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)

Inhibition of signaling through Ras in BCR-ABL-positive pluripotent K562 cells leads to apoptosis and spontaneous differentiation. However, Ras-induced activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK has been suggested to play a critical role in either growth or differentiation in different model systems. We studied the role of ERK activation in the growth-promoting and anti-apoptotic effect of Ras and its involvement in hemin-induced nonterminal erythroid differentiation using the BCR-ABL-positive K562 cell line as a model. K562 cells were stably transfected with ERK1 or the dominant inhibitory mutant of ERK1 (ERK1-KR). Overexpression of ERK1-KR inhibited cell growth with an approximately fourfold increase in doubling time and induced apoptosis in K562 cells. Incubation with the MEK1 inhibitor UO126 inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner as well. In the presence of exogenously added hemin, K562 cells differentiate into erythroblasts, as indicated by the production of large amounts of fetal hemoglobin. We examined the activation of MAP kinases during hemin-induced differentiation. The ERK1 and 2 activity increased within 2 h post hemin treatment and remained elevated for 24-48 h. During this time, fetal hemoglobin synthesis also increases from 0.8 to 10 pg/cell. There was no activation of JNK or p38 protein kinases. The hemin-induced accumulation of hemoglobin was inhibited in ERK1-KR overexpressing cells and was enhanced in the wild-type ERK1 transfectants. Our results suggest that ERK activation is involved in both growth and hemin-induced erythroid differentiation in the BCR-ABL-positive K562 cell line.
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PMID:Role of ERK activation in growth and erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. 1126 76

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade is a key regulator of mammalian cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we examined the roles of 2 members of the MAP kinase family, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (Erk1) and Erk2, in erythropoietin (EPO)-induced erythroid differentiation and thrombopoietin (TPO)-induced megakaryocytic differentiation. UT-7/GM was used as a model system because this cell line is an erythroid/megakaryocytic bipotent cell line that can be induced to differentiate into the erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages by EPO and TPO, respectively. The kinetics of activation of Erk1 and Erk2 were examined during erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation of UT-7/GM cells. EPO induced a transient activation of these kinases, peaking after 1 minute of stimulation and then declining quickly almost to the basal level. In contrast, TPO-induced activation of the kinases peaked at 10 minutes and persisted for up to 60 minutes, similar to the activation by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The percentage of EPO-induced hemoglobin-positive cells was elevated by the addition of PD98059, a specific inhibitor of MEK1 (MAP kinase/ERK kinase 1). In contrast, PD98059 clearly reduced the amount of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antigens induced by TPO on UT-7/GM cells. Thus, inactivation of Erk1 and Erk2 kinases promoted EPO-induced erythroid differentiation and suppressed TPO-induced megakaryocytic differentiation of UT-7/GM cells. In conclusion, the activation of Erk1 and Erk2 kinases may be a critical event in the determination of cell fate and the differentiation processes of the erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages.
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PMID:A functional role of mitogen-activated protein kinases, erk1 and erk2, in the differentiation of a human leukemia cell line, UT-7/GM: a possible key factor for cell fate determination toward erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages. 1137 59

We studied the effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) on the erythroid differentiation of human erythroid leukemia cell line K562. After K562 was treated with CsA for 4 days, the percentage of hemoglobinized cells was increased by 3.3 times. Because it was reported p38 MAPK (p38) and ERK are involved in erythropoietin-induced erythroid differentiation, we studied their roles using specific inhibitors. p38 inhibitor (SB203580) prevented CsA-induced hemoglobin synthesis in K562 cells, although MEK/ERK inhibitor (U0126) enhanced it by 3.3 times in K562 cells. These results indicate activation of p38 and inactivation of ERK are involved in CsA-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells.
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PMID:Cyclosporin A induces erythroid differentiation of K562 cells through p38 MAPK and ERK pathways. 1250 71

