Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0847097 (acidity)
 15,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Protein kinase C(PKC) is a Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase which can be activated by diacylglycerol, a product of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis. In this report, we show that the polyphosphoinositides L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate (PI 4P) and L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol 4,5-diphosphate (PI 4.5DP) can serve as phospholipid cofactors of isolated rat brain PKC. The order of potency of the phosphoinositides in the activation of PKC, PI greater than PI 4P greater than PI 4,5DP, shows a negative correlation with the degree of acidity of the phospholipid head group, whether 1 mM Ca2+ or 200 nM TPA is present in the reaction assay mixture. Although the polyphosphoinositides are by themselves weaker activators of PKC than PI, small amounts of PI 4,5DP cause a two-fold enhancement of PKC in the presence of Ca2+ and PI. While the endogenous phospholipid cofactors of PKC remain to be identified, these results suggest that the small amounts of polyphosphoinositides which are present in cell membranes may play a direct role in the activation of PKC in vivo, by serving as phospholipid cofactors of the enzyme.
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PMID:The activation of protein kinase C by the polyphosphoinositides phosphatidylinositol 4,5-diphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate. 303 87

It has been shown that chronic lung diseases which increase the concentration of pulmonary carbon dioxide (CO2) at the expense of oxygen stimulate the secretion of biogenic amines and neuropeptides by pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNE cells) in man and laboratory animals. This increase in secretory activity is always accompanied by hyperplasia of PNE cells, and smokers with chronic obstructive lung disease are at high risk for the development of neuroendocrine lung cancer. We have previously shown that nicotine and the structurally related nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), stimulate the proliferation of neuroendocrine cell lines derived from lung carcinoid tumors via interaction with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). In our current experiment, we have addressed the mechanisms of cell proliferation in response to nicotine and NNK in normal PNE cells derived from fetal hamster lungs, and two cell lines derived from human neuroendocrine lung cancers. Our data show that in these systems the mitogenic effects of nicotine and NNK are potentiated in a concentration-dependent manner by elevated levels of CO2, an effect blocked by inhibitors of protein kinase C(PKC) and reduced by antagonists of receptors for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) and mammalian bombesin. The observed effects of CO2 were saturable and independent of changes in the acidity of the tissue culture media. Our data suggest that increases in CO2 concentration at the expense of oxygen may stimulate signal transduction pathways in normal and neoplastic neuroendocrine lung cells thus enhancing their susceptibility to the mitogenic effects of tobacco-specific toxicants.
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PMID:Carbon dioxide potentiates the mitogenic effects of nicotine and its carcinogenic derivative, NNK, in normal and neoplastic neuroendocrine lung cells via stimulation of autocrine and protein kinase C-dependent mitogenic pathways. 771 58

The two tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors (TNF-R55 and TNF-R75) can release soluble TNF-binding proteins (TNF-R55-BP and TNF-R75-BP) by proteolytic cleavage. The proteolytic processing of the TNF receptors was investigated in monoblastic THP-1 and promyelocytic HL-60-10 leukemic cell lines. The release of soluble forms of both receptors was rapidly stimulated by staurosporine-sensitive protein kinase C activation by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and more slowly stimulated by TNF. No receptor release was seen below a temperature of 16 degrees C. NH4Cl (10 mmol/liter) and monensin (1 mumol/liter), known to increase intracellular pH, inhibited to some extent PMA- and TNF-induced release of both TNF-R55-BP and TNF-R75-BP. The inhibitory effect of monensin might be explained by a diminished translocation of newly synthesized receptor to the plasma membrane. The weak inhibitory effect of NH4Cl on PMA-induced release of soluble receptor forms could be due to effects on a pH-sensitive compartment. PMA-induced down-regulation of receptors was not dependent on acidity as it occurred also in the presence of monensin and NH4Cl when the release of TNF-BPs is partially blocked. Dibutyryl cAMP inhibited the PMA-induced release of TNF-R55-BP but not of TNF-R75-BP in both cell lines investigated. In addition, dibutyryl cAMP alone stimulated the release of both receptors but only in THP-1 cells. Our data show that the generation of soluble forms of both TNF receptors can be regulated by both PKC and PKA.
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PMID:Mechanisms involved in the processing of the p55 and the p75 tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors to soluble receptor forms. 794 29

We examined the properties of a proton sensitive current in acutely dissociated, capsaicin insensitive nociceptive neurons from rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG). The current had features consistent with K(+) leak currents of the KCNK family (TASK-1, TASK-3; TWIK-related acid sensing K(+)). Acidity and alkalinity induced inward and outward shifts in the holding current accompanied by increased and decreased whole cell resistance consistent with a K(+) current. We used alkaline solutions to open the channel and examine its properties. Alkaline evoked currents (AECs; pH 10.0-10.75), reversed near the K(+) equilibrium potential (-74 mV), and were suppressed 85% in 0 mM K(+). AECs were insensitive to Cs(+) (1 mM) and anandamide (1 microM), but blocked by Ba(++) (1 mM), quinidine (100 microM) or Ruthenium Red (10 microM). This pharmacology was identical to that of rat TASK-3 and inconsistent with that of TASK-1 or TASK-2. The TASK-like AEC was not modulated by PKA (forskolin, kappa opioid agonists U69593 and GR8696, somatostatin) but was inhibited by PKC activator phorbol-12-myristate-13 acetate (PMA). When acidic solutions were used, we were able to isolate a Ba(++) and Ruthenium Red insensitive current that was inhibited by Zn(++). This Zn(++) sensitive component of the proton sensitive current was consistent with TASK-1. In current clamp studies, acidic pH produced sensitive changes in resting membrane potential but did not influence excitability (pH 7.2-6.8). In contrast, Zn(++) produced substantial changes in excitability at physiological pH. Alkaline solutions produced hyperpolarization followed by proportional burst discharges (pH 10.75-11.5) and increased excitability (at pH 7.4). In conclusion, multiple TASK currents were present in a DRG nociceptor and differentially contributed to distinct discharge mechanisms.
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PMID:Characterization and function of TWIK-related acid sensing K+ channels in a rat nociceptive cell. 1548 43

Apoptosis (type I) and autophagy (type II) are both highly regulated forms of programmed cell death and play crucial roles in physiological processes such as the development, homeostasis and selective, moderate to massive elimination of cells, if needed. Accumulating evidence suggests that cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer cells, in general tend to have reduced autophagy relative to their normal counterparts and premalignant lesions, supporting the contention that defective autophagy provides resistance to metabolic stress such as hypoxia, acidity and chemotherapeutics, promotes tumor cell survival and plays a role in the process of tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying the reduced capability of undergoing autophagy in pancreatic cancer remain elusive. In a recent study, we demonstrated a novel mechanism for regulation of autophagy in pancreatic ductal carcinoma cells. We found that protein kinase C-delta (PKC delta) constitutively suppresses autophagy through induction of tissue transglutaminase (TG2). Inhibition of PKC delta/TG2 signaling resulted in significant autophagic cell death that was mediated by Beclin 1. Elevated expression of TG2 in pancreatic cancer cells has been implicated in the development of drug resistance, metastatic phenotype and poor patient prognosis. In conclusion, our data suggest a novel role of PKC delta/TG2 in regulation of autophagy, and that TG2 may serve as an excellent therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer cells.
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PMID:PKC delta and tissue transglutaminase are novel inhibitors of autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells. 1750 97