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)

We have purified 42- and 44-kilodalton (kDa) isoforms of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family from bovine brain. The kinases were assayed with myelin basic protein as the substrate and detected by anti-sea star p44mpk antibody. Purification was achieved using phenyl-Sepharose, polylysine-agarose, hydroxylapatite, and Mono-Q column chromatography. Both myelin basic protein and smooth muscle caldesmon, but not histone H1, served as good substrates. Based on chromatographic behaviors and specific activities toward myelin basic protein, it is likely that the 42-kDa brain isoform is similar to that of brain tau kinase. The 44-kDa enzyme, however, is a novel brain MAP kinase isoform not reported previously. Although it has been demonstrated that p44mpk can be activated in vitro through phosphorylation by the tyrosine kinase p56lck, neither of the brain kinases were significantly stimulated by the tyrosine kinases p56lck, p56lyn, or p59fyn. However, based on antibody cross-reactivity, a MAP kinase kinase is present in the crude brain extract. Both brain MAP kinases were capable of autophosphorylation which occurred, at least in part, on tyrosine residues. However, only the 44-kDa isoform showed a significant degree of coincident activation.
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PMID:MAP kinases from bovine brain: purification and characterization. 751 82

In the renal medulla during antidiuresis, the extracellular fluid becomes hyperosmotic. Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells adapt in hyperosmotic conditions and serve as a useful tissue culture model for cellular responses to hyperosmolality. We demonstrate that hyperosmolality stimulates phospholipase C, Raf-1 kinase mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase, MAP kinase, and S6 kinase activities and that it increases phosphorylation of Raf-1 kinase, and p42 MAP kinase in MDCK cells. Stimulation of these kinases is osmolality-dependent (from 300 to 600 mosm/kg H2O). The time course of activation is sequential; the peak stimulation for Raf-1 kinase is at 5 min, at 10 min for MAP kinase kinase and MAP kinase, and at 20 min for S6 kinase. The activation of Raf-1 kinase and MAP kinase is inhibited by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate pretreatment in the presence of calphostin C or H-7. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (genistein, herbimycin) do not significantly suppress hyperosmolality-induced MAP kinase activity. The increase of Ins-1,4,5-P3 levels by hyperosmolality suggests that activation of these kinases is mediated at least partially via activation of phospholipase C. Thus, hyperosmolality stimulates the serine/threonine kinases, Raf-1 kinase, MAP kinase kinase, MAP kinase, and S6 kinase, via predominantly protein kinase C-dependent, tyrosine kinase-independent pathways in MDCK cells.
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PMID:Sequential activation of Raf-1 kinase, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase, MAP kinase, and S6 kinase by hyperosmolality in renal cells. 752 42

Although signaling by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is thought to be dependent on receptor tyrosine kinase activity, it is clear that mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase can be activated by receptors lacking kinase activity. Since analysis of the signaling pathways used by kinase-defective receptors could reveal otherwise masked capabilities, we examined in detail the tyrosine phosphorylations and enzymes of the MAP kinase pathway induced by kinase-defective EGF receptors. Following EGF stimulation of B82L cells expressing a kinase-defective EGF receptor mutant (K721M), we found that ERK2 and ERK1 MAP kinases, as well as MEK1 and MEK2 were all activated, and SHC became prominently tyrosine-phosphorylated. By contrast, kinase-defective receptors failed to induce detectable phosphorylations of GAP (GTPase-activating protein), p62, JAK1, or p91STAT1, all of which were robustly phosphorylated by wild-type receptors. These data demonstrate that kinase-defective receptors induce several protein tyrosine phosphorylations, but that these represent only a subset of those seen with wild-type receptors. This suggests that kinase-defective receptors activate a heterologous tyrosine kinase with a specificity different from the EGF receptor. We found that kinase-defective receptors induced ErbB2/c-Neu enzymatic activation and ErbB2/c-Neu binding to SHC at a level even greater than that induced by wild-type receptors. Thus, heterodimerization with and activation of endogenous ErbB2/c-Neu is a possible mechanism by which kinase-defective receptors stimulate the MAP kinase pathway.
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PMID:An incomplete program of cellular tyrosine phosphorylations induced by kinase-defective epidermal growth factor receptors. 753 32

A central feature of signal transduction downstream of both receptor and oncogenic tyrosine kinases is the Ras-dependent activation of a protein kinase cascade consisting of Raf-1, Mek (MAP kinase kinase) and ERKs (MAP kinases). To study the role of tyrosine kinase activity in the activation of Raf-1, we have examined the properties of p74Raf-1 and oncogenic Src that are necessary for activation of p74Raf-1. We show that in mammalian cells activation of p74Raf-1 by oncogenic Src requires pp60Src to be myristoylated and the ability of p74Raf-1 to interact with p21Ras-GTP. The Ras/Raf interaction is required for p21Ras-GTP to bring p74Raf-1 to the plasma membrane for phosphorylation at tyrosine 340 or 341, probably by membrane-bound pp60Src. When oncogenic Src is expressed with Raf-1, p74Raf-1 is activated 5-fold; however, when co-expressed with oncogenic Ras and Src, Raf-1 is activated 25-fold and this is associated with a further 3-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation. Thus, p21Ras-GTP is the limiting component in bringing p74Raf-1 to the plasma membrane for tyrosine phosphorylation. Using mutants of Raf-1 at Tyr340/341, we show that in addition to tyrosine phosphorylation at these sites, there is an additional activation step resulting from p21Ras-GTP recruiting p74Raf-1 to the plasma membrane. Thus, the role of Ras in Raf-1 activation is to bring p74Raf-1 to the plasma membrane for at least two different activation steps.
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PMID:Ras recruits Raf-1 to the plasma membrane for activation by tyrosine phosphorylation. 754 86

