Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0917816 (mental retardation)
 15,867 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The genes, TSC1 on chromosome 9q34, encoding hamartin, and TSC2 on chromosome 16p13.3, encoding tuberin, are responsible for tuberous sclerosis (TSC). TSC is an autosomal dominant tumor suppressor gene syndrome affecting about 1 in 6000 individuals. It is characterized by mental retardation and epilepsy. A variety of tumors characteristically occur in different organs of TSC patients and are believed to result from defects in cell cycle/cell size control. Hamartin and tuberin form a complex providing a tentative explanation for the similar disease phenotype in TSC patients with mutations in either of these genes. Beside overlap in many features of patients with TSC1 and TSC2 mutations, data accumulated providing evidence for specific clinical differences. In this study, we performed a proteomic approach of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with subsequent mass spectrometrical identification of protein spots after ectopic overexpression of human TSC1 or TSC2. We found the protein levels of the calumenin precursor; the complement component 1; heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins, C1/C2; heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein, C1-like protein; nascent polypeptide-associated complex-alpha; proteasome subunit alpha type 5; reticulocalbin 1 precursor; translationally-controlled tumor protein; UV excision repair protein, RAD23 homolog B; elongation factor 1-delta; and the eukaryotic initiation factors, eIF-4A-like NUK-34 and eIF-6; to be deregulated upon ectopic TSC gene expression. These findings suggest that deregulation of the control of these new target proteins might contribute to the development of tubers/hamartomas in tuberous sclerosis patients. The data are presented and discussed in the context of the published literature on proteomic approaches for the identification of targets of the TSC genes.
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PMID:The cellular response to ectopic overexpression of the tuberous sclerosis genes, TSC1 and TSC2: a proteomic approach. 1607 35

The MAP kinase-interacting kinases (Mnk1 and Mnk2) are activated by ERK and are best known for phosphorylating the translation initiation factor eIF4E. Genetic knockout of the Mnks impaired the migration of embryonic fibroblasts both in two-dimensional wound-healing experiments and in three-dimensional migration assays. Furthermore, a novel and selective Mnk inhibitor, Mnk-I1, which potently blocks eIF4E phosphorylation, blocked the migration of fibroblasts and cancer cells, without exerting 'off-target' effects on other signalling pathways such as Erk. Mnk-I1 or genetic knockout of the Mnks decreased the expression of vimentin, a marker of mesenchymal cells, without affecting vimentin mRNA levels. Vimentin protein levels were much lower in Mnk1/2-knockout cells than in controls, although mRNA levels were similar. Our data suggest that the Mnks regulate the translation of the vimentin mRNA and the stability of the vimentin protein. Inhibition or genetic knockout of the Mnks increased the binding of eIF4E to the cytoplasmic FMRP-interacting protein 1 (CYFIP1), which binds the fragile-X mental retardation protein, FMRP, a translational repressor. Since FMRP binds mRNAs for proteins involved in metastasis, the Mnk-dependent release of CYFIP1 from eIF4E is expected to release the repression of translation of FMRP-bound mRNAs, potentially providing a molecular mechanism for the control of cell migration by the Mnks. As Mnk1/2 are not essential for viability, inhibition of the Mnks may be a useful approach to tackling cancer metastasis, a key process contributing to mortality in cancer patients.
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PMID:The MAP kinase-interacting kinases regulate cell migration, vimentin expression and eIF4E/CYFIP1 binding. 2558 2

Cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 1 (CYFIP1) is a candidate gene for intellectual disability (ID), autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. It is a member of a family of proteins that is highly conserved during evolution, sharing high homology with its Drosophila homolog, dCYFIP. CYFIP1 interacts with the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP, encoded by the FMR1 gene), whose absence causes Fragile X syndrome, and with the translation initiation factor eIF4E. It is a member of the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC), thus representing a link between translational regulation and the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we present data showing a correlation between mRNA levels of CYFIP1 and other members of the WRC. This suggests a tight regulation of the levels of the WRC members, not only by post-translational mechanisms, as previously hypothesized. Moreover, we studied the impact of loss of function of both CYFIP1 and FMRP on neuronal growth and differentiation in two animal models - fly and mouse. We show that these two proteins antagonize each other's function not only during neuromuscular junction growth in the fly but also during new neuronal differentiation in the olfactory bulb of adult mice. Mechanistically, FMRP and CYFIP1 modulate mTor signaling in an antagonistic manner, likely via independent pathways, supporting the results obtained in mouse as well as in fly at the morphological level. Collectively, our results illustrate a new model to explain the cellular roles of FMRP and CYFIP1 and the molecular significance of their interaction.
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PMID:New insights into the regulatory function of CYFIP1 in the context of WAVE- and FMRP-containing complexes. 2818 35