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:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Telomerase, a specialized RNA-directed DNA polymerase that extends telomeres of eukaryotic chromosomes, is repressed in normal human somatic cells but is activated during development and upon neoplasia. Whereas activation is involved in immortalization of neoplastic cells, repression of telomerase permits consecutive shortening of telomeres in a chromosome replication-dependent fashion. This cell cycle-dependent, unidirectional catabolism of telomeres constitutes a mechanism for cells to record the extent of DNA loss and cell division number; when telomeres become critically short, the cells terminate chromosome replication and enter cellular senescence. Although neither the telomere signaling mechanisms nor the mechanisms whereby telomerase is repressed in normal cells and activated in neoplastic cells have been established, inhibition of telomerase has been shown to compromise the growth of cancer cells in culture; conversely, forced expression of the enzyme in senescent human cells extends their life span to one typical of young cells. Thus, to switch telomerase on and off has potentially important implications in anti-aging and anti-cancer therapy. There is abundant evidence that the regulation of telomerase is multifactorial in mammalian cells, involving telomerase gene expression, post-translational protein-protein interactions, and protein phosphorylation. Several proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase activity, both directly and indirectly; these include c-Myc, Bcl-2, p21(WAF1), Rb, p53, PKC, Akt/PKB, and protein phosphatase 2A. These findings are evidence for the complexity of telomerase control mechanisms and constitute a point of departure for piecing together an integrated picture of telomerase structure, function, and regulation in aging and tumor development-Liu, J.-P. Studies of the molecular mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase activity.
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PMID:Studies of the molecular mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase activity. 1059 57

A novel calcium channel-associated protein of approximately 700 kDa has been identified in mammalian cardiomyocytes that undergoes substantial cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylation. It was therefore designated as phosphoprotein 700 (pp700). The pp700 interacts specifically with the beta(2) subunit of cardiac L-type calcium channels as revealed by coprecipitation experiments using affinity-purified antibodies against different calcium channel subunits. It is surprising that amino acid sequence analysis of pig pp700 revealed homology to AHNAK-encoded protein, which was originally identified in human cell lines of neural crest origin as 700-kDa phosphoprotein. Cardiac AHNAK expression was assessed on mRNA level by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Sequence-directed antibodies raised against human AHNAK recognized pp700 in immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation experiments, confirming the homology between both proteins. Anti-AHNAK antibodies labeled preferentially the plasma membrane of cardiomyocytes in cryosections of rat cardiac tissue and isolated cardiomyocytes. Sarcolemmal pp700/AHNAK localization was not influenced by stimulation of either the PKA or the protein kinase C pathway. In back-phosphorylation studies with cardiac biopsies, we identified distinct pp700 pools. The membrane-associated fraction of pp700 underwent substantial in vivo phosphorylation on beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation by isoproterenol, whereas the cytoplasmic fraction of pp700 was not accessible to endogenous PKA. It is important that in vivo phosphorylation occurred in that pp700 fraction which coprecipitated with the calcium channel beta subunit. We hypothesize that both phosphorylation of pp700 and its coupling to the beta subunit play a physiological role in cardiac beta-adrenergic signal transduction. Haase, H., Podzuweit, T., Lutsch, G., Hohaus, A., Kostka, S., Lindschau, C., Kott, M., Kraft, R., Morano, I. Signaling from beta-adrenoceptor to L-type calcium channel: identification of a novel cardiac protein kinase A target that has similarities to AHNAK.
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PMID:Signaling from beta-adrenoceptor to L-type calcium channel: identification of a novel cardiac protein kinase A target possessing similarities to AHNAK. 1059 63

