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 last decade has witnessed the introduction of a large number of novel, molecularly targeted agents into the therapeutic armamentarium against diverse forms of cancer, including leukemia. Such agents include signal transduction, cell cycle, histone deacetylase, Hsp90, proteasome, and Bcl-2 family member inhibitors, among others. While most of these agents have been or are currently being evaluated in adult patients with acute leukemia, experience in childhood leukemia is very limited. Although the use of such targeted agents as potentiators of conventional cytotoxic agent activity represents a logical approach, an emerging body of evidence suggests that neoplastic cells in general, and leukemic cells in particular, are highly susceptible to a therapeutic strategy in which survival signaling and cell cycle regulatory pathways are simultaneously disrupted. In in vitro studies, highly synergistic antileukemic interactions have been reported between CDK and HDAC inhibitors; HDAC and proteasome inhibitors; Bcl-2 antagonists and CDK inhibitors; MEK/ERK and Chk1 inhibitors, and proteasome and CDK inhibitors, among other combinations. Some of these strategies, including combinations of HDAC and CDK inhibitors, and CDK and proteasome inhibitors, have now entered the clinical arena in patients with leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. Based upon preclinical results to date, there is reason to suspect that such strategies might prove to be active against several types of childhood leukemia. Thus, over the next decade, the introduction of molecularly targeted agents, alone and in combination, into the therapeutic armamentarium against childhood leukemia may have significant implications for children with this disease.
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PMID:Simultaneous interruption of signal transduction and cell cycle regulatory pathways: implications for new approaches to the treatment of childhood leukemias. 1758 30

Impaired functioning of the proteasome pathway is one of the molecular mechanism underlying neurodegenerative changes in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we report that dysfunction of the proteasome pathway in astroglial cells leads to decreased survival and dysregulation of chemokines by differential regulation of the nuclear factor kappa B and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways. We further demonstrated that proteasome inhibition augmented interleukin-1 beta- and tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced activation of the IkappaBalpha kinase and MKK4/JNK/c-Jun pathway along with TAK1 activation. These results suggest that impaired function of the proteasome pathway may potentiate the immuno-pathologic role of secondarily activated astrocytes in the brain.
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PMID:Divergent effect of proteasome inhibition on interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha signaling in human astroglial cells. 1785

Fibronectin regulates many cellular processes, including migration, proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Previously, we showed that squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell aggregates escape suspension-induced, p53-mediated anoikis by engaging in fibronectin-mediated survival signals through focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Here we report that an altered matrix, consisting of a mutated, nonfunctional high-affinity heparin-binding domain and the V region of fibronectin (V+H-), induced anoikis in human SCC cells; this response was blocked by inhibitors of caspase-8 and caspase-3. Anoikis was mediated by downregulation of integrin alpha v in a panel of SCC cells and was shown to be proteasome-dependent. Overexpression of integrin alpha v or FAK inhibited the increase in caspase-3 activation and apoptosis, whereas suppression of alpha v or FAK triggered a further significant increase in apoptosis, indicating that the apoptosis was mediated by suppression of integrin alpha v levels and dephosphorylation of FAK. Treatment with V+H- decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2, and direct activation of ERK by constitutively active MEK1, an ERK kinase, increased ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylation and inhibited the increase in apoptosis induced by V+H-. ERK acted downstream from alpha v and FAK signals, since alpha v and FAK overexpression inhibited both the decrease in ERK phosphorylation and the increase in anoikis triggered by V+H-. These findings provide evidence that mutations in the high-affinity heparin-binding domain in association with the V region of fibronectin, or altered fibronectin matrices, induce anoikis in human SCC cells by modulating integrin alpha v-mediated phosphorylation of FAK and ERK.
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PMID:An altered fibronectin matrix induces anoikis of human squamous cell carcinoma cells by suppressing integrin alpha v levels and phosphorylation of FAK and ERK. 1787 63

Anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx) is a virulence factor causing immune suppression and toxic shock of Bacillus anthracis infected host. It inhibits cytokine production and cell proliferation/differentiation in various immune cells. This study showed that a brief exposure of LeTx caused a continual MEK1 cleavage and prevented tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) production in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in non-proliferating cells such as human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or mouse primary peritoneal macrophages. In human monocytic cell lines U-937 and THP-1, LeTx induced cell cycle arrest in G0-G1 phase by rapid down-regulation of cyclin D1/D2 and checkpoint kinase 1 through MEK1 inhibition. However, THP-1 cells adaptively adjusted to LeTx and overrode cell cycle arrest by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway. Inhibitory Ser-9 phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) by Akt prevented proteasome-mediated cyclin D1 degradation and induced cell cycle progress in LeTx-intoxicated THP-1 cells. Recovery from cell cycle arrest was required before recovering from on-going MEK1 cleavage and suppression of TNF production. Furthermore, pretreatment with LeTx or the GSK3-specific inhibitor SB-216763, or transfection with dominant active mutant Akt or degradation-defected mutant cyclin D1 protected cells from LeTx-induced cell cycle arrest, on-going MEK1 cleavage and suppression of TNF production. These results indicate that modulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/GSK3beta signaling cascades can be beneficial for protecting or facilitating recovery from cellular LeTx intoxication in cells that depend on basal MEK1 activity for proliferation.
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PMID:Critical role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3 signaling pathway in recovery from anthrax lethal toxin-induced cell cycle arrest and MEK cleavage in macrophages. 1795 Dec 52

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin is a causative agent of sepsis. The aim of this study was to examine LPS effects on intestinal fructose absorption and to decipher mechanisms. Sepsis was induced by intravenous injection of LPS in rabbits. The ultrastructural study and DNA fragmentation patterns were identical in the intestine of LPS and sham animals. LPS treatment reduced fructose absorption altering both mucosal-to-serosal transepithelial fluxes and uptake into brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs). Cytochalasin B was ineffective on fructose uptake, indicating that GLUT5, but not GLUT2, transport activity was targeted. GLUT5 protein levels in BBMvs were lower in LPS than in sham-injected rabbits. Thus lower fructose transport resulted from lower levels of GLUT5 protein. LPS treatment decreased GLUT5 levels by proteasome-dependent degradation. Specific inhibitors of PKC, PKA, and MAP kinases (p38MAPK, JNK, MEK1/2) protected fructose uptake from adverse LPS effect. Moreover, a TNF-alpha antagonist blocked LPS action on fructose uptake. We conclude that intestinal fructose transport inhibition by LPS is associated with diminished GLUT5 numbers in the brush border membrane of enterocytes triggered by activation of several interrelated signaling cascades and proteasome degradation.
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PMID:Protein kinases, TNF-{alpha}, and proteasome contribute in the inhibition of fructose intestinal transport by sepsis in vivo. 1796 60

Many bacteria pathogenic for plants or animals, including Shigella spp., which is responsible for shigellosis in humans, use a type III secretion apparatus to inject effector proteins into host cells. Effectors alter cell signaling and host responses induced upon infection; however, their precise biochemical activities have been elucidated in very few cases. Utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a surrogate host, we show that the Shigella effector IpaH9.8 interrupts pheromone response signaling by promoting the proteasome-dependent destruction of the MAPKK Ste7. In vitro, IpaH9.8 displayed ubiquitin ligase activity toward ubiquitin and Ste7. Replacement of a Cys residue that is invariant among IpaH homologs of plant and animal pathogens abolished the ubiquitin ligase activity of IpaH9.8. We also present evidence that the IpaH homolog SspH1 from Salmonella enterica can ubiquitinate ubiquitin and PKN1, a previously identified SspH1 interaction partner. This study assigns a function for IpaH family members as E3 ubiquitin ligases.
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PMID:Type III secretion effectors of the IpaH family are E3 ubiquitin ligases. 1800 83

Determining the underlying mechanisms of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)-mediated osteoclast survival may be important in identifying novel approaches for treating excessive bone loss. This study investigates M-CSF-mediated MEK/ERK activation and identifies a downstream effector of this pathway. M-CSF activates MEK/ERK and induces MEK-dependent expression of the immediate early gene Egr2. Inhibition of either MEK1/2 or inhibition of Egr2 increases osteoclast apoptosis. In contrast, wild-type Egr2 or an Egr2 point mutant unable to bind the endogenous repressors Nab1/2 (caEgr2) suppresses basal osteoclast apoptosis and rescues osteoclasts from apoptosis induced by MEK1/2 or Egr2 inhibition. Mechanistically, Egr2 induces pro-survival Blc2 family member Mcl1 while stimulating proteasome-mediated degradation of pro-apoptotic Bim. In addition, Egr2 increased the expression of c-Cbl, the E3 ubiquitin ligase that catalyzes Bim ubiquitination. M-CSF, therefore, promotes osteoclast survival through MEK/ERK-dependent induction of Egr2 to control the Mcl1/Bim ratio, documenting a novel function of Egr2 in promoting survival.
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PMID:Novel pro-survival functions of the Kruppel-like transcription factor Egr2 in promotion of macrophage colony-stimulating factor-mediated osteoclast survival downstream of the MEK/ERK pathway. 1819 76

