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)

Cholecystokinin (CCK) has recently been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in rat pancreatic acini [Duan and Williams, Am. J. Physiol. 267 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 30): G401-G408, 1994]. To evaluate the mechanism of MAP kinase activation, we studied the effects of CCK on MAP kinase kinase (MEK) in rat pancreatic acini. Two forms of MEK were identified by immunoblotting, using antibodies specific to MEK1 and MEK2. MEK activity in acinar extracts and after immunoprecipitation with anti-MEK was detected using a recombinant fusion protein, glutathione S-transferase-MAP kinase, as a substrate. MEK activity rapidly increased after stimulation of acini by CCK, with significant stimulation at 1 min and a maximal effect at 5 min, followed by a slow decline to slightly above control levels after 30 min. The threshold concentration of CCK was approximately 10 pM, and the maximal effect was induced by 1 nM CCK, which increased MEK activity by 120%. In addition to CCK, bombesin and carbachol, but not secretin or vasoactive intestinal peptide, enhanced MEK activity. Phorbol ester mimicked the effect of CCK, whereas ionomycin and thapsigargin failed to activate MEK. We further studied the activation of Ras, an important component leading to activation of MEK by growth factors. Ras in acini was immunoprecipitated and identified by Western blotting. CCK and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate stimulated the incorporation of GTP into Ras, a requirement for its activation, reaching a maximum at 10 min of approximately 120% over control. In conclusion, the activation of MAP kinase by CCK can be explained by activation of MEK and may involve the activation of Ras by a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism.
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PMID:Activation of MAP kinase kinase (MEK) and Ras by cholecystokinin in rat pancreatic acini. 761 6

Elevation of intracellular cAMP by forskolin, 8-bromoadenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate, and prostaglandin E1, in synergy with insulin, stimulated DNA synthesis in quiescent Swiss 3T3 cells to the same level achieved by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or bombesin. Both forskolin and 8-bromoadenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate stimulated a significant increase in cell number which, in the presence of insulin, reached the same levels achieved with PDGF. Treatment with either PDGF or bombesin caused a marked and persistent stimulation of p42MAPK and p44MAPK. In striking contrast, no activation was seen with mitogenic combinations of cAMP as shown by three different assays. Swiss 3T3 cells stably transfected with a constitutively activated Gs alpha subunit were 100-fold more sensitive to the mitogenic effects of forskolin but in this distinct cellular model forskolin did not activate p42MAPK. Swiss 3T3 cells stably transfected with interfering mutants of MEK-1 showed a 60% decrease in PDGF-stimulated p42 MAPK activation, but there was no inhibition of the mitogenic effect of forskolin in these cells. Furthermore, the upstream kinases MEK-1/MEK-2 and p74raf-1 were not activated by mitogenic combinations of cAMP while PDGF caused marked stimulation of their activity. Treatment of 3T3 cells with forskolin attenuated PDGF-stimulated p74raf-1 and p42MAPK activation but enhanced the mitogenic effects of this agent. Mitogenic combinations of cAMP strongly stimulated the phosphorylation and activation of p70s6k an effect that was inhibited by rapamycin. This agent markedly inhibited cAMP-stimulated DNA synthesis suggesting a critical role for p70s6k in cAMP mitogenic signaling. These results demonstrate that cAMP-induced mitogenesis can be dissociated from activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and that this is not an obligatory point of convergence in mitogenic signaling in Swiss 3T3 cells.
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PMID:Dissociation of cAMP-stimulated mitogenesis from activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in Swiss 3T3 cells. 767 77

Bombesin induced a marked and persistent activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-1 (MEK-1), p42(mapk) and p90(rsk) in Swiss 3T3 cells by a pathway that was independent of p74(raf-1) but dependent on the activity of protein kinase C. Pretreatment of the cells with a specific inhibitor of MEK-1, PD 098059, markedly reduced the early and abolished the sustained phase of bombesin-induced p42(mapk) activation. In addition, PD 098059 prevented bombesin-induced DNA synthesis and progression of the cells through the cell cycle, indicating that the mitogenic effect of bombesin is dependent on the activation of p42(mapk). However, in the presence of insulin, which neither stimulated p42(mapk) activation nor DNA synthesis on its own in Swiss 3T3 cells, bombesin potently stimulated DNA synthesis even at concentrations of PD 098059 (15 microM) that completely abolished the mitogenic effect of bombesin alone. Furthermore, Swiss 3T3 cells stably transfected with interfering mutants of MEK-1 showed a marked decrease in the mitogenic effect of bombesin. In contrast, the combination of bombesin and insulin strongly stimulated DNA synthesis in these cells to levels comparable with that obtained in the wild type cells. Thus, our data demonstrate that insulin dramatically reduced the requirement for the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway for reinitiation of DNA synthesis in bombesin-treated Swiss 3T3 cells and consequently indicate that the contribution of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade to mitogenesis depends on the combination of extracellular signals that are used to stimulate these cells.
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PMID:Reduced requirement of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity for entry into the S phase of the cell cycle in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts stimulated by bombesin and insulin. 870 30