Tachykinins have been suggested to play a significant role in the mammalian striatum, at least in part by the control of acetylcholine release from cholinergic interneurons. In the present study, we have examined the ability of known tachykinin agonists and antagonists to modulate the activity of these interneurons in mouse striatal slices. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, the selective neurokinin-1, neurokinin-2 and neurokinin-3 receptor agonists [sar9,Met(O2)11]substance P, [beta-ala8]neurokinin A(4-10) and senktide each produced a dose-dependent depolarization of visually identified cholinergic interneurons that was retained under conditions designed to interrupt synaptic transmission. The nature of these neurons and the expression of multiple tachykinin receptors was confirmed using single-cell reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Using in vitro superfusion techniques, the selective neurokinin-1, neurokinin-2 and neurokinin-3 receptor agonists [sar9,Met(O2)11]substance P, [beta-ala8]neurokinin A(4-10) and senktide, respectively, each produced a dose-dependent increase in acetylcholine release, the selectivity of which was confirmed using the neurokinin-1, neurokinin-2 and neurokinin-3 receptor antagonists SR140333, GR94800 and SR142801 (100 nM). U73122 (10 microM), a phospholipase C inhibitor, blocked [sar9,Met(O2)11]substance P- and senktide-induced acetylcholine release, but had no effect on [beta-ala8]neurokinin A(4-10)-induced release. The protein kinase C inhibitors chelerythrine and Ro-31-8220 (both 1 microM) significantly inhibited responses induced by all three agonists. These findings indicate that tachykinins modulate the activity of mouse striatal cholinergic interneurons. Furthermore, neurokinin-2 receptors are shown to perform a role in mouse that has not been identified previously in other species.
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PMID:Tachykinins increase [3H]acetylcholine release in mouse striatum through multiple receptor subtypes. 1065 16

Increasing evidence has shown that some neurotransmitters act as growth-regulatory signals during brain development. Here we report a role for the classical neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) to stimulate proliferation of neural stem cells and stem cell-derived progenitor cells during neural cell lineage progression in vitro. Neuroepithelial cells in the ventricular zone of the embryonic rat cortex were found to express the m2 subtype of the muscarinic receptor. Neural precursor cells dissociated from the embryonic rat cortical neuroepithelium were expanded in culture with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed the presence of m2, m3 and m4 muscarinic receptor subtype transcripts, while immunocytochemistry demonstrated m2 protein. ACh and carbachol induced an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ and membrane currents in proliferating (BrdU+) cells, both of which were abolished by atropine. Exposure of bFGF-deprived precursor cells to muscarinic agonists not only increased both cell number and DNA synthesis, but also enhanced differentiation of neurons. These effects were blocked by atropine, indicating the involvement of muscarinic ACh receptors. The growth-stimulating effects were also antagonized by a panel of inhibitors of second messengers, including 1,2-bis-(O-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N', N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA-AM) to chelate cytosolic Ca2+, EGTA to complex extracellular Ca2+, pertussis toxin, which uncouples certain G-proteins, the protein kinase C inhibitor H7 and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor PD98059. Muscarinic agonists activated MAPK, which was significantly inhibited by atropine and the same panel of inhibitors. Thus, muscarinic receptors expressed by neural precursors transduce a growth-regulatory signal during neurogenesis via pathways involving pertussis toxin-sensitive G-proteins, Ca2+ signalling, protein kinase C activation, MAPK phosphorylation and DNA synthesis.
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PMID:Acetylcholine stimulates cortical precursor cell proliferation in vitro via muscarinic receptor activation and MAP kinase phosphorylation. 1076 52

The MIN6 pancreatic beta-cell line responds to glutamate, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainate, but not N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or 1S,3R-trans-ACPD, with increases in [Ca2+]i. This correlates with MIN6 expression of AMPA receptor subunits (GluR1-4) but only weak expression of NMDA NR2 receptor subunits, as determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Pharmacological characterization of the MIN6 AMPA receptors showed that AMPA-triggered [Ca2+]i responses were blocked by GYKI 52466, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and pentobarbital. AMPA-triggered [Ca2+]i responses were also blocked in Na(+)-free medium and by the voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel antagonist La3+. Unlike cortical neuronal cultures, which show a loss of membrane-associated protein kinase C (PKC) activity and die in response to excitatory amino acid exposure, glutamate was not toxic to MIN6 cells and it did not decrease PKC activity. These studies indicate that MIN6 cells possess Ca(2+)-impermeable AMPA receptors that secondarily allow Ca2+ influx following AMPA-induced depolarization and that, despite elevating [Ca2+]i, AMPA is not toxic to these cells. The effects of glutamate and glutamate receptor antagonists on pancreatic cells needs to be better understood if these compounds are to be used as therapeutic agents to treat stroke.
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PMID:Pharmacological and molecular characterization of glutamate receptors in the MIN6 pancreatic beta-cell line. 1087 87

