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)

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 acts as a potent growth inhibitor of prostate epithelial cells, and aberrant function of its receptor type I and II correlates with tumor aggressiveness. However, intracellular and serum TGF-beta1 levels are elevated in prostate cancer patients and further increased in patients with metastatic carcinoma, suggesting the oncogenic switch of TGF-beta1 role in prostate tumorigenesis. Recently, we reported the mitogenic conversion of TGF-beta1 effect by oncogenic Ha-Ras in prostate cancer cells. Here, we show that TGF-beta1 activates interleukin (IL)-6, which has been implicated in the malignant progression of prostate cancers, via multiple signaling pathways including Smad2, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), JNK, and Ras. TGF-beta1-induced IL-6 gene expression was strongly inhibited by DN-Smad2 but not by DN-Smad3 while it was further activated by wild-type Smad2 transfection. IL-6 activation by TGF-beta1 was accompanied by nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB, which was blocked by the p38 inhibitors SB202190 and SB203580 or by IkappaBalphaDeltaN transfection, indicating the crucial role for the p38-NF-kappaB signaling in TGF-beta1 induction of IL-6. TGF-beta1 activated c-Jun phosphorylation, and IL-6 induction by TGF-beta1 was severely impeded by DN-c-Jun and DN-JNK or AP-1 inhibitor curcumin, showing that the JNK-c-Jun-AP-1 signaling plays a pivotal role in TGF-beta1 stimulation of IL-6. It was also found that the Ras-Raf-MEK1 cascade is activated by TGF-beta1 and participates in the TGF-beta1 induction of IL-6 in an AP-1-dependent manner. Cotransfection assays demonstrated that TGF-beta1 stimulation of IL-6 results from the synergistic collaboration of the Smad2, p38-NF-kappaB, JNK-c-Jun-AP-1, or Ras-Raf-MEK1 cascades. In addition, a time course IL-6 decay revealed that mRNA stability of IL-6 is modestly increased by TGF-beta1, indicating that TGF-beta1 also regulates IL-6 at the post-transcriptional level. Intriguingly, IL-6 inactivation restored the sensitivity to TGF-beta1-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis, suggesting that elevated IL-6 in advanced prostate tumors might act as a resistance factor against TGF-beta1. Collectively, our data demonstrate that IL-6 expression is stimulated by tumor-producing TGF-beta1 in human prostate cancer cells through multiple signaling pathways including Smad2, p38, JNK, and Ras, and enhanced expression of IL-6 could contribute to the oncogenic switch of TGF-beta1 role for prostate tumorigenesis, in part by counteracting its growth suppression function.
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PMID:Transforming growth factor-beta1 activates interleukin-6 expression in prostate cancer cells through the synergistic collaboration of the Smad2, p38-NF-kappaB, JNK, and Ras signaling pathways. 1285 69

Occupational exposure to asphalt fumes may pose a health risk. Experimental studies using animal and in vitro models indicate that condensates from asphalt fumes are genotoxic and can promote skin tumorigenesis. Enhanced activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1) is frequently associated with the promotion of skin tumorigenesis. The current study investigated the effect of exposure to asphalt fumes on AP-1 activation in mouse JB6 P+ epidermal cells and the skin of transgenic mice expressing the AP-1 luciferase reporter gene. Asphalt fumes were generated from a dynamic generation system that simulated road-paving conditions. Exposure to asphalt fumes significantly increased AP-1 activity in JB6 P+ cells as well as in cultured keratinocytes isolated from transgenic mice expressing AP-1 reporter. In addition, topical application of asphalt fumes by painting the tail skin of mice increased AP-1 activity by 14-fold. Exposure to asphalt fumes promoted basal as well as epidermal growth factor-stimulated anchorage-independent growth of JB6 P+ cells in soft agar. It activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and induced phosphorylation of Akt at Ser-473/Thr-308, and concurrently activated downstream p70 S6 kinase as well as glycogen synthase kinase-3beta. Asphalt fumes transiently activated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases without affecting extracellular signal-regulated kinases and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases. Further study indicated that blockage of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation eliminated asphalt fume-stimulated AP-1 activation and formation of anchorage-independent colonies in soft agar. This is the first report showing that exposure to asphalt fumes can activate AP-1 and intracellular signaling that may promote skin tumorigenesis, thus providing important evidence on the potential involvement of exposure to asphalt fumes in skin carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Exposure to asphalt fumes activates activator protein-1 through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway in mouse epidermal cells. 1294

