Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.12.2 (MEK)
18,161 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dietary fats, which increase the risk of prostate cancer, stimulate release of intestinal neurotensin (NT), a growth-promoting peptide that enhances the formation of arachidonic acid metabolites in animal blood. This led us to use PC3 cells to examine the involvement of lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX) in the growth effects of NT, including activation of EGF receptor (EGFR) and downstream kinases (ERK, AKT), and stimulation of DNA synthesis. NT and EGF enhanced [3H]-AA release, which was diminished by inhibitors of PLA2 (quinacrine), EGFR (AG1478) and MEK (U0126). NT and EGF phosphorylated EGFR, ERK and AKT, and stimulated DNA synthesis. These effects were diminished by PLA2 inhibitor (quinacrine), general LOX inhibitors (NDGA, ETYA), 5-LOX inhibitors (Rev 5901, AA861), 12-LOX inhibitor (baicalein) and FLAP inhibitor (MK886), while COX inhibitor (indomethacin) was without effect. Cells treated with NT and EGF showed an increase in 5-HETE levels by HPLC. PKC inhibitor (bisindolylmaleimide) blocked the stimulatory effects of NT, EGF and 5-HETE on DNA synthesis. We propose that 5-LOX activity is required for NT to stimulate growth via EGFR and its downstream kinases. The mechanism may involve an effect of 5-HETE on PKC, which is known to facilitate MEK-ERK activation. NT may enhance 5-HETE formation by Ca2+-mediated and ERK-mediated activation of DAG lipase and cPLA2. NT also upregulates cPLA2 and 5-LOX protein expression. Thus, the growth effects of NT and EGF involve a feed-forward system that requires cooperative interactions of the 5-LOX, ERK and AKT pathways.
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PMID:Involvement of arachidonic acid metabolism and EGF receptor in neurotensin-induced prostate cancer PC3 cell growth. 1633 Jan 12

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disease and have a chemopreventive effect in a variety of tumors. Several studies have demonstrated unequivocally that certain NSAIDs cause antiproliferative effects independent of cyclooxygenase (COX) activity. In this study, we investigated the effect of chemically unrelated NSAIDs in the proliferation of glioma cell lines and the possible mechanisms involved in indomethacin-mediated inhibition of proliferation in glioma cells lines. The glioma cell lines were treated with NSAIDs and proliferation was measured by cell counting. Indomethacin, acetaminophen, sulindac sulfide and NS-398 (N-[2-cyclohexyloxy)-4-nitrophenyl]methane-sulfonamide) induced a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of C6 rat glioma cell proliferation. The inhibition of COX by chemically unrelated NSAIDs leads to inhibition of rat and human glioma cell proliferation. The tetrazolium reduction assay (MTT) indicated a reduction in cell viability induced by indomethacin. None of the NSAIDs tested induced caspase-3/7 activation, assayed with a fluorigenic substrate. The indomethacin-induced inhibition of C6 cells proliferation was abrogated by the use of the c-Src inhibitor, PP2 and the MEK inhibitor, PD 098059, suggesting COX-independent mechanisms. Indomethacin decreased the percentage of cells in the S phase, with relative increases in the G0/G1 and/or the G2/M phase. NSAIDs may be clinically important for pharmacological intervention in gliomas.
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PMID:Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit the growth of C6 and U138-MG glioma cell lines. 1648 11

We have examined whether toll-like receptor (TLR)2-mediated stimulation by macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2), originally purified from Mycoplasma fermentans, induces cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin (PG)E(2) in human placental trophoblast cells. The signaling mechanism by which MALP-2 exerts its effect has also been examined. Human placental trophoblast cells isolated from term placenta were used. TLR expression in trophoblast cells was confirmed by multiplex PCR and immunocytochemistry, and examined whether MALP-2 induces COX-2 and PGE(2) by Northern blotting, RT-PCR, Western blotting and ELISA, respectively. The activation of NF-kappaB and MAP kinases (ERK1/2 and p38) was examined by Western blotting. The effects of inhibitors of NF-kappaB, MEK1/2 and p38 on MALP-2-induced PGE(2) production were also evaluated. TLR2, TLR6 and TLR4 were expressed in human placental trophoblast cells. MALP-2 significantly induced COX-2 expression and enhanced PGE(2) production in a dose-dependent manner. MALP-2 induced the activation of NF-kappaB, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK. Inhibitors of NF-kappaB, MEK1/2 and p38 blocked MALP-2-inducible PGE(2) production. TLR2-mediated stimulation by MALP-2 induces COX-2 and PGE(2) in human placental trophoblast cells via NF-kappaB and MAP kinases pathways.
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PMID:Macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 induces cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin E(2) via toll-like receptor 2 in human placental trophoblast cells. 1660 Mar 83