Full-length cDNA sequencing of the A*1103 allele revealed an insertion of 18 bp between exon 5 and 6. We hypothesized that this could be the result of alternative splicing. Sequencing of intron-5 of A*1101, *1102 and *1103 alleles demonstrated that this 18-bp insertion consisted of the 5'-end of intron 5, concluded by a second in-frame donor splice site. Alignment of the 5'-end intron 5 sequence of A*1101-3 with that of A*0101, *0201 and 0301 revealed a unique polymorphism at position 17 of the intron (A to G) that created this second donor splice site. To exclude the possibility of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced event, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed on both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and EBV-transformed b-LcL's of several A*11-positive individuals, using primers spanning exons 5 and 6. Without exception, both cell types revealed two products for A*11. Densitometric analysis using EBV-transformed b-LcL's and PBMC indicated a ratio of approximately 4:1 in favor of the alternative splice product. Notably, except for the A*11's none of the other A-locus alleles yields this alternative splice product. Translation of this product will result in a protein that has an additional 6 amino acids in its cytoplasmic domain. This introduces a negative charge just behind the basic anchor residues of the cytoplasmic segment and results in the loss of the single potential protein kinase C phosphorylation site.
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PMID:A unique second donor splice site in the intron 5 sequence of the HLA-A*11 alleles results in a class I transcript encoding a molecule with an elongated cytoplasmic domain. 1088 62

IA-2, a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase family, represents a major target autoantigen in type 1 diabetes. To study the regulation of IA-2 gene expression, we used INS-1 insulinoma cells to analyze beta-cell signal transduction pathways as well as the effect of metabolic and hormonal factors involved in the regulation of the insulin secretory pathway. Quantitative competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed that an increase of cellular cAMP mediated by forskolin (10 micromol/l, 24 h) or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (100 micromol/l, 24 h) induced maximal stimulation of IA-2 mRNA levels (451 +/- 85 and 338 +/- 86% compared with basal conditions; P < 0.001). In contrast, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by short-term treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (1 micromol/l, 6 h) did not alter IA-2 expression, whereas depletion of PKC by prolonged culturing (24 h) exerted a significant inhibition (57 +/- 24%; P < 0.05). cAMP-dependent upregulation was confirmed by the findings that glucagon (10 micromol/l, 24-48 h) increased levels of IA-2 mRNA (190 +/- 35%; P < 0.05), whereas short-term incubation with high glucose concentration showed no effect. However, prolonged incubation in high glucose (21 mmol/l) induced a time- and dose-dependent increase of IA-2 mRNA expression, reaching maximal values after 144 h (285 +/- 68%; P < 0.05). These studies demonstrate that stimuli of insulin secretion that operate by activation of adenylate cyclase generating cAMP significantly increase IA-2 gene expression. In contrast, activation of PKC by high glucose concentration or PMA exerted no effect, suggesting that IA-2 gene expression is not simply coupled to insulin secretion, but may be involved in the fine regulation of beta-cell function. These findings may be important to clarify the function of IA-2 in beta-cells and elucidate mechanisms involved in the induction of autoimmunity to IA-2.
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PMID:Regulation of the diabetes-associated autoantigen IA-2 in INS-1 pancreatic beta-cells. 1090 70

