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)

A toxic dose of the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO; 1 mM) promoted apoptotic cell death of RAW 264.7 macrophages, which was attenuated by cellular preactivation with a nontoxic dose of GSNO (200 microM) or with lipopolysaccharide, interferon-gamma, and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (LPS/IFN-gamma/NMMA) for 15 h. Protection from apoptosis was achieved by expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). Here we investigated the underlying mechanisms leading to Cox-2 expression. LPS/IFN-gamma/NMMA prestimulation activated nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and promoted Cox-2 expression. Cox-2 induction by low-dose GSNO demanded activation of both NF-kappaB and activator protein-1 (AP-1). NF-kappaB supershift analysis implied an active p50/p65 heterodimer, and a luciferase reporter construct, containing four copies of the NF-kappaB site derived from the murine Cox-2 promoter, confirmed NF-kappaB activation after NO addition. An NF-kappaB decoy approach abrogated not only Cox-2 expression after low-dose NO or after LPS/IFN-gamma/NMMA but also inducible protection. The importance of AP-1 for Cox-2 expression and cell protection by low-level NO was substantiated by using the extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor PD98059, blocking NO-elicited Cox-2 expression, but leaving the cytokine signal unaltered. Transient transfection of a dominant-negative c-Jun mutant further attenuated Cox-2 expression by low-level NO. Whereas cytokine-mediated Cox-2 induction relies on NF-kappaB activation, a low-level NO-elicited Cox-2 response required activation of both NF-kappaB and AP-1.
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PMID:NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation by nitric oxide attenuated apoptotic cell death in RAW 264.7 macrophages. 995 Jun 82

The proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) prevent apoptosis, but their mechanism of action is unclear. We examined the role of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) in the regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+), nitric oxide production (NO), c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, and apoptosis in Jurkat T cells. Thapsigargin (TG), an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated Ca(2+) ATPase, was used to disrupt Ca(2+) homeostasis. TG acutely elevated intracellular free Ca(2+) and mitochondrial Ca(2+) levels and induced NO production and apoptosis in Jurkat cells transfected with vector (JT/Neo). Buffering of this Ca(2+) response with 1, 2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl) ester (BAPTA-AM) or inhibiting NO synthase activity with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) blocked TG-induced NO production and apoptosis in JT/Neo cells. By contrast, while TG produced comparable early changes in the Ca(2+) level (i.e., within 3 h) in Jurkat cells overexpressing Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) (JT/Bcl-2 or JT/Bcl-X(L)), NO production, late (36-h) Ca(2+) accumulation, and apoptosis were dramatically reduced compared to those in JT/Neo cells. Exposure of JT/Bcl-2 and JT/Bcl-X(L) cells to the NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenacillamine (SNAP) resulted in apoptosis comparable to that seen in JT/Neo cells. TG also activated the JNK pathway, which was blocked by L-NAME. Transient expression of a dominant negative mutant SEK1 (Lys-->Arg), an upstream kinase of JNK, prevented both TG-induced JNK activation and apoptosis. A dominant negative c-Jun mutant also reduced TG-induced apoptosis. Overexpression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) inhibited TG-induced loss in mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase-3 and JNK. Inhibition of caspase-3 activation blocked TG-induced JNK activation, suggesting that JNK activation occurred downstream of caspase-3. Thus, TG-induced Ca(2+) release leads to NO generation followed by mitochondrial changes including cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. Caspase-3 activation leads to activation of the JNK pathway and apoptosis. In summary, Ca(2+)-dependent activation of NO production mediates apoptosis after TG exposure in JT/Neo cells. JT/Bcl-2 and JT/Bcl-X(L) cells are susceptible to NO-mediated apoptosis, but Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) protect the cells against TG-induced apoptosis by negatively regulating Ca(2+)-sensitive NO synthase activity or expression.
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PMID:Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) block thapsigargin-induced nitric oxide generation, c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase activity, and apoptosis. 1040 55

