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

A major gap in our understanding of host response to virus infection is how the molecular signals are passed within infected cells. Tobacco mosaic virus-mediated programmed cell death in genotype NN tobaccos was used to evaluate the hypothesis that these molecular signals are transduced via reversible-protein phosphorylation. Nicotiana tabacum L. (genotype NN) confers a hypersensitive response at the site of virus infection when incubated at a permissive temperature. Activation of serine/threonine protein phosphatase correlated with the temperature-dependent induction of the death program. The serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid inhibited the onset and extent of the hypersensitive response in vivo. Biochemical analysis indicates that protein phosphatase type 1 is activated early in the death program. This is the first indication that serine/threonine protein phosphatase is required in an early event of the host response to virus infection.
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PMID:Serine/threonine protein phosphatase is required for tobacco mosaic virus-mediated programmed cell death. 788 49

Rat p70s6k and p85s6k have been expressed in baculovirus recombinants propagated in Sf9 insect cells. Surprisingly, both recombinant isoforms were active without coinfection of other kinases which lie upstream in the signaling pathway. Treatment of either recombinant form with phosphatase 2A leads to immediate inactivation in the absence of phosphatase inhibitors. Further studies show that the same four major Ser/Thr-Pro sites associated with p70s6k activation following mitogenic stimulation in vivo are also the four major sites phosphorylated in both the p70s6k and p85s6k during the infection process. It is proposed that the production of phosphorylated and activated recombinant p70s6k and p85s6k is due to activation of a host cell signaling pathway which is triggered by viral infection. In support of this hypothesis, wild-type virus-, but not mock-infected cells, exhibit the multiple phosphorylation of a ribosomal protein which migrates similar to ribosomal protein S6 on two-dimensional-polyacrylamide gels and extracts from these same cells contain elevated levels of S6 kinase activity.
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PMID:Active baculovirus recombinant p70s6k and p85s6k produced as a function of the infectious response. 846 49

Upon maturation, primary rat oligodendrocytes become resistant to coronavirus JHM (JHMV) infection at an early stage. Involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PK) in the regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation has been established (S. Beushausen et al. (1987). J. Virol. 61, 3795-3803). An inducer which accelerates maturation, dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) also upregulates the expression of the regulatory subunit, R1 of PK1. Since (i) early block preventing infection of mature oligodendrocytes can be bypassed when transfection with genomic RNA is used and (ii) inhibitors of PKs counteract the dbcAMP effect, so as to alleviate the inhibition of JHMV, enhanced expression of R1 appeared to be connected with virus restriction. This idea was confirmed following upregulation of the R1 gene in fully permissive L-2 cells. There was a connection between an effect due to R1 and dephosphorylation of the nucleocapsid protein N by an endosomal phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPPase) having the properties of types 1 or 2A enzyme which occurs during penetration of inoculum virions. An inhibition in vitro (cell free) of N dephosphorylation by R1 together with evidence that in vivo (cell culture) overexpression of R1 inhibited the endosomal PPPase as well as replication of JHMV supports the hypothesis that uncoating of the JHMV inoculum occurs after dephosphorylation, a step obligatory for dissociation of the N protein from the genome. Thus inhibition by R prevents uncoating and thereby interferes with the commencement of replication. These observations intimate the existence of a novel mechanism controlling a virus infection of specific cell target(s) undergoing a process of differentiation and maturation in the central nervous system.
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PMID:Regulation of the initiation of coronavirus JHM infection in primary oligodendrocytes and L-2 fibroblasts. 891 31

