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)

Interleukin 1 (IL1) activated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase in human gingival and foreskin fibroblasts and KB cells. Maximal activity was found in cytosolic extracts made after stimulating cells for 15 min. On anion-exchange chromatography two differently charged forms of MAP kinase kinase were identified, both phosphorylated a kinase-defective mutant MAP kinase, and activated recombinant wild type MAP kinase to phosphorylate MBP. Both were inhibited by an antiserum to recombinant MAP kinase kinase and the less acidic form was identified on Western blotting as an antigen of approximately 43 kDa. Indistinguishable forms were very much more strongly induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). TNF had a similar effect to that of IL1.
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PMID:Interleukin 1 and tumour necrosis factor activate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase in cultured cells. 769 14

Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAP) or extracellular signal regulated protein kinases (ERK) are a family of protein serine/threonine kinases that are activated very rapidly in response to many extracellular stimuli. elk-1, an ets related gene codes for two transcriptional factors elk-1, which regulates c-fos transcription and delta elk-1, both of which are substrates for MAP kinases. A part of the C-terminal transcriptional activation domain (ETA-2) which is common to both the proteins was previously shown to function as an activator of MAP kinases. In this report, in an attempt to investigate the mechanism of activation of MAP kinases, purified preparations of recombinant elk-1 and P44mpk/ERK-1/ERK-2 proteins were used to show the association of elk-1 proteins with MAP kinases. The specific interactions of elk-1 proteins with MAP kinases were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation studies. Thus elk-1 proteins appear to regulate the activity of MAP kinases by interacting with them ensuring a conformational change and stimulating their autophosphorylation and activation property. The activation was dependent on the presence of ATP and Mg2+. In vitro phosphorylation of elk-1 protein was not regulatory for autonomous DNA binding activity of elk-1 protein. Cells which were exposed to EGF showed a rapid stimulation of an elk-1 specific kinase activity, probably MAP kinase which phosphorylated MBP and was found to be associated with immobilized GST-elk-1. Furthermore, dephosphorylation studies indicate that elk-1 proteins can activate only tyrosine phosphorylated MAP kinase. These results demonstrate the presence of an alternative pathway/mechanism (other than MAP kinase kinase, MAPKK/Mek) for the activation of MAP kinases with tyrosine phosphorylation occurring before serine/threonine autophosphorylation and activation by elk-1 proteins.
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PMID:elk-1 proteins interact with MAP kinases. 820 31

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.
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PMID:Acetylcholine agonists stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase in oligodendrocyte progenitors by muscarinic receptors. 941 62

Caldesmon inhibits myosin ATPase activity; phosphorylation of caldesmon reverses the inhibition. The caldesmon kinase is believed to be mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. MAP kinases are activated during vascular stimulation, but a cause-and-effect relationship between kinase activity and contraction has not been established. We examined the role of MAP kinase in contraction using PD-098059, an inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase (MEK). MAP kinase activity was assessed using an anti-active MAP kinase antibody and direct measurement of MAP kinase catalyzed phosphorylation of myelin basic protein, MBP-(95-98). MAP kinase phosphorylation, stimulated by histamine (50 microM) or phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu, 0.1 microM), was inhibited by PD-098059 (100 microM). PD-098059 did not alter the sensitivity or the maximal level of force in smooth muscle stimulated by histamine or PDBu, nor did PD-098059 affect contraction of beta-escin-permeabilized tissue. Our data suggest that p44 and p42 MAP kinases are not involved in regulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction. These results do not, however, preclude a role for other isoforms of the MAP kinase family.
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PMID:Inhibition of p42 and p44 MAP kinase does not alter smooth muscle contraction in swine carotid artery. 968 5

