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 mTOR inhibitor rapamycin induces G1 cell cycle accumulation and p53-independent apoptosis of the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line Rh1. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin, but not epidermal growth factor or platelet-derived growth factor, completely prevented apoptosis of this cell line. Because the Ras-Erk1-Erk2 and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathways are implicated in the survival of various cancer cells, we determined whether protection from rapamycin-induced apoptosis by IGF-I requires one or both of these pathways. Despite the blocking of Ras-Erk signaling by the addition of PD 98059 (a MEK1 inhibitor) or by the overexpression of dominant-negative RasN17, IGF-I completely prevented rapamycin-induced death. Inhibition of Ras signaling did not prevent Akt activation by IGF-I. To determine the role of the PI3K-Akt pathway in rescuing cells from apoptosis caused by rapamycin, cells expressing dominant-negative Akt were tested. This mutant protein inhibited IGF-I-induced phosphorylation of Akt and blocked phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3. The prevention of rapamycin-induced apoptosis by IGF-I was not inhibited by expression of dominant-negative Akt either alone or under conditions in which LY 294002 inhibited PI3K signaling. Furthermore, IGF-I prevented rapamycin-induced apoptosis when the Ras-Erk1-Erk2 and PI3K-Akt pathways were blocked simultaneously. Similar experiments in a second rhabdomyosarcoma cell line, Rh30, using pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K or MEK1, alone or in combination, failed to block IGF-I rescue from rapamycin-induced apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that a novel pathway(s) is responsible for the IGF-I-mediated protection against rapamycin-induced apoptosis in these rhabdomyosarcoma cells.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor I-mediated protection from rapamycin-induced apoptosis is independent of Ras-Erk1-Erk2 and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase-Akt signaling pathways. 1254 89

Previously it has been reported that caveolin-1 (cav-1) has antiapoptotic activities in prostate cancer cells and functions downstream of androgenic stimulation. In this study, we demonstrate that cav-1 overexpression significantly reduced thapsigargin (Tg)-stimulated apoptosis. Examination of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt signaling cascade revealed higher activities of PDK1 and Akt but not PI3-K in cav-1-stimulated cells compared to control cells. We subsequently found that cav-1 interacts with and inhibits serine/threonine protein phosphatases PP1 and PP2A through scaffolding domain binding site interactions. Deletion of the cav-1 scaffolding domain significantly reduces phosphorylated Akt and cell viability compared with wild-type cav-1. Analysis of potential substrates for PP1 and PP2A revealed that cav-1-mediated inhibition of PP1 and PP2A leads to increased PDK1, Akt, and ERK1/2 activities. We demonstrate that increased Akt activities are largely responsible for cav-1-mediated cell survival using dominant-negative Akt mutants and specific inhibitors to MEK1/MEK and show that cav-1 increases the half-life of phosphorylated PDK1 and Akt after inhibition of PI3-K by LY294002. We further demonstrate that cav-1-stimulated Akt activities lead to increased phosphorylation of multiple Akt substrates, including GSK3, FKHR, and MDM2. In addition, overexpression of cav-1 significantly increases translocation of phosphorylated androgen receptor to nucleus. Our studies therefore reveal a novel mechanism of Akt activation in prostate cancer and potentially other malignancies.
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PMID:Caveolin-1 maintains activated Akt in prostate cancer cells through scaffolding domain binding site interactions with and inhibition of serine/threonine protein phosphatases PP1 and PP2A. 1464 48

