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)

Fine particles derived from diesel engines (diesel exhaust particles, DEP) have attracted attention, since their density in industrial countries seems related to the increased prevalence of pulmonary diseases. Previous studies have suggested that DEP have a potential to directly activate airway epithelial cells to produce and release inflammatory cytokines and mediators, and thus facilitate inflammatory responses in the lung. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of their action, we studied here IL-8 gene expression, one of the important cytokines in inflammatory responses, by Northern blot analysis and run-on transcription assay. Suspended DEP (1-50 microgram/ml) increased the steady state levels of IL-8 mRNA, which was suggested to be largely due to increased transcriptional rates. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that DEP induced increased binding to the specific motif of NF-kappa B, but not of transcription factor AP-1. The luciferase reporter gene assay using wild-type and mutated NF-kappa B-binding sequences showed that DEP-induced NF-kappa B activation was involved in IL-8 transcription. Finally, both N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate attenuated the action of DEP on IL-8 mRNA expression, suggesting that oxidant-mediated pathway might be involved in its processes. These results suggested that DEP activate NF-kappa B, which might be an important mechanism of its potential to increase the expression of inflammatory cytokines in vitro.
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PMID:Diesel exhaust particles induce NF-kappa B activation in human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro: importance in cytokine transcription. 1020 11

Oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTRs) mediate reproductive functions, including the initiation of labor and milk ejection. OTR messenger RNA levels are highly regulated, reaching the greatest concentration in the uterus at the end of gestation, and in the mammary gland during lactation. Factors directly effecting changes in OTR gene expression in the mammary gland are not known, so the present studies were done to elucidate possible regulators by characterizing the human OTR gene promoter and 5'-flanking sequence. By analyzing expression of promoter-luciferase constructs, we localized a region between -85 and -65 that was required for both basal and serum-induced expression in a mammary tumor cell line (Hs578T) that expresses inducible, endogenous OTRs. This DNA region contains an ets family target sequence (5'-GGA-3'), and a CRE/AP-1-like motif. The specific Ets factor binding to the OTR promoter was identified, by electrophoretic mobility immunoshift assays, to be GABP alpha/beta. Co-transfection of a -85 OTR/luciferase construct with vectors expressing GABP alpha and GABP beta1 had only a modest effect on expression, but cotransfection with GABP alpha/beta- with c-Fos/c-Jun-expressing plasmids resulted in an increase of almost 10-fold in luciferase activity. Mutation of either the GABP- or CRE-like binding sites obliterated the induction. These findings are consistent with the involvement of protein kinase C activity in serum induction of the endogenous gene in Hs578T cells. We showed the requirement for GABP alpha/beta and c-Fos/c-Jun in endogenous OTR gene expression, using oligonucleotide GABP and AP-1 binding decoys to inhibit serum-induced increases in 125I-labeled OT antagonist binding to Hs578T cells. Our work is the first characterization of the proximal promoter region of the human OTR gene, and it sets the stage for studying regulation of OTR expression in breast cells.
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PMID:Identification of a GABP alpha/beta binding site involved in the induction of oxytocin receptor gene expression in human breast cells, potentiation by c-Fos/c-Jun. 1021 80

IFN-gamma is a key regulatory cytokine of the immune system. Reporter transgenic mice expressing the luciferase gene under the control of separate TCR-response elements (TCR-RE) from the IFN-gamma promoter or expressing the green fluorescent protein gene under the control of an IFN-gamma "minigene" were employed to explore the basis for IL-12 regulation of IFN-gamma gene transcription. In the absence of TCR stimulation, IL-12 did not activate the TCR-REs but did induce green fluorescent protein expression. TCR plus IL-12R stimulation of effector Th cells resulted in: 1) enhanced activation of the proximal, but not the distal, TCR-RE, and 2) increased induction of cJun-proximal TCR-RE complexes and c-Jun protein expression. Overexpression of cJun, but not cFos, increased activity of the proximal TCR-RE in T cells. These results suggest that IL-12R signaling affects IFN-gamma gene transcription by at least two separate mechanisms; IL-12R signaling without TCR signaling targets promoter regions outside of the approximately 100-bp IFN-gamma TCR-RE, and IL-12R signaling also stimulates TCR-induced activity of the proximal TCR-RE.
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PMID:TCR and IL-12 receptor signals cooperate to activate an individual response element in the IFN-gamma promoter in effector Th cells. 1039 64

