Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P31749 (AKT)
 22,954 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Signal transduction from tyrosine kinase receptors mediates growth regulation of breast cancer cells in part through the GTPase Ras and downstream kinases. Rsu-1 is a cDNA previously identified as an inhibitor of Ras-induced transformation. An HA-epitope tagged Rsu-1 cDNA was introduced into the MCF7 breast carcinoma cell line. Stable transfectants were selected and used for analysis of Rsu-1 expression on growth control and Ras-dependent kinase pathways. Assessment of biological activity of HA-Rsu-1 transfectants revealed that HA-Rsu-1 clones showed slower anchorage dependent growth rates than control MCF7 cell lines and a significant reduction in anchorage independent growth. Analysis of cell cycle regulatory proteins required for transit through G1 revealed that HA-Rsu-1 transfectant cell lines expressed elevated levels of p21CIP CDK inhibitor. Perturbations in signal transduction pathways which can be activated by Ras were detected in the Ha-Rsu-1 transfectants. Exposure of serum-starved cells to EGF revealed that expression of HA-Rsu-1 increased ERK-2 kinase activation, decreased activation of Jun kinase and inhibited Rho-dependent Rho-alpha kinase (ROK) activity compared to control cells. While serum starvation reduced AKT activity to undetectable levels in HA-Rsu-1 transfectants but not in control MCF7 cells, activation of AKT kinase by serum was unaffected by HA-Rsu-1 expression. Finally, the level of c-myc transcription in HA-Rsu-1 transfectants reached only 60% of the MCF7 control cell line following serum stimulation of starved cells while Fos RNA levels were similar to control cells. These results demonstrate that increased Rsu-1 expression critically altered cell cycle regulation and growth of MCF7 cells as well as signaling pathways in MCF7 cells required for malignant growth.
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PMID:Ectopic expression of Rsu-1 results in elevation of p21CIP and inhibits anchorage-independent growth of MCF7 breast cancer cells. 1093 91

A novel splice variant of Rac1, designated Rac1b, is expressed in human breast and colon carcinoma cells. Rac1b contains an additional 19 amino-acid insert immediately behind the switch II domain, a region important for Rac1 interaction with regulators and effectors. Recent studies showed that Rac1b exhibited the biochemical properties of a constitutively activated GTPase, yet it showed impaired interaction with downstream effectors, suggesting that Rac1b may be defective in biological activity. Whether Rac1b is a biologically active protein was not addressed. Therefore, we evaluated the biochemical, signaling and growth-promoting properties of authentic Rac1b. Similar to previous observations, we found that Rac1b showed enhanced intrinsic guanine nucleotide exchange activity, impaired intrinsic GTPase activity, and failed to interact with RhoGDI. Surprisingly, we found that Rac1b, like the constitutively-activated and transforming Rac1(Q61L) mutant, promoted growth transformation of NIH3T3 cells. Rac1b-expressing cells also showed a loss of density-dependent and anchorage-dependent growth. Surprisingly, unlike activated Rac1(61L), Rac1b did not show enhanced activation of the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factor or stimulate cyclin D1 expression, the signaling activities that best correlate with Rac1 transforming activity. However, Rac1b did promote activation of the AKT serine/threonine kinase. Therefore, we suggest that Rac1b selectively activates a subset of Rac1 downstream signaling pathways to facilitate cellular transformation.
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PMID:Rac1b, a tumor associated, constitutively active Rac1 splice variant, promotes cellular transformation. 1551 77

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a central role in neuronal pathophysiology and in neurodegenerative disorders. However, recent evidence indicates that these molecules also operate as signaling intermediates in a variety of physiological settings, including cell protection from apoptosis. Data presented here strongly support such a dual role for oxidants in neuronal cell homeostasis. In rat pheocromocytoma cells, cell rescue by the nerve growth factor (NGF) is accompanied by a transient burst of ROS generated in the cytosol by a GTPase-dependent mechanism. Within the NGF signaling cascade, ROS lie upstream and are necessary for activation/phosphorylation of AKT/PKB and of the antiapoptotic transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB). Conversely, an increase in mitochondrial oxygen species heralds apoptosis of serum-deprived cells, and these events can be prevented by cell exposure to NGF or by treatment with the mitochondrially targeted antioxidant MitoQ. Importantly, NGF-mediated decrease of mitochondrial ROS is dependent on the transcriptional up-regulation of the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) by active CREB. These observations therefore outline a circuitry whereby cytosolic redox signaling promotes neuronal cell survival by increasing the mitochondrial antioxidant defenses.
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PMID:Protective role of MnSOD and redox regulation of neuronal cell survival. 1586 15