In a cat model of acute experimental esophagitis, resting in vivo lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and in vitro tone are lower than in normal LES, and the LES circular smooth muscle layer contains elevated levels of IL-1beta that decrease the LES tone of normal cats. We now examined the mechanisms of IL-1beta-induced reduction in LES tone. IL-1beta significantly reduced acetylcholine-induced Ca(2+) release in Ca(2+)-free medium, and this effect was partially reversed by catalase, demonstrating a role of H(2)O(2) in these changes. IL-1beta significantly increased the production of H(2)O(2), and the increase was blocked by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB-203580, by the cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) inhibitor AACOCF3, and by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin, but not by the MEK1 inhibitor PD-98059. IL-1beta significantly increased the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and cPLA(2). IL-1beta-induced cPLA(2) phosphorylation was blocked by SB-203580 but not by AACOCF3, suggesting sequential activation of p38 MAPK-phosphorylating cPLA(2). The IL-1beta-induced reduction in LES tone was partially reversed by AACOCF3 and by the Ca(2+)-insensitive PLA(2) inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL). IL-1beta significantly increased cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and PGE(2) levels. The increase in PGE(2) was blocked by SB-203580, AACOCF3, BEL, and the COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 but not by PD-98059 or the COX-1 inhibitor valeryl salicylate. The data suggested that IL-1beta reduces LES tone by producing H(2)O(2), which may affect Ca(2+)-release mechanisms and increase the synthesis of COX-2 and PGE(2). Both H(2)O(2) and PGE(2) production depend on sequential activation of p38 MAPK and cPLA(2). cPLA(2) activates NADPH oxidases, producing H(2)O(2), and may produce arachidonic acid, converted to PGE(2) via COX-2.
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PMID:IL-1beta signaling in cat lower esophageal sphincter circular muscle. 1664 61

Benzo[alpha]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (B[a]PDE), the major metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), shows an ultimate complete carcinogen in various animals and is a causative agent for human cancers. However, its effects on the activation of signal pathways and the expression of genes involved in its carcinogenic effect remain largely unknown. In this study, the effects of B[a]PDE on induction of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and the signal pathways leading to the induction were investigated. Treatment of mouse epidermal Cl41 cells with B[a]PDE caused an increase in the expression of COX-2 at both transcription and protein levels, while its parental compound B[a]P did not show significant inductive effect. The COX-2 induction by B[a]PDE was dependent on the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)s/activation protein (AP)-1 pathway, because inhibition of AP-1 by either overexpression of TAM67 (dominant negative mutant of c-jun), or pretreatment of cells with PD98059 (MEK1/2-ERKs pathway inhibitor) or SB202190 (p38K inhibitor), markedly inhibited B[a]PDE-induced COX-2 expression. In addition, impairment of NF-kappaB pathway by either NEMO-BDBP (an NF-kappaB specific inhibitor) or IkappaB kinase (IKK)beta-KM (dominant negative mutant of IKKbeta) also caused marked reduction of COX-2 induction by B[a]PDE. In contrast, inhibition of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) with FK506, did not show any effect on B[a]PDE-induced COX-2 expression. Collectively, these data indicate that exposure of Cl41 cells to B[a]PDE can induce COX-2 expression by increasing its transcription, which requires the activation of MAPKs/AP-1 and IKKbeta/NF-kappaB pathways, but not NFAT pathway. In view of the importance of COX-2 in carcinogenesis, we anticipate that the induction of COX-2 by B[a]PDE may coordinate its mutagenic effects to facilitate the development of skin cancer.
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PMID:Benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide (B[a]PDE) upregulates COX-2 expression through MAPKs/AP-1 and IKKbeta/NF-kappaB in mouse epidermal Cl41 cells. 1692 90