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene expression is highly restricted throughout the neuroaxis and regulated by extracellular factors that activate tyrosine- or serine/threonine-directed protein kinase pathways. Cytokine, cyclic AMP, and tissue-specific response elements on the VIP gene have been characterized. Those mediating responsiveness to protein kinase C have not. The endogenous VIP gene and a 5.2-kilobase pair (kb) VIP-luciferase reporter gene, are up-regulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. PMA stimulation was abolished by deletion of sequences at -1.37 to -1.28 or -1.28 to -0.904 kb, but not by removal of the single phorbol ester response element (TRE; TGACTCA) located at -2.25 kb. Mutation of sites at -1.32 or -1.20 that mediate neurotrophin responsiveness of the VIP gene (Symes, A., Lewis, S., Corpus, L., Rajan, P., Hyman, S. E., and Fink, J. S. (1994) Mol. Endocrinol. 8, 1750-1763) each reduced PMA induction in SK-N-SH cells by >50%, and double mutation abolished it. The two mutations also reduced basal VIP reporter gene transcription in SH-EP neuroblastoma cells expressing VIP constitutively. Both cis-active elements bound pre-existing AP-1 proteins in SH-EP- or PMA-stimulated SK-N-SH cell nuclear extracts. The AP-1 complex at both sites contained a Fos-related protein with c-Jun in SH-EP cells and c-Fos with a Jun-related protein in SK-N-SH cells. Recruitment of combinatorially distinct AP-1 complexes to these elements may underlie cell type-specific regulation of the VIP gene.
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PMID:Two separate cis-active elements of the vasoactive intestinal peptide gene mediate constitutive and inducible transcription by binding different sets of AP-1 proteins. 1046 93

The expression and function of estrogen receptor ERalpha/beta subtypes and ERbeta variants in granulosa cells have been determined using several integrated approaches:, Western blotting, indirect immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and transient transfection assays. Each of these approaches has provided specific details concerning the dynamics of ER expression, ER functional activity, and estradiol (E) regulation of target genes in granulosa cells. Specifically, the studies presented herein document that messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding ERbeta and its splice variants, as well as mRNA encoding ERalpha, are expressed in granulosa cells of immature rats before and during culture in serum-free medium. The results also provide the first documentation that functional (DNA binding and transcriptionally active) ER is present in cultured granulosa cells and that its ability to bind consensus estrogen response element (ERE) oligonucleotide and to transactivate an ERE promoter-reporter construct is associated with the level (type?) of receptor protein as well as the stage of granulosa cell differentiation. Using a labeled ERE consensus oligonucleotide and antibodies specific for ERbeta and ERalpha, we show that ERbeta but not ERalpha was detected (supershifted in electrophoretic mobility shift assays) in extracts of granulosa cells cultured overnight (0 h) in defined medium alone. When the cells were cultured with FSH and testosterone (T) to stimulate their differentiation, ERbeta binding activity, as well as immunoreactive ERbeta as determined by Western blot analyses, decreased progressively from 24 to 48 h and was undetectable by 72 h. ERbeta mRNA was low, and ERbeta binding activity was not observed in luteinized granulosa cells. ERalpha DNA binding activity was not observed in any of the granulosa cell cultures, although low levels of immunoreactive ERalpha were detected by Western blot analyses. Immunofluorescent analyses documented that ERbeta, as well as ERalpha, were localized to granulosa cell nuclei and that the intensity of nuclear staining was related to agonist stimulation and differentiation: forskolin increased, whereas E decreased immunostaining for ERbeta and ERalpha at 48 h. When an ERE-E1b-luciferase vector was transfected into granulosa cells of unprimed rats, basal luciferase activity was low but increased by forskolin (3-4x) and by E (2x), responses to both agonists being blocked by the ER antagonist, ICI. When the same vector was transfected into differentiated granulosa cells (cultured for 48 h with FSH/T), forskolin alone increased activity. Collectively, these results show that ERbeta protein is preferentially expressed in immature granulosa cells, is functionally active (binds DNA), can transactivate (either as a homodimer or heterodimer with ERalpha) ERE-containing promoter constructs, and might be associated with increased expression of the endogenous gene encoding c-Jun.
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PMID:Expression and function of estrogen receptor subtypes in granulosa cells: regulation by estradiol and forskolin. 1046 6