Exposure of pancreatic islets to cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1beta induces a variety of proinflammatory genes including type II nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) which produces nitric oxide (NO). NO is thought to be a major cause of islet beta-cell dysfunction and apoptotic beta-cell death, which results in type I diabetes. Since protein kinase C (PKC) mediates some of the actions of cytokines in other cell types, our aim was to assess the role of PKC in IL-1beta-induced iNOS expression in pancreatic beta-cells. PKCdelta, but not PKCalpha, was specifically activated in the rat INS-1 beta-cell line by IL-1beta as assessed by membrane translocation. Moreover, iNOS expression and NO production were significantly attenuated by the PKCdelta specific inhibitor rottlerin and overexpression of a PKCdelta kinase-dead mutant protein. Conversely, overexpression of PKCdelta wild type protein significantly potentiated this response. These results were confirmed at the mRNA level by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. However, a role at the level of transcriptional regulation appeared unlikely, since PKCdelta was not required for the activation of NF-kappaB, activating protein 1, and activating transcription factor 2 signaling pathways in response to IL-1beta. There was, however, a significant increase in iNOS mRNA stability mediated by PKCdelta wild type, while PKCdelta kinase-dead acted reciprocally, reducing iNOS mRNA stability. The results indicate that, in addition to transcriptional activation, mRNA stabilization is a key component of the mechanism by which IL-1beta stimulates iNOS expression in beta-cells and that PKCdelta plays an essential role in this process. PKCdelta activation may therefore have significant consequences with regard to cellular function and viability when beta-cells are exposed to IL-1beta and potentially other cytokines.
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PMID:Protein kinase Cdelta activation by interleukin-1beta stabilizes inducible nitric-oxide synthase mRNA in pancreatic beta-cells. 1108 60

In gastric cancer, altered expression of MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6 mucin genes has already been described. We show in this report by the means of in situ hybridization, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and transfection assays that MUC5B is also abnormally expressed in gastric carcinomatous tissues and cell lines. We thus undertook to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transcription of MUC5B in gastric cancer cells. To this end, high expressing (KATO-III) and low expressing (AGS) gastric cancer cell lines were chosen to study human mucin gene MUC5B expression and promoter activity. Sequencing of the promoter region revealed a distal TATA box located 1 kilobase upstream of the proximal TATA box. Functional activity of the promoter was addressed by using deletion mutants covering 2044 nucleotides upstream of the MUC5B transcription start site. We identified a distal promoter 10 times more active than the proximal promoter in KATO-III cells. In AGS cells, both promoters, much less active, showed the same range of activity. Binding assays allowed us to show that the transcription factor ATF-1 binds to a cis-element present in the distal promoter. Sp1, which binds to both promoters specifically transactivates the proximal promoter. Treatment of transfected cells with PMA, cholera toxin A subunit, and calcium ionophore showed that only PMA led to a substantial activation of the distal promoter. MUC5B 5'-flanking region having a high GC content, influence of methylation on the MUC5B expression was assessed. Our results indicate that repression of MUC5B expression visualized in AGS cells is due in part to the presence of numerous methylated cytosine residues throughout the 5'-flanking region. Altogether these results demonstrate that MUC5B expression in gastric cancer cells is governed by a highly active distal promoter that is up-regulated by protein kinase C and that repression is under the influence of methylation.
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PMID:Aberrant expression of human mucin gene MUC5B in gastric carcinoma and cancer cells. Identification and regulation of a distal promoter. 1127 96

Telomerase, a specialized ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase that directs the synthesis of telomeric DNA, is repressed in normal human somatic cells, but is activated in most cancers. Little is known concerning how telomerase activity is activated and maintained in cancer cells. We have shown previously that inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) decreases the telomerase activity of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Here, we provide evidence that the decrease of telomerase activity by PKC inhibition is not mediated by transcriptional down-regulation of hTERT, the catalytic protein of human telomerase. In vitro phosphorylation studies revealed that exogenous addition of PKC-alpha, -betaI, -delta or -zeta led to restoration of telomerase activity in the crude extracts of PKC-inhibited NPC cells. However, depletion of PKC-alpha and -betaI in vivo had no detectable effect on the telomerase activity of NPC cells. Using antisense oligonucleotides against individual PKC isotypes, we observed that telomerase activity was inhibited only by the antisense oligonucleotide against PKC-zeta but not by those against PKC-alpha, -betaI or -delta. Taken together, these data demonstrate that PKC participates in the regulation of telomerase activity by direct or indirect phosphorylation of telomerase proteins, and that PKC-zeta is the PKC isotype that functions in vivo in the NPC cells.
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PMID:Telomerase is regulated by protein kinase C-zeta in human nasopharyngeal cancer cells. 1128 34


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