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Query: UNIPROT:P05412 (c-Jun)
 11,453 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In KB epidermoid cells, we previously showed that interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1) and various mitogens activate the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases ERK1 and ERK2, which phosphorylate both myelin basic protein (MBP) and a peptide containing Thr669 of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In cell-free extracts made from gingival fibroblasts treated with platelet-derived growth factor or HepG2 hepatoma cells stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate, MBP and Thr669 kinase were both elevated 4-fold, and ERK1 and ERK2 were tyrosine-phosphorylated. In these cells IL-1 activated a kinase(s) that phosphorylated Thr669 peptide but not MBP and failed to cause tyrosine phosphorylation of ERK1/ERK2. Ceramide has been proposed as an intracellular mediator of IL-1 action, but C2-ceramide or sphingosine stimulated predominantly MBP-specific kinase activity in fibroblasts and had no effect in HepG2 cells. p54 MAP kinase (also called stress-activated protein kinase) is a c-Jun kinase first isolated from livers of cycloheximide-treated rats. After IL-1 stimulation, immunoprecipitates of lysates made from all three cell types with specific anti-p54 MAP kinase serum contained Thr669 and c-Jun phosphorylating activity, whereas precipitates from unstimulated cells contained no detectable p54 kinase activity. The major peak of IL-1-stimulated HepG2 Thr669 kinase activity co-chromatographed on Mono Q and phenyl-Superose with immunodetectable p54 MAP kinase. IL-1 did not cause p21ras activation in any cell type. Induction of Thr 669 kinase activity was not abrogated by elevation of cAMP levels, which has been shown to interfere with the activation of Raf-1. We could not detect MAP kinase kinase phosphorylating activity in unfractionated lysates made from IL-1-stimulated fibroblasts or HepG2 cells. KB cells contained a small amount of this activity, but it was not precipitated with an anti-Raf-1 antibody. We conclude that most of the IL-1-activated Thr669 kinase activity in fibroblasts and HepG2 cells, and a portion in KB cells, is due to p54 MAP kinase and that its activation is Ras-, Raf-, and MAP kinase kinase-independent.
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PMID:Interleukin-1 activates p54 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/stress-activated protein kinase by a pathway that is independent of p21ras, Raf-1, and MAP kinase kinase. 752 98

Ceramide has emerged as a novel lipid mediator in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In this work, we demonstrate that the levels of c-jun mRNA, c-Jun protein, and DNA binding activity of a nuclear transcription factor AP-1 to 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate responsive elements all increased following treatment with the cell-permeable ceramide, N-acetylsphingosine in human leukemia HL-60 cells. N-Acetylsphingosine (1-10 microM) increased the levels of c-jun mRNA in a dose-dependent manner, and maximal expression was achieved 1 h after treatment. Increase of c-jun expression treated with 5 microM N-acetyldihydrosphingosine, which could not induce apoptosis, was one third of that with 5 microM N-acetylsphingosine. Ceramide-induced growth inhibition and DNA fragmentation were both prevented by treatment with curcumin, 1,7-bis[4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl]-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione (an inhibitor of AP-1 activation), or antisense oligonucleotides for c-jun. These results suggest that the transcription factor AP-1 is critical for apoptosis in HL-60 cells and that an intracellular sphingolipid mediator, ceramide, modulates a signal transduction inducing apoptosis through AP-1 activation.
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PMID:Requirement of AP-1 for ceramide-induced apoptosis in human leukemia HL-60 cells. 759 95

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) are cytokines with pleiotropic biological activities, exerting a broad range of overlapping biological functions. The redundancy of TNF and IL-1 activities may be based on the utilization of shared key components of intracellular signaling pathways. Two lipid second messengers have been found to transmit TNF and IL-1 intracellular signals: 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG), generated by a phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C, and ceramide, generated by sphingomyelinase (SMase). DAG is a well established activator of the important signaling system protein kinase C (PKC), which appears to mediate various cellular responses to TNF or IL-1. In addition, it is obvious that DAG also activates other enzyme systems like acidic sphingomyelinase. SMases have been implicated in a number of TNF responses, including stimulation of cell growth and differentiation, as well as triggering cytotoxicity and apoptosis. The metabolic active cleavage product of SMase, ceramide, is a novel multifunctional lipid second messenger capable of inducing various signaling systems. Both cytokines, TNF and IL-1, stimulate a neutral,plasma membrane-associated SMase that leads to stimulation of a protein kinase and eventually to activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade and phospholipase A2. Ceramide is also capable of stimulating a cytosolic protein phosphatase. PKC plays a role in activation of the nuclear transcription factor AP-1, and the DAG-regulated acidic SMase is involved in transducing TNF signals to the cell nucleus via activation of the nuclear transcription factor NF-kappa B.
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PMID:The role of diacylglycerol and ceramide in tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 signal transduction. 796 60

