Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
 71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Insulin-stimulated signaling pathways are activated upon interactions between the intracellular domains of the receptor and its downstream effectors. Insulin receptor substrate proteins (IRS-1, -2, -3 and -4) are the best-studied substrates for the insulin receptor kinase (IRK). We have previously shown that IRS-1 and IRS-2 interact with the juxtamembrane (JM) but not with the carboxyl-terminal (CT) region of the insulin receptor (IR) in vitro. However, the precise role of these IR regions in mediating insulin's bioeffects is still unresolved. In the present work we made use of vaccinia virus as a vector for quantitative expression of the JM and CT domains within the cytoplasm of physiologically insulin-responsive primary rat adipocytes and rat hepatoma Fao cells. We could demonstrate that overexpression of either the JM or the CT domains did not inhibit either insulin binding or insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation. In contrast, metabolic effects such as insulin-induced glucose utilization in adipocytes, and insulin-induced amino acid utilization in Fao hepatoma cells were inhibited (70-80%) in cells overexpressing the JM but not the CT domains of IR. The inhibitory effects of the overexpressed JM domain were accompanied by inhibition of insulin-stimulated IRS-1 phosphorylation, decreased IRS-1-associated PI3K activity, and decreased phosphorylation of the downstream effectors of PI3K, PKB and p70 S6K. Insulin-stimulated thymidine incorporation in Fao cells was also inhibited (40%) upon overexpression of the JM but not the CT region of IR. Our findings suggest that interactions between the JM region of IR and its downstream effectors are obligatory for insulin-stimulated metabolic functions in physiologically relevant insulin responsive cells. They also rule out the possibility that interaction of proteins, including PI3K, with the CT domain can provide an alternative pathway.
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PMID:The juxtamembrane but not the carboxyl-terminal domain of the insulin receptor mediates insulin's metabolic functions in primary adipocytes and cultured hepatoma cells. 1082 35

Insulin regulates the expression of several hepatic genes. Although the general definition of insulin signaling has progressed dramatically, the elucidation of the complete signaling pathway from insulin receptor to transcription factors involved in the regulation of a specific gene remains to be established. In fact, recent works suggest that multiple divergent insulin signaling pathways regulate the expression of distinct genes. 5-Aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS) is a mitochondrial matrix enzyme that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of heme biosynthesis. It has been reported that insulin caused the rapid inhibition of housekeeping ALAS transcription, but the mechanism involved in this repression has not been explored. The present study investigates the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in insulin signaling relevant to ALAS inhibition. To explore this, we combined the transient overexpression of regulatory proteins involved in these pathways and the use of small cell permeant inhibitors in rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. Wortmannin and LY294002, PI3-kinase inhibitors, as well as lovastatin and PD152440, Ras farnesylation inhibitors, and MEK inhibitor PD98059 abolished the insulin repression of ALAS transcription. The inhibitor of mTOR/p70(S6K) rapamycin had no effect whatsoever upon hormone action. The overexpression of vectors encoding constitutively active Ras, MEK, or p90(RSK) mimicked the inhibitory action of insulin. Conversely, negative mutants of PKB, Ras, or MEK impaired insulin inhibition of ALAS promoter activity. Furthermore, inhibition of one of the pathways blocks the inhibitory effect produced by the activation of the other. Our findings suggest that factors involved in two signaling pathways that are often considered to be functionally separate during insulin action, the Ras/ERK/p90(RSK) pathway and the PI3K/PKB pathway, are jointly required for insulin-mediated inhibition of ALAS gene expression in rat hepatocytes and human hepatoma cells.
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PMID:Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways are required for the regulation of 5-aminolevulinate synthase gene expression by insulin. 1171 32

