Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P05231 (interleukin-6)
 23,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Patients with cancer often undergo a specific loss of skeletal muscle mass, while the visceral protein reserves are preserved. This condition known as cachexia reduces the quality of life and eventually results in death through erosion of the respiratory muscles. Nutritional supplementation or appetite stimulants are unable to restore the loss of lean body mass, since protein catabolism is increased mainly as a result of the activation of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway. Several mediators have been proposed. An enhanced protein degradation is seen in skeletal muscle of mice administered tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which appears to be mediated by oxidative stress. There is some evidence that this may be a direct effect and is associated with an increase in total cellular-ubiquitin-conjugated muscle proteins. Another cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), may play a role in muscle wasting in certain animal tumours, possibly through both lysosomal (cathepsin) and non-lysosomal (proteasome) pathways. A tumour product, proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF) is produced by cachexia-inducing murine and human tumours and initiates muscle protein degradation directly through activation of the proteasome pathway. The action of PIF is blocked by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which has been shown to attenuate the development of cachexia in pancreatic cancer patients. When combined with nutritional supplementation EPA leads to accumulation of lean body mass and prolongs survival. Further knowledge on the biochemical mechanisms of muscle protein catabolism will aid the development of effective therapy for cachexia.
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PMID:Loss of skeletal muscle in cancer: biochemical mechanisms. 1117 57

Plasma fibrinogen is synthesized primarily in hepatocytes and assembly of the three component chains (A alpha, B beta, and gamma) into its final form as a six-chain dimer (A alpha, B beta, gamma)2 occurs rapidly in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Assembly takes place in a stepwise manner with single chains interacting with each other to form A alpha-gamma and B beta-gamma complexes. The two-chain complexes then acquire another chain to form half-molecules (A alpha, B beta, gamma)1, which in a final step are linked to form the six-chain (A alpha, B beta, gamma)2 complex. As with other secreted glycoproteins, N-linked glycosylation of B beta and gamma chains commences in the ER and is completed in Golgi organelles. Sulfation and phosphorylation occur at post-ER stages of the secretory process. Since some ER chaperones coisolate with nascent fibrinogen chains they have been implicated in assisting chain assembly. Studies with recombinant systems, using deletion and substitution mutants, indicate that initial chain assembly depends on hydrophobic interactions present in the C-terminal half of the coil-coil domains and that inter- and intra-disulfide bonds that stabilize fibrinogen are needed to complete chain assembly. Not all the chains that are synthesized are assembled into fibrinogen and the unassembled chains are not secreted. HepG2 cells contain surplus A alpha and gamma chains that accumulate as free gamma chains and as an A alpha-gamma complex. A alpha-gamma is degraded by lysosomes whereas the gamma chain is degraded by the proteasome-ubiquitin system. Studies with expression of single chains by COS cells confirm that gamma and B beta are hydrolyzed by proteasomes and indicate that A alpha is degraded partially both by lysosomes and proteasomes. The role of surplus chains in regulating fibrinogen assembly is not understood but overexpression of any one chain, elicited by transfection of HepG2 cells, results in the upregulation of the other two genes, increased fibrinogen synthesis and secretion, and maintenance of surplus intracellular A alpha and gamma chains. HepG2 cells, programmed in this manner to increase basal fibrinogen expression, have higher HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels, enhanced cholesterol and cholesterol ester synthesis, and increased secretion of apolipoprotein B (apoB). Overexpression of basal levels of fibrinogen does not affect synthesis of other acute phase proteins. Enhanced secretion of apoB is due to diminished degradation of nascent apoB by proteasomes and not to increased expression. Increased secretion of apoB is associated with increased basal expression of fibrinogen and is not affected when fibrinogen expression is stimulated by interleukin-6. In HepG2 cells, a feedback mechanism exists and extracellular sterols specifically downregulate expression of the three fibrinogen genes. These studies link, at the cellular level, basal fibrinogen expression with lipid metabolism.
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PMID:Fibrinogen biosynthesis. Assembly, intracellular degradation, and association with lipid synthesis and secretion. 1146 May 6