Cyclic AMP is involved in the differentiation of oligodendrocyte and Schwann cell progenitors into mature myelin producing cells. The involvement of MAP kinases in this pathway was investigated in the D6P2T cell line. This cell line can be induced to display a differentiated phenotype characterized by myelin basic protein gene expression by increased cyclic AMP. Blocking MAP kinase activity with inhibitors of the activating kinase, MEK, by expression of a dominant negative MAP kinase or by expression of the MAP kinase inactivating phosphatase Mkp-1 all blocked the activation of the myelin basic protein promoter in D6P2T cells. In addition, blocking MAP kinase activation during differentiation of an oligodendrocyte-like cell line, CG4, also leads to inhibition of MBP expression. These findings suggest a role for MAP kinase in the cyclic AMP stimulated expression of the myelin basic protein gene during differentiation.
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PMID:Involvement of MAP kinase in the cyclic AMP induction of myelin basic protein gene expression. 982 68

Docking between MEK1 and ERK2 is required for their stable interaction and efficient signal transmission. The MEK1 N terminus contains the ERK docking or D domain that consists of conserved hydrophobic and basic residues. We mutated the hydrophobic and basic residues individually and found that loss of either type reduced MEK1 phosphorylation of ERK2 in vitro and its ability to bind to ERK2 in vivo. Moreover, ERK2 was localized in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus when co-expressed with MEK1 that had mutations in either the hydrophobic or the basic residues. We then identified two conserved hydrophobic residues on ERK2 that play roles in docking with MEK1. Mutating these residues to alanine reduced the interaction of ERK2 with MEK1 in cells. These mutations also reduced the phosphorylation of MEK1 by ERK2 but had little effect on phosphorylation of MBP by ERK2. Finally, we generated docking site mutants in ERK2-MEK1 fusion proteins. Although the mutation of the MEK1 D domain significantly reduced ERK2-MEK1 activity, mutations of the putatively complementary acidic residues and hydrophobic residues on ERK2 did not change its activity. However, both types of mutations decreased the phosphorylation of Elk-1 caused by ERK2-MEK1 fusion proteins. These findings suggest complex interactions of MEK1 D domains with ERK2 that influence its activation and its effects on substrates.
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PMID:Hydrophobic as well as charged residues in both MEK1 and ERK2 are important for their proper docking. 1135 17

We describe a versatile intracellular reporter of ERK/MAP kinase activity: a cDNA construct, pGFP.MBP, encoding amino acids 85-144 of the human myelin basic protein fused to the C-terminus of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP). The fused fragment of myelin basic protein contains a single consensus ERK/MAP kinase phosphorylation motif (PRTP, where the threonine is phosphorylated). Phosphorylation of the specific motif can be detected via immunoblotting or immunofluorescence with a commercially available phospho-specific monoclonal antibody. When expressed in mammalian cells by either transient or stable transfection, the fusion protein acts as a bona fide kinase substrate, as demonstrated by rapid serum-induced phosphorylation that is blocked by a specific MEK inhibitor. Moreover, the localization of the total substrate pool is easily visualized by GFP autofluorescence and the extent of its phosphorylation simultaneously detected within intact fixed cells by immunofluorescence using the commercially available phospho-specific antibody. The approach described should be generally applicable to the intracellular analysis of many specific protein kinase substrates for which phospho-specific antibodies have been produced.
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PMID:A green fluorescent protein kinase substrate allowing detection and localization of intracellular ERK/MAP kinase activity. 1139 42