Ceramide, produced through either the induction of SM hydrolysis or synthesized de novo transduces signals mediating differentiation, growth, growth arrest, apoptosis, cytokine biosynthesis and secretion, and a variety of other cellular functions. A generalized ceramide signal transduction scheme is shown in Fig. 2 in which ceramide is generated through the activation of distinct SMases residing in separate subcellular compartments in response to specific stimuli. Clearly, specificity of cellular responses to ceramide depends upon many factors which include the nature of the stimulus, co-stimulatory signals and the cell type involved. Ceramide derived from neutral SMase activation is thought to be involved in modulating CAPK and MAP kinases, PLA2 (arachidonic acid mobilization), and CAPP while ceramide generated through acid SMase activation appears to be primarily involved in NF-kappa B activation. While there is no apparent cross-talk between these two ceramide-mediated signalling pathways, there is likely to be significant cross-talk between ceramide signalling and other signal transduction pathways (e.g., the PKC and MAP kinase pathways). Other downstream targets for ceramide action include Cox, IL-6 and IL-2 gene expression, PKC zeta, Vav, Rb, c-Myc, c-Fos, c-Jun and other transcriptional regulators. Many, if not all, of these ceramide-mediated signalling events have been identified in the various cells comprising the immune system and are integral to the optimal functioning of the immune system. Although the role of the SM pathway and the generation of ceramide in T and B lymphocytes have only recently been recognized, it is clear from these studies that signal transduction through SM and ceramide can strongly affect the immune response, either directly through cell signalling events, or indirectly through cytokines produced by other cells as the result of signalling through the SM pathway. An overview of the signalling mechanisms coupling ceramide to the modulation of the immune response is depicted in Fig. 3 and shows how ceramide may play pivotal roles in regulating a number of complex processes. The SM pathway represents a potentially valuable focal point for therapeutic control of immune responses, perhaps for either enhancement of the activity of T cells in the elimination of tumors, or the down-regulation of lymphocyte function in instances of autoimmune disease. The recent explosion of knowledge regarding ceramide signalling notwithstanding, a number of critical questions need to be answered before a comprehensive, mechanistic understanding can be formulated relative to the incredibly varied effects of ceramide on cell function. For example, (i) how is a structurally simple molecule like ceramide able to mediate so many different, and sometimes paradoxical, physiological responses ranging from cell proliferation and differentiation to inhibition of cell growth and apoptosis, (ii) what are the molecular identities and modes of activation of the various SMase isoforms, (iii) what determines the distribution of the unique isoforms of SMase in cells of different lineages or at different stages of differentiation, (iv) what is the relative contribution of ceramide generated through SM hydrolysis versus de novo synthesis, and (v) by what means does ceramide interact with specific intracellular targets? Although a number of ceramide-activatable kinases, phosphatases, and their protein substrates have been identified, a more extensive search for additional cellular targets will be indispensable in determining the phosphorylation cascades linking the activation of the SM pathway to the regulation of nuclear events. Clearly, cross-talk between ceramide-induced signal transduction cascades and other signalling pathways adds to the inherent difficulty in distinguishing the specific effects of complex, intertwining signalling pathways.
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PMID:Ceramide signalling and the immune response. 866 39

Ceramide, the backbone of sphingolipids, is now recognized as an intracellular signal mediator of various cellular responses including cell differentiation and apoptosis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, anti-Fas antibody, anticancer drugs, radiation or heat shock induce apoptosis through generation of ceramide by activation of sphingomyelinase or ceramide synthase. The mechanism by which ceramide mediates apoptosis is unclear. We have found that ceramide induces the transcription of c-jun gene and increases the DNA binding activity of transcription factor AP-1 in human myelogenous leukemia HL-60 cells, and that activation of c-jun/AP-1 by ceramide(presumably through activation of Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase) may be involved in the signaling pathway leading to apoptosis.
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PMID:[Ceramide: a lipid mediator of apoptotic signal transduction]. 874 70

