Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0036690 (sepsis)
 59,461 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The rapid loss of muscle mass that accompanies many disease states, such as cancer or sepsis, is primarily a result of increased protein breakdown in muscle, and several observations have suggested an activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Accordingly, in extracts of atrophying muscles from tumor-bearing or septic rats, rates of 125I-ubiquitin conjugation to endogenous proteins were found to be higher than in control extracts. On the other hand, in extracts of muscles from hypothyroid rats, where overall proteolysis is reduced below normal, the conjugation of 125I-ubiquitin to soluble proteins decreased by 50%, and treatment with triiodothyronine (T3) restored ubiquitination to control levels. Surprisingly, the N-end rule pathway, which selectively degrades proteins with basic or large hydrophobic N-terminal residues, was found to be responsible for most of these changes in ubiquitin conjugation. Competitive inhibitors of this pathway that specifically block the ubiquitin ligase, E3alpha, suppressed most of the increased ubiquitin conjugation in the muscle extracts from tumor-bearing and septic rats. These inhibitors also suppressed ubiquitination in normal extracts toward levels in hypothyroid extracts, which showed little E3alpha-dependent ubiquitination. Thus, the inhibitors eliminated most of the differences in ubiquitination under these different pathological conditions. Moreover, 125I-lysozyme, a model N-end rule substrate, was ubiquitinated more rapidly in extracts from tumor-bearing and septic rats, and more slowly in those from hypothyroid rats, than in controls. Thus, the rate of ubiquitin conjugation increases in atrophying muscles, and these hormone- and cytokine-dependent responses are in large part due to activation of the N-end rule pathway.
 ...
PMID:Rates of ubiquitin conjugation increase when muscles atrophy, largely through activation of the N-end rule pathway. 977 May 32

Previous studies provided evidence that sepsis is associated with increased ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent protein breakdown in skeletal muscle. The 14-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E214k) has been proposed to be a key regulator of the ubiquitin proteolytic pathway. We tested the hypothesis that E214k message and protein levels are increased in skeletal muscle during sepsis. Sepsis was induced in rats by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Control rats were sham operated. E214k mRNA and protein levels were quantitated after Northern and Western blot analysis, respectively, 16 h after CLP or sham operation. Sepsis resulted in a 70% increase in the 1. 2-kb E214k transcript in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus muscle, whereas no changes were seen in the slow-twitch soleus muscle. E214k protein levels were not influenced by sepsis in any of the muscles studied. Although the changes in the expression of the E214k 1.2-kb transcript paralleled the differential effect of sepsis on protein breakdown in fast- and slow-twitch muscle, the potential role of E214k in the regulation of sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis needs to be interpreted with caution, because the results demonstrated that increased message levels were not associated with increased E214k protein levels.
 ...
PMID:Sepsis is associated with increased ubiquitinconjugating enzyme E214k mRNA in skeletal muscle. 995 Sep 26

Insulin plays a major role in the regulation of skeletal muscle protein turnover but its mechanism of action is not fully understood, especially in vivo during catabolic states. These aspects are presently reviewed. Insulin inhibits the ATP-ubiquitin proteasome proteolytic pathway which is presumably the predominant pathway involved in the breakdown of muscle protein. Evidence of the ability of insulin to stimulate muscle protein synthesis in vivo was also presented. Many catabolic states in rats, e.g. streptozotocin diabetes, glucocorticoid excess or sepsis-induced cytokines, resulted in a decrease in insulin action on protein synthesis or degradation. The effect of catabolic factors would therefore be facilitated. In contrast, the antiproteolytic action of insulin was improved during hyperthyroidism in man and early lactation in goats. Excessive muscle protein breakdown should therefore be prevented. In other words, the anabolic hormone insulin partly controlled the 'catabolic drive'. Advances in the understanding of insulin signalling pathways and targets should provide information on the interactions between insulin action, muscle protein turnover and catabolic factors.
 ...
PMID:Insulin action on skeletal muscle protein metabolism during catabolic states. 1022

The ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic system is stimulated in conditions causing muscle atrophy. Signals initiating this response in these conditions are unknown, although glucocorticoids are required but insufficient to stimulate muscle proteolysis in starvation, acidosis, and sepsis. To identify signals that activate this system, we studied acutely diabetic rats that had metabolic acidosis and increased corticosterone production. Protein degradation was increased 52% (P < 0.05), and mRNA levels encoding ubiquitin-proteasome system components, including the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E214k, were higher (transcription of the ubiquitin and proteasome subunit C3 genes in muscle was increased by nuclear run-off assay). In diabetic rats, prevention of acidemia by oral NaHCO3 did not eliminate muscle proteolysis. Adrenalectomy blocked accelerated proteolysis and the rise in pathway mRNAs; both responses were restored by administration of a physiological dose of glucocorticoids to adrenalectomized, diabetic rats. Finally, treating diabetic rats with insulin for >/=24 h reversed muscle proteolysis and returned pathway mRNAs to control levels. Thus acidification is not necessary for these responses, but glucocorticoids and a low insulin level in tandem activate the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic system.
 ...
PMID:Evaluation of signals activating ubiquitin-proteasome proteolysis in a model of muscle wasting. 1032 62

Several lines of evidence suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is involved in sepsis-induced muscle catabolism. The gene expression of ubiquitin and several of the proteasome subunits was increased in muscle from both septic rats and patients. In other studies, the activity of isolated 20S proteasomes was stimulated in septic muscles. Sepsis-induced increase in muscle total and myofibrillar protein breakdown was inhibited with specific proteasome blockers. Although the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is upregulated in septic muscle, it is still unclear how the myofibrillar proteins actin and myosin are ubiquitinated and become substrates for the 26S proteasome. Recent studies suggest that a calcium-dependent, calpain-mediated process releases myofilaments from the Z-disks during sepsis. It is possible that this process exposes destabilizing N-terminal residues on actin and myosin, making them suitable substrates for the N-end rule pathway involving the 14 kD ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E214k and the ubiquitin-protein ligase E3alpha.
 ...
PMID:Role of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in sepsis-induced muscle catabolism. 1036 50

During the last years many investigations have shown that a major catalyst within the mechanism of skeletal muscle wasting occurring under conditions like sepsis, injuries, trauma, cancer cachexia, chronic acidosis, fasting, glucocorticoid treatment, and insulinopenia is the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Evidence for this was obtained by findings that the rate of ATP-dependent protein degradation is increased, that m-RNA concentrations of several proteasome subunits and ubiquitin are increased and the amount of ubiquitin-protein conjugates is elevated under these conditions. Additionally, the enhanced protein breakdown was shown to be suppressed by proteasome inhibitors. In the present report we show that most but not all of the proteolytic activities of partially purified 20S/26S proteasomes from skeletal muscle of rats increase after induction of Diabetes mellitus. This finding suggests that part of the mechanism of acceleration of muscle protein breakdown is due to changes in proteasome activities.
 ...
PMID:Alterations of proteasome activities in skeletal muscle tissue of diabetic rats. 1036 52

The development of pharmacological approaches for preventing the loss of muscle proteins would be extremely valuable for cachectic patients. For example, severe wasting in cancer patients correlates with a reduced efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a very inexpensive xanthine derivative, which is widely used in humans as a haemorheological agent, and inhibits tumor necrosis factor transcription. We have shown here that a daily administration of PTX prevents muscle atrophy and suppresses increased protein breakdown in Yoshida sarcoma-bearing rats by inhibiting the activation of a nonlysosomal, Ca(2+)-independent proteolytic pathway. PTX blocked the ubiquitin pathway, apparently by suppressing the enhanced expression of ubiquitin, the 14-kDa ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2, and the C2 20S proteasome subunit in muscle from cancer rats. The 19S complex and 11S regulator associate with the 20S proteasome and regulate its peptidase activities. The mRNA levels for the ATPase subunit MSS1 of the 19S complex increased in cancer cachexia, in contrast with mRNAs of other regulatory subunits. This adaptation was suppressed by PTX, suggesting that the drug inhibited the activation of the 26S proteasome. This is the first demonstration of a pharmacological manipulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in cachexia with a drug which is well tolerated in humans. Overall, the data suggest that PTX can prevent muscle wasting in situations where tumor necrosis factor production rises, including cancer, sepsis, AIDS and trauma.
 ...
PMID:Manipulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in cachexia: pentoxifylline suppresses the activation of 20S and 26S proteasomes in muscles from tumor-bearing rats. 1036 54