Bombesin has been reported to stimulate cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion from rat duodeno-jejunal I-cells. Bombesin was shown to activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in cell types such as Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts and rat pancreatic acinar cells. No information is available on whether MAPK is activated in intestinal endocrine cells upon bombesin stimulation. This was studied by using the CCK-producing enteroendocrine cell line STC-1. Bombesin stimulated markedly and transiently both p42(MAPK) and p44(MAPK), with a maximum at 2 min, and a decrease to basal levels within 10 min. As expected, bombesin stimulated MAPK kinase 1 (MEK-1) activity. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with PMA also stimulated p42(MAPK), p44(MAPK) and MEK-1. Treatment of cells with PD 098059 (at 10 microM or 30 microM), which selectively inhibits MEK phosphorylation, blocked bombesin-induced p42(MAPK) and p44(MAPK) activation for at least 90 min. However, PD 098059 inhibited bombesin- and PMA-stimulated CCK secretion during the first 15 min, but failed to significantly reduce CCK release at later times. Inhibition of PKC with staurosporine, or PKC down-regulation by prolonged treatment with PMA, both drastically decreased MEK-1, p42(MAPK) and p44(MAPK) activation upon bombesin stimulation. Additionally, PKC activation appeared to be required for both MAPK-dependent (early) and -independent (late) CCK responses to bombesin. It is concluded that the early CCK secretory response of STC-1 cells to bombesin involves MAPK pathway activation through a PKC-dependent mechanism, whereas the late phase of bombesin-induced CCK secretion, that also requires PKC, appears to result from a MAPK-independent process.
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PMID:Bombesin stimulates cholecystokinin secretion through mitogen-activated protein-kinase-dependent and -independent mechanisms in the enteroendocrine STC-1 cell line. 951 70

The effects of bombesin (BB) on mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase were investigated using non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. By Western blot, both 42 and 44 kDalton forms of MAP kinase were present in NCI-H1299 and NCI-H838 cells. Addition of BB to NCI-H1299 cells resulted in phosphorylation of the MAP kinase substrate myelin basic protein (MBP). Phosphorylation of MBP was maximal 6 min after the addition of 10 nM BB to NCI-H1299 cells. Addition of gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) or GRP14-27 but not GRP1-16 to NCI-H 1299 cells caused MBP phosphorylation. The effects of BB were inhibited by BW2258U89, a BB receptor antagonist, and PD98059, a MAP kinase kinase inhibitor. Also, PD98059 inhibited the clonal growth of NCI-H1299 cells. These data suggest that MAP kinase may be an important regulatory enzyme in NSCLC.
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PMID:Bombesin activates MAP kinase in non-small cell lung cancer cells. 1009 32

In mouse embryo NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, ethanol (60-80 mM) was found to enhance the stimulatory effects of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) on both DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. Well-detectable potentiating effects of ethanol on S1P-induced mitogenesis required the presence of calcium (>1 mM) and zinc (20-40 microM) in the incubation medium. The amphibian tetrapeptide bombesin, which is known to mobilize intracellular calcium in fibroblasts, had no effect alone, but it approximately doubled the combined stimulatory effects of ethanol and S1P on DNA synthesis. The synergistic mitogenic effects of ethanol and S1P were also slightly enhanced, rather than inhibited, by the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor 4-methylpyrazole (5 mM). Of the various growth regulatory enzymes examined, ethanol detectably enhanced the stimulatory effects of S1P on the phosphosphorylation (activation) of p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, but not of p38 MAP kinase. Cotreatment of fibroblasts with ethanol for 10 min also enhanced the stimulatory effects of S1P on the activities of c-Raf-1 kinase and p70 S6 kinase, but neither S1P nor ethanol had effects on phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase and Akt/PKB kinase activities. Ethanol-plus-S1P-induced DNA synthesis was partially inhibited by both PD 98059 (50 microM) and rapamycin (10 nM), inhibitors of p42/p44 MAP kinase kinase and mTOR/p70 S6 kinases, respectively. The results indicate that in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, ethanol can enhance the mitogenic effects of S1P by a zinc- and calcium-dependent mechanism involving both the rapamycin-sensitive p70 S6 kinase-dependent and the c-Raf-1/MAP kinase-dependent growth regulatory pathways.
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PMID:Ethanol potentiates the mitogenic effects of sphingosine 1-phosphate by a zinc- and calcium-dependent mechanism in fibroblasts. 1033 73

The implication of MAP kinases in the proliferation control of pancreatic cancer cells is still unknown. This study was undertaken to examine the contribution of the p44/p42 and p38 MAP kinases in the mitogenic response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and bombesin in human pancreatic cancer cells, MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1. Data indicate that EGF and bombesin stimulated growth of both cell lines. In MIA PaCa-2 cells, EGF and bombesin stimulated the in gel activation of p38 while p44/p42 kinases exhibited high basal activity and no response to stimuli. Growth and p38 activation were inhibited by genistein, wortmannin, PD98059 and SB203580, specific inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, MEK-1 and p38 kinases, respectively. In PANC-1 cells, EGF and bombesin stimulated p42 in gel activation; p44 remained highly activated and unresponsive to stimuli and p38 did not respond. Stimulated growth and p42 activation were inhibited by genistein, wortmannin and PD98059. Estimation of MAPK activities with a specific anti-active MAP kinase antibody indicated, however, that EGF increased the intensity of the bands corresponding to p42 and p44 MAP kinases in both cell lines, indicating that the mitogenic factor can regulate MAP kinase activity. Data also pointed out that ATP is sufficient to increase MAP kinase activity within the in gel assay technique and may thus explain the discrepancies existing between the in gel assay data and those obtained with the anti-active MAP kinase antibody.
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PMID:Activation of MAP kinases in growth responsive pancreatic cancer cells. 1043 20