The role of hepatitis B virus HBx protein in the carcinogenesis associated with chronic viral infection remains ill-defined. Indeed, pleiotropic effects have been ascribed to HBx: in addition to its well-documented ability to indirectly stimulate transcription, the protein has been reported to affect cell growth, signal transduction, DNA repair and apoptosis. In this work, we generated Chang (CCL-13)-derived cell lines constitutively expressing wild type or mutant HBx, as a model of HBx-host cell interaction closer to the chronic infection setting, than the classically used transient expression systems. We document the potentiation by HBx of the apoptotic cell death pathway in the recipient cells. This effect is unlikely to rely on p53 activity since the protein is functionally inactivated in CCL-13. In addition, antioxidants and cyclosporin A failed to reduce the apoptotic response back to the normal level, suggesting that production of reactive oxygen species and calcineurin activation are not directly involved in the proapoptotic effect of HBx. In contrast, our data show that transactivation and stimulation of apoptosis are tightly linked HBx activities. Finally, expression of transactivation-active protein did not result in detectable change in the pattern of MAP kinases phosphorylation nor did it affect the ability of the host cell to repair in vitro irradiated plasmid DNA.
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PMID:The proapoptotic effect of hepatitis B virus HBx protein correlates with its transactivation activity in stably transfected cell lines. 1036 57

The human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) gene is rapidly activated in response to multiple signals of stress and inflammation. We have identified transcription factors present in the TNF-alpha enhancer complex in vivo following ionophore stimulation (ATF-2/Jun and NFAT) and virus infection (ATF-2/Jun, NFAT, and Sp1), demonstrating a novel role for NFAT and Sp1 in virus induction of gene expression. We show that virus infection results in calcium flux and calcineurin-dependent NFAT dephosphorylation; however, relatively lower levels of NFAT are present in the nucleus following virus infection as compared to ionophore stimulation. Strikingly, Sp1 functionally synergizes with NFAT and ATF-2/c-jun in the activation of TNF-alpha gene transcription and selectively associates with the TNF-alpha promoter upon virus infection but not upon ionophore stimulation in vivo. We conclude that the specificity of TNF-alpha transcriptional activation is achieved through the assembly of stimulus-specific enhancer complexes and through synergistic interactions among the distinct activators within these enhancer complexes.
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PMID:Stimulus-specific assembly of enhancer complexes on the tumor necrosis factor alpha gene promoter. 1068 70

Successful liver transplantation in a child is often a hard-won victory, requiring all the combined expertise of a dedicated pediatric transplant team. This article outlines the considerable challenges still facing pediatric liver transplant physicians and surgeons. In looking to the future, where should priorities lie to enhance the success already achieved? First, solutions to the donor shortage must be sought aggressively by increasing the use of from split-liver transplants, judicious application of living-donor programs, and increasing the donation rate, perhaps by innovative means. The major immunologic barriers, to successful xenotransplantation make it unlikely that this option will be tenable in the near future. Second, current immunosuppression is nonspecific, toxic, and unable to be individually adjusted to the patient's immune response. The goal of achieving donor-specific tolerance will require new consideration of induction protocols. Developing a clinically applicable method to measure the recipient's immunoreactivity is of paramount importance, for future studies of new immunosuppressive strategies and to address the immediate concern of long-term over-immunosuppression. The inclusion of pediatric patients in new protocols will require the ongoing insistence of pediatric transplant investigators. Third, the current immunosuppressive drugs have a long-term morbidity and mortality of their own. These long-term effects are particularly important in children who may well have decades of exposure to these therapies. There is now some understanding of their long-term renal toxicity and the risk of malignancy. New drugs may obviate renal toxicity, whereas the risk of malignancy is inherent in any nonspecific immunosuppressive regimen. Although progress is being made in preventing and recognizing PTLD, this entity remains an important ongoing concern. The global effect of long-term immunosuppression on the child's growth, development, and intellectual potential is unknown. Of particular concern is the potential for neurotoxicity from the calcineurin inhibitors. Fourth, recurrent disease and new diseases, perhaps potentiated by immunosuppressive drugs, must be considered. Already the recurrence of autoimmune disease and cryptogenic cirrhosis have been documented in pediatric patients. Now, a new lesion, a nonspecific hepatitis, sometimes with positive autoimmune markers, that may progress to cirrhosis has been recognized. It is not known whether this entity is an unusual form of rejection, an unrecognized viral infection, or a response to immunosuppressive drugs themselves. Finally, pediatric transplant recipients, like any other children, must be protected and nourished physically and mentally if they are to fulfill their potential. After liver transplantation the child's growth, intellectual functioning, and psychologic adaptation may all require special attention from parents, teachers, and physicians alike. There is limited understanding of how the enormous physical intervention of a liver transplantation affects a child's cognitive and psychologic function as the child progresses through life. The persons caring for these children have the difficult responsibility of providing services to evaluate these essential measures of children's health over the long term and to intervene if necessary. Part of the transplant physician's our duty to protect and advocate for children is to fight for equal access to health care. In most of the developing world, economic pressures make it impossible to consider liver transplantation a health care priority. In the United States and in other countries with the medical infrastructure to support liver transplantation, however, health care professionals must strive to be sure that the policies governing candidacy for transplantation and allocation of organs are applied justly and uniformly to all children whose lives are threatened by liver disease. In the current regulatory climate that increasingly takes medical decisions out of the hands of physicians, pediatricians must be even more prepared to protect the unique and often complicated needs of children both before and after transplantation. Only in this way can the challenges of the present and the future be met.
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PMID:Liver transplantation. The pediatric challenge. 1123 62