Tissue-specific removal of c-jun from epidermal cells in mice leads to a failure of eyelid fusion during embryogenesis and reveals roles for c-Jun in wound repair and tumorigenesis in adult skin. This has provided a definitive test of the in vivo function of AP-1 signalling and shown that EGF signalling is key to all of c-Jun's roles in the epidermis.
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PMID:Epithelial migration: open your eyes to c-Jun. 1295 72

p57KIP2, a member of the Cip/Kip family of enzymes that inhibit several cyclin-dependent kinases, plays a role in many biological events including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and developmental changes. The human p57KIP2 gene is located in chromosome 11p15.5, a region implicated in sporadic cancers and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. We here report that p57KIP2 physically interacts with and inhibits c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK). The carboxyl-terminal QT domain of p57KIP2 is crucial for the inhibition of JNK/SAPK. Overexpressed p57KIP2 also suppressed UV- and MEKK1-induced apoptotic cell death. p57KIP2 expression during C2C12 myoblast differentiation resulted in repression of the JNK activity stimulated by UV light. Furthermore, UV-stimulated JNK1 activity was higher in mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from p57-/- mice than in the cells from wild-type mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that p57KIP2 modulates stress-activated signaling by functioning as an endogenous inhibitor of JNK/SAPK.
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PMID:p57KIP2 modulates stress-activated signaling by inhibiting c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein Kinase. 1296 25

Sulforaphane (SFN) and its N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) conjugate are effective inhibitors of tumorigenesis in animal models. These compounds induce the expression of the antioxidant response element (ARE)-related genes and cause apoptosis. We studied the role of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the activations of ARE-mediated gene expression, apoptosis, and the activation of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) in HepG2-C8 cells. The cellular level of GSH decreased transiently when cells were exposed to SFN and then increased from 4 h, reaching 2.2-fold over control at 24 h. In contrast, SFN-NAC did not change the GSH level substantially during the time of incubation. ARE expression was increased in a dose-dependent manner up to 35 micro M SFN and 75 micro M SFN-NAC, respectively. The induction of ARE by SFN was 8.6-fold higher than that by SFN-NAC. Pretreatment with L-buthionine sulfoximine increased SFN-induced ARE expression significantly. The decrease in ARE expression at higher concentrations of SFN and SFN-NAC was correlated with accelerated apoptotic cell death, with a dose-dependent activation of caspase 3 activity by SFN. On addition of extracellular GSH within 6 h of treatment with SFN, the effect on ARE expression was blocked almost completely. SFN was able to activate JNK1/2, and that activation was blocked by treatment with exogenous GSH. Taken together, these results suggest that the biological effects of SFN and SFN-NAC on the induction of ARE-related gene expression and apoptosis could be different from each other; however, the different effects on ARE-related gene expression and apoptosis elicited by SFN can be blocked by the addition of GSH.
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PMID:Effects of glutathione on antioxidant response element-mediated gene expression and apoptosis elicited by sulforaphane. 1461 54

EBV latent infection is associated with the development of lymphoid and epithelial malignancies such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) acts as a constitutively active tumor necrosis factor receptor and activates cellular signaling pathways such as c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase, cdc42, Akt, and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. In epithelial cells, two regions of LMP1 induce specific forms of NF-kappaB. COOH-terminal activating region 2 only activates p52/p65 dimers, whereas COOH-terminal activating region 1 activates p50/p50, p50/p52, and p52/p65 dimers and also uniquely up-regulates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at the mRNA level. Deregulation of specific NF-kappaB members is associated with the development of many cancers. In this study, the status of NF-kappaB activation was investigated in NPC to determine which NF-kappaB dimers may contribute to the development of NPC. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay, immunoblot, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry data demonstrate that in NPC, NF-kappaB p50 homodimers are specifically activated, and this activation is not dependent on LMP1 expression. Coimmunoprecipitation assays indicate that homodimers are bound to the transcriptional coactivator Bcl-3, and chromatin immunoprecipitation indicates that this complex is bound to NF-kappaB consensus motifs within the egfr promoter in NPC. The discrete yet striking NF-kappaB p50 activation in NPC suggests that p50/p50 homodimers may be important factors in the development of NPC and may contribute to oncogenesis through transcriptional up-regulation of target genes through their interaction with Bcl-3.
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PMID:Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB p50 homodimer/Bcl-3 complexes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. 1467 88

The retinoblastoma protein (Rb) controls cell proliferation, differentiation, and senescence and provides an essential tumor suppressive function that cells must eliminate to attain unlimited proliferative potential. Elimination of the Rb pathway also results in apoptosis, however, thereby providing an efficient surveillance mechanism to sense the loss of Rb. To become tumorigenic cells must thus overcome not only Rb function but also the apoptotic response caused by the loss of Rb function. We show that oncogenic Ras (RasV12) potently blocks cell death in Rb family member knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts (TKO cells). Activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Raf by oncogenic Ras mediated this protection, implying that multiple Ras effector pathways are required, in concert, for this pro-survival signal. Although activation of Raf by selective Ras mutants protected TKO cells from cell death, pharmacologic inhibition of MEK had little effect on RasV12 protection, suggesting that a Raf-dependent, MEK-independent pathway was important for this effect. We show that this Raf-dependent protection occurred through activation of c-Jun and thus AP-1 activation. These observations could account for the dependence of Ras transformation on c-Jun activity and for the roles of AP-1 in oncogenesis. Our results support the concept of two oncogenic events cooperating to achieve a balance between immortalization and survival.
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PMID:Ras protects Rb family null fibroblasts from cell death: a role for AP-1. 1468 62

