcium concentration, and are more common in aged mice. Aging leads to declines in phosphorylation of a wide range of substrates in T cells stimulated by either anti-CD3 antibodies or by substances, such as phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or ionomycin, that act at intracellular sites, but some phosphoproteins respond only in old T cells, and others respond regardless of age. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the CD3 zeta chain declines with age, both in resting T cells and after activation, but the proportion of Zap-70 that is bound to CD3 zeta increases in T cells from old mice. Zap-70 function and phosphorylation of CD3 zeta-associated Zap-70 change only slightly after stimulation of T cells by anti-CD3 and anti-CD4, and are at similar levels in activated old and young T cells. Nonetheless, induction of Raf-1, MEK, and ERK kinase activity declines with age in CD4 T cells. The effect of aging on T-cell activation is not simply an overall decline in signal intensity, but a set of qualitative changes that differ among subsets and depend at least partly on the nature of the stimulus.
Immunol Rev 1997 Dec
PMID:Early activation defects in T lymphocytes from aged mice. 947 67


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