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular proliferative disorders. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are one of the cell types that produce PDGF-B chain in proliferative lesions, although the mechanism of regulation of PDGF-B chain production in these cells is not well understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that angiotensin II (Ang II), which is also implicated in vascular stenosis after angioplasty and atherosclerosis, markedly stimulates PDGF-B chain mRNA expression in cultured newborn rat medial VSMCs and neointimal VSMCs via an AT(1), but not in adult rat VSMCs. In newborn rat VSMCs, Ang II activates extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. The mitogen-activated protein/ERK (MEK) inhibitor PD98059, but not the p38 inhibitor SB203580, abrogates Ang II-induced PDGF-B mRNA expression. Transient transfection analysis using a PDGF-B promoter-luciferase gene reporter construct reveals that Ang II induces transcriptional activation of PDGF-B chain gene, which is abolished by the expression of a dominant negative form of either ERK or JNK, but not of p38. The expression of a dominant negative form of Ras abolishes the stimulatory effects of Ang II on ERK activity and PDGF-B mRNA expression. In adult rat VSMCs, Ang II activates ERK and JNK, but weakly induces Egr-1, a transcription factor implicated in PDGF-B chain gene expression, compared with newborn VSMCs. These data indicate that Ang II activates PDGF-B chain gene expression in VSMCs through mechanisms involving Ras-ERK and JNK.
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PMID:Angiotensin II stimulates platelet-derived growth factor-B chain expression in newborn rat vascular smooth muscle cells and neointimal cells through Ras, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase mechanisms. 1050 81

Osteoblasts produce prostaglandins in response to a wide variety of stimuli. Induced prostaglandin synthesis is generally the consequence of elevated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Agents as diverse as serum, bFGF, PDGF, PGE(2), or [TNFalpha + IL1beta] rapidly induce expression of COX-2 protein in murine MC3T3-E1 osteogenic cells. Transient transfection studies using reporter constructs containing either wild-type COX-2 regulatory sequences or mutated cis-acting sequences linked to a luciferase reporter gene identify a CRE site and two NF-IL6 (C/EBP) sites which play important roles in the regulation of COX-2 expression in response to all these agents in osteoblasts. Induction of wild-type COX-2 reporter gene expression in MC3T3-E1 cells by all these agents involves signaling through the MEKK/JNK pathway and activation of both c-Jun and the C/EBP family of transcription factors.
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PMID:Transcriptional regulation of the cyclooxygenase-2 gene by diverse ligands in murine osteoblasts. 1054 22