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and its amphibian homolog, bombesin, are potent secretogogues in mammals. We determined the roles of intracellular free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)), protein kinase C (PKC), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in GRP receptor (GRP-R)-regulated secretion. Bombesin induced either [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations or a biphasic elevation in [Ca(2+)](i). The biphasic response was associated with peptide secretion. Receptor-activated secretion was blocked by removal of extracellular Ca(2+), by chelation of [Ca(2+)](i), and by treatment with inhibitors of phospholipase C, conventional PKC isozymes, and MAPK kinase (MEK). Agonist-induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i) were also inhibited by dominant negative MEK-1 and the MEK inhibitor, PD89059, but not by an inhibitor of PKC. Direct activation of PKC by a phorbol ester activated MAPK and stimulated peptide secretion without a concomitant increase in [Ca(2+)](i). Inhibition of MEK blocked both bombesin- and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced secretion. GRP-R-regulated secretion is initiated by an increase in [Ca(2+)](i); however, elevated [Ca(2+)](i) is insufficient to stimulate secretion in the absence of activation of PKC and the downstream MEK/MAPK pathways. We demonstrated that the activity of MEK is important for maintaining elevated [Ca(2+)](i) levels induced by GRP-R activation, suggesting that MEK may affect receptor-regulated secretion by modulating the activity of Ca(2+)-sensitive PKC.
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PMID:Multiple protein kinase pathways are involved in gastrin-releasing peptide receptor-regulated secretion. 1044 56

A synthetic peptide, (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) was used to investigate the signal transduction mechanisms of bombesin receptor subtype-3. Using NCI-1299#5 human lung cancer cells stably transfected with bombesin receptor subtype-3, 100 nM (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) elevated the cytosolic Ca2+ from 150 to 250 nM within 10 s. Addition of (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) caused phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinase in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The mitogen activated protein kinase phosphorylation caused by (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) was inhibited by 2'-amino-3'-methyoxyflavone (PD98059), a mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MEK-1) inhibitor. Using a luciferase reporter gene construct, (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) caused Elk-1 activation after 10 min and the increase in Elk-1 activation caused by (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) was inhibited by PD98059 as well as a dominant-negative MEK-1. (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) caused increased c-fos as well as c-jun mRNAs 1 h after addition to NCI-H1299#5 cells. The 47-fold increase in c-fos mRNA caused by 100 nM (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) was inhibited by PD98059, a dominant-negative MEK-1 and a substance P antagonist but not (3-phenylpropanoyl-D-Ala(24), Pro(26), Psi(26,27), Phe(27))GRP-(20-27) (BW2258U89), a GRP receptor antagonist. These results indicate that (D-Phe(6), beta-Ala(11), Phe(13), Nle(14))bombesin-(6-14) caused increased nuclear oncogene expression and upstream events include mitogen activated protein kinase phosphorylation and Elk-1 activation.
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PMID:A bombesin receptor subtype-3 peptide increases nuclear oncogene expression in a MEK-1 dependent manner in human lung cancer cells. 1116 31

Activation of Ras induces a variety of cellular responses depending on the specific effector activated and the intensity and amplitude of this activation. We have previously shown that calmodulin is an essential molecule in the down-regulation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/extracellularly regulated kinase (ERK) pathway in cultured fibroblasts and that this is due at least in part to an inhibitory effect of calmodulin on Ras activation. Here we show that inhibition of calmodulin synergizes with diverse stimuli (epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, bombesin, or fetal bovine serum) to induce ERK activation. Moreover, even in the absence of any added stimuli, activation of Ras by calmodulin inhibition was observed. To identify the calmodulin-binding protein involved in this process, calmodulin affinity chromatography was performed. We show that Ras and Raf from cellular lysates were able to bind to calmodulin. Furthermore, Ras binding to calmodulin was favored in lysates with large amounts of GTP-bound Ras, and it was Raf independent. Interestingly, only one of the Ras isoforms, K-RasB, was able to bind to calmodulin. Furthermore, calmodulin inhibition preferentially activated K-Ras. Interaction between calmodulin and K-RasB is direct and is inhibited by the calmodulin kinase II calmodulin-binding domain. Thus, GTP-bound K-RasB is a calmodulin-binding protein, and we suggest that this binding may be a key element in the modulation of Ras signaling.
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PMID:Calmodulin binds to K-Ras, but not to H- or N-Ras, and modulates its downstream signaling. 1158 16


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