We studied the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha exposure on cysteinyl leukotriene (LT) synthesis by cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. TNF-alpha conditioning of monocytic THP-1 cells and primary human monocytes resulted in a decreased capacity for LTC(4) release. TNF-alpha exposure (for 16-24 h) decreased LTC(4) synthase mRNA in THP-1 cells, primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages, and eosinophilic AML14.3D10 cells. TNF-alpha downregulated LTC(4) synthase mRNA in THP-1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with downregulation observed as early as 4 h. The effect of TNF-alpha on LTC(4) synthase mRNA expression was mediated via the MEK/ERK pathway, but not via cyclooxygenase or nitric oxide synthase pathways. Conditioning of actinomycin D-treated cells with TNF-alpha did not accelerate degradation of LTC(4) synthase mRNA. TNF-alpha produced sustained activation of p50 and p65, which were previously reported by our group to decrease LTC(4) synthase promoter activity. In transiently transfected THP-1 cells, TNF-alpha decreased promoter activity via an element located within the first 620 bp of the promoter. We conclude that TNF-alpha exposure downregulates the synthetic capacity for cysteinyl LT release and LTC(4) synthase gene expression in monocytes/macrophages via a transcriptional mechanism.
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PMID:TNF-alpha downregulates the leukotriene C4 synthase gene in mononuclear phagocytes. 1698 Mar 79

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is essential to heal gastric ulcers, whereas glucocorticoid delays rat gastric ulcer healing. We found that dexamethasone inhibited EGF-stimulated rat gastric epithelial cell (RGM-1) proliferation by cell count and DNA synthesis analysis of flow cytometry and attempted to elucidate the possible mechanistic pathway via Western blot analysis. EGF (10 ng/ml) treatment for 24 h significantly increased RGM-1 cell proliferation, and dexamethasone (10(-8) and 10(-6) M) markedly suppressed EGF-stimulated cell proliferation. Western blotting results demonstrated that the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) (pERK1/pERK2) significantly increased at 10 min after EGF treatment. This was followed by increase of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression at 3 h after EGF treatment. The continued increase of COX-2 (up to 18 h) resulted in increased intracellular prostaglandin E(2) and cyclin D1 expression significantly after 8 and 12 h of EGF treatment. Dexamethasone substantially reduced EGF-stimulated COX-2 expression at 3 and 6 h and cyclin D1 expression at 8 and 12 h. Pretreatment of RGM-1 cells with dexamethasone or 2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone (PD98059)-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor (5 x 10(-5) M) significantly reduced EGF-stimulated pERK1/pERK2 expression. Simultaneous treatment of RGM-1 cells with PD98059 and EGF also markedly decreased EGF-stimulated COX-2 expression at 6 h. These findings indicate that dexamethasone significantly suppresses EGF-stimulated gastric epithelial cell proliferation, and one of the pathways involved is via inhibiting activation of ERK1/ERK2, followed by inhibition of COX-2, cyclin D1 expression, and finally DNA synthesis.
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PMID:Dexamethasone inhibits epidermal growth factor-stimulated gastric epithelial cell proliferation. 1707 16

Chicken thrombocytes are equivalent in hemostatic function to mammalian platelets. Platelets are enucleated components of mammalian blood, while thrombocytes are nucleated blood leukocytes of chickens. Platelets and thrombocytes share characteristics that contribute to innate immunity. Experiments were conducted to determine if thrombocytes could respond in vitro to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Salmonella minnesota through Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4). The aim was to activate the signal pathways leading to expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and to production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Chicken thrombocytes were found to express TLR4, and LPS-induced an increase in thrombocyte mRNA expression of IL-6 and COX-2 with release of PGE2 into culture media. An increase of COX-2 and PGE2 due to LPS stimulation was inhibited by MEK1 inhibitor PD98059, but IL-6 expression was unaffected by PD98059. The IKK-2 inhibitor BMS345541 inhibited IL-6 and COX-2 with reduction of PGE2 concentrations. Therefore, the MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway activates expression of COX-2 and ultimately PGE2 production, but this pathway has little or no influence on IL-6 expression in thrombocytes. The NF-kappaB pathway also influences COX-2 expression and PGE2 production, and it is a primary activation signaling cascade for IL-6 gene expression in chicken thrombocytes. Thrombocytes represent a major component of the innate immune system of chickens in response to LPS and possibly other microbial products.
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PMID:Thrombocytes respond to lipopolysaccharide through Toll-like receptor-4, and MAP kinase and NF-kappaB pathways leading to expression of interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 with production of prostaglandin E2. 1782 13

Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) plays a dual role in the respiratory system, being pro- and anti-inflammatory. In human lung epithelial cells (A549), PAR2 activation causes release of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in addition to prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). In the present study, we thus investigated PAR2-triggered signal transduction pathways causing IL-8 formation in A549 cells. SLIGRL-NH(2), a PAR2-activating peptide, but not LSIGRL-NH(2), a scrambled peptide, elicited release of IL-8 from A549 cells for 18 h, as measured by the ELISA method, an effect being suppressed by inhibitors of MEK, JNK, EGF receptor-tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK), Src, pan-tyrosine kinases and protein kinase C, but not p38 MAP kinase or cyclooxygenase. SLIGRL-NH(2) also up-regulated IL-8 at protein and mRNA levels, as determined by Western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. The PAR2-triggered up-regulation of IL-8 protein and mRNA was blocked by an inhibitor of MEK, but not clearly by inhibitors of JNK and EGFR-TK. SLIGRL-NH(2) actually phosphorylated JNK as well as ERK, the JNK activation being resistant to inhibitors of Src, pan-tyrosine kinases, protein kinase C and EGFR-TK. Our data suggest that PAR2-triggered IL-8 formation involves transcriptional up-regulation of IL-8 via the MEK-ERK pathway, while the JNK and EGF receptor pathways might rather contribute to a post-transcriptional process for the release of IL-8.
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PMID:Signal transduction for formation/release of interleukin-8 caused by a PAR2-activating peptide in human lung epithelial cells. 1785 23

We examined the stimulus-secretion pathways whereby proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) stimulates Cl(-) secretion in intestinal epithelial cells. SCBN and T84 epithelial monolayers grown on Snapwell supports and mounted in modified Ussing chambers were activated by the PAR-2-activating peptides SLIGRL-NH(2) and 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2). Short-circuit current (I(sc)) was used as a measure of net electrogenic ion transport. Basolateral, but not apical, application of SLIGRL-NH(2) or 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-NH(2) caused a concentration-dependent change in I(sc) that was significantly reduced in Cl(-)-free buffer and by the intracellular Ca(2+) blockers thapsigargin and BAPTA-AM, but not by the Ca(2+) channel blocker verapamil. Inhibitors of PKA (H-89) and CFTR (glibenclamide) also significantly reduced PAR-2-stimulated Cl(-) transport. PAR-2 activation was associated with increases in cAMP and intracellular Ca(2+). Immunoblot analysis revealed increases in phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, Src, Pyk2, cRaf, and ERK1/2 in response to PAR-2 activation. Pretreatment with inhibitors of cyclooxygenases (indomethacin), tyrosine kinases (genistein), EGFR (PD-153035), MEK (PD-98059 or U-0126), and Src (PP1) inhibited SLIGRL-NH(2)-induced increases in I(sc). Inhibition of Src, but not matrix metalloproteinases, reduced EGFR phosphorylation. Reduced EGFR phosphorylation paralleled the reduction in PAR-2-stimulated I(sc). We conclude that activation of basolateral, but not apical, PAR-2 induces epithelial Cl(-) secretion via cAMP- and Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms. The secretory effect involves EGFR transactivation by Src, leading to subsequent ERK1/2 activation and increased cyclooxygenase activity.
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PMID:EGF receptor transactivation and MAP kinase mediate proteinase-activated receptor-2-induced chloride secretion in intestinal epithelial cells. 1803 80


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