The PKR protein kinase is among the best-studied effectors of the host interferon (IFN)-induced antiviral and antiproliferative response system. In response to stress signals, including virus infection, the normally latent PKR becomes activated through autophosphorylation and dimerization and phosphorylates the eIF2alpha translation initiation factor subunit, leading to an inhibition of mRNA translation initiation. While numerous virally encoded or modulated proteins that bind and inhibit PKR during virus infection have been studied, little is known about the cellular proteins that counteract PKR activity in uninfected cells. Overexpression of PKR in yeast also leads to an inhibition of eIF2alpha-dependent protein synthesis, resulting in severe growth suppression. Screening of a human cDNA library for clones capable of counteracting the PKR-mediated growth defect in yeast led to the identification of the catalytic subunit (PP1(C)) of protein phosphatase 1alpha. PP1(C) reduced double-stranded RNA-mediated auto-activation of PKR and inhibited PKR transphosphorylation activities. A specific and direct interaction between PP1(C) and PKR was detected, with PP1(C) binding to the N-terminal regulatory region regardless of the double-stranded RNA-binding activity of PKR. Importantly, a consensus motif shared by many PP1(C)-interacting proteins was necessary for PKR binding to PP1(C). The PKR-interactive site was mapped to a C-terminal non-catalytic region that is conserved in the PP1(C)2 isoform. Indeed, co-expression of PP1(C) or PP1(C)2 inhibited PKR dimer formation in Escherichia coli. Interestingly, co-expression of a PP1(C) mutant lacking the catalytic domain, despite retaining its ability to bind PKR, did not prevent PKR dimerization. Our findings suggest that PP1(C) modulates PKR activity via protein dephosphorylation and subsequent disruption of PKR dimers.
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PMID:The direct binding of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1 to the PKR protein kinase is necessary but not sufficient for inactivation and disruption of enzyme dimer formation. 1213 6

