Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.11.18 (MAP)
 7,412 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We previously characterized a methionine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.18; Met-AP1; also called peptidase M) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which differs from its prokaryotic homologues in that it (i) contains an N-terminal zinc-finger domain and (ii) does not produce lethality when disrupted, although it does slow growth dramatically; it is encoded by a gene called MAP1. Here we describe a second methionine aminopeptidase (Met-AP2) in S. cerevisiae, encoded by MAP2, which was cloned as a suppressor of the slow-growth phenotype of the map1 null strain. The DNA sequence of MAP2 encodes a protein of 421 amino acids that shows 22% identity with the sequence of yeast Met-AP1. Surprisingly, comparison with sequences in the GenBank data base showed that the product of MAP2 has even greater homology (55% identity) with rat p67, which was characterized as an initiation factor 2-associated protein but not yet shown to have Met-AP activity. Transformants of map1 null cells expressing MAP2 in a high-copy-number plasmid contained 3- to 12-fold increases in Met-AP activity on different peptide substrates. The epitope-tagged suppressor gene product was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography and shown to contain Met-AP activity. To evaluate the physiological significance of Met-AP2, the MAP2 gene was deleted from wild-type and map1 null yeast strains. The map2 null strain, like the map1 null strain, is viable but with a slower growth rate. The map1, map2 double-null strains are nonviable. Thus, removal of N-terminal methionine is an essential function in yeast, as in prokaryotes, but yeast require two methionine aminopeptidases to provide the essential function which can only be partially provided by Met-AP1 or Met-AP2 alone.
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PMID:Amino-terminal protein processing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an essential function that requires two distinct methionine aminopeptidases. 861

Activation of several GTPases stimulates Na+-H+ exchange, resulting in an increased efflux of intracellular H+. These GTPases include alpha subunits of the heterotrimeric G proteins Gq and G13, as well as the low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins Ras, Cdc42, and Rho (Hooley, R., Yu, C.-Y., Simon, M., and Barber, D. L. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 6152-6158). GTPases coupled to the inhibition of Na+-H+ exchange, however, have not been identified. Several neurotransmitters, including somatostatin and dopamine, inhibit Na+-H+ exchange through a guanine-nucleotide-dependent mechanism, suggesting the involvement of a GTPase. In this study we determined that mutational activation of the alpha subunit of G12 inhibits the ubiquitously expressed Na+-H+ exchanger isoform, NHE1. Transient expression of mutationally activated Galpha12 inhibited serum- and Galpha13-stimulated NHE1 activity in HEK293 cells and CCL39 fibroblasts. In addition, in NHE-deficient AP1 cells stably expressing specific NHE isoforms, mutationally activated Galpha12 inhibited NHE1 activity but stimulated activities of the Na+-H+ exchanger (NHE) isoforms NHE2 and NHE3. In contrast, mutationally activated Galpha13, another member of the Galpha12/13 family, stimulated all three NHE isoforms. Although previous studies have identified a parallel action of Galpha12 and Galpha13 in regulating MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinases and cell growth, these GTPases have opposing effects on NHE1 activity.
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PMID:Galpha12 differentially regulates Na+-H+ exchanger isoforms. 879 30

The early response proto-oncogene c-fos is expressed at very low levels in the mammalian heart at baseline. To further investigate the mechanism of altered c-fos expression with age, we studied in the basal state the binding of five transcription proteins to their cognate sites in the c-fos promoter/enhancer region, in adult and old F344 rats. Our results show a reduced binding of E2F and AP1 proteins to the c-fos promoter in aging hearts. The major calcium/cyclic AMP response element (CRE) and SP1 binding was unchanged. The only increase seen with age was in the serum response element (SRE) binding proteins. SRE is the point of convergence of different signal transduction pathways (via MAP kinases and the Rho family of GTPases) at the c-fos promoter. Increased SRE binding may reflect a compensation for a decreased binding of other transcription proteins to the c-fos promoter, alteration in the phosphorylation status of SRF, or a change in the ternary complex factors Elk 1 or SAP 1. Other possibilities include defects in the signal transduction pathways with aging, which combine to produce an overall negative balance in the function of the c-fos promoter despite the increased SRE binding activity. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown decreased c-fos expression with age. This may be due partly to alterations in the basal levels of transcription factor binding.
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PMID:Age-associated changes in basal c-fos transcription factor binding activity in rat hearts. 898 26