Janus kinase 1 (Jak1) is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase that noncovalently associates with a variety of cytokine receptors. Here we show that the in vitro translated N-terminal domains of Jak1 are sufficient for binding to a biotinylated peptide comprising the membrane-proximal 73 amino acids of gp130, the signal-transducing receptor chain of interleukin-6-type cytokines. By the fold recognition approach amino acid residues 36-112 of Jak1 were predicted to adopt a beta-grasp fold, and a structural model was built using ubiquitin as a template. Substitution of Tyr(107) to alanine, a residue conserved among Jaks and involved in hydrophobic core interactions of the proposed beta-grasp domain, abrogated binding of full-length Jak1 to gp130 in COS-7 transfectants. By further mutagenesis we identified the loop 4 region of the Jak1 beta-grasp domain as essential for gp130 association and gp130-mediated signal transduction. In Jak1-deficient U4C cells reconstituted with the loop 4 Jak1 mutants L80A/Y81A and Delta(Tyr(81)-Ser(84)), the interferon-gamma, interferon-alpha, and interleukin-6 responses were similarly impaired. Thus, loop 4 of the beta-grasp domain plays a role in the association of Jak1 with both class I and II cytokine receptors. Taken together the structural model and the mutagenesis data provide further insight into the interaction of Janus kinases with cytokine receptors.
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PMID:Mapping of a region within the N terminus of Jak1 involved in cytokine receptor interaction. 1146 94

The 26S proteasome regulates protein turnover in eukaryotic cells. This is relevant in human cancer because the cell cycle, tumor growth, and survival are governed by a large repertoire of intracellular proteins that are regulated by the ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradative pathway. In the development of new antitumor agents whose mechanisms are distinct from currently available therapies, we have discovered a potent, selective inhibitor of the proteasome: PS-341, a dipeptide boronic acid. Compared with normal cells, cancer cells--and specifically myeloma--treated with PS-341 are differentially sensitive to proteasome inhibition and apoptosis. A unique feature of PS-341 involves the inhibition of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation through stabilization of the inhibitor protein IkappaB. Myeloma cells depend on NF-kappaB-mediated transcription of cytokine growth factor interleukin-6, angiogenesis through vascular endothelial growth factor, and the cell adhesion molecule VCAM-1 for adherence of the plasma cells to the stromal tissue in bone marrow. At low nanomolar concentrations, PS-341 is highly effective in abrogating the transcription of these genes, which are under the direct regulation of NF-kappaB. Moreover, PS-341 appears to synergize with dexamethasone in myeloma cell culture, which may prove to be of additional benefit clinically. The safety profile in phase I trials of PS-341 in patients with cancer appears encouraging. Because proteasome inhibition with PS-341 results in potent antitumor activity in vitro, PS-341 may offer a promising new approach to treating otherwise fatal malignancy.
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PMID:Proteasome inhibition in cancer: development of PS-341. 1174 Aug 19

In vivo studies have shown that cancer-associated skeletal muscle wasting (cachexia) is mediated by two cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). It has been unclear from these studies whether TNF exerts direct effects on skeletal muscle and/or whether these effects are mediated via IL-6. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that TNF induces IL-6 mRNA expression in cultured skeletal muscle cells. To further investigate the relationship between TNF and IL-6, the effects of TNF and IL-6 on protein and DNA dynamics in murine C2C12 skeletal myotube cultures were determined. At 1000 U/ml, TNF induced 30% increases in protein and DNA content. The effects of TNF on protein accumulation were inhibited by aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis. IL-6 mimicked the effects of TNF on C2C12 cultures, inducing a 32% increase in protein accumulation and a 71% increase in the rate of protein synthesis. IL-6 also decreased expression of mRNA for several proteolytic system components, including ubiquitin 2.4 kb (51%) and 1.2 kb (63%), cathepsin B (39%) and m-calpain (47%), indicating that IL-6 acts on both protein synthesis and degradation. Incubation of murine C2C12 myotube cultures with TNF (1000 U/ml) in the presence of a polyclonal mouse anti-IL-6 antibody resulted in an abolishment of the effects of TNF on protein synthesis, but did not inhibit TNF-induced stimulation of DNA synthesis. These findings indicate that the effects of TNF on muscle protein synthesis are mediated by IL-6, but that TNF exerts IL-6-independent effects on proliferation of murine skeletal myoblasts.
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor-alpha exerts interleukin-6-dependent and -independent effects on cultured skeletal muscle cells. 1185 80