The transcription factor c-Jun cooperates with oncogenic alleles of ras in malignant transformation. Constitutively active Ras causes, via activation of mitogen activated protein kinases, phosphorylation of c-Jun which is essential for subsequent target gene activation and tumorigenesis. Studying the mechanisms controlling c-Jun activity we found that its transcription activation function is actively repressed by a presumably multimeric repressor complex that includes histone deacetylase 3 as a critical subunit. Suppression of c-Jun is relieved by MAP kinase-mediated phosphorylation and/or titration of inhibitor components. The viral tumorigenic counterpart of c-Jun, v-Jun, escapes this inhibition, suggesting deregulated transcriptional activity of c-Jun as a relevant cause for carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Deregulated repression of c-Jun provides a potential link to its role in tumorigenesis. 1471 66

Celecoxib, the first US FDA-approved selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor initially developed for the treatment of adult rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, was reported to reduce the polyp burden in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. This specific COX-2 inhibitor also protects against experimentally induced carcinogenesis, but molecular mechanisms underlying its chemopreventive activities remain largely unresolved. In the present work, we found that celecoxib inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced expression of COX-2 in female ICR mouse skin when applied topically 30 min prior to TPA as determined by both immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses. In another study, celecoxib attenuated the DNA binding activity of activator protein 1 (AP-1) through suppression of c-Jun and c-Fos expression in TPA-treated mouse skin. In addition, celecoxib inhibited both the catalytic activity and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. In the same animal model, TPA treatment resulted in rapid activation via phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38 MAP kinase, which are upstream of AP-1 in mouse skin. In order to clarify the roles of p38 and ERK in TPA-induced AP-1 activation, we utilized the pharmacologic inhibitors of these enzymes. The p38 inhibitor SB203580 blocked TPA-mediated AP-1 activation, while the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 was not inhibitory despite suppression of c-Fos expression in mouse skin. Furthermore, SB203580 markedly inhibited COX-2 expression induced by TPA. Taken together, these findings suggest that celecoxib down-regulates COX-2 by blocking activation of p38 MAP kinase and AP-1, which may represent molecular mechanisms underlying antitumor promoting effects of this drug on mouse skin tumorigenesis.
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PMID:Celecoxib inhibits phorbol ester-induced expression of COX-2 and activation of AP-1 and p38 MAP kinase in mouse skin. 1472 83

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein implicated in mammary development, neoplastic change, and metastasis. OPN is a target gene for beta-catenin-T cell factor signaling, which is commonly disturbed during mammary oncogenesis, but the understanding of OPN regulation is incomplete. Data base-assisted bioinformatic analysis of the OPN promoter region has revealed the presence of T cell factor-, Ets-, and AP-1-binding motifs. Here we report that beta-catenin, Lef-1, Ets transcription factors, and the AP-1 protein c-Jun each weakly enhanced luciferase expression from a OPN promoter-luciferase reporter construct, transiently transfected into a rat mammary cell line. OPN promoter responsiveness to beta-catenin and Lef-1, however, was considerably enhanced by Ets transcription factors including Ets-1, Ets-2, ERM, and particularly PEA3. PEA3 also enhanced promoter responsiveness to the AP-1 protein c-Jun. Co-transfection of cells with beta-catenin, Lef-1, PEA3, and c-Jun in combination increased luciferase expression by up to 280-fold and induced expression of endogenous rat OPN. In six human breast cell lines, those that highly expressed OPN also expressed PEA3 and Ets-1. Moreover, there was a significant association of immunocytochemical staining for OPN and one of beta-catenin, Ets-1, Ets-2, PEA3, or c-Jun, in the 29 human breast carcinomas tested. This study shows that beta-catenin/Lef-1, Ets, and AP-1 transcription factors can cooperate in a rat mammary cell line in stimulating transcription of OPN and that their independent presence is associated with that of OPN in a group of human breast cancers. These results suggest that the presence of these transcription factors in human breast cancer is responsible in part for the overexpression of OPN that, in turn, is implicated in mammary neoplastic progression and metastasis.
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PMID:Ets gene PEA3 cooperates with beta-catenin-Lef-1 and c-Jun in regulation of osteopontin transcription. 1499 May 65


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