The hypertrophic response is characterized by increased myofibril/sarcomere organization, induction of the cardiac specific atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2v) genes, and an increase in total cell volume. The alpha1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine induces both the morphological and biochemical markers of hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Previous studies have suggested a functional requirement for the heterotrimeric G-protein, Galphaq, for a subset of the hypertrophic phenotypes. The small GTPases Ras and Rho have also been implicated in phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy. To further delineate the role of Galphaq in hypertrophy, a constitutively active mutant of Galphaq was transiently transfected in primary rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. This molecule was sufficient to induce ANF-, AP1-, and MLC-2-driven gene expression. Co-transfection of Galphaq and dominant negative Ras or dominant negative Raf resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of ANF-driven expression. Both dominant negative Rho, and the Rho inhibitor C3-transferase, also attenuated Galphaq- and Ras-induced ANF-driven gene expression. Cells transfected with active Galphaq did not show a detectable increase in activation of the mitogen activated protein kinases ERK or SAPK. However, activity of the MAP-kinases appears to be important for Galphaq-induced gene expression since the MAP-kinase phosphatase Clone 100 and catalytically inactive SAPK strongly inhibited Galphaq-induced ANF expression. Thus, our studies indicate Galphaq-induced hypertrophic gene expression requires the small G-proteins Ras and Rho. The data also indicates that Galphaq mediated gene expression is dependent on functional MAP-kinases and that multiple signaling pathways contribute to Galphaq-mediated cardiac cell hypertrophy.
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PMID:Ras and rho are required for galphaq-induced hypertrophic gene expression in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. 951 26

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) activates p42/p44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) in target cells. Here we have used two specific inhibitors, PD98059 which inhibits MAP kinase kinase (MEK), and SB203580 which inhibits p38 MAP kinase to explore the involvement of these kinases in the induction of IL-2 by IL-1 in the murine thymoma cell line EL4.NOB-1. Both kinase inhibitors suppressed IL-1-stimulated IL-2 production. PD98059 blocked IL-2 mRNA accumulation and the induction of a reporter gene linked to the IL-2 promoter. In contrast, SB203580 only marginally inhibited IL-2 promoter-linked reporter gene expression and had no inhibitory effect on IL-2 mRNA levels. Neither PD98059 nor SB203580 had an inhibitory effect on NFkappaB-driven reporter gene expression in response to IL-1. Surprisingly, higher concentrations of SB203580 (30 microM) potentiated the IL-1 responses. PD98059 also inhibited induction of IL-2 by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), and AP1-linked reporter gene expression in response to PMA but not IL-1. These results indicate that p42/p44 MAP kinase is involved in the regulation of IL-2 gene transcription by IL-1, whilst p38 MAP kinase has a post-transcriptional target. Additional IL-1 signalling pathways can clearly compensate for the lack of p38 MAP kinase which result in potentiation of the IL-1 responses observed at high-dose SB203580.
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PMID:Distinct roles for p42/p44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in the induction of IL-2 by IL-1. 1047

The c-fos enhancer can be activated by many signaling pathways through distinct elements of the enhancer. The enhancer contains at its core the serum response element (SRE) that binds serum response factor (SRF). On the 5' side of the SRE is a site for p62TCF which binds only when SRF is bound as well. p62TCF is encoded by three ets-related genes, Elk-1, SAP1 and SAP2. Each of these factors contain a transcriptional activation domain that is activated by phosphorylation by MAP kinases. On the 3' side of the SRE is the 'c-fos AP1 site' (FAP1) whose role has been less clear. We find here that the FAP1 site contributes strongly to phorbol ester (TPA) and Erk MAP kinase activation of the c-fos enhancer and that both the p62TCF and FAP1 sites are required for effective activation of the enhancer. We further find that the FAP1 site binds ATF1 and CREB from HeLa nuclear extracts and that the phosphorylation of these factors is induced by TPA. ATF1 and CREB can be phosphorylated by Rsk2 which is a protein kinase directly activated by Erk MAP kinases. These results suggest a signaling pathway in which Erk MAP kinase activates the c-fos enhancer by direct phosphorylation of p62TCF and by activation of Rsk related kinases that phosphorylate ATF1 and CREB.
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PMID:Activation of the c-fos enhancer by the erk MAP kinase pathway through two sequence elements: the c-fos AP-1 and p62TCF sites. 1072 28

