Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.3.16 (calcineurin)
 17,112 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Phosphatases are regulatory enzymes that antagonize the action of kinases within the cell. An understanding of the contribution of kinases to cancer has emerged during the past two decades; however, our understanding of phosphatases in cancer has lagged behind. Currently, three phosphatases have been implicated in the etiology of tumors: protein phosphatase 2A, CDC25A/B, and PTEN (or MMAC1). Protein phosphatase 2A and PTEN behave as tumor suppressors, whereas CDC25A and -B act as oncogenes.
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PMID:Phosphatases and tumorigenesis. 946 90

A novel tumor suppressor gene, PTEN, which encodes a dual-specificity protein phosphatase, has recently been identified on chromosome 10q23. We have previously shown that both alleles of this gene are inactivated in three of four prostate cancer cell lines tested. To evaluate the role of inactivation of this gene in primary stage B prostate cancers, 60 cases were analyzed using Southern blotting with PTEN probes and microsatellites on 10q23. Eight of 60 cases had homozygous deletions by Southern blotting. In three of these cases, homozygous deletion was confirmed by apparent retention of heterozygosity at PTEN with loss of heterozygosity at telomeric and centromeric loci. In the remaining five cases, microsatellite analysis was consistent with homozygous deletion. Loss of heterozygosity at PTEN was found in only two cases both by microsatellite analysis and quantitative Southern blotting. No small mutations within PTEN exons were found in any tumors exhibiting alterations on 10q23. Thus, inactivation of the PTEN gene by homozygous deletion occurs in approximately 10-15% of primary stage B prostate carcinomas.
Clin Cancer Res 1998 Mar
PMID:Homozygous deletion of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene in a subset of prostate adenocarcinomas. 953 51

Mutations in a protein phosphatase and a protein kinase cause hamartomatous polyposis syndromes, which are characterised by the formation of multiple benign polyps and an increased susceptibility to some types of cancer.
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PMID:Cancer predisposition: where's the phosphate? 954 92

Irradiation of human ovarian carcinoma cells (OVCAR 3) and myeloma cells (RPMI 8226) with graded doses of 137Cs-gamma-rays led to a 35-40% increase in time-dependent apoptosis 72 hr after 6-8 Gy irradiation. Large individual variations in sensitivity to radiation-induced apoptosis were noted in human lymphocytes obtained from 5 donors. Pretreatment of OVCAR 3 and RPMI 8226 cells with 0.01 Gy increased their resistance to apoptosis after subsequent 6 Gy irradiation several hours or 48 and 72 hr later. A dose of 4 or 8 Gy given in 2 equal fractions at an interval of a few hours produced a low level of apoptosis compared to that resulting from a single administration of the same total dose. Adaptive response was demonstrated in 2 out of 3 samples of human lymphocytes isolated from different donors, and no split-dose effect for apoptosis was noted in 2 other donors. In split-dose experiments, there was no correlation between the sensitivity of cells to apoptosis and their position in the cell cycle, after the first half-dose. No G1 block was observed in irradiated cell lines. Adaptive response and split-dose effect were prevented by 3-aminobenzamide and okadaic acid which inhibit poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase and protein phosphatase, respectively. These results imply a common mechanism for acquired resistance to radiation-induced apoptosis in adaptive response and the split-dose effect.
Int J Cancer 1998 Jul 03
PMID:Radiation-induced apoptosis in human tumor cell lines: adaptive response and split-dose effect. 963 97