Ceramide has been proposed as a second messenger molecule implicated in a variety of biological processes. It has recently been reported that ceramide activates stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK, also known as c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase JNK), a subfamily member of mitogen-activated protein kinase superfamily molecules and that the ceramide/SAPK/JNK signaling pathway is required for stress-induced apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanism by which ceramide induces SAPK/JNK activation is unknown. Here we show that TAK1, a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase family, is activated by treatment of cells with agents and stresses that induce an increase in ceramide. Ceramide itself stimulated the kinase activity of TAK1. Expression of a constitutively active form of TAK1 resulted in activation of SAPK/JNK and SEK1/MKK4, a direct activator of SAPK/JNK. Furthermore, expression of a kinase-negative form of TAK1 interfered with the activation of SAPK/JNK induced by ceramide. These results indicate that TAK1 may function as a mediator of ceramide signaling to SAPK/JNK activation.
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PMID:TAK1 mediates the ceramide signaling to stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase. 907 27

We characterized participation of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) cascade in the lethal actions of the cytotoxic lipid messengers ceramide and sphingosine in U937 human monoblastic leukemia cells. Acute exposure of U937 cells to either lipid resulted in loss of proliferative capacity, degradation of genomic DNA, and manifestation of apoptotic cytoarchitecture. Ceramide robustly stimulated p46-JNK1/p54-JNK2 activity and increased expression of c-jun mRNA and c-Jun protein; in contrast, sphingosine moderately stimulated p46-JNK1/p54-JNK2 and failed to modify c-jun/c-Jun expression. Dominant-negative blockade of normal c-Jun activity by transfection with the TAM-67 c-Jun NH2-terminal deletion mutant abolished the lethal actions of ceramide but was without effect on those of sphingosine, indicating that ceramide-related apoptosis is directly dependent on activation of c-Jun, whereas sphingosine-induced cell death proceeds via an unrelated downstream mechanism. Characterization of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade in these responses revealed a further functional disparity between the two lipids: basal p42-ERK1/ p44-ERK2 activity was gradually reduced by ceramide but immediately and completely suppressed by sphingosine. Moreover, blockade of the MAPK cascade by the aminomethoxyflavone MEK1 inhibitor PD-98059 unexpectedly activated p46-JNK1/p54-JNK2 and induced apoptosis in a manner qualitatively resembling that of sphingosine. Both lipids sharply increased p38-RK activity; selective pharmacological inhibition of p38-RK by the pyridinyl imidazole SB-203580 failed to mitigate the cytotoxicity associated with either ceramide or sphingosine, suggesting that p38-RK is not essential for lipid-induced apoptosis. These findings demonstrate that reciprocal alterations in the SAPK and MAPK cascades are associated with the apoptotic influence of either lipid inasmuch as (i) ceramide-mediated lethality is primarily associated with strong stimulation of SAPK and weak inhibition of MAPK, whereas (ii) sphingosine-mediated lethality is primarily associated with weak stimulation of SAPK and strong inhibition of MAPK. We therefore propose that leukemic cell survival depends on the maintenance of an imbalance of the outputs from the MAPK and SAPK systems such that the dominant basal influence of the MAPK cascade allows sustained proliferation, whereas acute redirection of this balance toward the SAPK cascade initiates apoptotic cell death.
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PMID:Coordinate regulation of stress- and mitogen-activated protein kinases in the apoptotic actions of ceramide and sphingosine. 941 3

Ceramide has been implicated in the activation of stress-activated protein kinases/c-Jun N-terminal kinases (SAPK/JNK). Binding of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) to its 55 kDa receptor (TR55) leads to the generation of ceramide through activation of either acid or neutral sphingomyelinase (A/N-SMase) as well as to potent activation of SAPK/JNK. We have examined a putative role of both N- and A-SMase in the TR55-dependent activation of SAPK/JNK. The analysis of TR55 deletion mutants expressed in 70Z/3 pre-B cells revealed that activation of SAPK/JNK occurs independently of N-SMase. Although both SAPK/JNK and A-SMase are activated by the death domain of TR55, pharmacological prevention of the TR55-dependent activation of A-SMase, or proteolytic degradation of A-SMase in 70Z/3 cells, did not impair SAPK/JNK activation, indicating that SAPK/JNK are not secondary to A-SMase. In addition, proteolytic degradation of A-SMase also did not affect SAPK/JNK activation by ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiation, arguing against a general role of A-SMase in stress-mediated responses. Furthermore, fibroblasts from Niemann-Pick A patients deficient in A-SMase did not show altered activation of SAPK/JNK in response to either TNF or UV-C. These results suggest that TR55 can activate SAPK/JNK without direct participation of sphingomyelinases or ceramide.
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PMID:Induction of stress-activated protein kinases/c-Jun N-terminal kinases by the p55 tumour necrosis factor receptor does not require sphingomyelinases. 965 74

