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

CD40 is a 45- to 50-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that plays an important role in B cell proliferation, survival, memory, and Ig isotype switching. How CD40 engagement couples to these distal events in B cell activation remains poorly understood. In this study, we have examined signal transduction events mediated by CD40 cross-linking in resting murine splenic B cells. In comparison to signaling via the B cell Ag receptor (BCR), CD40 cross-linking was less effective at activating protein tyrosine kinases. Interestingly, however, CD40 engagement resulted in the phosphorylation of both extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and the Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor, Son of sevenless. In addition, both ERK and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activities were increased after both CD40 and BCR ligation. Overnight treatment of cells with phorbol ester as well as pharmacologic inhibitors of protein kinase C abrogated these signaling events after BCR treatment; however, no effect was seen on CD40-mediated activation of ERK or c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, suggesting that the BCR and CD40 differentially utilize protein kinase C to couple with these signaling pathways.
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PMID:CD40 ligation results in protein kinase C-independent activation of ERK and JNK in resting murine splenic B cells. 875 24

Glomerular mesangial cells express matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in response to the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). To elucidate the signal transduction systems involved, we focused on the role of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), since the 5'-flanking region of MMP-9 gene contains binding sequences for these transacting molecules. In rat mesangial cells treated with an inhibitor of NF-kappa B, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, induction of MMP-9 by IL-1 beta was suppressed at both mRNA and protein levels. Mesangial cells stably transfected with a transdominant negative mutant of NF-kappa B also showed blunted induction of MMP-9. Transient transfection study with a kappa B reporter plasmid revealed that IL-1 beta indeed activated the kappa B site and that pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate abolished this activation. These results suggest that IL-1 beta induced MMP-9 via the stimulation of NF-kappa B pathway. to examine whether tyrosine kinase is involved in this pathway, mesangial cells were stimulated by IL-1 beta in the presence of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. This inhibitor dose dependently suppressed the expression of MMP-9, as well as the activation of the kappa B site by IL-1 beta, indicating the involvement of tyrosine kinase in the stimulation of NF-kappa B. Because mesangial cells stimulated by IL-1 beta transiently expressed c-fos and c-jun nRNAs prior to the expression of MMP-9, the role of these genes in mediating the IL-1 beta response was further examined. Transfection of mesangial cells with a c-jun antisense cDNA and treatment with a pharmacological inhibitor of c-Jun/ AP-1, curcumin, revealed that the induction of c-Jun/AP-1 is essential for the expression of MMP-9 by IL-1 beta. Although protein kinase C (PKC) is regarded as a potential inducer of AP-1, stimulation of mesangial cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate failed to induce MMP-9. Similarly, depletion of intracellular PKC did not obviously affect the induction of MMP-9 by IL-1 beta. These findings demonstrate that dual operation of tyrosine kinase-mediated NF-kappa B stimulation and c-Jun/AP-1 activation is essential to the induction of MMP-9 by IL-1 beta in cultured mesangial cells.
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PMID:Dual regulation of IL-1 beta-mediated matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in mesangial cells by NF-kappa B and AP-1. 876 30

The presence of the typical transcription factors c-Jun, c-Fos and cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding protein in the porcine anterior pituitary was examined by molecular cloning and their involvement in the membrane signal cascade, especially their roles in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation, were studied. Several cDNA clones were isolated from a porcine anterior pituitary cDNA library using cDNA probes. They were identified as porcine c-jun and c-fos by determining their nucleotide sequences, but a homologue for CREB341 which is a member of CRE-binding protein was not detected in porcine anterior pituitary. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed to estimate the c-jun and c-fos mRNA contents in GnRH-, forskolin- (cAMP activator) and tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate- (TPA; protein kinase C activator) treated primary cultures of porcine anterior pituitary cells. Densitometric quantification demonstrated that GnRH and TPA treatment increased c-jun and c-fos mRNA levels significantly, whereas forskolin reduced the levels of both. Therefore, c-Jun and c-Fos are definitely present in porcine anterior pituitary and their mRNAs differentially involved in the signal transduction pathway mediated by two kinases. In particular, GnRH might regulate gonadotropin expression by increasing of c-jun and c-fos levels.
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PMID:Molecular cloning of c-jun and c-fos cDNAs from porcine anterior pituitary and their involvement in gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation. 879 56

Myometrial connexin-43 gap junctions are scarce throughout gestation but appear in large numbers at term to facilitate contractions during labor. The mechanisms that regulate this process are incompletely characterized. This report investigates the effects of protein kinase C activation on the regulation of connexin-43 gene transcription in human uterine smooth muscle cells. In primary myometrial cells treated with phorbol ester, transient increases in c-Fos and c-Jun protein levels were observed at 2-4 h, followed by significant increases in connexin-43 protein levels at 6-8 h. Nuclear run-on transcription analysis showed an increase in connexin-43 transcription 3 h after phorbol ester treatment. AP-1 sites were identified in the sequence of the 5'-flanking promoter region of the human connexin-43 gene at 44 and 1000 base pairs upstream of transcription start. Transcription from a reporter plasmid containing the proximal human connexin-43 promoter was increased in transfected primary cultures treated with phorbol ester. Mutation of the proximal AP-1 site in the promoter abolished the phorbol ester-dependent transactivation. This work provides evidence that transcription of the human connexin-43 gene is induced through protein kinase C activation in uterine smooth muscle cells, and that the induction involves up-regulation and activation of c-Jun and c-Fos.
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PMID:Activation of protein kinase C in human uterine smooth muscle induces connexin-43 gene transcription through an AP-1 site in the promoter sequence. 879 88