Protein phosphorylation has evolved as the most versatile posttranslational modification widely used by cells. Signal transduction pathways mediated by activation of MAP kinases and protein kinase C trigger the exit of cells from the quiscence (Go-->G1 transition). Indeed, binding of growth factors at the cell surface triggers their receptors, usually possessing a tyrosine kinase on the cytoplasmic side, to phosphorylate other molecules passing on the information sequentially to GRB2 protein, to p21ras, to c-Raf-1, to MAP kinase kinase, to MAP kinase, to p90rsk, to transcription factors. Activated PKC, MAP kinase, and pp90src can translocate to the nucleus where they phosphorylate a number of protein transcription regulators in a cell cycle-dependent manner or in response to cell stimulation for exit from quiescence. The cell cycle is mainly regulated by p34cdc2 or otherwise called cdc2 in association with cyclins B at G2/M and by Cdk2 in association with cyclins A, D1, and E at G1/S checkpoints; phosphorylation of histone H1 and lamins by cdc2 triggers chromosome assembly and nuclear envelope breakdown, respectively, as a prelude to mitosis. Cdc2 activities functioning as a G2/M regulator are controlled by its phosphorylation and dephosphorylation at Ser/Thr residues. MAP kinases might be the missing link in the chain connecting the Go to G1 transition with the cell cycle regulation, whereas phosphorylation of replication protein factors, retinoblastoma, and p53 might link the G1 to S transition with the control of DNA synthesis. A number of transcription factors are known to stimulate DNA replication, including p53, c-Myc, AP-1, Oct-1, T-antigen; the DNA binding activities of all these proteins and their interaction with other transcription factors are controlled by phosphorylation. The nuclear import of several proteins including NF kappa B, Dorsal, glucocorticoid receptor, ISGF3, rNFIL-6, T antigen, and the kinases PKC, MAP, and p90rsk, are dependent on their phosphorylation at specific sites. Histone phosphorylation stimulated at discrete stages of the cell cycle or in response to cAMP or other stimuli might induce profound changes in chromatin organization.
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PMID:Phosphorylation of transcription factors and control of the cell cycle. 754 80

Integrin receptors play important roles in organizing the actin-containing cytoskeleton and in signal transduction from the extracellular matrix. The initial steps in integrin function can be analyzed experimentally using beads coated with ligands or anti-integrin antibodies to trigger rapid focal transmembrane responses. A hierarchy of transmembrane actions was identified in this study. Simple integrin aggregation triggered localized transmembrane accumulation of 20 signal transduction molecules, including RhoA, Rac1, Ras, Raf, MEK, ERK, and JNK. In contrast, out of eight cytoskeletal molecules tested, only tensin coaccumulated. Integrin aggregation alone was also sufficient to induce rapid activation of the JNK pathway, with kinetics of activation different from those of ERK. The tyrosine kinase inhibitors herbimycin A or genistein blocked both the accumulation of 19 out of 20 signal transduction molecules and JNK- and ERK-mediated signaling. Cytochalasin D had identical effects, whereas three other tyrosine kinase inhibitors did not. The sole exception among signaling molecules was the kinase pp125FAK which continued to coaggregate with alpha 5 beta 1 integrins even in the presence of these inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase inhibition also failed to block the ability of ligand occupancy plus integrin aggregation to trigger transmembrane accumulation of the three cytoskeletal molecules talin, alpha-actinin, and vinculin; these molecules accumulated even in the presence of cytochalasin D. However, it was necessary to fulfill all four conditions, i.e., integrin aggregation, integrin occupancy, tyrosine kinase activity, and actin cytoskeletal integrity, to achieve integrin-mediated focal accumulation of other cytoskeletal molecules including F-actin and paxillin. Integrins therefore mediate a transmembrane hierarchy of molecular responses.
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PMID:Integrin function: molecular hierarchies of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules. 759 97

