Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (Bcl-2)
 33,771 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Increasingly, evidence supports the function of the helix-loop-helix protein Id-1 (inhibitor of differentiation/DNA binding-1) as an oncogene. Over-expression of Id-1 is not only observed in many types of human cancer but its expression levels have been correlated with cancer progression. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the function of Id-1. Recently, we and others reported that Id-1-induced cell proliferation was mediated through a Raf/MEK signalling pathway. In this study, we investigated if ectopic Id-1 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells had any protective effect on taxol-induced death, which is also regulated through Raf/MEK pathway. Using four stable Id-1 transfectant clones, we found that exogenous Id-1 expression led to phosphorylation of Raf-1 and MEK1/2 kinases, which was associated with resistance to taxol. Treatment of the Id-1 expressing cells with a MEK inhibitor, PD098059, resulted in an increased taxol-induced apoptosis rate in Id-1 transfectants compared with the vector control. In addition, the fact that the taxol-induced apoptosis rate, down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax were suppressed by PD098059 treatment in Id-1 expressing cells indicates that the Id-1 induced cellular protection against apoptosis is mediated through Raf/MEK signalling pathways. Our results suggest that Id-1 may be an upstream regulator of the Raf/MEK signalling pathway, which plays an essential role in protection against taxol-induced apoptosis. Our evidence also indicates a novel treatment strategy to increase anticancer drug-induced apoptosis through inactivation of the Id-1 protein.
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PMID:Id-1-induced Raf/MEK pathway activation is essential for its protective role against taxol-induced apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. 1474 19

In previous studies we demonstrated that IGF-I induces proliferation of pituitary lactotrophs. In addition to its mitotrophic actions, IGF-I is known to prevent apoptosis induced by diverse stimuli in several cell types. In this study, we investigated the action of IGF-I on pituitary cell survival and the intracellular signaling transduction pathway implicated in this effect. Treatment of cultured male rat pituitary cells with IGF-I (10(-7) M) for 24 h prevented pituitary cell death induced by serum deprivation. The protective effect of IGF-I was blocked by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) inhibitor, LY294002, but was unaffected by PD98059, which inhibits MAP/ERK kinase (MEK1). IGF-I activation of PI3-kinase induced the phosphorylation and activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt. Moreover, IGF-I increased the phosphorylation of the pro-apoptotic factor Bad and the levels of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 through the PI3-kinase pathway in primary pituitary cells.
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PMID:IGF-I inhibits apoptosis through the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway in pituitary cells. 1529 50

Rituximab (Rituxan, IDEC-C2B8) has been shown to sensitize non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) cell lines to chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis. Rituximab treatment of Bcl-2-deficient Ramos cells and Bcl-2-expressing Daudi cells selectively decreases Bcl-(xL) expression and sensitizes the cells to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. This study delineates the signaling pathway involved in rituximab-mediated Bcl-(xL) down-regulation in Ramos and Daudi NHL B cells. We hypothesized that rituximab may interfere with the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway, leading to decreased Bcl-(xL) expression. Rituximab (20 microg/mL) inhibited the kinase activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) 1/2 and reduced the phosphorylation of the components of the ERK1/2 pathway (Raf-1, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2) and decreased activator protein-1 DNA binding activity and Bcl-(xL) gene expression. These events occurred with similar kinetics and were observed 3 to 6 hours after rituximab treatment. Rituximab-mediated effects were corroborated by using specific inhibitors of the ERK1/2 pathway, which also reduced Bcl-(xL) levels and sensitized the NHL B cells to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Previous findings implicated a negative regulatory role of the Raf-1 kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) on the ERK1/2 pathway. Rituximab treatment of NHL B cells significantly up-regulated RKIP expression, thus interrupting the ERK1/2 signaling pathway through the physical association between Raf-1 and RKIP, which was concomitant with Bcl-(xL) down-regulation. These novel findings reveal a signaling pathway triggered by rituximab, whereby rituximab-mediated up-regulation of RKIP adversely regulates the activity of the ERK1/2 pathway, Bcl-(xL) expression, and subsequent chemosensitization of drug-refractory NHL B cells. The significance of these findings is discussed.
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PMID:Inhibition of the Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway, Bcl-xL down-regulation, and chemosensitization of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma B cells by Rituximab. 1546 8