Increases in fetal hemoglobin have been identified after birth in several clinical settings associated with stressed or malignant erythropoiesis. To better understand the relationship between the expression of this fetal protein and growth, donated human erythroid progenitor cells were cultured in the presence of erythropoietin (EPO) plus the growth-modifying cytokine stem cell factor (SCF), and several growth-related signaling pathways were interrogated. Only the MEK1/2 inhibitor (PD98059) demonstrated significant effects on fetal hemoglobin. In the absence of PD98059, levels of fetal hemoglobin averaged 27.4% +/- 7.9% in EPO+SCF compared with 1.26% +/- 1.7% in EPO alone (P =.02). A linear dose response in levels of fetal hemoglobin to PD98059 was detected (0.16 microM = 27.13%, 0.8 microM = 19.6%, 4 microM = 12.2%, 20 microM = 1.54%). Western blot analyses revealed that SCF was required for phosphorylation of MEK and p44MAPK in this setting, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated a significant increase in gamma-globin mRNA. Particular perturbations of growth-related signaling may also function to activate tissue-specific genes normally expressed during fetal development. This concept may be relevant for the development of new treatment rationales for beta hemoglobinopathies.
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PMID:A signaling mechanism for growth-related expression of fetal hemoglobin. 1459 35

K562 cells can be induced to differentiate along the erythroid lineage by a variety of chemical compounds, including hemin, butyrate, cisplatin and ara-C. Differential signaling through MAP kinases has been suggested to be involved in this differentiation process. We have investigated the involvement of ERK activation/inhibition in hemin-, butyrate-, cisplatin- and ara-C-induced erythroid differentiation using the K562 cell line. ERK activity decreased for 2-4h after administration of either inducing agent. ERK was then activated by hemin and cisplatin, while ERK phosphorylation remained decreased during incubation with butyrate and ara-C. There was no activation of JNK or p38. The MEK-1 inhibitors UO126 or PD98059 induced erythroid differentiation in K562 cells and acted additively with butyrate. Inhibition of MEK-1 reduced the hemoglobin accumulation by hemin and cisplatin; erythroid differentiation by ara-C was unchanged. The results suggest that inhibition of signaling through ERK in K562 cells may be needed to enter the erythroid differentiation process, while after initiation both activation and inhibition of signaling through ERK enhance erythroid differentiation, which, however, is dependent on the inducing compound.
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PMID:ERK signaling pathway is differentially involved in erythroid differentiation of K562 cells depending on time and the inducing agent. 1519 84

K562 cells can be used as a model of erythroid differentiation on being induced by hemin. We found that the level of annexin1 gene expression was notably increased during this indicated process. To test the hypothesis that annexin1 can regulate erythropoiesis, K562 cell clones in which annexin1 was stably increased and was knocked down by RNAi were established, respectively. With analysis by hemoglobin quantification, benzidine staining, and marker gene expression profile determination, we confirmed that hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells was modestly stimulated by overexpression of annexin1 while it was significantly blocked by knock down of annexin1. Further studies revealed that the mechanisms of annexin1 regulation of the erythroid differentiation was partially related to the increased ERK phosphorylation and expression of p21(cip/waf), since specific inhibitor of MEK blocked the function of annexin1 in erythroid differentiation. We concluded that annexin1 exerted its erythropoiesis regulating effect by ERK pathway.
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PMID:Annexin1 regulates the erythroid differentiation through ERK signaling pathway. 1588 23

Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction is an effective approach to improve clinical symptoms in sickle cell disease. Understanding molecular mechanisms for gamma-gene re-activation will aid efforts to design lead compounds. A potential inhibitory role for the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in gamma-gene expression has been suggested recently. Therefore, we determined the ability of U0126, a selective inhibitor of MEK1/2 the upstream activators of ERK, to re-activate gamma-globin expression. K562 stable lines over-expressing constitutively active MEK1 were established. A significant increase in ERK phosphorylation was observed and gamma-gene expression was silenced concomitantly, however U0126 attenuated this effect. Studies in human erythroid progenitors confirmed the ability of U0126 to induce HbF. Cellular mechanisms for the inhibitory role of ERK signaling in drug-mediated HbF induction will be discussed.
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PMID:Erk pathway inhibitor U0126 induces gamma-globin expression in erythroid cells. 1617 57

