Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P05412 (c-Jun)
 11,453 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Protein kinases are being increasingly targeted in the quest for new therapeutics, and the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are no exception. Protein-kinase inhibitors are generally small molecules that show competitive inhibition with respect to ATP. However, a peptide has been developed that is an ATP-noncompetitive inhibitor of JNK. This article describes the use of this peptide in an increasing number of animal models of disease, including diabetes, stroke, neurotrauma, hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease. The efficacy of this peptide shows that JNK inhibition is an effective strategy for the treatment of these diseases and opens the possibility for testing whether JNK inhibition will be beneficial in other diseases, such as atherosclerosis, arthritis and a range of neurodegenerative diseases.
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PMID:Therapeutic promise of JNK ATP-noncompetitive inhibitors. 1588 11

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), which are essential regulators of physiological and pathological processes, are involved in several diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Inhibition of JNKs suppresses pathological features of these diseases but the many physiological functions of these enzymes argue against the use of sustained, systemic, nonspecific inhibition in the treatment of these diseases. For example, deletion of the gene that encodes JNK1 prevents insulin resistance but disrupts neuronal cytoarchitecture and initiates the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, it is not sufficient to inhibit selectively either JNKs or individual isoforms of JNK. Instead, the aim is to inhibit the damaging actions of JNK. This can be achieved using peptides that selectively block molecular domains of individual JNK signaling complexes (exclusively) that form under pathological conditions. To date, peptide inhibitors of JNK have been successful in protecting against ischemia-induced brain damage and insulin resistance following obesity. In this review, we discuss novel pharmacological strategies to inhibit JNK and the limitations of these strategies.
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PMID:Context-specific inhibition of JNKs: overcoming the dilemma of protection and damage. 1605 42

Obesity and insulin resistance are strongly associated with systemic markers of inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress. c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) are activated by inflammatory cytokines and have a key role in beta-cell apoptosis and in negative regulation of insulin signaling. JNK1-deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, while genetically obese mice with targeted mutations in JNK1 are leaner and have reduced insulin and blood glucose levels. These studies validate JNK as a link between inflammation and metabolic diseases and as a promising drug target. This review highlights recent advances in small-molecule inhibitors of JNK that have also been targeted for other diseases with an inflammatory component such as stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
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PMID:JNK: bridging the insulin signaling and inflammatory pathway. 1625 18

It is well documented that N-methyl-D-aspartate and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptors play a pivotal role in ischaemic brain injury. Recent studies have shown that kainate (KA) receptors are involved in neuronal cell death induced by seizure, which is mediated by the GluR6*PSD-95*MLK3 signalling module and subsequent c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. Here we investigate whether GluR6 mediated JNK activation is correlated with ischaemic brain injury. Our results show that cerebral ischaemia followed by reperfusion can enhance the assembly of the GluR6*PSD-95*MLK3 signalling module and JNK activation. As a result, activated JNK can not only phosphorylate the transcription factor c-Jun and up-regulate Fas L expression but can also phosphorylate 14-3-3 and promote Bax translocation to mitochondria, increase the release of cytochrome c and increase caspase-3 activation. These results indicate that GluR6 mediated JNK activation induced by ischaemia/reperfusion ultimately results in neuronal cell death via nuclear and non-nuclear pathways. Furthermore, the peptides we constructed, Tat-GluR6-9c, show a protective role against neuronal death induced by cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion through inhibiting the GluR6 mediated signal pathway. In summary, our results indicate that the KA receptor subunit GluR6 mediated JNK activation is involved in ischaemic brain injury and provides a new approach for stroke therapy.
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PMID:Neuroprotection against ischaemic brain injury by a GluR6-9c peptide containing the TAT protein transduction sequence. 1633 May 2

Edaravone, a potent antioxidant, is currently being used in the management of acute ischemic stroke in relatively high-aged populations. Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways have been shown to play important roles in neuronal cell death. We examined the role of MAPK pathways and the effect of treatment with edaravone in the brain after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in a bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) model with ischemia for 85 min followed by reperfusion for 45 min in aged rats. Western immunoblotting, immunostaining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), spectrophotometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick end labeling (TUNEL) and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining were performed to evaluate various proteins in the homogenate, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) in the tissue sections, protein carbonyl, glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), apoptosis and infarct size, respectively. Our results showed that I/R injury resulted in a reduction of GSHPx, but protein carbonyl content and inducible nitric oxide synthase were increased. The activation of JNK and its downstream molecule c-Jun was significantly increased after injury, whereas the activities of p38 MAPK and extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 were slightly but not significantly increased. Edaravone (3 mg/kg, i.v.) treatment significantly reduced all of these changes. Our findings suggest that the JNK pathway differentially mediates neuronal injury in aged rats after BCAO, and edaravone treatment significantly reduces the neuronal damage after I/R injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and the JNK-c-Jun pathway with concomitant inhibition of overall MAPK activity in the brains of aged rats.
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PMID:Edaravone inhibits JNK-c-Jun pathway and restores anti-oxidative defense after ischemia-reperfusion injury in aged rats. 1659 5