A small molecule inhibitor of NF-kappaB-dependent cytokine expression was discovered that blocked tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha-induced IkappaB(alpha) degradation in MM6 cells but not the degradation of beta-catenin in Jurkat cells. Ro106-9920 blocked lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-dependent expression of TNFalpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 in fresh human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with IC(50) values below 1 microm. Ro106-9920 also blocked TNFalpha production in a dose-dependent manner following oral administration in two acute models of inflammation (air pouch and LPS challenge). Ro106-9920 was observed to inhibit an ubiquitination activity that does not require betaTRCP but associates with IkappaB(alpha) and will ubiquitinate IkappaB(alpha) S32E,S36E (IkappaB(alpha)(ee)) specifically at lysine 21 or 22. Ro106-9920 was identified in a cell-free system as a time-dependent inhibitor of IkappaB(alpha)(ee) ubiquitination with an IC(50) value of 2.3 +/- 0.09 microm. The ubiquitin E3 ligase activity is inhibited by cysteine-alkylating reagents, supported by E2UBCH7, and requires cIAP2 or a cIAP2-associated protein for activity. These activities are inconsistent with what has been reported for SCF(betaTRCP), the putative E3 for IkappaB(alpha) ubiquitination. Ro106-9920 was observed to be selective for IkappaB(alpha)(ee) ubiquitination over the ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), E2UBCH7, nonspecific ubiquitination of cellular proteins, and 97 other molecular targets. We propose that Ro106-9920 selectively inhibits an uncharacterized but essential ubiquitination activity associated with LPS- and TNFalpha-induced IkappaB(alpha) degradation and NF-kappaB activation.
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PMID:A small molecule ubiquitination inhibitor blocks NF-kappa B-dependent cytokine expression in cells and rats. 1195 Aug 39

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in inflammatory reactions. We have addressed the possible regulation of IL-6 expression by the ubiquitin-protease system in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Cultured endothelial cells were treated with MG-132, a protease inhibitor, and the levels of IL-6 mRNA and protein were measured by reverse transcription-PCR and ELISA. MG-132 increased the expression of IL-6 mRNA and protein;and this effect was abolished by the pretreatment of the cells with U0126, an inhibitor of MAP or ERK kinases (MEK 1/2). MG-132 treatment was also found to enhance the level of phosphorylated MEK 1/2. Treatment of the cells with actinomycin D inhibited IL-6 expression in response to MG-132, suggesting the transcriptional upregulation of IL-6 under proteasomal inhibition. We conclude that a protease inhibitor MG-132 upregulates IL-6 expression in vascular endothelial cells, at least in part, through the activation of MEK 1/2.
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PMID:Proteasome inhibitor MG-132 enhances the expression of interleukin-6 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: Involvement of MAP/ERK kinase. 1206 9