In mammals, insulin regulates S6K1, a key enzyme involved in the control of protein synthesis, via the well-documented phosphoinositide-3'kinase (PI3K) pathway. Conversely, S6K1 is activated by insulin in avian muscle despite the relative insulin insensitivity of the PI3K pathway in this tissue. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is another insulin sensitive pathway. The aim of this study was to explore the potential involvement of the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway in the control of p70 S6 kinase (S6K1) in avian species. Firstly, we characterized ERK1/2 MAPK in various chicken tissues. ERK2 was the only isoform detected in avian species whatever the tissue studied. We also showed that ERK2 is activated in vivo by insulin in chicken muscle. The regulation and the role of ERK2 in insulin signaling were next investigated in chicken hepatoma cells (LMH) and primary myoblasts. Insulin stimulation led to ERK2 and S6K1 phosphorylation, and concomitantly increased kinase activity. U0126, an inhibitor of the ERK MAPK pathway, completely abolished insulin-induced S6K1 phosphorylation and activity in chicken myoblasts, whereas its effect was only partial in LMH cells. In conclusion, these results show that ERK1/2 MAPK is involved in the control of S6K1 by insulin in chicken cells, particularly myoblasts.
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PMID:Involvement of the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway in insulin-induced S6K1 activation in avian cells. 1716 87

Motility and invasiveness events require specific intracellular signaling cascade activations. In cancer liver cells, one of these mechanisms could involve the MAPK MEK/ERK cascade activation which has been shown over expressed and activated in hepatocellular carcinoma. To study whether the MEK/ERK cascade is involved in the motility of HCC, we examined the effect of MEK inhibitor and ERK2 silencing using monolayer wound-healing assays and fluoroblock invasion systems. Evidence was provided that the MAPK cascade is a key transduction pathway which controls HCC cells motility and invasiveness. We could disconnect proliferation to motility using mitomycin C and we established that RNAi-mediated inhibition of ERK2 led to strongly reduced cell motility. To improve our understanding, we analysed the regulation and the role of urokinase receptor (uPAR) in this process. We provided evidence that uPAR was under a MEK/ERK dependent mechanism and blocking uPAR activity using specific antagonist or inhibiting its expression by RNA interference which resulted in complete inhibition of motility. Moreover, we found in MAPK inhibited cultures and in uPAR silencing cells that p70S6K phosphorylation on residue Thr-389 was significantly reduced, whereas Ser-421/Thr-424 phosphorylation did not change. We highlighted that the FRAP/mTOR pathway did not affect motility and Thr-389 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that p70S6K inhibition by RNA interference completely inhibited hepatocarcinoma cell motility. Therefore, targeting uPAR and/or MEK/ERK/S6K by RNA interference could be a major therapeutic strategy for the future treatment of invasive hepatocarcinoma cells.
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PMID:MEK/ERK-dependent uPAR expression is required for motility via phosphorylation of P70S6K in human hepatocarcinoma cells. 1742 99

Certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) induce the clinical and biochemical manifestations of a metabolic syndrome by as yet unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrate that incubation (1 h) of rat hepatoma Fao cells with the SSRIs paroxetine and sertraline, but not with the atypical antipsychotic drug olanzapine, inhibited the insulin-stimulated Tyr phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) with half-maximal effects at approximately 10 microM. This inhibition correlated with a rapid phosphorylation and activation of a number of Ser/Thr IRS-1 kinases including JNK, S6K1, ERK and p38 MAPK, but not PKB (Akt). JNK appears as a key player activated by SSRIs because specific JNK inhibitors partially eliminated the effects of these drugs. The SSRIs induced the phosphorylation of IRS-1 on S307 and S408, which inhibits IRS-1 function and insulin signaling. These results implicate selected SSRIs as inhibitors of insulin signaling and as potential inducers of cellular insulin resistance.
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PMID:Antidepressants induce cellular insulin resistance by activation of IRS-1 kinases. 1772 40