beta-Adrenoceptor agonists reportedly decrease spontaneous apoptosis of peripheral blood eosinophils; however, its signaling pathway is unknown. Survival signals can be elicited by the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt, both of which are known to be potent regulators of apoptosis, and Akt in turn inactivates Forkhead transcription factors, including FKHR (Forkhead in rhabdomyosarcoma). We have investigated the effect of beta-agonists on apoptosis of local eosinophils isolated from the airways and the involvement of PI3K, Akt, and FKHR in its survival signal. Eosinophils obtained from immunized mice by bronchoalveolar lavage after allergen provocation underwent apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. Incubation of eosinophils with isoproterenol or formoterol dose-dependently inhibited both spontaneous eosinophil apoptosis and apoptosis induced by Fas receptor activation. Incubation with cAMP or forskolin also inhibited eosinophil apoptosis. The PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002 and an Akt inhibitor, 1-L-6-hydroxymethyl-chiro-inositol 2-(R)-2-O-methyl-3-O-octadecylcarbonate, but not a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor PD-98059, blocked isoproterenol-mediated eosinophil survival. Wortmannin also inhibited cAMP-mediated eosinophil survival. Isoproterenol rapidly induced phosphorylation of Akt and FKHR in eosinophils in a PI3K-dependent manner. These findings indicate that the PI3K-Akt-FKHR pathway conveys a critical survival signal induced by beta-agonists in airway eosinophils.
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PMID:Activation of PI3K-Akt pathway mediates antiapoptotic effects of beta-adrenergic agonist in airway eosinophils. 1561 57

The members of the transcription factor Foxo family regulate the expression of genes concerned with the stress response, cell cycle and gluconeogenesis. Foxo1 (FKHR) contains 15 consensus phosphorylation sites for the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. Therefore, we hypothesized that MAPKs could directly regulate the transcriptional activity of Foxo1 via phosphorylation. In vitro kinase assay showed that Foxo1 was phosphorylated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and p38 MAPK (p38) but not by c-jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). In NIH3T3 cells, epidermal growth factor or anisomycin increased phosphorylation of exogenous Foxo1, which was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with an MEK 1 inhibitor, PD98059, or a p38 inhibitor, SB203580. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping using mutation of phosphorylation sites for MAPK revealed that the nine serine residues in Foxo1 are specifically phosphorylated by Erk and that five of the nine residues are phosphorylated by p38 in vivo. Moreover, we also found that Foxo1 interacts with Ets-1 and functions as a coactivator for Ets-1 on the fetal liver kinase (Flk)-1 promoter in bovine carotid artery endothelial cells. Mutation of the nine phosphorylation sites for Erk in Foxo1 was shown to lead to less binding and synergistic activity for Ets-1 on the Flk-1 promoter when compared with wild-type Foxo1. These results suggest that Foxo1 is specifically phosphorylated by Erk and p38, and that this phosphorylation regulates the function of Foxo1 as a coactivator for Ets-1.
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PMID:Mitogen-activated protein kinases, Erk and p38, phosphorylate and regulate Foxo1. 1711 51

Signaling pathways of IGF-I and insulin receptors play important roles in the regulation of myocardial function. FOXO1 is a member of the forkhead transcriptional factor family, but how insulin and IGF-I receptor signaling regulate FOXO1 in cardiomyocytes is not well understood. This study was carried out to elucidate how IGF-I and insulin receptor signaling modulate FOXO1 in cardiomyocytes. In cardiomyocytes, activation of IGF-I receptor and insulin receptor lead to rapid phosphorylation of FOXO1. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway suppressed the effect of insulin and IGF-I on FOXO1 phosphorylation. Prolonged incubation with IGF-I increased ubiquitination of FOXO1 and down-regulated the abundance of FOXO1 proteins, which suggested that IGF-I might modulate FOXO1 degradation. To explore whether FOXO1 could modulate IGF-I and insulin signaling, a constitutively active FOXO1 was overexpressed in cardiomyocytes. The abundance of insulin receptor and IGF-I receptor was significantly upregulated in the cells overexpressing active FOXO1, accompanied by increased receptor phosphorylation upon insulin/IGF-I stimulation. Interestingly, overexpression of constitutively active FOXO1 also led to activation of MEK and Akt phosphorylation. IGF-I-stimulated MEK and Akt phosphorylation were augmented byoverexpression of constitutively active FOXO1. These findings indicate bidirectional regulation of insulin/IGF-I receptor signaling and FOXO1 in cardiomyocytes. FOXO1 may provide feedback control through upregulation of insulin and IGF-I receptor signaling.
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PMID:Bidirectional regulation of upstream IGF-I/insulin receptor signaling and downstream FOXO1 in cardiomyocytes. 1721 Jul 52

