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)

The transcriptional activity of c-Jun is augmented through phosphorylation at two sites by a c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK). All cells express two distinct JNK activities, 46 and 55 kD in size. It is not clear which of them is the more important c-Jun kinase and how they specifically recognize c-Jun. The 46-kD form of JNK was identified as a new member of the MAP kinase group of signal-transducing enzymes, JNK1. Here, we report the molecular cloning of the 55-kD form of JNK, JNK2, which exhibits 83% identity and similar regulation to JNK1. Despite this close similarity, the two JNKs differ greatly in their ability to interact with c-Jun. JNK2 binds c-Jun approximately 25 times more efficiently than JNK1, and as a result has a lower Km toward c-Jun than JNK1. The structural basis for this difference was investigated and traced to a small beta-strand-like region near the catalytic pocket of the enzyme. Modeling suggests that this region is solvent exposed and therefore is likely to serve as a docking site that increases the effective concentration of c-Jun near JNK2. These results explain how two closely related MAP kinases can differ in their ability to recognize specific substrates and thereby elicit different biological responses.
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PMID:JNK2 contains a specificity-determining region responsible for efficient c-Jun binding and phosphorylation. 800 19

On the basis of the crystal structure of the MEK substrate ERK, we have synthesized a 15 amino acid peptide representing the alpha C helix of human ERK1. We find this peptide to be an inhibitor of ERK phosphorylation by its upstream activator MEK. Circular dichroic spectroscopy indicates that the peptide has little secondary structure in aqueous buffer, but can readily adopt an alpha-helical structure in aprotic solvent. Steady-state kinetic analysis indicates that the peptide serves as a competitive inhibitor of ERK binding to MEK, with a dissociation constant, Ki, of 0.84 microM. Together with ATP-competitive inhibitors of MEK, we have used this peptide to define the kinetic mechanism of MEK catalysis. These studies reveal that MEK operates through a bi-bi random-ordered sequential mechanism. The synthetic peptide inhibits also the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK by the upstream activator MKK3, but is at least 3-fold less potent as an inhibitor of SEK activation of JNK1. Interestingly, the peptide also showed some ability to inhibit ERK-mediated phosphorylation of myelin basic protein, but was inactive as an inhibitor of the unrelated kinases Raf, Abl, and PKA. These results imply that the alpha C helix is an important locus of interaction for the formation of a MEK-ERK complex. The alpha C helix cannot, however, be the sole determinant of activator selectivity among the MAP kinases. Molecules designed to target the alpha C helix binding pocket of MAP kinase activators may provide a novel means of inhibiting these signal transducers.
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PMID:Competitive inhibition of MAP kinase activation by a peptide representing the alpha C helix of ERK. 963 29

The Ras/Raf/MAP kinase (ERK) pathway is a major signaling pathway induced by growth factors in mammalian cells. Two other types of mammalian MAP kinases, JNK (SAPK) and p38 (RK, CSBP), are induced by environmental stress. Although the immediate-early gene, egr-1, is induced by growth factors, cytokines, differentiation signals and DNA damaging agents, less is known about its induction by environmental stress and the mechanism involved. Here we report that in NIH3T3 cells, egr-1 is induced by various stress treatments such as heat shock, sodium arsenite, ultraviolet (U.V.) radiation, and anisomycin. p38 and JNK1, but not ERK2, were activated by these stress treatments. Induction of egr-1 by anisomycin is inhibited by a specific inhibitor of p38, SB 203580. We also show that p38 and JNK1 activated by their upstream kinases induce egr-1 promoter activity through activation of the ternary complex factor, Elk-1. The stress treatments also lead to an increase in Egr-1 protein phosphorylation and its DNA binding activity. Together, our data suggest that induction of egr-1 gene by growth factors and stress are mediated through different subgroups of MAP kinases which may also differentially affect egr-1 function on its target genes.
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PMID:Stress-induced immediate-early gene, egr-1, involves activation of p38/JNK1. 967 12