ERK1 and ERK2 associate with the tyrosine phosphatase PTP-SL through a kinase interaction motif (KIM) located in the juxtamembrane region of PTP-SL. A glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PTP-SL fusion protein containing the KIM associated with ERK1 and ERK2 as well as with p38/HOG, but not with the related JNK1 kinase or with protein kinase A or C. Accordingly, ERK2 showed in vitro substrate specificity to phosphorylate GST-PTP-SL in comparison with GST-c-Jun. Furthermore, tyrosine dephosphorylation of ERK2 by the PTP-SLDeltaKIM mutant was impaired. The in vitro association of ERK1/2 with GST-PTP-SL was highly stable; however, low concentrations of nucleotides partially dissociated the ERK1/2.PTP-SL complex. Partial deletions of the KIM abrogated the association of PTP-SL with ERK1/2, indicating that KIM integrity is required for interaction. Amino acid substitution analysis revealed that Arg and Leu residues within the KIM are essential for the interaction and suggested a regulatory role for Ser(231). Finally, coexpression of PTP-SL and ERK2 in COS-7 cells resulted in the retention of ERK2 in the cytoplasm in a KIM-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate that the noncatalytic region of PTP-SL associates with mitogen-activated protein kinases with high affinity and specificity, providing a mechanism for substrate specificity, and suggest a role for PTP-SL in the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase translocation to the nucleus upon activation.
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PMID:Interaction of mitogen-activated protein kinases with the kinase interaction motif of the tyrosine phosphatase PTP-SL provides substrate specificity and retains ERK2 in the cytoplasm. 1041 10

Platelets are an interesting model for studying the relationship betwen adhesion and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation. We have recently shown that in platelets, ERK2 was activated by thrombin and downregulated by alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin engagement. Here we focused our attention on the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs) and their activation in conditions of platelet aggregation. We found that JNK1 was present in human platelets and was activated after thrombin induction. JNK1 phosphorylation was detected with low concentrations of thrombin (0. 02 U/mL) and after 1 minute of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. JNK1 activation was increased (fivefold) when fibrinogen binding to alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin was inhibited by the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptide or (Fab')(2) fragments of a monoclonal antibody specific for alpha(IIb)beta(3), demonstrating that, like ERK2, alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin engagement negatively regulates JNK1 activation. Comparison of JNK1 activation by thrombin in stirred and unstirred platelets in the presence of RGDS peptide showed a positive regulation by stirring itself, independently of alpha(IIb)beta(3) integrin engagement, which was confirmed in a thrombasthenic patient lacking platelet alpha(IIb)beta(3). The same positive regulation by stirring was found for ERK2. These results suggest that MAP kinases (JNK1 and ERK2) are activated positively by thrombin and stirring. In conclusion, we found that JNK1 is present in platelets and can be activated after thrombin induction. Moreover, this is the first report showing that two different MAP kinases (ERK2 and JNK1) are regulated negatively by alpha(IIb)beta(3) engagement and positively by mechanical forces in platelets.
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PMID:Regulation of c-jun-NH2 terminal kinase and extracellular-signal regulated kinase in human platelets. 1057 94