Activation of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) by its ligand, HMGB1, stimulates myogenesis via a Cdc42-Rac1-MKK6-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. In addition, functional inactivation of RAGE in myoblasts results in reduced myogenesis, increased proliferation, and tumor formation in vivo. We show here that TE671 rhabdomyosarcoma cells, which do not express RAGE, can be induced to differentiate on transfection with RAGE (TE671/RAGE cells) but not a signaling-deficient RAGE mutant (RAGEDeltacyto) (TE671/RAGEDeltacyto cells) via activation of a Cdc42-Rac1-MKK6-p38 pathway and that TE671/RAGE cell differentiation depends on RAGE engagement by HMGB1. TE671/RAGE cells also show p38-dependent inactivation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 and c-Jun NH(2) terminal protein kinase and reduced proliferation, migration, and invasiveness and increased apoptosis, volume, and adhesiveness in vitro; they also grow smaller tumors and show a lower tumor incidence in vivo compared with wild-type cells. Two other rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines that express RAGE, CCA and RMZ-RC2, show an inverse relationship between the level of RAGE expression and invasiveness in vitro and exhibit reduced myogenic potential and enhanced invasive properties in vitro when transfected with RAGEDeltacyto. The rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines used here and C2C12 myoblasts express and release HMGB1, which activates RAGE in an autocrine manner. These data suggest that deregulation of RAGE expression in myoblasts might concur in rhabdomyosarcomagenesis and that increasing RAGE expression in rhabdomyosarcoma cells might reduce their tumor potential.
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PMID:RAGE expression in rhabdomyosarcoma cells results in myogenic differentiation and reduced proliferation, migration, invasiveness, and tumor growth. 1764 Sep 70

VEGF dependent angiogenesis is required for normal bone development and has been implicated in cancer metastasis to bone. These processes, while dependent on osteoclastic bone resorption, are reportedly mediated by endothelial cells, stromal osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and/or tumor cells. We demonstrate here that VEGF treatment of purified murine bone marrow osteoclast precursors directly enhances their survival, differentiation into mature osteoclasts, and resorptive activity. The actions of VEGF on mature osteoclasts principally involve the receptor VEGFR2 (Flk1, KDR), and the receptor signaling utilizes both the PI3-kinase-->Akt and MEK-->ERK pathways. Increased osteoclast survival and resorptive activity is correlated with VEGF-dependent phosphorylation of multiple downstream targets of activated Akt [glycogen synthase kinase, GSK-3beta; forkhead transcription factor, FKHR; and the Bcl-2 antagonist of cell death, Bad (Ser136)] and activated ERK1/2 [ribosomal S6 kinase, p90RSK; and Bad (Ser112)]. Expression of the VEGFR2 gene increases 20-fold during the 6 day in vitro differentiation of mature osteoclasts from mononuclear precursors, while alternate receptors VEGFR1 and neuropilin-1, decrease 30- and 3-fold respectively. Additionally, VEGF enhancement of osteoclast survival is diminished in cells prepared from beta3 integrin-deficient mice, thus associating VEGF signaling in osteoclasts with their attachment to extracellular matrix. Our results indicate that VEGF directly targets osteoclasts, thereby playing a novel role in bone development, angiogenesis, and tumor metastasis.
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PMID:VEGF enhancement of osteoclast survival and bone resorption involves VEGF receptor-2 signaling and beta3-integrin. 1864 Feb 70

