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)

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) are early cellular responses to genotoxic stress involved in the regulation of gene expression. Pretreatment of cells with the hydroxymethyl glutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin blocked stimulation of JNK1 activity by UV irradiation and by treatment with the alkylating compound methyl methanesulfonate but did not affect activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 by UV light. Lovastatin also attenuated UV-induced degradation of the NF-kappaB inhibitor IkappaBalpha. The effects of lovastatin on UV-triggered stimulation of JNK1 as well as on IkappaBalpha degradation were reverted by cotreatment with geranylgeranylpyrophosphate but not with farnesylpyrophosphate. Both a geranylgeranyltransferase type I inhibitor and a farnesyltransferase inhibitor blocked JNK1 stimulation by UV irradiation without impairing signaling to NF-kappaB. This indicates that different types of isoprenylated proteins impair UV-induced signaling to JNK1 and NF-kappaB, respectively. Since lovastatin caused a rapid decrease in the level of membrane-bound Rho GTPases, we hypothesize that Rho signaling is inhibited by lovastatin. In line with this hypothesis, Rho-inactivating toxin B from Clostridium difficile abolished both JNK1 activation and IkappaBalpha degradation evoked by UV irradiation. In summary, lovastatin-mediated inhibition of protein isoprenylation abrogates cellular stress responses involving JNK- and NF-kappaB-regulated pathways, which seems to be caused by inactivation of Rho GTPases.
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PMID:Inhibition of protein isoprenylation impairs rho-regulated early cellular response to genotoxic stress. 1109 78

3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are effective in patients with hypercholesterolemia to reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases, because of not only their lowering cholesterol effects but also their pleiotropic effects, such as improvement of endothelial cell dysfunction. On the other hand, statins prevent cell proliferation of various cells, including endothelial cells. We examined effects of all statins available at present on the viability of cultured rat pulmonary vein endothelial cells. Lovastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin, fluvastatin and cerivastatin, which are hydrophobic statins, markedly reduced cell viability associated with DNA fragmentation, DNA laddering and activation of caspase-3, suggesting apoptotic cell death. Pravastatin, which is a hydrophilic statin, however, did not induce cell apoptosis. Apoptosis induced by hydrophobic statins was associated with activation of apoptosis-related intracellular signal transduction systems; attenuation of localization of RhoA to the membrane, induction of Rac1, and increase in phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and c-Jun. Endothelial cell apoptosis is underlying the improvement of the endothelial dysfunction with hydrophobic statins.
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PMID:All hydrophobic HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors induce apoptotic death in rat pulmonary vein endothelial cells. 1461 3

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major contributor to neurodegeneration, and causes vulnerability to oxidative stress and the activations of downstream cell death pathways. 3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors, statins, were originally developed as cholesterol lowering agents, and have cholesterol-independent anti-excitotoxic and anti-oxidative properties. We investigated whether atorvastatin can prevent the neurodegeneration induced by a mitochondrial toxin, 3-nitropropionic acid (3NP), which inhibits succinate dehydrogenase complex II. Male Lewis rats were administered 3NP (63 mg/kg/day) using osmotic pumps for 5 days to induce striatal degeneration, and were also treated with either atorvastatin (1 or 10 mg/kg/day, orally) or vehicle (control) on five consecutive days. Atorvastatin-treated rats showed fewer neurologic deficits than control animals as measured at day 3-5. Atorvastatin-treated animals showed reduced striatal lesion volumes by Nissl staining, and decreased numbers of TUNEL-positive apoptosis and Fluoro-Jade C-positive degenerating neurons at 5 days. Atorvastatin reduced the numbers of c-Jun-positive and p-c-Jun-positive cells, as well as 3-nitrotyrosin-positive cells. In addition, atorvastatin increased p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p-Akt levels, and attenuated the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase by 3NP. When N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride was administered concomitantly with the 3NP infusion, atorvastatin failed to further reduce the striatal lesion volume and c-Jun levels compared to the vehicle treatment. In summary, atorvastatin decreased striatal neurodegeneration induced by 3NP, with attenuating inducible nitric oxide synthase and c-Jun levels as well as activating extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Akt.
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PMID:Atorvastatin attenuates mitochondrial toxin-induced striatal degeneration, with decreasing iNOS/c-Jun levels and activating ERK/Akt pathways. 1797 63