Intracellular molecular targets of novel berberine derivatives, HWY 289 and HWY 336, were identified by a screen of a variety of mutants in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. HWY 289 and HWY 336 completely inhibited the proliferation of wild type as well as various mutant fission yeast cells (minimal inhibitory concentrations were 29.52 microm for HWY 289 and 11.83 microm for HWY 336), but did not affect the proliferation of Wis1 mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) deletion mutants. In addition, HWY 289 with an IC(50) value of 7.3 microm or HWY 336 with IC(50) of 5.7 microm specifically inhibited in vitro kinase activities of purified Wis1, whereas either compound did not affect the activities of other kinases in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades of fission yeast. These genetic and biochemical results demonstrate the high degree of specificity of HWY 289 and HWY 336 to MAPKK Wis1 and suggest that the cytotoxicity of these compounds is not simply due to the inhibition of Wis1 kinase activity. High salt wash experiments have shown that strong noncovalent binding occurs between Wis1 and either HWY 289 or HWY 336. The preincubation of Wis1 kinase with ATP did not affect the inhibition of Wis1 by HWY 289 and HWY 336, but when Wis1 was preincubated with MBP, a protein substrate, Wis1 kinase activity was no longer inhibited. These observations demonstrate that HWY 289/HWY 336 do inhibit Wis1 kinase, not by binding to the ATP-binding site but by disturbing the binding of substrate to the kinase. Target validation of the complex of HWY 289/HWY 336 and Wis1 kinase will provide important clues for the mechanism of specific cytotoxicity of these compounds in S. pombe. On a broader aspect, it would create an initiative to further modify and develop compounds that selectively inhibit kinases and cause cytotoxicity in various MAPK cascades including those of mammals.
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PMID:Selective inhibition of MAPKK Wis1 in the stress-activated MAPK cascade of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by novel berberine derivatives. 1174 36

Smad3 is phosphorylated by ERK MAP kinase upon EGF treatment. We have mapped the ERK phosphorylation sites to Ser 207, Ser 203, and Thr 178 in Smad3. We show that, upon EGF treatment, Smad3 is rapidly phosphorylated in these sites, peaking at approximately 15-30 min and that MEK1 inhibitors PD98059 and U0216 inhibit Smad3 phosphorylation induced by EGF. Ser 207 is the best ERK site in Smad3. Its phosphorylation shows the highest EGF induction in Smad3. It is also a very sensitive site to EGF treatment, significantly responding to low concentrations of EGF. These three sites are also phosphorylated by recombinant ERK2 in vitro. We have compared the kinetic parameters of Smad3 with those of ELK1 and MBP for ERK2. We further show that mutation of the ERK phosphorylation sites increases the ability of Smad3 to stimulate a Smad target gene, suggesting that ERK phosphorylation inhibits Smad3 activity.
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PMID:Identification and characterization of ERK MAP kinase phosphorylation sites in Smad3. 1615 66

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) activity is regulated by MAPK/ERK kinases (MEKs), which phosphorylate the regulatory Tyr and Thr residues in ERKs activation loop, and by various phosphatases that remove the incorporated phosphates. Although the role of the phosphorylated residues in the activation loop of ERKs is well studied, much less is known about the role of other residues within this loop. Here we substituted several residues within amino acids 173-177 of ERK2 and studied their role in ERK2 phosphorylation, substrate recognition, and subcellular localization. We found that substitution of residues 173-175 and particularly Pro(174) to alanines reduces the EGF-induced ERK2 phosphorylation, without modifying its in vitro phosphorylation by MEK1. Examining the ability of these mutants to be dephosphorylated revealed that 173-5A mutants are hypersensitive to phosphatases, indicating that these residues are important for setting the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation balance of ERKs. In addition, 173-5A mutants reduced ERK2 activity toward Elk-1, without affecting the activity of ERK2 toward MBP, while substitution of residues 176-8 decreased ERK2 activity toward both substrates. Substitution of Asp(177) to alanine increased nuclear localization of the construct in MEK1-overexpressing cells, suggesting that this residue together with His(176) is involved in the dissociation of ERK2 from MEKs. Combining CRS/CD motif and the activation loop mutations revealed that these two regions cooperate in determining the net phosphorylation of ERK2, but the role of the CRS/CD motif predominates that of the activation loop residues. Thus, we show here that residues 173-177 of ERK2 join other regulatory regions of ERKs in governing ERK activity.
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PMID:Role of non-phosphorylated activation loop residues in determining ERK2 dephosphorylation, activity, and subcellular localization. 1759 65


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