We have shown that the interaction of interleukin (IL)-5 with the receptor activates Lyn tyrosine kinase within 1 min and Jak2 tyrosine kinase within 1-3 min. IL-5 also stimulates GTP binding to p21ras. The signal is subsequently propagated through the activation of Raf-1, MEK, and MAP kinases as shown by their increased autophosphorylation in vitro and phosphorylation in situ. Jak2 kinase has been shown to phosphorylate STAT nuclear proteins. The activation of STAT nuclear factors was studied by electrophoretic mobility shift assay using a gamma activation site (GAS) probe. We found that IL-5 induces two GAS-binding proteins in eosinophils, one of which is STAT1. We conclude that IL-5 induced signals are propagated through two distinct pathways: (1) Lyn-->Ras-->Raf-1-->MEK-->MAP kinase and (2) Jak2-->STAT1.
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PMID:The interleukin-5/receptor interaction activates Lyn and Jak2 tyrosine kinases and propagates signals via the Ras-Raf-1-MAP kinase and the Jak-STAT pathways in eosinophils. 761 38

A kinase cascade highly conserved throughout evolution, Raf/MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK)-->MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK)-->MAP kinase (MAPK)-->ribosomal S6 kinase (p90 RSK), is thought to play a crucial role in signal transduction from the membrane to the nucleus. In mammalian cells, this cascade is connected both to tyrosine kinase receptors and G protein-coupled receptors. Although the mode of activation at the receptor level differs, all mitogens activate the ubiquitously expressed isoforms of MAPK, p42 and p44. We have cloned, epitope tagged and expressed in fibroblasts, the Hamster MAPKK and p44 MAPK in order to analyze their time-course of activation, their subcellular localization, their regulatory phosphorylation sites and their role in cell cycle entry. We have demonstrated that MAPK activation was rapid, biphasic and persistent. The sustained phase of activation is only obtained with potent mitogenic agents, correlating with their ability to elicit cell cycle entry. Activation of MAPKK is also rapid and persistent but does not distinguish between mitogenic and non mitogenic factors, indicating that a distinction occurs at the MAPK level, probably by the action of specific phosphatases such as MAPK phosphatase MKP-1. Both isoforms of MAPK are translocated into the nucleus upon growth factor addition whereas the upstream activators (MAPKKK, Raf and MAPKK) remain cytoplasmic. MAPK translocation, together with the ability of MAPK to phosphorylate transcription factors, indicates that MAPK might constitute a relay between cytoplasmic and nuclear events. Finally we show that interfering with the MAP kinase cascade, by expressing either MAPK antisense, a MAPK dominant negative mutant or the MAPK specific phosphatase, MKP-1, suppresses the growth factor induced G0 to G1 transition. In addition, permanently activated versions of MAPKK reduce growth factor requirement, allow autonomous cell growth and induce tumor formation in nude mice. We therefore conclude that MAP kinase activation is both necessary and sufficient to trigger cell cycle entry.
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PMID:[MAP kinase module: role in the control of cell proliferation]. 764 66

Many tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors activate the MAP Kinase (MAPK) pathway by stimulating the activity of the RAF kinase. In some, but not all cell types, the expression of activated RAF is sufficient to induce constitutive MAPK activation. In BAC-1.2F5 macrophages the expression of virally activated RAF does not correlate with constitutive MAPK activation; on the contrary, growth factor-mediated stimulation of MAPK activity is suppressed in these cells. Suppression correlates with v-RAF expression, as MAPK activation is normal in a revertant cell line that stopped expressing v-RAF. Inhibition of MAPK activation is associated with lack of ERK-2 tyrosine phosphorylation, and is not due to the suppression of CSF-1-mediated MEK activation. Pretreatment with vanadate restores growth factor-stimulated activation and tyrosine phosphorylation of MAPK in v-RAF-expressing macrophages, indicating the involvement of a tyrosine phosphatase. Interestingly, v-RAF-expressing macrophages contain low constitutive levels of MKP-1 mRNA, an immediate early gene that encodes a MAPK-specific phosphatase and is induced in the parental cell line by CSF-1 treatment. The restoration of MAPK activation by vanadate pretreatment and the presence of MKP-1 mRNA in v-RAF-expressing macrophages raise the intriguing possibility that in macrophages RAF may be feeding back on the MAPK pathway by participating in the control of MKP-1 expression.
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PMID:Suppression of growth factor-mediated MAP kinase activation by v-raf in macrophages: a putative role for the MKP-1 phosphatase. 770 Jun 43

An evolutionarily conserved signal transduction pathway that utilizes a receptor tyrosine kinase and a Ras protein mediates the induction of vulval cell fates in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We sought new genes that function in this pathway by screening for suppressors of the Multivulva phenotype caused by a mutation that activates the let-60 ras gene. Seven such suppressor mutations defined a new gene involved in vulval induction. We named this gene mek-2, because its predicted protein product is most similar to MEK, a protein-serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase. mek-2 mutations can be arranged in an allelic series. A probable null mutation eliminated vulval induction, and the strongest mutations alter codons conserved in most or all protein kinases. Our genetic analysis showed that mek-2 functions downstream of let-60 ras and is required for ras-mediated signal transduction in vivo. The MEK-2 protein may interact with the products of the lin-45 raf and mpk-1 MAP kinase genes, which also mediate vulval induction.
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PMID:The Caenorhabditis elegans gene mek-2 is required for vulval induction and encodes a protein similar to the protein kinase MEK. 772 91


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