The oncogenic protein Bcl-2 functions as a potent inhibitor of programmed cell death. This survival activity has been shown in some settings to be influenced by the Bcl-2 phosphorylation state. It has been demonstrated that treatment with microtubule-targeted agents results in phosphorylation of both Raf-1 kinase and Bcl-2. The Bcl-2-related family member Bcl-xL also exhibits a death suppressive activity, but its potential for phosphorylation following exposure to drugs that interact with microtubules has not been evaluated. Several tumor cell lines with low or undetectable levels of Bcl-2 protein expression were found to express Bcl-xL. A more slowly migrating Bcl-xL band was observed on immunoblots after cells were treated with microtubule-targeted agents. The appearance of this band was responsive to dose and was absent when the cell lysates were treated with lambda protein phosphatase. Using a Bcl-xL-specific monoclonal antibody, the phosphorylated form of Bcl-xL was immunoprecipitated from cells treated with paclitaxel and metabolically labeled with 32P-labeled inorganic orthophosphate. Herein, we report that Bcl-xL is phosphorylated in malignant cells after incubation with agents that target tubulin, including paclitaxel, vincristine, vinblastine, colchicine, and nocodazole. Moreover, paclitaxel-resistant ovarian carcinoma cell lines that have mutations in tubulin failed to exhibit phosphorylation of Bcl-xL after paclitaxel exposure, but they did demonstrate Bcl-xL phosphorylation in the presence of other tubulin-targeting agents. As observed for Bcl-2, phosphorylation of Bcl-xL was accompanied by phosphorylation of Raf-1. Interestingly, phosphorylation of these three proteins failed to occur or was much less pronounced when cells grown at high density were challenged with drug. Also, reduced Raf-1 expression, observed after treatment of cells with geldanamycin prior to and during incubation with the microtubule-active drugs, correlated with diminished Bcl-xL phosphorylation. Taken together, these results suggest that Bcl-xL, like Bcl-2, is phosphorylated by agents that disrupt microtubule architecture. By analogy with Bcl-2, this phosphorylation may play a critical role in modulating Bcl-xL function and may be an important determinant of microtubule-directed chemotherapeutic efficacy in human tumors.
Cancer Res 1998 Aug 01
PMID:Bcl-xL is phosphorylated in malignant cells following microtubule disruption. 969 63

Tacrolimus (FK506) is a macrolide lactone with potent immunosuppressive activity 100 times that of cyclosporine by weight. The molecular mechanism of action is mediated via an inhibition of the phosphorylase activity of calcineurin by drug-immunophilin complex, resulting in the inhibition of IL-2 gene expression. There are emerging studies now showing significant efficacy of tacrolimus in GVHD prevention in both related and unrelated donor transplantation. Three multicenter randomized studies comparing tacrolimus to cyclosporine have been completed, one each in related and unrelated donor transplantation; the remaining study involved both related and unrelated donor transplantation. All three studies showed a significantly lower incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD in patients who received tacrolimus. One study in sibling donor transplantation showed that patients with advanced disease who received tacrolimus had a poorer survival than patients who received cyclosporine, but the survival was similar in patients with non-advanced disease. The remaining two studies, one in unrelated donors and the other combining both related and unrelated donors did not show any survival difference between the tacrolimus and cyclosporine groups. In addition, this review also highlights some of the critical questions regarding the role of this agent in allogeneic stem cell transplantation: (1) the contribution of methotrexate in combination with tacrolimus; (2) the starting i.v. dose of tacrolimus; (3) the suggested whole blood level of tacrolimus and its effect on nephrotoxicity; and (4) whether tacrolimus should be used in patients with advanced malignancy. Future studies using tacrolimus in combination with other immunosuppressants, and its use in patients with advanced malignancy will be warranted.
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PMID:Tacrolimus: a new agent for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. 972 Jul 34

Fostriecin, a structurally unique phosphate ester, is presently under evaluation in clinical trials to determine its potential use as an antitumor drug in humans. Fostriecin has been reported as having inhibitory activity against DNA topoisomerase type II and protein phosphatases implicated in cell-cycle control. However, the relative contribution of these mechanisms to the antitumor activity of fostriecin has not yet been elucidated. In this study, after confirming that fostriecin is a potent inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase type 2A and a weak inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase type 1, we show that fostriecin inhibits approximately 50% of the divalent cation independent serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PPase) activity contained in whole cell homogenates of Chinese hamster ovary cells at concentrations associated with antitumor activity (1-20 microM). Investigations into the cellular effects produced by fostriecin treatment reveal that 1-20 microM fostriecin induces a dose-dependent arrest of cell growth during the G2-M phase of the cell cycle. Immunostaining of treated cells indicates that growth arrest occurs before the completion of mitosis and that fostriecin-induced growth arrest is associated with the aberrant amplification of centrosomes, which results in the formation of abnormal mitotic spindles. The "mitotic block" induced by fostriecin is reversible if treatment is discontinued in <24 h. However, after approximately 24-30 h of continuous treatment, growth arrest is not reversible, and treated cells die even when placed in fostriecin-free media. Correlative studies conducted with established PPase inhibitors reveal that, when applied at concentrations that inhibit PPase activity to a comparable extent, both okadaic acid and cantharidin also induce aberrant centrosome replication, the appearance of multiple aberrant mitotic spindles, and G2-M-phase growth arrest. These studies add additional support to the concept that PPase inhibition underlies the antitumor activity of fostriecin and suggest that other type-selective PPase inhibitors should be evaluated for potential antitumor activity.
Cancer Res 1998 Aug 15
PMID:Fostriecin-mediated G2-M-phase growth arrest correlates with abnormal centrosome replication, the formation of aberrant mitotic spindles, and the inhibition of serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity. 972 69