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a unique fourth open reading frame coding for a 16.5-kDa protein known as hepatitis B virus X protein (HBX). The importance of HBX in the life cycle of HBV has been well established, but the underlying molecular function of HBX remains controversial. We previously identified a proteasome subunit PSMA7 that interacts specifically with HBX in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae two-hybrid system. Here we demonstrate that PSMC1, an ATPase-like subunit of the 19 S proteasome component, also interacts with HBX and PSMA7. Analysis of the interacting domains among PSMA7, PSMC1, and HBX by deletion and site-directed mutagenesis suggested a mutually competitive structural relationship among these polypeptides. The competitive nature of these interactions is further demonstrated using a modified yeast two-hybrid dissociator system. The crucial HBX sequences involved in interaction with PSMA7 and PSMC1 are important for its function as a transcriptional coactivator. HBX, while functioning as a coactivator of AP-1 and acidic activator VP-16 in mammalian cells, had no effect on the transactivation function of their functional orthologs GCN4 and Gal4 in yeast. Overexpression of PSMC1 seemed to suppress the expression of various reporters in mammalian cells; this effect, however, was overcome by coexpression of HBX. In addition, HBX expression inhibited the cellular turnover of c-Jun and ubiquitin-Arg-beta-galactosidase, two well known substrates of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Thus, interaction of HBX with the proteasome complex in metazoan cells may underlie the functional basis of proteasome as a cellular target of HBX.
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PMID:Structural and functional characterization of interaction between hepatitis B virus X protein and the proteasome complex. 1074 18

[Arg(6), D-Trp(7,9), N(me)Phe(8)]-substance P (6-11) (antagonist G) inhibits small cell lung cancer (SCLC) growth and is entering Phase II clinical investigation for the treatment of SCLC. As well as acting as a neuropeptide receptor antagonist, antagonist G stimulates c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity and apoptosis in SCLC cells. We extend these findings and show that the stimulation of JNK and apoptosis by antagonist G is dependent upon the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) being inhibited either by anoxia or the presence of N-acetyl cysteine (n-AC). Antagonist G is not intrinsically a free radical oxygen donor but stimulates free radical generation specifically within SCLC cells (6.2-fold) and increases the activity of the redox-sensitive transcription factor AP-1 by 61%. In keeping with this, antagonist G reduces cellular glutathione (GSH) levels (38% reduction) and stimulates ceramide production and lipid peroxidation (112% increase). At plasma concentrations achieved clinically in the phase I studies, antagonist G augments, more than additively, growth inhibition induced by etoposide. Our results suggest that antagonist G may be particularly effective as an additional treatment with standard chemotherapy in SCLC. These novel findings will be important for the clinical application of this new and exciting compound and for the future drug development of new agents to treat this aggressive cancer.
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PMID:[Arg(6), D-Trp(7,9), N(me)Phe(8)]-substance P (6-11) (antagonist G) induces AP-1 transcription and sensitizes cells to chemotherapy. 1097 Jun 98

Extracellular matrix facilitates anchorage-dependent cell survival via interaction of its arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) motif with integrins. In this report, we describe an unexpected, apoptosis-promoting the effect of immobilized RGD (iRGD) on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced apoptosis. Mesangial cells cultured on RGD-coated plates showed enhanced susceptibility to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. iRGD alone did not affect cell survival. In contrast, iRGD did not facilitate but inhibited apoptosis induced by H(2)O(2). Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and tyrosine kinases are important mediators for the RGD-integrin signaling. Pretreatment with MAP kinase kinase inhibitor PD098059, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-c-Jun/AP-1 inhibitor curcumin or p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580 did not attenuate the apoptosis-promoting effect of iRGD. Consistently, transfection with dominant-negative mutants of extracellular signal-regulated kinases, JNK or p38 MAP kinase did not inhibit the effect of iRGD. In contrast, protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors, genistein, and herbimycin A, abrogated the apoptosis-promoting effect of iRGD. Of note, TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis on uncoated plates was not attenuated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These data provide the first evidence that iRGD accelerates certain apoptosis. We identified that the effect was mediated by the tyrosine kinase-dependent, MAP kinase-independent mechanism.
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PMID:Enhancement of TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis by immobilized arginine-glycine-aspartate: involvement of a tyrosine kinase-dependent, MAP kinase-independent mechanism. 1103 20