p38 MAP kinase (p38) and JNK have been described as playing a critical role in the response to a variety of environmental stresses and proinflammatory cytokines. It was recently reported that hematopoietic cytokines activate not only classical MAP kinases (ERK), but also p38 and JNK. However, the physiological function of these kinases in hematopoiesis remains obscure. We found that all MAP kinases examined, ERK1, ERK2, p38, JNK1, and JNK2, were rapidly and transiently activated by erythropoietin (Epo) stimulation in SKT6 cells, which can be induced to differentiate into hemoglobinized cells in response to Epo. Furthermore, p38-specific inhibitor SB203580 but not MEK-specific inhibitor PD98059 significantly suppressed Epo-induced differentiation and antisense oligonucleotides of p38, JNK1, and JNK2, but neither ERK1 nor ERK2 clearly inhibited Epo-induced hemoglobinization. However, in Epo-dependent FD-EPO cells, inhibition of either ERKs, p38, or JNKs suppressed cell growth. Furthermore, forced expression of a gain-of-function MKK6 mutant, which specifically activated p38, induced hemoglobinization of SKT6 cells without Epo. These results indicate that activation of p38 and JNKs but not of ERKs is required for Epo-induced erythroid differentiation of SKT6 cells, whereas all of these kinases are involved in Epo-induced mitogenesis of FD-EPO cells.
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PMID:Activation of p38 MAP kinase and JNK but not ERK is required for erythropoietin-induced erythroid differentiation. 973 Oct 42

MAPK pathways transduce a broad variety of extracellular signals into cellular responses. Despite their pleiotropic effects and their ubiquitous distribution, surprisingly little is known about their involvement in the communication network of nerve cells. As a first step to elucidate the role of MAPK pathways in neuronal signalling, we studied the distribution of SAPK alpha/JNK2, SAPK beta/JNK3, and SAPK gamma/JNK1, three isoforms of SAPK/JNK, a stress-activated MAPK subfamily. We compared the mRNA localisation of the three main isoforms in the adult and developing rat brain using in situ hybridisation. In the adult brain, SAPK alpha and beta were widely but heterogeneously distributed, reproducing the pattern of a probe that does not discriminate the isoforms. Differently, high labelling for the SAPK gamma probe was exclusively localised in the endopiriform nucleus and medial habenula. Intermediate staining was detected in the hippocampus. During post-natal development, SAPK beta showed the same localisation as in the adult. Nevertheless, the semi-quantitative analysis of optical densities showed significantly different mRNA levels. In the adult, SAPK gamma signal was weak, whereas in newborn rats the labelling was intense and widely distributed. SAPK gamma mRNA levels decreased during development, to reach the low signals detected in the adult. These results suggest that in the central nervous system SAPK-type MAP kinases perform significant physiological functions which are particularly relevant during post-natal development. The distinct distribution patterns of SAPK isoforms in the adult rat brain support the hypothesis that separate functions are performed by the products of the three SAPK genes.
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PMID:Differential expression of SAPK isoforms in the rat brain. An in situ hybridisation study in the adult rat brain and during post-natal development. 974 3

The AP-1 transcription factor, which is composed of various combinations of Fos and Jun proteins, is believed to be a key participant in molecular processes that guide activity-dependent changes in gene expression. In this study, we investigated the activity of different MAP kinases that have been implicated in AP-1 activation. We examined the activities of ERK, JNK/SAPK, and p38 MAPK along with their nuclear targets (Elk-1 and c-Jun) in rat visual cortex after light stimulation. The transcription factor Elk-1 (a possible regulator of c-fos expression) was found to be transiently modified by phosphorylation when visual stimulation was applied after a period of dark rearing. In vitro kinase assay with Elk-1 as substrate showed that light stimulation activated MAPK/ERK in visual cortex but not frontal cortex. Furthermore, ERK activation was temporally matched to onset of Elk-1 phosphorylation. The activity of JNK1 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1) was elevated at 2-6 h after visual exposure and was also temporally correlated to increase of endogenous P-c-Jun levels and its appearance within the AP-1 DNA-binding complex. The activities of p38 MAP kinases did not change significantly. These results demonstrate the differential engagement of MAPK signaling pathways following sensory stimulation and their relative effects upon AP-1 expression in the intact brain.
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PMID:Rapid phosphorylation of Elk-1 transcription factor and activation of MAP kinase signal transduction pathways in response to visual stimulation. 1038 26

Isolation and purification of islet cells exposes them to ischemic, osmotic and mechanical stresses. The objective of this study was to determine the roles of the MAP-kinases in islets immediately following isolation. During the first 48 h, activity of JNK1 and JNK2 declined markedly. Activity of p38 increased steadily with time in culture while extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) activity declined dramatically within 24 h post-isolation. High p38 activation relative to ERK activation immediately following isolation correlated with a decrease in islet survival after 36 h in culture. Absence and/or transiency of ERK signaling in conjunction with sustained activation of p38 pathway could be an important regulator of cell death in islets during and following their isolation by commonly employed procedures.
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PMID:Activation and expression of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAP-kinases in isolated islets of Langerhans: implications for cultured islet survival. 1043 73