The mitogenic effect of activated coagulation factor X (factor Xa) was examined in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Factor Xa stimulated DNA synthesis and cell growth in VSMC, not through the phospholipase C-protein kinase C pathway because increase of inositol monophosphate (IP) accumulation and intracellular Ca2+ concentration was not observed, but probably via the PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase pathway since the pathway's components, Ras, Raf-1, MAPK (both 42 and 44 kD), and the transcription factors, c-Fos and c-Jun, were activated. These appeared to be effected by the serine protease activity of factor Xa, since in the presence of serine protease inhibitors such as PMSF, leupeptin, benzamidine, TAP anticoagulant, and TLCK, the latter three being specific inhibitors of the factor Xa, active site, the effects were completely blocked. Anti-factor Xa mAb, 5224, which specifically negated the activity of factor Xa, also inhibited completely the mitogenic effect of factor Xa, but not that of thrombin. Addition of PDGF did not affect the effect of factor Xa, which, however, was inhibited by anti-PDGF-AB antibody. This observation and the activation of PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase pathway suggested that the factor Xa might exert its effect via PDGF-like function. Direct measurement confirmed that factor Xa stimulated the release of PDGF from VSMC. Factor Xa, therefore, exerts serine protease activity on VSMC, causing somehow the release of PDGF, that in turn acts on the PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase; the pathway is then turned on, leading eventually to DNA synthesis and cell proliferation.
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PMID:Coagulation factor Xa stimulates platelet-derived growth factor release and mitogenesis in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells of rat. 882 16

Work from a number of laboratories has established a role for certain small GTP-binding proteins in controlling the enzymatic activity of a family of serine-threonine kinases known as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). MAPKs have been classified into three subfamilies: extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), also known as MAPKs; c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs); and p38 kinase. Whereas Ras controls the activation of MAPKs, we and others have recently observed that in certain cells, the small GTP-binding proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 but not Rho regulate the activity of JNKs. Furthermore, because Rac1 and Cdc42 but not Rho bind and activate a kinase known as Pak1, it has been suggested that Pak1 is the most upstream component of the pathway linking these GTPases to JNK. However, in both yeast and mammalian cells, Rho1p, a Rho homologue, and RhoA, respectively, directly interact with a number of proteins, including kinases related to protein kinase C. In addition, in yeast, Rho1p controls the activity of a MAPK cascade involved in bud formation. Considering this diversity of target molecules for small GTP-binding proteins, their likely tissue specific distribution, and the potential role for Rho in signaling to a kinase cascade, we decided to extend our initial analysis, exploring the ability of Ras and Rho-related GTP-binding proteins to activate MAPK or JNK in a variety of cell lines. We found that in the human kidney epithelial cell line, 293T, Cdc42 and all Rho proteins, RhoA, RhoB, and RhoC, but not Rac or Ras can induce activation of JNK. Furthermore, we provide evidence that signaling from Rho proteins to JNK in 293T cells does not involve Pak1. Taken together these findings demonstrate that Rho signals to JNK in a cell type-specific manner and suggest the existence of a novel, Pak1-independent signaling route communicating the Rho family of small GTP-binding proteins to the JNK pathway.
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PMID:The small GTP-binding protein rho activates c-Jun N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases in human kidney 293T cells. Evidence for a Pak-independent signaling pathway. 882 97

AP-1 has been shown to behave as a redox-sensitive transcription factor that can be activated by both oxidant and antioxidant stimuli. However, the mechanisms involved in the activation of AP-1 by antioxidants are largely unknown. In this study we show that the structurally unrelated antioxidant agents pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), butylated hydroxyanisole, and Nacetylcysteine activated JNK (c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase) in Jurkat T cells. This activation differed substantially from that mediated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and Ca2+ ionophore or produced by costimulation with antibodies against the T cell receptor-CD3 complex and to CD28. The activation of JNK by classical T cell stimuli was transient, whereas that mediated by PDTC and butylated hydroxyanisole (but not N-acetylcysteine) was sustained. The kinetics of JNK activation correlated with the expression of c-jun which was transient after stimulation with PMA plus ionophore and prolonged in response to PDTC, which also transiently induced c-fos. In addition, JNK activation by PMA plus ionophore was sensitive to inhibitors of signaling pathways involving Ca2+, protein kinase C, and tyrosine phosphorylation, which failed to inhibit the activation mediated by PDTC. Transfection of trans-dominant negative expression vectors of ras and raf, together with AP-1-dependent reporter constructs, as well as Western blot analysis using anti-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) antibodies, indicated that the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway did not appear to mediate the effect of the antioxidant. However, the combined treatment with PDTC and PMA, two agents that synergize on AP-1 activation, resulted in the persistent phosphorylation of ERK-2. In conclusion, our results identify JNK as a target of antioxidant agents which can be regulated differentially under oxidant and antioxidant conditions.
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PMID:JNK (c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase) is a target for antioxidants in T lymphocytes. 882 87