Meeting's Report -- June 2, 1998, Sugarload Estate Conference Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. A symposium on Normal Development, Oncogenesis and Programmed Cell Death, was held at the Sugarload Estate Conference Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA sponsored by the Fels Cancer Institute, Temple University School of Medicine, with the support of the Alliance Pharmaceutical Corporation. The symposium was organized by Drs Dan A Liebermann and Barbara Hoffman at the Fels. Invited speakers included: Dr Andrei V Gudkov (University of Illinois) who started the symposium talking about 'New cellular factors modulating the tumor suppressor function of p53'; Dr Yuri Lazebnik (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories) spoke about 'Caspases considered as enemies within'; Dr E Premkumar Reddy (Fels Institute, Temple University) talked about recent exciting findings in his laboratory regarding 'JAK-STATs dedicated signaling pathways'; Dr Michael Greenberg (Harvard University) spoke about 'Signal transduction pathways that regulate differentiation and survival in the developing nervous system'; Dr Richard Kolesnick's (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) talk has been focused at 'Stress signals for apoptosis, including Ceramide and c-Jun Kinase/Stress-activated Protein Kinase'; Dr Barbara Hoffman (Fels Institute, Temple University) described research, conducted in collaboration with Dr Dan A Liebermann, aimed at deciphering the roles of 'myc, myb, and E2F as negative regulators of terminal differentiation', using hematopoietic cells as model system. Dr Daniel G Tenen (Harvard Medical School), described studies aimed at understanding the 'Regulation of hematopoietic cell development by lineage specific transcription regulators'. Dr George C Prendergast (The Wistar Institute) talked about the 'Myc-Bin1 signaling pathway in cell death and differentiation. Dr Ruth J Muschel (University of Pennsylvania) spoke about work, conducted in collaboration with Dr WG McKenna, aimed at gaining a better understanding of 'Radioresistance and the cell cycle'. Finally Dr Donald Kufe concluded the symposium (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School) describing studies that were performed in his laboratory addressing the 'Role for the c-Abl tyrosine kinase in genetic recombination'.
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PMID:Normal development, oncogenesis and programmed cell death. 977 61

An immortalized dorsal root ganglion cell line F-11 exhibits many properties of spinal cord neurons and undergoes apoptosis in response to growth factor withdrawal and the exogenous addition of inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K). To elucidate the mechanism of apoptosis we generated F-11 clones which overexpressed either the p110 subunit of PI3K, a constitutively active form of protein kinase B/Akt (Myristoylated Akt), or a dominant-negative form (c-Akt). The first two constructs were protective against apoptosis induced by PI3K inhibitors such as wortmannin and LY294002. Caspase-3 (CPP32) levels peaked at 4 hr to 6 hr in response to pro-apoptotic drugs, and this increase was attenuated by 50% in F-11 with constitutively active Akt. The Akt protection was confirmed by DNA fragmentation studies. Both neo-transfected and the c-Akt dominant-negative transfected F-11 cells showed increased ceramide formation (twofold) in response to staurosporine, wortmannin, or LY294002; whereas cells with a constitutively active Akt (Myr-Akt) showed no increase in ceramide when treated with staurosporine, wortmannin, or LY294002. Ceramide was a more potent activator of CPP32 and an inducer of apoptosis when added as the native form (hydroxy- or nonhydroxy-), rather than the more water-soluble C(2)-ceramide. Overexpression of PI3K (p110) and Akt protected cells against ceramide-induced apoptosis, suggesting that Ceramide action is upstream of Akt in these cells and suggesting that Akt might be a target for inhibition by ceramide. Both staurosporine and C(2)-ceramide activated the Jun kinase (JNK) cascade and C(2)-ceramide increased caspase-3 (CPP32) activity in cells expressing wild-type c-Jun, but not dominant-negative (TAM-67) c-Jun. We suggest that this pathway is also involved in apoptosis, consistent with the idea that ceramide has multiple kinase and kinase-modulating targets in the apoptotic pathway of neurons. J. Neurosci. Sci. 57:884-893, 1999.
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PMID:Overexpression of Akt (protein kinase B) confers protection against apoptosis and prevents formation of ceramide in response to pro-apoptotic stimuli. 1046 60


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