The Bcl-2 family proapoptotic protein, Bax, redistributes to the mitochondrion in response to varied stimuli, triggering loss of mitochondrial integrity and apoptosis. Suppression of MAPK kinase (MEK1) by the reagent UO126 in activated T cells maintained in the cytokine IL-2 disrupts cytoplasmic localization of Bax and cell survival. UO126 triggers mitochondrial translocation of ectopically expressed Bax-GFP, and both UO126 and dominant negative MEK-1 (DN-MEK1) trigger increased apoptosis in Bax-GFP-expressing T cell lines. Because inhibition of PI3K or its target Akt also triggers mitochondrial translocation of Bax in T cells and apoptosis in Bax-transfected cell lines, we generated Bax deletion mutants to identify the region(s) that confers sensitivity to regulation by MEK1 and Akt. A deletion mutant (Bax(1-171)) without the C terminus mitochondrial targeting sequence or an Akt target site (Ser(184)) localizes to the cytoplasm and triggers low level apoptosis that is enhanced by DN-Akt or DN-MEK1. A construct that lacks the first 29 aa (Bax-delta29) largely localizes to mitochondria, is highly apoptogenic, and is not inhibited by Akt or MEK1. Furthermore, Bax-delta29 overcomes IL-2-dependent survival in a T cell line, whereas Bax triggers comparatively low levels of apoptosis in these cells. Cytoplasmic localization and regulation by MEK1 and Akt are restored in a mutant deleted of the first 13 aa (Bax-delta13). Taken together, our results identify a region in the Bax N terminus that determines cellular localization regulated by MEK- and Akt-dependent signaling in T cells.
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PMID:The Bax N terminus is required for negative regulation by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and Akt signaling pathways in T cells. 1552 59

Interactions between the protein kinase C and Chk1 inhibitor UCN-01 and rapamycin in human leukemia cells have been investigated in relation to apoptosis induction. Treatment of U937 monocytic leukemia cells with rapamycin (10 nmol/L) in conjunction with a minimally toxic concentration of UCN-01 (100 nmol/L) for 36 hours resulted in marked potentiation of mitochondrial injury (i.e., loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytosolic release of cytochrome c, AIF, and Smac/DIABLO), caspase activation, and apoptosis. The release of cytochrome c, AIF, and Smac/DIABLO were inhibited by BOC-D-fmk, indicating that their release was caspase dependent. These events were associated with marked down-regulation of Raf-1, MEK, and ERK phosphorylation, diminished Akt activation, and enhanced phosphorylation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). Coadministration of UCN-01 and rapamycin reduced the expression levels of the antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL and diminished the expression of cyclin D1 and p34(cdc2). Furthermore, enforced expression of a constitutively active MEK1 or, to a lesser extent, myristoylated Akt construct partially but significantly attenuated UCN-01/rapamycin-mediated lethality in both U937 and Jurkat cell systems. Finally, inhibition of the stress-related JNK by SP600125 or by the expression of a dominant-negative mutant of c-Jun significantly attenuated apoptosis induced by rapamycin/UCN-01. Together, these findings indicate that the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor potentiates UCN-01 cytotoxicity in a variety of human leukemia cell types and suggest that inhibition of both Raf-1/MEK/ERK and Akt cytoprotective signaling pathways as well as JNK activation contribute to this phenomenon.
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PMID:Rapamycin and UCN-01 synergistically induce apoptosis in human leukemia cells through a process that is regulated by the Raf-1/MEK/ERK, Akt, and JNK signal transduction pathways. 1576 55