Based on its trophic influence on neurons and vascular cells, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a promising candidate for stroke treatment. VEGF's survival-promoting effects are purchased at the expense of an increased blood brain barrier permeability, which potentially compromises tissue survival. The mechanisms via which VEGF protects the brain against ischemia remained unknown. We examined signaling pathways underlying VEGF's neuroprotective activity in our transgenic mouse line, which expresses human VEGF165 under a neuron-specific enolase (NSE) promoter. We show that VEGF receptor-2 (Flk-1) is expressed on ischemic neurons and astrocytes and is activated by VEGF. Following 90-min episodes of middle cerebral artery occlusion, VEGF increased phosphorylated (but not total) Akt and ERK-1/-2 and reduced phosphorylated mitogen activated protein kinase/p38 and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK)-1/-2 levels, at the same time decreasing inducible NO synthase expression in ischemic neurons. Inhibition of Akt with Wortmannin reversed VEGF's neuroprotective properties, diminished brain swelling, and restored the vascular permeability induced by VEGF to below levels in WT animals. The aggravation of brain injury by Wortmannin was associated with the restitution of p38, but not of JNK-1/-2, ERK-1/-2, or inducible NOS (iNOS). Our data demonstrate that VEGF mediates both neuroprotection and blood brain barrier permeability via the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. Based on our observation that VEGF neuroprotection and vascular leakage depend on PI3K/Akt, which is putatively regulated by VEGF receptor-2, we predict that it may not easily be possible to make use of VEGF's neuroprotective function without accepting its unfavorable consequence, the increased vascular permeability.
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PMID:The phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt pathway mediates VEGF's neuroprotective activity and induces blood brain barrier permeability after focal cerebral ischemia. 1664 Nov 98

Astrocytes are thought to be critical to neurons' surviving damage caused by ischemic stroke or other injury. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is one of the active soluble factors released by astrocytes and regulates plasminogen activator-plasmin proteolytic sequence in the CNS as a serpin. In this study, we show that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 can promote neurite outgrowth and survival of rat pheochromocytoma cells in serum-deprived conditions, and that this neuroprotective activity is correlated with enhanced activation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinases following a direct phosphorylation of nerve growth factor receptor, Trk A, and of c-Jun. Our results suggest that plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 can act as a neurotrophic factor, protecting neurons from serum deprivation-induced neuron death not only by compensating for nerve growth factor functions, but also by activating the c-Jun/activating protein-1 pathway.
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PMID:Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 aids nerve growth factor-induced differentiation and survival of pheochromocytoma cells by activating both the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun pathways. 1667 72

The transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) consists of a variety of dimers composed of members of the Jun and Fos families of proteins. However, it is the up-regulation of c-jun that is a particularly common event in the developing, adult as well as in injured nervous system that serves as a model of transcriptional control of brain function. In view of the long list of excellent in depth overviews on the different members of the Jun family and associated molecules, the primary focus of the current paper is to focus on c-Jun specifically and discuss the evidence on the involvement of this transcription factor in ischaemia and stroke, in seizures, during learning and memory, or following axonal injury and during successful regeneration. Functional studies employing in vivo strategies using gene deletion, targeted expression of dominant negative isoforms and pharmacological inhibitors all suggest a bipotential role of c-Jun, in mediating neurodegeneration and cell death, as well as in plasticity and repair. Phosphorylation of c-Jun, and the activation of its upstream kinases (Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) 1-3, JNK kinases (JNKK)) is required in many but not in all forms of these events, with only a partial overlap of the Jun-, JNK- or JNKK(n)-dependent functions. Moreover, a better understanding of the non-overlapping roles could considerably increase the potential of pharmacological agents to improve neurological outcome following trauma, neonatal encephalopathy and stroke, or neurodegenerative disease.
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PMID:Role of the AP-1 transcription factor c-Jun in developing, adult and injured brain. 1671 87

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK-1, -2, and -3) are members of the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase family of enzymes. They are activated in response to certain cytokines, as well as by cellular stresses including chemotoxins, peroxides, and irradiation. They have been implicated in the pathology of a variety of different diseases with an inflammatory component including asthma, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this work, high-throughput screening identified a JNK inhibitor with an excellent kinase selectivity profile. Using X-ray crystallography and biochemical screening to guide our lead optimization, we prepared compounds with inhibitory potencies in the low-double-digit nanomolar range, activity in whole cells, and pharmacokinetics suitable for in vivo use. The new compounds were over 1,000-fold selective for JNK-1 and -2 over other MAP kinases including ERK2, p38alpha, and p38delta and showed little inhibitory activity against a panel of 74 kinases.
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PMID:Aminopyridine-based c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitors with cellular activity and minimal cross-kinase activity. 1675 99

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) form a subfamily of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). These signalling pathways regulate various processes such as mitosis, cellular differentiation, stress response or apoptosis in multicellular organisms. There is rising evidence about the role of JNKs activities in neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases as well as in immunological disorders. The physiological functions of JNKs, however, remain to be elucidated. Recent data have demonstrated an essential role of JNKs in the cardiovascular system and the regulation of carbon hydrate and glucose metabolism. Therefore, we have investigated the contractility of blood vessels in mice with genetically deleted JNK1, JNK2, JNK3 and JNK2+3 isoforms and their respective wildtypes. The contractility of the isolated segments from A. carotis communis was measured by small blood vessel wire myograph. Contraction induced by 80 mM KCl was significantly increased in arteries from JNK2+3 double knockout compared to controls and single knockouts. The maximal contraction generated by the alpha-agonists phenylephrine or noradrenaline (10 microM) was significantly enhanced in JNK2+3 knockout arteries compared with arteries from the remaining strains. Inhibition of NOS by Nw-nitro-l-arginine did not change the pattern of vasoconstriction, but vasoconstriction by noradrenaline following NOS inhibition was significantly enhanced in the arteries from JNK2+3 double knockout mice. In conclusion, genetic deletion of JNK2+3 in mice results in altered contractility of carotid arteries and this might depend on the function of the smooth muscles rather than on the endothelium. These findings have implications for the long-term treatment with pharmacological JNK inhibitors for neurodegenerative or metabolic diseases such as stroke or diabetes.
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PMID:Enhanced contractility of small blood vessels in JNK knockout mice. 1694 3


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