The ascites hepatoma Yoshida AH-130 induces loss of body weight and tissue waste. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of muscle wasting in this model system, but other cytokines, such as interleukin-6, may be involved. In order to verify whether a combined anticytokine treatment may synergistically counteract muscle protein degradation, tumour bearing rats were treated with pentoxyfilline (PTX, an inhibitor of TNF-alpha synthesis), or with suramin (SUR, an antiprotozoal drug blocking the peripheral action of several cytokines including IL-6 and TNF-alpha), or both the drugs, and the effects on muscle proteolytic systems were assessed. Muscle protein loss in the AH-130-bearing rats was associated with increased activity of both the ATP-ubiquitin- and the calpain- dependent proteolytic pathways (246% and 230% of controls, respectively). Both PTX and SUR, either alone or in combination, prevented the depletion of muscle mass and significantly reduced the activity of muscle proteolytic systems. In particular, treatment with SUR, either alone or with PTX, induced a decrease in enzymatic activities to values similar to those of controls. The results obtained in the present paper demonstrate that: (i) muscle depletion in this model is indeed associated with increased proteasome- and calpain-dependent proteolysis, as previously suggested by increased mRNA expression of molecules pertaining to both pathways; (ii) anticytokine treatments effectively reduce muscle protein loss by down-regulating the activity of at least two major proteolitic systems; (iii) SUR is more effective than PTX in reducing the activity of proteolytic systems, possibly because of its multiple anticytokine action.
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PMID:Anticytokine treatment prevents the increase in the activity of ATP-ubiquitin- and Ca(2+)-dependent proteolytic systems in the muscle of tumour-bearing rats. 1220 Jan 6

Ubiquitin is suggested to play a key role in essential intracellular functions, such as heat shock response, protein breakdown, and regulation of immune responses. Ubiquitin has also been detected in the extracellular space, but the function and biologic significance is unclear. We describe a new function of extracellular ubiquitin and show that extracellular ubiquitin specifically inhibits ex vivo secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and TNF-alpha mRNA expression from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) in response to endotoxin in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the TNF-alpha response to zymosan or Staphylococcus aureus as well as the interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 responses to endotoxin were unaffected by ubiquitin. Measurement of serum ubiquitin levels showed a significant 5- to 7-fold increase in sepsis and trauma patients, to the level required for inhibition of the PBMNC TNF-alpha response to endotoxin by ubiquitin. Elevated ubiquitin levels in serum were significantly correlated with a reduced TNF-alpha production. Antibodies to ubiquitin were able to (1) significantly increase (2- to 5-fold) the TNF-alpha response to endotoxin in whole blood from trauma and sepsis patients, (2) completely neutralize the inhibitory effect of trauma patients' serum on healthy donors' TNF-alpha production, and (3) partially neutralize the inhibitory effect of sepsis patients' serum on healthy donors' TNF-alpha production. Ubiquitin-depleted serum from trauma patients lost the inhibitory activity for TNF-alpha production, whereas extracted endogenous ubiquitin exerts the inhibitory activity. The results demonstrate that extracellular ubiquitin acts as a cytokinelike protein with anti-inflammatory properties and indicate that extracellular ubiquitin is involved in the regulation of immunodepression in critical illness.
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PMID:Extracellular ubiquitin inhibits the TNF-alpha response to endotoxin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and regulates endotoxin hyporesponsiveness in critical illness. 1240

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system was constructed and used to detect the affinity-tagged recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. With regards to model proteins, the hexahistidine-ubiquitin-tagged human growth hormone (His(6)-Ub-hGH), glutathione S-transferase-tagged human interleukin-6 (GST-hIL6), and maltose-binding protein-tagged human interleukin-6 (MBP-hIL6) expressed in E. coli were analyzed. The cell lysates were spotted on gold thin films coated with 11-mercaptoundecanol (MUOH)/dextran derivatized with Ni(II)-iminodiacetic acid (IDA-Ni(II)), glutathione, or cyclodextrin. After a brief washing of the gold chip, SPR imaging measurements were carried out in order to detect the bound affinity-tagged fusion proteins. Using this new approach, rapid high-throughput expression analysis of the affinity-tagged proteins were obtained. The SPR imaging protein chip system used to measure the expression of affinity-tagged proteins in a high-throughput manner is expected to be an attractive alternative to traditional laborious and time-consuming methods, such as SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blots.
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PMID:A fusion protein expression analysis using surface plasmon resonance imaging. 1520 30


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