Cancers, such as human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), have been shown to stimulate angiogenesis by their production of endothelial cell proliferative and motility-stimulatory factors. The present studies to elucidate the intracellular mechanisms that contribute to the motility response of endothelial cells to HNSCC-derived factors showed a decline in the organization of actin filaments and microtubules. This HNSCC-induced decline in cytoskeletal organization coincided with the downregulation of endothelial cell protein phosphatase-1 and 2A (PP-1/2A) activities, and could be mimicked by directly inhibiting these enzyme activities with okadaic acid. These results show that the increased motility of endothelial cells in response to HNSCC-derived angiogenic factors involves downregulation of PP-1/2A activities and, consequently, a decline in cytoskeletal organization.
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PMID:Endothelial cell response to human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas involves downregulation of protein phosphatases-1/2A, cytoskeletal depolymerization and increased motility. 977 93

Cowden disease, or multiple hamartoma syndrome, is an autosomal dominant inherited cancer syndrome with a high risk of thyroid and breast cancers. Its susceptibility gene has been mapped to chromosome 10q22-23. Because a newly found tumor suppressor gene, PTEN/MMAC1, often mutated in glioblastoma and in prostatic and breast cancers, has been mapped to the same chromosomal locus, it is suspected that it may be the gene responsible for Cowden disease. germline mutations of the gene have been reported in 4 of 5 families with Cowden disease. We performed a genetic analysis of the PTEN/MMAC1 gene in a sporadically found patient with the disease who had no apparent family history of the disease. We found a germline heterozygous mutation of the PTEN/MMAC1 gene in a patient with Cowden disease. The mutation, a C to T substitution of a single base at codon 130, leads to a formation of stop codon, generating a truncated protein lacking both protein phosphatase signature motif and tensin-like domain. Our finding supports the hypothesis of the PTEN/MMAC1 gene as being responsible for Cowden disease even in a sporadic case.
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PMID:A heterozygous germline mutation of the PTEN/MMAC1 gene in a patient with Cowden disease. 985 63

Recent studies have demonstrated that the naturally occurring perylenequinone antibiotic calphostin C is a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C and can induce apoptosis in some tumor cell lines by an as yet unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrate that calphostin C induces dose-dependent apoptosis in DT40 chicken lymphoma B-cells, and targeted disruption of lyn, syk, btk, PLCgamma2, or IP3R genes does not prevent or attenuate its cytotoxicity. In our study, calphostin C also induced rapid apoptosis in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines ALL-1 (BCR-ABL+ pre-pre-B ALL), RS4;11 (MLL-AF4+ pro-B ALL), NALM-6 (pre-B ALL), DAUDI (Burkitt's/B-cell ALL), MOLT-3 (T-ALL), and JURKAT (T-ALL), whereas other potent PKC inhibitors did not. In biochemical studies, calphostin C was discovered to induce rapid calcium mobilization from intracellular stores of ALL cell lines, and its cytotoxicity against ALL cell lines was well correlated with the magnitude of this calcium signal. Calphostin C-induced apoptosis was markedly suppressed by BAPTA/AM, a cell-permeable Ca2+ chelator as well as NiCl2, an inhibitor of Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent endonucleases. Inhibition of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin with perfluoreperazine dimadeate (a calmodulin antagonist) or cyclosporin A (a specific inhibitor of calcineurin) also reduced the magnitude of calphostin C-induced apoptosis in ALL cell lines. Calphostin C was capable of inducing calcium mobilization and apoptosis in freshly obtained primary leukemic cells from children with ALL. Taken together, our results provide unprecedented evidence that calphostin C triggers a Ca2+-dependent apoptotic signal in human ALL cells.
Clin Cancer Res 1998 Dec
PMID:Calphostin C triggers calcium-dependent apoptosis in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. 986 7


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