Cyclic AMP is a very important regulator in a wide range of biological processes, including inflammatory reactions. To investigate the role of cAMP in microglia, we examined the effect of dibutyryl-cAMP (dbcAMP) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cytokine expression and signaling pathways in murine BV2 microglial cells. DbcAMP strongly suppressed LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression, without affecting NO, IL-6 or TGF-beta1 expression. In contrast, LPS-induced IL-1beta or IL-10 expressions were dramatically increased by dbcAMP. We further examined the effect of elevated cAMP on signaling molecules such as MAP kinases (p38 MAPK, ERK and JNK), NF-kappaB and AP1, which are involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses. DbcAMP decreased the LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, while it modestly enhanced the ERK activity. JNK phosphorylation was slightly reduced by dbcAMP only at the later time point. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that the elevated cAMP potentiated AP-1 binding activity by enhancing c-fos binding. On the other hand, dbcAMP repressed NF-kappaB-mediated transcription without affecting NF-kappaB binding. Treatment with H89, a selective inhibitor of protein kinase A, completely reversed cAMP-induced IL-10 and IL-1beta upregulation but only partially reversed the cAMP-induced repression of TNF-alpha. Thus, the effect of dbcAMP in BV2 cells appears to be mediated through both protein kinase A-dependent and -independent pathways. Taken together, our results demonstrate that cAMP modulates microglia activation in a diverse and complex manner.
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PMID:Selective modulation of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine expression and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways by dibutyryl-cAMP in BV2 microglial cells. 1275 10

Retinoic acid and its synthetic analogs exert major effects on many biological processes including cell proliferation and differentiation and are now considered as promising pharmacological agents for prevention and treatment of various cancers. The capacity of retinoids to inhibit AP1-responsive genes seems to be the basis for the chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects of these agents against hyperproliferative diseases. However, the molecular basis of retinoid antiproliferative properties remains to this day largely unknown. Here, we showed that retinoids inhibit phorbol ester-induced MMP-1 and MMP-3 expression in human breast cancer cells. Transcriptional interference was observed for both retinoid agonist and antagonist treatments, revealing separated transactivation and transrepression functions of retinoids. In addition, we examined MAP kinases as potential targets of retinoid signalling in human breast cancer cells and demonstrated that retinoids repress AP1-responsive gene expression by inhibiting MKK6/p38 and mainly MEK/ERK signalling pathways. On the contrary, the JNK-dependent pathway was not identified as a molecular relay for AP1 activity and was insensitive to retinoid treatments. Finally, we established that overexpressed c-fos and c-jun partially abolished the ability of retinoids to inhibit AP1 activity, suggesting that c-jun and/or c-fos containing dimers may constitute one target of retinoids for transrepression of AP1. All together, our data help to improve our understanding of how retinoids antagonize AP1 activity and may regulate tumoral cell proliferation.
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PMID:Retinoids interfere with the AP1 signalling pathway in human breast cancer cells. 1617 68

Fra-1 as an integral part of AP-1 (Jun/Fos) drives transcriptional programs involved in several physiologic and pathologic processes. It is also critical for tumor cell motility and metastasis. We have previously shown that two critical elements of Fra-1 promoter, the upstream TPA response element (TRE) and the serum response element (SRE), are necessary for its induction in response to phorbol esters in human pulmonary epithelial cell lines. Here, we have investigated the roles of various MAP kinases in regulating Fra-1 expression in response to TPA. Using pharmacologic and genetic tools, we demonstrate a prominent role for ERK1/2, but not JNK1/2 and p38, signaling in the TPA-induced activation of specific transcription factors that bind to the AP1 site and the SRE. Inhibition of ERK1/2 pathway suppresses Elk1 activation, and c-Jun and Fra-2 recruitment to the promoter.
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PMID:ERK signaling regulates tumor promoter induced c-Jun recruitment at the Fra-1 promoter. 1843 14

High levels of VEGF and leptin are strongly linked to worse prognosis of breast cancer. Leptin signalling upregulates VEGF in human and mouse mammary tumor cells (MT), but the specific molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Pharmacologic and genetic approaches were used to dissect the mechanism of leptin regulation of VEGF protein and mRNA in MT (4T1, EMT6 and MMT). A series of VEGF-promoter Luc-reporters (full-length and transcription factor-binding deletions) were transfected into MT to analyze leptin regulation of VEGF transcription. Deletion analysis of VEGF promoter and RNA knockdown shows that HIF-1alpha and NFkappaB are essentials for leptin regulation of VEGF. Leptin activation of HIF-1alpha was mainly linked to canonic (MAPK, PI-3K) and non-canonic (PKC, JNK and p38 MAP) signalling pathways. Leptin non-canonic signalling pathways (JNK, p38 MAP and to less extent PKC) were linked to NFkappaB activation. SP1 was involved in leptin regulation of VEGF in 4T1 cells. AP1 was not involved and AP2 repressed leptin-induced increase of VEGF. Overall, these data suggest that leptin signalling regulates VEGF mainly through HIF-1alpha and NFkappaB. These results delineate a comprehensive mechanism for leptin regulation of VEGF in MT. Disruption of leptin signalling could be used as a novel way to treat breast cancer.
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PMID:Leptin upregulates VEGF in breast cancer via canonic and non-canonical signalling pathways and NFkappaB/HIF-1alpha activation. 2046 60


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