The Friend virus susceptibility gene 2 (Fv2) controls the polyclonal expansion of infected cells that occurs early during Friend erythroleukemia virus infection. Fv2 has recently been shown to encode a truncated form of the Stk receptor tyrosine kinase (Sf-Stk). This observation, coupled with earlier work, suggested that Sf-Stk drives the expansion of infected cells by forming a complex with the Friend virus envelope glycoprotein, gp55, and the erythropoietin receptor. Fv2 has also been implicated in the control of cell cycling in early erythroid progenitors (erythroid blast-forming units [BFU-Es]). Mouse strains that are homozygous for the resistant allele of Fv2 (Fv2(rr)) have few actively cycling BFU-Es. In this report, we demonstrate that the control of BFU-E cycling is encoded by a gene linked to, but distinct from, Fv2, and suggest that this gene is the dual-specific protein phosphatase Cdc25A, which regulates the G1- to S-phase transition of the cell cycle. We show that a naturally occurring allele of Cdc25A, which increases Cdc25A phosphatase activity and promotes cell-cycle progression, segregates in mouse strains that exhibit high levels of BFU-E cell cycling. In wild-type mice, this allele of Cdc25A does not overtly affect erythropoiesis; however, when this allele is combined with a mutation of the Kit receptor (Kit(WV)), the anemia of the mice is enhanced. Furthermore, overexpression of Cdc25A in bone marrow cells causes a defect in the BFU-E colony formation. These results suggest that proper regulation of the cell cycle through Cdc25A is required for normal erythropoiesis.
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PMID:A naturally occurring point substitution in Cdc25A, and not Fv2/Stk, is associated with altered cell-cycle status of early erythroid progenitor cells. 1241 23

The PXIXIT calcineurin binding motif or highly related sequences are found in a variety of calcineurin-binding proteins in yeast, mammalian cells, and viruses. The accessory protein p12(I) encoded in the HTLV-1 pX ORF I promotes T cell activation during the early stages of HTLV-1 infection by activating nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) through calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum. We identified in p12(I), a conserved motif, which is highly homologous with the PXIXIT calcineurin-binding motif of NFAT. Both immunoprecipitation and calmodulin agarose bead pull-down assays indicated that wild type p12(I) and mutants of p12(I) that contained the motif-bound calcineurin. In addition, an alanine substitution p12(I) mutant (p12(I) AXAXAA) had greatly reduced binding affinity for calcineurin. We then tested whether p12(I) binding to calcineurin affected NFAT activity. p12(I) competed with NFAT for calcineurin binding in calmodulin bead pull-down experiments. Furthermore, the p12(I) AXAXAA mutant enhanced NFAT nuclear translocation compared with wild type p12(I) and increased NFAT transcriptional activity 2-fold greater than wild type p12(I). Similar to NFAT, endogenous calcineurin phosphatase activity was increased in Jurkat T cells expressing p12(I) independent of its calcineurin binding property. Thus, the reduced binding of p12(I) to calcineurin allows enhanced nuclear translocation and transcription mediated by NFAT. Herein, we are the first to identify a retroviral protein that binds calcineurin. Our data suggest that HTLV-1 p12(I) modulates NFAT activation to promote early virus infection of T lymphocytes, providing a novel mechanism for retrovirus-mediated cell activation.
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PMID:A conserved calcineurin-binding motif in human T lymphotropic virus type 1 p12I functions to modulate nuclear factor of activated T cell activation. 1260 Oct 10

Several findings support the importance of GM1-enriched lipid microdomains of plasma membrane and of Vav, an essential regulator of actin cytoskeletal rearrangement, in the regulation of T cell activation. Moreover, a functional link among lipid microdomains, Vav and the HIV product Nef has been described. These observations suggest that Nef can modify plasma membrane GM1, affecting the behavior of HIV-infected cells towards antigen recognition and Vav towards counteracting such an effect. We observed that Nef expression, either following viral infection or ectopic expression, significantly decreased the level of plasma membrane GM1 in unstimulated T cells. This down-regulation was associated with the inhibition of NF-AT activation, but not with NF-kappaB activation induced by TCR engagement. Dissecting the signaling pathway that regulates NF-AT activation, we found that Nef inhibited exclusively the Ca(2+)/calcineurin cascade, whereas the JNK cascade and AP-1 transcriptional activity were not affected. Our evidence that Vav overexpression counteracted both the Nef-induced decrease of GM1 expression and the inhibition of NF-AT activity, suggests a novel mechanism by which Nef may interfere with TCR-mediated activation through the modulation of intracellular trafficking and clustering of GM1-enriched microdomains at the cell surface.
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PMID:Vav exchange factor counteracts the HIV-1 Nef-mediated decrease of plasma membrane GM1 and NF-AT activity in T cells. 1288 93


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