5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are two serine/threonine protein kinases responsible for cellular energy homeostasis and translational control, respectively. Evidence suggests that these two kniases are potential targets for cancer chemotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Antroquinonol that is isolated from Antrodia camphorate, a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment of liver diseases, displayed effective anticancer activity against both HBV DNA-positive and -negative HCC cell lines. The rank order of potency against HCCs is HepG2>HepG2.2.15>Mahlavu>PLC/PRF/5>SK-Hep1>Hep3B. Antroquinonol completely abolished cell-cycle progression released from double-thymidine-block synchronization and caused a subsequent apoptosis. The data were supported by down-regulation and reduced nuclear translocation of G1-regulator proteins, including cyclin D1, cyclin E, Cdk4 and Cdk2. Further analysis showed that the mRNA expressions of the G1-regulator proteins were not modified by antroquinonol, indicating an inhibition of translational but not transcriptional levels. Antroquinonol induced the assembly of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-1/TSC2, leading to the blockade of cellular protein synthesis through inhibition of protein phosphorylation including mTOR (Ser(2448)), p70(S6K) (Thr(421)/Ser(424) and Thr(389)) and 4E-BP1 (Thr(37)/Thr(46) and Thr(70)). Furthermore, the AMPK activity was elevated by antroquinonol. Compound C, a selective AMPK inhibitor, significantly reversed antroquinonol-mediated effects suggesting the crucial role of AMPK. Besides, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and depletion of mitochondrial content indicated the mitochondrial stress caused by antroquinonol. In summary, the data suggest that antroquinonol displays anticancer activity against HCCs through AMPK activation and inhibition of mTOR translational pathway, leading to G1 arrest of the cell-cycle and subsequent cell apoptosis.
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PMID:Antroquinonol displays anticancer potential against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells: a crucial role of AMPK and mTOR pathways. 1972 12

Skeletal muscle wasting, one of the main features of cancer cachexia, is associated with marked protein hypercatabolism, and has suggested to depend also on impaired IGF-1 signal transduction pathway. To investigate this point, the state of activation of the IGF-1 system has been evaluated both in rats bearing the AH-130 hepatoma and in mice transplanted with the C26 colon adenocarcinoma. In the skeletal muscle of tumor hosts, the levels of phosphorylated (active) Akt, one of the most relevant kinases involved in the IGF-1 signaling pathway, were comparable to controls, or even increased. Accordingly, downstream targets such as GSK3beta, p70(S6K) and FoxO1 were hyperphosphorylated, while the levels of phosphorylated eIF2alpha were markedly reduced with respect to controls. In the attempt to force the metabolic balance toward anabolism, IGF-1 was hyperexpressed by gene transfer in the tibialis muscle of the C26 hosts. In healthy animals, IGF-1 overexpression markedly increased both fiber and muscle size. As a positive control, IGF-1 was also overexpressed in the muscle of aged mice. In IGF-1 hyperexpressing muscles the fiber cross-sectional area definitely increased in both young and aged animals, while, by contrast, loss of muscle mass or reduction of fiber size in mice bearing the C26 tumor were not modified. These results demonstrate that muscle wasting in tumor-bearing animals is not associated with downregulation of molecules involved in the anabolic response, and appears inconsistent, at least, with reduced activity of the IGF-1 signaling pathway.
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PMID:Muscle atrophy in experimental cancer cachexia: is the IGF-1 signaling pathway involved? 2003 16

Buckwheat contains d-chiro-inositol (D-CI) and myo-inositol (MI), possible insulin-mimetic compounds; thus, this study investigated the insulin-mimetic activities of a buckwheat concentrate (BWC), D-CI, and MI on insulin signal transduction pathways and glucose uptake with H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. BWC stimulated phosphorylation of p42/44 extracellular-related kinase (p42/44 ERK) and its downstream target, p70(S6K), on Thr(421). In contrast, D-CI, MI, rutin, or its agylcone form, quercetin, did not activate these signal transduction proteins. Phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), another target of insulin, was also up-regulated upon BWC treatment. The effects of BWC on glucose uptake were subsequently investigated using H4IIE cells. Insulin and D-CI stimulated glucose uptake, whereas BWC inhibited basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Although results from this work suggest that BWC has insulin-mimetic effects on select protein phosphorylation events in H4IIE cells, D-CI and MI were not the active components responsible for the observed effects. The inhibition of glucose uptake by BWC suggests that buckwheat may affect hepatic glucose metabolism, possibly by inhibiting glucose flux. Furthermore, the fact that D-CI and MI stimulated glucose uptake in H4IIE cells suggests that other compounds are responsible for inhibition of glucose uptake by BWC.
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PMID:Biological response of hepatomas to an extract of Fagopyrum esculentum M. (buckwheat) is not mediated by inositols or rutin. 2012 93