Hepatocellular carcinoma is highly resistant to chemotherapeutic agents, thus the need to discover effective therapeutic molecules to suppress cancer cell growth and to overcome drug resistance is urgent. The Rho GTPase is implicated in cancer and metastasis and is directly activated by the Lymphoid blast crisis (Lbc) protooncogene, a Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factor. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of Lbc in hepatocarcinoma and to determine the effect of Lbc-induced Rho signaling on expression, growth rate and resistance to genotoxic stress. We found, by immunohistochemical analysis of biopsy samples and Northern and Western blot analyses of cell lines, that Lbc is absent in normal adult liver but is abundantly expressed in hepatocarcinoma, implying an increased Rho pathway signaling. Lbc stably transfected hepatocarcinoma cells exhibit increased proliferation and levels of ERK and cyclin D1 activation, which are blocked by a Rho inhibitor. In contrast, AKT activation was not altered. Moreover, Lbc expression confers increased resistance to genotoxic stress induced by doxorubicin, which is associated with upregulation of Bcl-2 and BAD phosphorylation, and this is reversed by a Rho inhibitor. In conclusion, these data support a role for Rho in liver cancer progression and resistance to therapy and may provide a basis for developing effective treatment for hepatocarcinoma.
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PMID:Cell proliferation and drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma are modulated by Rho GTPase signals. 1632 93

The GTPase-deficient, activated mutant of Galpha12 (Galpha12Q229L, or Galpha12QL) induces neoplastic growth and oncogenic transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. Using microarray analysis, we have previously identified a role for platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha) in Galpha12-mediated cell growth (R. N. Kumar et al., Cell Biochem. Biophys. 41:63-73, 2004). In the present study, we report that Galpha12QL stimulates the functional expression of PDGFRalpha and demonstrate that the expression of PDGFRalpha by Galpha12QL is dependent on the small GTPase Rho. Our results indicate that it is cell type independent as the transient expression of Galpha12QL or the activation of Galpha12-coupled receptors stimulates the expression of PDGFRalpha in NIH 3T3 as well as in human astrocytoma 1321N1 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate the presence of an autocrine loop involving PDGF-A and PDGFRalpha in Galpha12QL-transformed cells. Analysis of the functional consequences of the Galpha12-PDGFRalpha signaling axis indicates that Galpha12 stimulates the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling pathway through PDGFR. In addition, we show that Galpha12QL stimulates the phosphorylation of forkhead transcription factor FKHRL1 via AKT in a PDGFRalpha- and PI3K-dependent manner. Since AKT promotes cell growth by blocking the transcription of antiproliferative genes through the inhibitory phosphorylation of forkhead transcription factors, our results describe for the first time a PDGFRalpha-dependent signaling pathway involving PI3K-AKT-FKHRL1, regulated by Galpha12QL in promoting cell growth. Consistent with this view, we demonstrate that the expression of a dominant negative mutant of PDGFRalpha attenuated Galpha12-mediated neoplastic transformation of NIH 3T3 cells.
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PMID:Transactivation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha by the GTPase-deficient activated mutant of Galpha12. 1635 79

Through the yeast two-hybrid screen we have identified dynamin-2 as a molecule that interacts with the alpha subunit of the interleukin (IL) 5 receptor. Dynamin-2 is a GTPase that is critical for endocytosis. We have shown that dynamin-2 interacts with the IL-5 receptor-associated tyrosine kinases, Lyn and JAK2, in eosinophils. Tyrosine phosphorylation of dynamin is markedly enhanced upon IL-5 stimulation. The inhibition of tyrosine kinases results in complete abolition of ligand-induced receptor endocytosis. Inhibition of dynamin by a dominant-negative mutant or by small interfering RNA results in enhancement of IL-5-stimulated ERK1/2 signaling and cell proliferation. In contrast, the absence of a functional dynamin does not affect STAT5 or AKT phosphorylation or cell survival. Thus, we have identified specific functions for dynamin in the IL-5 signaling pathway and demonstrated its role in receptor endocytosis and termination of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
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PMID:Differential regulation of interleukin 5-stimulated signaling pathways by dynamin. 1655 2