Multimodal treatment has improved the outcome of many solid tumors, and in some cases the use of radiosensitizers has significantly contributed to this gain. Activation of the extracellular signaling kinase pathway (MEK/ERK) generally results in stimulation of cell growth and confers a survival advantage playing the major role in human cancer. The potential involvement of this pathway in cellular radiosensitivity remains unclear. We previously reported that the disruption of c-Myc through MEK/ERK inhibition blocks the expression of the transformed phenotype; affects in vitro and in vivo growth and angiogenic signaling; and induces myogenic differentiation in the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) cell lines (RD). This study was designed to examine whether the ERK pathway affects intrinsic radiosensitivity of rhabdomyosarcoma cancer cells. Exponentially growing human ERMS, RD, xenograft-derived RD-M1, and TE671 cell lines were used. The specific MEK/ERK inhibitor, U0126, reduced the clonogenic potential of the three cell lines, and was affected by radiation. U0126 inhibited phospho-active ERK1/2 and reduced DNA protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) suggesting that ERKs and DNA-PKcs cooperate in radioprotection of rhabdomyosarcoma cells. The TE671 cell line xenotransplanted in mice showed a reduction in tumor mass and increase in the time of tumor progression with U0126 treatment associated with reduced DNA-PKcs, an effect enhanced by radiotherapy. Thus, our results show that MEK/ERK inhibition enhances radiosensitivity of rhabdomyosarcoma cells suggesting a rational approach in combination with radiotherapy.
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PMID:MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126 increases the radiosensitivity of rhabdomyosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo by downregulating growth and DNA repair signals. 2122 Apr 98

The zebrafish is a powerful genetic model that has only recently been used to dissect developmental pathways involved in oncogenesis. We hypothesized that operative pathways during embryogenesis would also be used for oncogenesis. In an effort to define RAS target genes during embryogenesis, gene expression was evaluated in Tg(hsp70-HRAS(G12V)) zebrafish embryos subjected to heat shock. dusp6 was activated by RAS, and this was used as the basis for a chemical genetic screen to identify small molecules that interfere with RAS signaling during embryogenesis. A KRAS(G12D)-induced zebrafish embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma was then used to assess the therapeutic effects of the small molecules. Two of these inhibitors, PD98059 and TPCK, had anti-tumor activity as single agents in both zebrafish embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and a human cell line of rhabdomyosarcoma that harbored activated mutations in NRAS. PD98059 inhibited MEK1 whereas TPCK suppressed S6K1 activity; however, the combined treatment completely suppressed eIF4B phosphorylation and decreased translation initiation. Our work demonstrates that the activated pathways in RAS induction during embryogenesis are also important in oncogenesis and that inhibition of these pathways suppresses tumor growth.
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PMID:A novel chemical screening strategy in zebrafish identifies common pathways in embryogenesis and rhabdomyosarcoma development. 2361 77

Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and P38, have been reported to play important roles in energy homeostasis. In this study, we show that the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is increased in the livers of diet induced and genetically obese mice. Activation of ERK in the livers of lean mice by over-expressing the constitutively active MAPK kinase 1 (MEK CA) results in decreased energy expenditure, lowered expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, increases fasting hyperglycemia and causes systemic insulin resistance. Interestingly, hepatic glycogen content is markedly increased and expression of G6Pase gene is decreased in mice over-expressing MEK CA compared to control mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), therefore hepatic glucose output is not likely the major contributor of hyperglycemia. One potential mechanism of decreased expression of G6Pase gene by MEK CA is likely due to ERK mediated phosphorylation and cytosolic retention of FOXO1. Adipocytes isolated from MEK CA mice display increased lipolysis. Circulating levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) in these mice are also increased, which possibly contribute to systemic insulin resistance and subsequent hyperglycemia. Consistent with these results, knocking down ERK expression in the liver of diet induced obese (DIO) mice improves systemic insulin and glucose tolerance. These results indicate that increased hepatic ERK activity in DIO mice may contribute to increased liver glycogen content and decreased energy expenditure in obesity.
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PMID:Hepatic ERK activity plays a role in energy metabolism. 2373 16


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