We examined the role of the IkappaB kinase complex in nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. We showed that neurite outgrowth is accompanied by an activation of the IKK complex and a delayed elevation of NF-kappaB-dependent transcription. Ectopic expression of a constitutively active form of IKK2 but not of IKK1 promoted neurite outgrowth in the absence of NGF. In addition, increased expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and resistance to apoptosis upon serum withdrawal were found. The IKK2-driven neurite outgrowth was not blocked by MEK1/2 and PI3K inhibitors but was repressed by the SN50 peptide suggesting that NF-kappaB activation is critical for this differentiation process. Transdominant mutants of IkappaBalpha (32/36-SS/AA) and IKK1 only marginally reduced NGF-driven neuritogenesis. However, a dominant negative mutant of IKK2 or an IkappaBalpha protein lacking the complete N-terminus was able to repress neuritogenesis. We also detected tyrosine phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha during differentiation. Consequently, PC12 cells expressing mutant IkappaBalpha (Y42F) show an impaired neuritogenesis. Furthermore, PC12 cells ectopically expressing p65 show almost no signs of neurite outgrowth which is, however, found to some extent in c-Rel-expressing cells. Our data suggest that NGF-induced PC12 differentiation includes activation of IKK2 which may promote the release of c-Rel-containing dimers.
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PMID:Activation of the IkappaB kinase complex is sufficient for neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. 1593 65

Polyamine depletion prevents apoptosis by increasing serine/threonine phosphorylation leading to either inactivation or activation of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, respectively. Despite evidence that protein kinases are regulators of apoptosis, a specific role for protein phosphatases in regulating cell survival has not been established. In this study, we show that polyamine depletion inhibits serine/threonine phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Inhibition of PP2A in cells depleted of polyamines correlated well with increased phosphorylation of Bad at Ser112. Bad Ser112 phosphorylation in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha treatment decreased with time in cells grown in control as well as those grown in the presence of alpha-difluoromethylornithine plus putrescine. However, a sustained increase in the levels of Bad Ser112 phosphorylation was maintained in response to TNF-alpha treatment in cells grown in the presence of alpha-difluoromethylornithine. Inhibition of PP2A by okadaic acid and fostriecin or PP2A small interfering RNA transfection significantly decreased TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in control and polyamine-depleted cells. Inhibition of PP2A by okadaic acid: 1) increased Bad and Bcl-2 phosphorylation at Ser112 and Ser70, respectively; 2) increased ERK activity; 3) prevented JNK activation; 4) prevented cytochrome c release, and activation of caspases-9 and -3 in response to TNF-alpha. Inhibition of MEK1 by U0126 prevented phosphorylation of Bad at Ser112. These results indicate that polyamines regulate PP2A activity, and inhibition of PP2A in response to polyamine depletion increases steady state levels of Bad and Bcl-2 proteins and their phosphorylation and thereby prevents cytochrome c release, caspase-9, and caspase-3 activation.
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PMID:Protein phosphatase 2A regulates apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. 1599 15