Of 20 natural amino acids, leucine is particularly important for promoting cellular protein synthesis. The effect of leucine involves mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a key protein kinase controlling cell growth. Leucine enhances mTOR-mediated phosphorylation of S6K1 and 4E-BP, thereby promoting protein synthesis. However, how the presence of leucine is sensed and transmitted to mTOR is poorly understood. Here, we show evidence that UBR1 and UBR2 might be cellular targets of leucine. UBR1 and UBR2 are E3 ubiquitin ligases that recognize the identity of N-terminal residues and contribute to selective destabilization of target proteins according to the N-end rule. Using leucine-immobilized affinity beads, we identified UBR1 and UBR2 as leucine-binding proteins from leucine-responsive rat hepatoma H4IIE cells. Over-expression of UBR1 or UBR2 resulted in a reduction in mTOR-dependent S6K1 phosphorylation, whereas knockdown of UBR1 or UBR2 increased S6K1 phosphorylation in amino acid-starved human 293T cells. We also found that leucine binds to the substrate-recognition domain of UBR2 and inhibits degradation of N-end rule substrates in vitro. These findings suggest that UBR1 and UBR2 are negative regulators of the leucine-mTOR signaling pathway. Leucine might activate this pathway in part through inhibition of their ubiquitin ligase activity.
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PMID:Role of N-end rule ubiquitin ligases UBR1 and UBR2 in regulating the leucine-mTOR signaling pathway. 2029 36

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) often establishes a persistent infection that most likely involves a complex host-virus interplay. We previously reported that the HCV nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) bound to cellular protein FKBP38 and resulted in apoptosis suppression in human hepatoma cell line Huh7. In the present research we further found that NS5A increased phosphorylation levels of two mTOR-targeted substrates, S6K1 and 4EBP1, in Huh7 in the absence of serum. mTOR inhibitor rapamycin or NS5A knockdown blocked S6K1 and 4EBP1 phosphorylation increase in NS5A-Huh7 and HCV replicon cells, suggesting that NS5A specifically regulated mTOR activation. Overexpression of NS5A and FKBP38 mutants or FKBP38 knockdown revealed this mTOR activation was dependent on NS5A-FKBP38 interaction. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 treatment in NS5A-Huh7 showed that the mTOR activation was independent of PI3K. Moreover, NS5A suppressed caspase 3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation, which was abolished by NS5A knockdown or rapamycin, indicating NS5A inhibited apoptosis specifically through the mTOR pathway. Further analyses suggested that apoptotic inhibition exerted by NS5A via mTOR also required NS5A-FKBP38 interaction. Glutathione S-transferase pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation showed that NS5A disrupted the mTOR-FKBP38 association. Additionally, NS5A or FKBP38 mutants recovered the mTOR-FKBP38 interaction; this indicated that the impairment of mTOR-FKBP38 association was dependent on NS5A-FKBP38 binding. Collectively, our data demonstrate that HCV NS5A activates the mTOR pathway to inhibit apoptosis through impairing the interaction between mTOR and FKBP38, which may represent a pivotal mechanism for HCV persistence and pathogenesis.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus NS5A activates the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, contributing to cell survival by disrupting the interaction between FK506-binding protein 38 (FKBP38) and mTOR. 2043 63


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