Macrophages from certain inbred mouse strains are rapidly killed (< 90 min) by anthrax lethal toxin (LT). LT cleaves cytoplasmic MEK proteins at 20 min and induces caspase-1 activation in sensitive macrophages at 50-60 min, but the mechanism of LT-induced death is unknown. Proteasome inhibitors block LT-mediated caspase-1 activation and can protect against cell death, indicating that the degradation of at least one cellular protein is required for LT-mediated cell death. Proteins can be degraded by the proteasome via the N-end rule, in which a protein's stability is determined by its N-terminal residue. Using amino acid derivatives that act as inhibitors of this pathway, we show that the N-end rule is required for LT-mediated caspase-1 activation and cell death. We also found that bestatin methyl ester, an aminopeptidase inhibitor protects against LT in vitro and in vivo and that the different inhibitors of the protein degradation pathway act synergistically in protecting against LT. We identify c-IAP1, a mammalian member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, as a novel N-end rule substrate degraded in macrophages treated with LT. We also show that LT-induced c-IAP1 degradation is independent of the IAP-antagonizing proteins Smac/DIABLO and Omi/HtrA2, but dependent on caspases.
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PMID:Killing of macrophages by anthrax lethal toxin: involvement of the N-end rule pathway. 1826 92

AHA1 (activator of HSP90 ATPase) is a cochaperone of the ATP-dependent molecular chaperone, HSP90, which is involved in the maturation, stabilization/degradation, and function of oncogenic proteins. HSP90 operates in a multimeric complex driven by the binding and hydrolysis of ATP. Treatment of cells with the HSP90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) results in the degradation of client proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. As AHA1 increases the ATPase activity of HSP90, we hypothesized that modulation of AHA1 expression could influence the activity of client proteins and/or the cellular response to 17-AAG. We show that the basal expression of AHA1 is different across a panel of human cancer cell lines, and that treatment with 17-AAG resulted in sustained AHA1 up-regulation. Increasing the expression of AHA1 did not affect the sensitivity to 17-AAG, but did increase C-RAF activity and the levels of phosphorylated MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 without affecting total levels of these proteins or of client proteins C-RAF, ERBB2, or CDK4. Conversely, small interfering RNA-selective knockdown of >80% of AHA1 expression decreased C-RAF activity and reduced the levels of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Moreover, the AHA1 knockdown resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in sensitivity to 17-AAG, due in part to a 2- to 3-fold increase in apoptosis. These results show that the reduction of AHA1 levels could decrease the phosphorylation of key signal transduction proteins, and for the first time, separate the activation and stabilization functions of HSP90. Furthermore, AHA1 knockdown could sensitize cancer cells to 17-AAG. We conclude that modulation of AHA1 might be a potential therapeutic strategy to increase sensitivity to HSP90 inhibitors.
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PMID:Silencing of HSP90 cochaperone AHA1 expression decreases client protein activation and increases cellular sensitivity to the HSP90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin. 3060 23

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) regulates numerous physiological functions. Inhibition of CaMKII activity, mostly by synthetic reagents, has been proved to suppress cell growth in many cases. So far there are no reports about the physiological functions and underlying mechanisms of endogenous CaMKII inhibitory proteins in cell cycle progression. Here we report the characterization of a novel human endogenous CaMKII inhibitor, human CaMKII inhibitory protein alpha (hCaMKIINalpha), which directly interacts with activated CaMKII and effectively inhibits CaMKII activity. hCaMKIINalpha expression is negatively correlated with the severity of human colon adenocarcinoma. Overexpression of hCaMKIINalpha inhibits colon adenocarcinoma growth in vitro and in vivo by arresting the cell cycle at the S phase through its conserved inhibitory region (27CIR), whereas silencing the hCaMKIINalpha expression accelerates tumor growth and cell cycle progression. We found that the effect of hCaMKIINalpha on cell cycle is correlated with up-regulation of p27 expression, which may be due to the inhibition of proteasome degradation, but not transcriptional regulation, of p27. Moreover, hCaMKIINalpha deactivated MEK/ERK, which is prerequisite to the inhibition of Thr-187 phosphorylation and subsequent proteasomal degradation of p27, causing the inhibition of S-phase progression of cell cycle. The findings underscore a link between hCaMKIINalpha-mediated inhibition of CaMKII activity and p27-dependent pathways in controlling tumor cell growth and cell cycle and imply a potential application of hCaMKIINalpha in the therapeutics of colon cancers.
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PMID:A novel endogenous human CaMKII inhibitory protein suppresses tumor growth by inducing cell cycle arrest via p27 stabilization. 3259 54


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