The central nervous dysfunctions of lethargy, fever and anorexia are manifestations of sepsis that seem to be mediated by increased cytokine production. Here we demonstrate that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, an essential mediator of endotoxin-induced sepsis, prevents the proteasome-dependent degradation of RGS7, a regulator of G-protein signaling. The stabilization of RGS7 by TNF-alpha requires activation of the stress-activated protein kinase p38 and the presence of candidate mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation sites. In vivo, RGS7 is rapidly upregulated in mouse brain after exposure to either endotoxin or TNF-alpha, a response that is nearly abrogated in mice lacking TNF receptor 1. Our findings indicate that TNF-mediated upregulation of RGS7 may contribute to sepsis-induced changes in central nervous function.
 ...
PMID:Upregulation of RGS7 may contribute to tumor necrosis factor-induced changes in central nervous function. 1042 8

Sepsis is associated with a pronounced catabolic response in skeletal muscle, mainly reflecting degradation of the myofibrillar proteins actin and myosin. Recent studies suggest that sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis may reflect ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent protein breakdown. An apparently conflicting observation is that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway does not degrade intact myofibrils. Thus, it is possible that actin and myosin need to be released from the myofibrils before they can be ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. We tested the hypothesis that sepsis results in disruption of Z-bands, increased expression of calpains, and calcium-dependent release of myofilaments in skeletal muscle. Sepsis induced in rats by cecal ligation and puncture resulted in increased gene expression of micro-calpain, m-calpain, and p94 and in Z-band disintegration in the extensor digitorum longus muscle. The release of myofilaments from myofibrillar proteins was increased in septic muscle. This response to sepsis was blocked by treating the rats with dantrolene, a substance that inhibits the release of calcium from intracellular stores to the cytoplasm. The present results provide evidence that sepsis is associated with Z-band disintegration and a calcium-dependent release of myofilaments in skeletal muscle. Release of myofilaments may be an initial and perhaps rate-limiting component of sepsis-induced muscle breakdown.
 ...
PMID:Sepsis stimulates release of myofilaments in skeletal muscle by a calcium-dependent mechanism. 1042 67

Recent studies suggest that sepsis stimulates ubiquitin-dependent protein breakdown in skeletal muscle. In this proteolytic pathway, ubiquitinated proteins are recognized, unfolded, and degraded by the multicatalytic 26S protease complex. The 20S proteasome is the catalytic core of the 26S protease complex. The role of the 20S proteasome in the regulation of sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis is not known. We tested the hypothesis that sepsis increases 20S proteasome activity and the expression of mRNA for various subunits of this complex. Proteolytic activity of isolated 20S proteasomes, assessed as activity against fluorogenic peptide substrates, was increased in extensor digitorum longus muscles from septic rats. The proteolytic activity was inhibited by specific proteasome blockers. Northern blot analysis revealed an approximately twofold increase in the relative abundance of mRNA for the 20S alpha-subunits RC3 and RC9 and the beta-subunit RC7. However, Western blot analysis did not show any difference in RC9 protein content between sham-operated and septic rats. The increased activity and expression of the 20S proteasome in muscles from septic rats lend further support for a role of the ubiquitin-proteasome-pathway in the regulation of sepsis-induced muscle proteolysis.
 ...
PMID:Activity and expression of the 20S proteasome are increased in skeletal muscle during sepsis. 1044 50


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>