HePTP is a tyrosine specific protein phosphatase that is strongly expressed in activated T-cells. It was recently demonstrated that in transfected T-cells HePTP impairs TCR-mediated activation of the MAP-kinase family members ERK2 and p38 and it was suggested that both ERK and p38 MAP-kinases are substrates of HePTP. The HePTP gene has been mapped to human chromosome 1q32.1. Abnormalities in this region are frequently found in various hematopoietic malignancies. HePTP is highly expressed in acute myeloid leukemia and its expression in fibroblasts resulted in transformation. To address a possible involvement of HePTP in hematopoietic malignancies we sought to identify HePTP substrate(s) in leukemic cells. Using substrate trapping mutants we have identified the MAP-kinase ERK2 as a specific target of HePTP in the myelogenous leukemia cell line K562. Tyrosine phosphorylated ERK2, but not ERK1, p38, or JNK1, efficiently bound to catalytically inactive HePTP mutants in which the active site cysteine (HePTP-C/S) or the conserved aspartic acid residue (HePTP-D/A) had been exchanged for serine and alanine, respectively. Moreover, the interaction of ERK2 with HePTP trapping mutants was dependent on ERK2 tyrosine phosphorylation, indicating that HePTP is specifically targeted to activated ERK2. Using a deletion mutant of HePTP (HePTP-dLD), in which 14 amino acid residues within the N-terminus are missing, we show that regions outside the catalytic domain are also required for the interaction. Furthermore, overexpression of HePTP in K562 cells and fibroblasts interfered with PMA or growth factor induced MAP-kinase activation and HePTP efficiently dephosphorylated active ERK2 on the tyrosine residue in the activation loop in vitro. Together, these data identify ERK2 as a specific and direct target of HePTP and are consistent with a model in which HePTP negatively regulates ERK2 activity as part of a feedback mechanism. Oncogene (2000) 19, 858 - 869.
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PMID:The MAP-kinase ERK2 is a specific substrate of the protein tyrosine phosphatase HePTP. 1070 94

xPAK1, a probable effector of stress activated MAP-kinase SAPK1/JNK activation and cytoskeletal dynamics, was found to be ubiquitously expressed within the Xenopus laevis ear and lateral line system during the development and differentiation of these organs. xPAK1 expression was very strong in the otic placode from its condensation, and expression continued in the otic vesicle up until stage 35/36, after which it abruptly ceased. At stage 29/30 expression occurred specifically in the epithelium of the otic vesicle, which includes the prospective sensorial epithelium. Expression of xPAK1 was also observed in the lateral line system from stage 35/36, at which stage the lateral line primordia have begun to migrate from the region of the otic vesicle. Lateral line expression continued at least until stage 37/38, at which time xPAK1 was noted in association with the differentiating lateral line organs. To our knowledge, xPAK1 is the first ubiquitous lateral line marker that is also expressed in the ear. In the context of previous studies, our data suggest that xPAK1 either plays a role in the differentiation of the mechano-sensors of the auditory system or in the formation of the otic vesicle epithelium and the lateral line primordia.
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PMID:The cytoskeletal effector xPAK1 is expressed during both ear and lateral line development in Xenopus. 1079 83

Recent etiological study in twins (Tanner et al. 1999) strongly suggests that environmental factors play an important role in typical, non-familial Parkinson's disease (PD), beginning after age 50. Epidemiological risk factor analyses of typical PD cases have identified several neurotoxicants, including MPP(+) (the active metabolite of MPTP), paraquat, dieldrin, manganese and salsolinol. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these neurotoxic agents might induce cell death in our nigral dopaminergic cell line, SN4741 (Son et al. 1999) through a common molecular mechanism. Our initial experiments revealed that treatment with both MPP(+) and the other PD-related neurotoxicants induced apoptotic cell death in SN4741 cells, following initial increases of H(2)O(2)-related ROS activity and subsequent activation of JNK1/2 MAP kinases. Moreover, we have demonstrated that during dopaminergic cell death cascades, MPP(+), the neurotoxicants and an oxidant, H(2)O(2) equally induce the ROS-dependent events. Remarkably, the oxidant treatment alone induced similar sequential molecular events: ROS increase, activation of JNK MAP kinases, activation of the PITSLRE kinase, p110, by both Caspase-1 and Caspase-3-like activities and apoptotic cell death. Pharmacological intervention using the combination of the antioxidant Trolox and a pan-caspase inhibitor Boc-(Asp)-fmk (BAF) exerted significant neuroprotection against ROS-induced dopaminergic cell death. Finally, the high throughput cDNA microarray screening using the current model identified downstream response genes, such as heme oxygenase-1, a constituent of Lewy bodies, that can be the useful biomarkers to monitor the pathological conditions of dopaminergic neurons under neurotoxic insult.
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PMID:Dopaminergic cell death induced by MPP(+), oxidant and specific neurotoxicants shares the common molecular mechanism. 1118 20


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