Many isothiocyanates (ITCs) such as sulforaphane (SFN), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) are highly effectively in chemoprevention or reduction of the risk of cancer and possess antitumor activities in vitro and in vivo. The activator protein 1 (AP-1) and MAPK signaling pathways are believed to play an important role in cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy due to their involvement in tumor cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis and survival. In the present study, we determined the effects of SFN, PEITC and AITC on AP-1 activation, and investigated the roles of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways in the regulation of AP-1 activation and cell death elicited by these ITCs in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. SFN, PEITC and AITC each induced AP-1 activity potently and caused a significant elevation in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, Elk-1 and c-Jun. Transfection with ERK2 and upstream kinase DNEE-MEK1 activated AP-1 activity, and transfection with dominant-negative mutant ERK2 (dnERK2) potently decreased AP-1 activation induced by SFN, PEITC and AITC. Transfection with JNK1 and upstream kinase MKK7 activated AP-1 activity, and transfection with dominant-negative mutant JNK1-APF significantly attenuated AP-1 activation induced by SFN, PEITC and AITC. Pretreatment with MEK1-ERK inhibitor U0126 and JNK inhibitor SP600125 substantially attenuated the decrease in cell viability induced by SFN, PEITC and AITC. Transfection with dnERK2 and JNK1-APF significantly reversed the decrease of Bcl-2 expression elicited by these ITCs. Furthermore, transfection with dnERK2 and JNK1-APF blocked the apoptosis induced by these ITCs in PC-3 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that the activation of the ERK and JNK signaling pathways is important for transcriptional activity of AP-1 and is involved in the regulation of cell death elicited by ITCs in PC-3 cells.
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PMID:ERK and JNK signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of activator protein 1 and cell death elicited by three isothiocyanates in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. 1627 72

Inflammatory cell recruitment, activation, and apoptosis are highly regulated processes involving several checkpoints controlling the resolution of inflammation. We investigated the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway (ie, ERK1/2) and apoptosis-regulating Bcl-2 family members (ie, Bcl-x(L) and Bax) in the resolution of a rat carrageenan-induced pleurisy model. The specific ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 enhanced the resolution of inflammation, whereas the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 had no effect and the flavonoid apigenin, a nonspecific inhibitor of ERK1/2 and COX-2, augmented inflammation. Specifically, PD98059 significantly decreased the total number of macrophages and neutrophils in the pleural cavity, mainly by increasing the rate of neutrophil apoptosis, as measured by Annexin V labeling and morphological analysis. Conversely, a specific inhibitor of proapoptotic Bax (V5) increased inflammation, indicating that by preventing apoptosis in vivo, resolution of inflammation is delayed. This was associated with a decrease in neutrophil apoptosis and an increase in macrophage and neutrophil numbers perpetuating the inflammatory response. In conclusion, this study shows that ERK1/2, Bax, and Bcl-x(L) play important functional roles in the resolution phase of the acute inflammatory response in vivo by influencing apoptosis. Importantly, these data may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
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PMID:The involvement of the apoptosis-modulating proteins ERK 1/2, Bcl-xL and Bax in the resolution of acute inflammation in vivo. 1665 40

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is ultimately dependent upon its host cell for replication. To ensure its reproduction, VZV reorganizes various cellular functions by taking advantage of pre-existing signalling pathways. Recently, it was demonstrated that the activation of stress-related mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways following infection led to increased phosphorylation of cellular transcription factors involved in VZV gene expression. Here, it was shown that members of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway are also influenced following VZV infection: c-Raf remained inactive in infected MeWo cells, whereas MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 were phosphorylated transiently, reaching their highest level of phosphorylation at between 10 and 12 h post-infection. Inhibition of this pathway resulted in a severe reduction in viral progeny and in an increased apoptotic response, indicating that the functionality of this cascade is essential for successful high-rate replication. In addition, the activities of Bad, a cytoplasmic target of ERK via ribosomal S6 kinase, and the nuclear-localized target c-Myc were analysed. Bad is a member of the Bcl-2 family and has a key function in regulating apoptosis. Pro-apoptotic functions of Bad are repressed by phosphorylation. A 10-fold increase in Bad phosphorylation at Ser-112 was detected following infection, which was suppressed after inhibition of ERK. The transcription factor c-Myc is involved in the regulation of cell growth and apoptosis. By performing immunoblots and quantitative RT-PCR, suppression of c-Myc expression was demonstrated at both the transcriptional and translational levels in VZV-infected cells. These results suggest that VZV optimizes the conditions for its replication in different ways: upregulation of proviral-acting systems and suppression of potentially antiviral-acting systems.
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PMID:Varicella-zoster virus influences the activities of components and targets of the ERK signalling pathway. 1652 22


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