The chimeric bcr-abl gene encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase that leads to abnormal transduction of growth and survival signals leading to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). According to our previous observations, in vitro differentiation of several erythroid cell lines is accompanied by the downregulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities. In this work we investigated whether ERKs have a decisive role in either the erythroid differentiation process or apoptosis of bcr-abl+ K562 cells by means of direct (MEK1/2 inhibitor UO126) and indirect (reduced Bcr-Abl function) inhibition of their activities. We found that both Gleevec and UO126 induced hemoglobin expression. Gleevec treatment reduced the phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl, ERK and STAT-5 for up to 24 h, decreased Bcl-XL levels, and induced caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. In contrast, UO126 treatment resulted in only a transient decrease of ERK activity and did not induce cell death. For studying the effect of reduced Bcr-Abl function on erythroid differentiation at the level of the bcr-abl transcript, we applied the siRNA approach. Stable degradation of bcr-abl mRNA was achieved by using a retroviral vector with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter. Despite a high (>90%) transduction efficiency we detected only a transient decrease in Bcr-Abl protein and in phosphorylated ERK1/2 levels. This transient change in Bcr-Abl signaling was sufficient to induce hemoglobin expression without significant cell death. These results suggest that by transiently reducing Bcr-Abl function it is possible to overcome the differentiation blockade without evoking apoptosis in CML cells and that reduced ERK activity may have a crucial role in this process.
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PMID:Reduction of Bcr-Abl function leads to erythroid differentiation of K562 cells via downregulation of ERK. 1738 79

Regulation of cellular metabolism by the citric acid cycle occurs in the mitochondria. However, the citric acid cycle intermediate succinate was shown recently to be a ligand for the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR91. Here, we describe a role for succinate and its receptor in the stimulation of hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) growth. GPR91 mRNA and protein expression were detected in human bone marrow CD34+ progenitor cells, as well as in erythroid and megakaryocyte cultures and the erythroleukemic cell line TF-1. Treatment of these cell cultures with succinate resulted in increased proliferation rates. The proliferation response of TF-1 cells was pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive, suggesting a role for Gi signaling. Proliferation was also blocked when TF-1 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA specific for GPR91. Succinate stimulated activation of the Erk MAPK pathway and inositol phosphate accumulation in a PTX-sensitive manner. Pretreatment of TF-1 cells with the Erk1/2 kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 blocked the proliferation response. Succinate treatment additionally protected TF-1 cells from cell death induced by serum deprivation. Finally, in vivo administration of succinate was found to elevate the levels of hemoglobin, platelets, and neutrophils in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. These results suggest that succinate-GPR91 signaling is capable of promoting HPC development.
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PMID:The role of the GPR91 ligand succinate in hematopoiesis. 1920 47

Hemoglobin breakdown produces an iron-dependent neuronal injury after experimental CNS hemorrhage that may be attenuated by heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors. The HO enzymes are phosphoproteins that are activated by phosphorylation in vitro. While testing the effect of kinase inhibitors in cortical cell cultures, we observed that HO activity was consistently decreased by the MEK inhibitor U0126. The present study tested the hypothesis that MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors reduce HO activity and neuronal vulnerability to hemoglobin. The MEK inhibitors U0126 and SL327 and the ERK inhibitor FR180204 reduced baseline culture HO activity by 35-50%, without altering the activity of recombinant HO-1 or HO-2; negative control compounds U0124 and FR180289 had no effect. Hemoglobin exposure for 16h produced widespread neuronal injury, manifested by release of 59.2+/-7.8% of neuronal lactate dehydrogenase and a twelve-fold increase in malondialdehyde; kinase inhibitors were highly protective. HO-1 induction after hemoglobin treatment was also decreased by U0126, SL327, and FR180204. These results suggest that reduction in HO activity may contribute to the protective effect of MEK and ERK inhibitors against heme-mediated neuronal injury.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase activity and hemoglobin neurotoxicity are attenuated by inhibitors of the MEK/ERK pathway. 1937 83


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