Loss of tuberin, the product of TSC2 gene, increases mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, promoting cell growth and tumor development. However, in cells expressing tuberin, it is not known how repression of mTOR signaling is relieved to activate this pathway in response to growth factors and how hamartin participates in this process. We show that hamartin colocalizes with hypophosphorylated tuberin at the membrane, where tuberin exerts its GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity to repress Rheb signaling. In response to growth signals, tuberin is phosphorylated by AKT and translocates to the cytosol, relieving Rheb repression. Phosphorylation of tuberin at serines 939 and 981 does not alter its intrinsic GAP activity toward Rheb but partitions tuberin to the cytosol, where it is bound by 14-3-3 proteins. Thus, tuberin bound by 14-3-3 in response to AKT phosphorylation is sequestered away from its membrane-bound activation partner (hamartin) and its target GTPase (Rheb) to relieve the growth inhibitory effects of this tumor suppressor.
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PMID:Activity of TSC2 is inhibited by AKT-mediated phosphorylation and membrane partitioning. 1663 47

The RAS gene product is normally a membrane-localized G protein (N-Ras, K-Ras and H-Ras) of 21 kDa classically described as a molecular off/on switch. It is inactive when bound to guanosine diphosphate and active when bound to GTP. When mutated, the gene produces an abnormal protein resistant to GTP hydrolysis by GTPase, resulting in a constitutively active GTP-bound protein that stimulates a critical network of signal transduction pathways that lead to cellular proliferation, survival and differentiation. At least three downstream effector pathways have been described, including Raf/MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT and RalGDS, but they are not completely understood. Ras pathways are also important downstream effectors of several receptor tyrosine kinases localized in the cell membrane, most notably the BCR-ABL fusion protein seen in patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. An important consideration in designing strategies to block Ras stimulatory effect is that Ras proteins are synthesized in the cytosol, but require post-translational modifications and attachment to anchor proteins or membrane binding sites in the cell membrane to be biologically active. Farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs) are probably the best-studied class of Ras inhibitors in hematologic malignancies. They block the enzyme farnesyl-transferase (FTase), which is essential for post-translational modification. However, it has been observed that the Ras proteins also can be geranylgeranylated in the presence of FTIs, thus allowing membrane localization and activation, which limits their effectiveness. It is now hypothesized that their mechanism of action may be through FTase inhibition involving other signal transduction pathways. S-trans, trans-farnesylthiosalicylic acid, which was first designed as a prenylated protein methyltransferase inhibitor, has shown in vitro activity against all activated Ras proteins by dislodging them from their membrane-anchoring sites. Here, Ras biology, its signaling pathways and its implications as a therapeutic target in hematologic malignancies are reviewed.
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PMID:Ras as a therapeutic target in hematologic malignancies. 1760 1

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) plays pivotal roles in linking inflammatory immune responses and tumor progression and metastasis, yet the manner in which this occurs remains to be sufficiently clarified. Here we report that hypoxia induces the transcription and secretion of IL-18, which subsequently induces the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). Mechanistically, IL-18 induces HIF-1alpha through the activity of the GTPase Rac1, which inducibly associates with the IL-18 receptor beta (IL-18Rbeta) subunit, via a PI3K-AKT-NF-kappaB-dependent pathway. Importantly, the knockdown of the IL-18Rbeta subunit inhibited IL-18-driven tumor cell metastasis. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a feed-forward pathway in HIF-1alpha-mediated tumor progression, in which the induction of IL-18 by hypoxia or inflammatory cells augments the expression of both HIF-1alpha and tumor cell metastasis.
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PMID:Hypoxia-induced IL-18 increases hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha expression through a Rac1-dependent NF-kappaB pathway. 1800 81

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a causative agent for liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma. Understanding its interactions with cellular proteins is critical in the elucidation of the mechanisms of disease progression. Using a cell-based HBV replication system, we showed that HBV replication in HepG2 cells resulted in a cellular morphological changes displaying membrane rufflings and lamellipodia like structures reminiscent of cells expressing constitutively activated Rac1. We also showed that activated Rac1 resulted in increased viral replication. HBV replication specifically activated wild type Rac1, but not Cdc42. The Rac1 activation by HBV replication also resulted in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT, the downstream targets of Rac1 signaling cascade. The smallest HBV viral protein, HBX, was able to activate the endogenous Rac1 and induce membrane ruffling when transfected into cells. Significantly, HBX was found to directly interact with a Rac1 nucleotide exchange factor (betaPIX) through a SH3 binding motif. Taken together, we have shown the interaction of HBV with the Rho GTPase, affecting cell morphology through the Rac1 activation pathway. HBV may possibly make use of an activated Rac1 signaling pathway for increased replication and resultant metastatic effects.
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PMID:Rac1 GTPase is activated by hepatitis B virus replication--involvement of HBX. 1808 71


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