Glomerular mesangial cells express matrix metalloproteinase sromelysin in response to the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1 beta. The present study was conducted to identify intracellular machinery involved in this IL-1 action, especially focusing on the role of the TPA response element (TRE) located in the 5'-flanking region of the stromelysin gene. Using transient transfection with a pTRE-LacZ reporter plasmid, we detected no obvious up-regulation of TRE activity in rat mesangial cells following the IL-1 stimulation. However, the basal activity of TRE was found to be essential to the stromelysin induction, since (i) mesangial cells stably expressing a transdominant negative mutant of c-Jun, which effectively suppressed both basal and inducible TRE activity, exhibited the blunted expression of stromelysin in response to IL-1 beta, whereas (ii) transfection with a c-fos antisense gene, which suppressed only the inducible TRE activity, did not affect the stromelysin induction. To seek cooperative pathways required for the IL-1 action, we next focused on protein kinases, the potential regulators of the stromelysin gene. Stimulation of mesangial cells with a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), induced the stromelysin transcript without affecting TRE activity. Depletion of intracellular PKC by high-dose PMA or inhibition of PKC activity with calphostin C suppressed the stromelysin induction by IL-1 beta, suggesting the crucial contribution of a PKC-mediated, but TRE-independent pathway. In contrast, either cAMP inducer forskolin or dibutyryl cAMP suppressed the IL-1-mediated stromelysin expression. An inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), HA1004, enhanced the IL-1 effect in a dose-dependent manner. Unexpectedly, the inhibitory action of PKA was not through cAMP response element (CRE) but through TRE, because (i) activation of CRE was not induced by IL-1 beta, and (ii) cAMP-mediated activation of PKA suppressed the basal TRE activity. These findings elucidated the unique, binary regulation of stromelysin by IL-1 beta; that is, IL-1 up-regulated the transcript via the PKC-dependent pathway under the cooperation with constitutively active TRE, and this stimulatory effect was in part counterbalanced by the IL-1-inducible PKA which down-regulated the basal TRE activity.
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PMID:Opposite, binary regulatory pathways involved in IL-1-mediated stromelysin gene expression in rat mesangial cells. 887 64

The induction of immediate-early (IE) response genes, such as egr-1, c-fos, and c-jun, occurs rapidly after the activation of T lymphocytes. The process of activation involves calcium mobilization, activation of protein kinase C (PKC), and phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases. p21(ras), a guanine nucleotide binding factor, mediates T-cell signal transduction through PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways. The involvement of p21(ras) in the regulation of calcium-dependent signals has been suggested through analysis of its role in the activation of NF-AT. We have investigated the inductions of the IE genes in response to calcium signals in Jurkat cells (in the presence of activated p21(ras)) and their correlated consequences. The expression of activated p21(ras) negatively regulated the induction of IE genes by calcium ionophore. This inhibition of calcium-activated IE gene induction was reversed by treatment with cyclosporin A, suggesting the involvement of calcineurin in this regulation. A later result of inhibition of this activation pathway by p21(ras) was down-regulation of the activity of the transcription factor AP-1 and subsequent coordinate reductions in IL-2 gene expression and protein production. These results suggest that p2l(ras) is an essential mediator in generating not only positive but also negative modulatory mechanisms controlling the competence of T cells in response to inductive stimulations.
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PMID:Calcium-dependent immediate-early gene induction in lymphocytes is negatively regulated by p21Ha-ras. 888 87

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in inflammation, mitogenesis, and differentiation has been deduced in part through the use of a variety of PKC inhibitors. Two widely used inhibitors are the structurally related compounds GF109203X and Ro-31-8220, both of which potently inhibit PKC activity and are believed to be highly selective. While using GF109203X and Ro-31-8220 to address the role of PKC in immediate early gene expression, we observed striking differential effects by each of these two compounds. Growth factors induce the expression of the immediate early gene products MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), c-Fos and c-Jun. Ro-31-8220 inhibits growth factor-stimulated expression of MKP-1 and c-Fos but strongly stimulated c-Jun expression, even in the absence of growth factors. GF109203X displays none of these properties. These data suggest that Ro-31-8220 may have other pharmacological actions in addition to PKC inhibition. Indeed, Ro-31-8220 strongly stimulates the stress-activated protein kinase, JNK1. Furthermore, Ro-31-8220 apparently activates JNK in a PKC-independent manner. Neither the down-regulation of PKC by phorbol esters nor the inhibition of PKC by GF109203X affected the ability of Ro-31-8220 to activate JNK1. These data suggest that, in addition to potently inhibiting PKC, Ro-31-8220 exhibits novel pharmacological properties which are independent of its ability to inhibit PKC.
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PMID:The selective protein kinase C inhibitor, Ro-31-8220, inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) expression, induces c-Jun expression, and activates Jun N-terminal kinase. 890 Jan 90


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