A basic peptide derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 Tat protein (positions 48-60) has been reported to have the ability to translocate through the cell membranes and accumulate in the nucleus, the characteristics of which are utilized for the delivery of exogenous proteins into cells. Based on the fluorescence microscopic observations of mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells, we found that various arginine-rich peptides have a translocation activity very similar to Tat-(48-60). These included such peptides as the d-amino acid- and arginine-substituted Tat-(48-60), the RNA-binding peptides derived from virus proteins, such as HIV-1 Rev, and flock house virus coat proteins, and the DNA binding segments of leucine zipper proteins, such as cancer-related proteins c-Fos and c-Jun, and the yeast transcription factor GCN4. These segments have no specific primary and secondary structures in common except that they have several arginine residues in the sequences. Moreover, these peptides were able to be internalized even at 4 degrees C. These results strongly suggested the possible existence of a common internalization mechanism ubiquitous to arginine-rich peptides, which is not explained by a typical endocytosis. Using (Arg)(n) (n = 4-16) peptides, we also demonstrated that there would be an optimal number of arginine residues (n approximately 8) for the efficient translocation.
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PMID:Arginine-rich peptides. An abundant source of membrane-permeable peptides having potential as carriers for intracellular protein delivery. 1108 31

MKP-2 is a member of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphatase family which has been suggested to play an important role in the feedback control of MAP kinase-mediated gene expression. Although MKP-2 preferentially inactivates extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) MAP kinase subfamilies, the mechanisms underlying its own regulation remain unclear. In this report, we have examined the MKP-2 interaction with and catalytic activation by distinct MAP kinase subfamilies. We found that the catalytic activity of MKP-2 was enhanced dramatically by ERK and JNK but was affected only minimally by p38. By contrast, p38 and ERK bound MKP-2 with comparably strong affinities, whereas JNK and MKP-2 interacted very weakly. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we defined the ERK/p38-binding site as a cluster of arginine residues in the NH(2)-terminal domain of MKP-2. Mutation of the basic motif abrogated its interaction with both ERK and p38 and severely compromised the catalytic activation of MKP-2 by these kinases. Unexpectedly, such mutations had little effect on JNK-triggered catalytic activation. Both in vitro and in vivo, wild type MKP-2 effectively inactivated ERK2 whereas MKP-2 mutants incapable of binding to ERK/p38 did not. Finally, in addition to its role as a docking site for ERK and p38, the MKP-2 basic motif plays a role in regulating its nuclear localization. Our studies provided a mechanistic explanation for the substrate preference of MKP-2 and suggest that catalytic activation of MKP-2 upon binding to its substrates is crucial for its function.
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PMID:Discordance between the binding affinity of mitogen-activated protein kinase subfamily members for MAP kinase phosphatase-2 and their ability to activate the phosphatase catalytically. 1138 37

Carbonyl compounds with diverse carbon skeletons may be differentially related to the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. In this study, we compared intracellular signals delivered into cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO), which differ only by a methyl group. Depending on their concentrations, GO and MGO promoted phosphorylations of ERK1 and ERK2, which were blocked by the protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors herbimycin A and staurosporine, thereby being PTK-dependent. GO and MGO also induced phosphorylations of JNK, p38 MAPK, and c-Jun, either PTK-dependently (GO) or -independently (MGO). Next, we found that MGO, but not GO, induced degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) as the intracellular substrate of caspase-3. Curcumin and SB203580, which inhibit JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways, but not herbimycin A/staurosporine, prevented the MGO-induced PARP degradation. We then found that MGO, but not GO, reduced the intracellular glutathione level, and that cysteine, but not cystine, inhibited the MGO-mediated activation of ERK, JNK, p38 MAPK, or c-Jun more extensively than did lysine or arginine. In addition, all the signals triggered by GO and MGO were blocked by amino guanidine (AG), which traps carbonyls. These results demonstrated that GO and MGO triggered two distinct signal cascades, one for PTK-dependent control of ERK and another for PTK-independent redox-linked activation of JNK/p38 MAPK and caspases in HUVECs, depending on the structure of the carbon skeleton of the chemicals.
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PMID:Glyoxal and methylglyoxal trigger distinct signals for map family kinases and caspase activation in human endothelial cells. 1142 86


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