Chromium(VI) regulation of gene expression has been attributed to the generation of reactive chromium and oxygen species, DNA damage, and alterations in mRNA stability. However, the effects of Cr(VI) on signal transduction leading to gene expression are not resolved. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of Cr(VI) on basal and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced transcriptional competence of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Pretreatment of A549 cells with nontoxic levels of Cr(VI) inhibited TNF-alpha-stimulated expression of the endogenous gene for interleukin-8 and of an NF-kappaB-driven luciferase gene construct, but not expression of urokinase, a gene with a more complex promoter. Chromium did not inhibit TNF-alpha-stimulated IkappaBalpha degradation or translocation of NF-kappaB-binding proteins to the nucleus. However, Cr(VI) pretreatments prevented TNF-alpha-stimulated interactions between the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB and the transcriptional cofactor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein-binding protein (CBP). This inhibition was not the result of an effect of chromium on the protein kinase A catalytic activity required for p65/CBP interactions. In contrast, Cr(VI) caused concentration-dependent increases in c-Jun/CBP interactions. These data indicate that nontoxic levels of hexavalent chromium selectively inhibit NF-kappaB transcriptional competence by inhibiting interactions with coactivators of transcription rather than DNA binding.
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PMID:Chromium(VI) inhibits the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappaB by decreasing the interaction of p65 with cAMP-responsive element-binding protein-binding protein. 1059 7

Inhibition of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) induces marked hepatocyte apoptosis and liver dysfunction after partial hepatectomy (PH) in rats. Hepatocyte apoptosis may be due to direct inhibition of NFkappaB-induced hepatocyte survival genes or due to indirect increased signaling through the stress-activated protein kinase pathway (SAPK), resulting in increased c-Jun. c-Jun, an AP-1 transcription factor, induces apoptosis in fibroblasts. Our aim was to determine if hepatocyte apoptosis following inhibition of NFkappaB and partial hepatectomy in rats is due to increased c-Jun. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (200 g) were injected intraportally with 6 x 10(9) PFU adenoviral vector containing luciferase (Ad5Luc) or superrepressor IkappaB (Ad5IkappaB) transgene that inhibits NFkappaB translocation into the nucleus. Two-thirds PH was performed 24 h after vector administration, and the remnant liver was harvested 30 min or 24 h after PH. Northern and Western blots were performed to examine the presence of IkappaB and c-Jun. A GST c-Jun kinase assay was used to examine Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. AP-1 DNA binding activity was assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. TUNEL assay was performed to assess apoptosis. All rats receiving adenoviral vectors expressed the luciferase or superrepressor IkappaB transgenes. c-Jun mRNA, protein levels, and DNA binding activity were not increased in rats treated with Ad5IkappaB at 30 min after PH compared to rats injected with Ad5Luc. Jun kinase activity increased following partial hepatectomy, but activity was similar in Ad5Luc- and Ad5IkappaB-treated animals. AP-1 DNA binding activity was not altered substantially in rats treated with Ad5IkappaB. The percentage of apoptotic hepatocytes was similar between Ad5Luc- and Ad5IkappaB-injected animals at 0 h, but livers from Ad5IkappaB-treated rats had increased apoptosis at 24 h compared to Ad5Luc rats (24% vs. 4%) after PH. Hepatocyte apoptosis after NFkappaB inhibition and PH is not mediated by increased JNK activity or c-Jun.
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PMID:c-Jun does not mediate hepatocyte apoptosis following NFkappaB inhibition and partial hepatectomy. 1064 80

Selenium, an essential biological trace element, has been shown to modulate functions of many regulatory proteins involved in signal transduction and to affect a variety of cellular activities including cell growth, survival, and death. The molecular mechanism by which selenium exerts its action on the cellular events, however, remains unclear. In our present study, we observed that selenite suppresses both the c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in 293T cells. In contrast, selenite had little effect on the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Furthermore, selenite directly inhibited JNK/SAPK activity in vitro but not the p38 activity. The in vitro inhibition of JNK/SAPK by selenite was reversed by the addition of reducing agents such as dithiothreitol and beta-mercaptoethanol. Replacement of cysteine 116 in JNK1 by serine abolished the inhibitory effect of selenite on JNK1 activity both in vitro and in vivo. Selenite also suppressed a c-Jun-dependent luciferase reporter activity stimulated through the JNK signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that selenite differentially modulates the mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and that it can repress the JNK/SAPK signaling pathway by inhibiting JNK/SAPK through a thiol redox mechanism.
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PMID:Selenite inhibits the c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) through a thiol redox mechanism. 1064 9


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