Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P42345 (mTOR)
 26,049 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Carcinoid tumors are predominantly found in the gastrointestinal tract and are characterized by hypersecretion of various substances, including bioamines and neuropeptides, leading to functional tumor disease. Here, we demonstrate that human BON carcinoid tumor cells express functionally active insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors and secrete IGF-I, suggesting an autocrine action of this growth factor. The IGF-I receptor was functionally active. IGF-I stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase), p70 S6 kinase (p70s6k), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 activity in BON cells. Furthermore, immunoneutralization of endogenously released IGF-I markedly reduced the high basal activity of p70s6k and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 in serum-starved BON cells. Exogenously added IGF-I induced a marked increase in chromogranin A secretion, a marker protein for neuroendocrine secretion, by a process that was largely dependent on PI3-kinase activity. In addition, immunoneutralization of endogenously released IGF-I markedly reduced basal chromogranin A release by BON cells. Thus, the autocrine IGF-I loop regulates basal neuroendocrine secretion in BON cells. Next, we investigated the role of IGF-I as a growth promoting agent for BON cells. Our data demonstrate that IGF-I stimulates anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth of BON cells by a pathway that involves PI3-kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin/p70s6k, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 activity. Interestingly, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 activity was less important for anchorage-independent growth of BON cells. Endogenously released IGF-I was found to be largely responsible for autonomous growth of BON cells in serum-free medium and for the constitutive expression of cyclin D1 in these cells. In conclusion, IGF-I is a major autocrine regulator of neuroendocrine secretion and growth of human BON neuroendocrine tumor cells. Because our data also demonstrate that a significant proportion of neuroendocrine tumors express the IGF-I receptor and its ligand, interference with this pathway could be useful in the treatment of hypersecretion syndromes and growth of human neuroendocrine tumors.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor-I is an autocrine regulator of chromogranin A secretion and growth in human neuroendocrine tumor cells. 1096 9

It has been shown that IGF-1-induced pancreatic beta-cell proliferation is glucose-dependent; however, the mechanisms responsible for this glucose dependence are not known. Adenoviral mediated expression of constitutively active phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in the pancreatic beta-cells, INS-1, suggested that PI3K was not necessary for glucose-induced beta-cell proliferation but was required for IGF-1-induced mitogenesis. Examination of the signaling components downstream of PI3K, 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1, protein kinase B (PKB), glycogen synthase kinase-3, and p70-kDa-S6-kinase (p70(S6K)), suggested that a major part of glucose-dependent beta-cell proliferation requires activation of mammalian target of rapamycin/p70(S6K), independent of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1/PKB activation. Adenoviral expression of the kinase-dead form of PKB in INS-1 cells decreased IGF-1-induced beta-cell proliferation. However, a surprisingly similar decrease was also observed in adenoviral wild type and constitutively active PKB-infected cells. Upon analysis of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/ERK2), an increase in ERK1/ERK2 phosphorylation activation by glucose and IGF-1 was observed in kinase-dead PKB-infected cells, but this phosphorylation activation was inhibited in the constitutively active PKB-infected cells. Hence, there is a requirement for the activation of both ERK1/ERK2 and mammalian target of rapamycin/p70(S6K) signal transduction pathways for a full commitment to glucose-induced pancreatic beta-cell mitogenesis. However, for IGF-1-induced activation, these pathways must be carefully balanced, because chronic activation of one (PI3K/PKB) can lead to dampening of the other (ERK1/2), reducing the mitogenic response.
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PMID:Differential activation of protein kinase B and p70(S6)K by glucose and insulin-like growth factor 1 in pancreatic beta-cells (INS-1). 1127 16

Ultraviolet light A (UVA) plays an important role in the etiology of human skin cancer, and UVA-induced signal transduction has a critical role in UVA-induced skin carcinogenesis. The upstream signaling pathways leading to p70(S6K) phosphorylation and activation are not well understood. Here, we observed that UVA induces phosphorylation and activation of p70(S6K). Further, UVA-stimulated p70(S6K) activity and phosphorylation at Thr(389) were blocked by wortmannin, rapamycin, PD98059, SB202190, and dominant negative mutants of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase p85 subunit (DNM-Deltap85), ERK2 (DNM-ERK2), p38 kinase (DNM-p38), and JNK1 (DNM-JNK1) and were absent in Jnk1-/- or Jnk2-/- knockout cells. The p70(S6K) phosphorylation at Ser(411) and Thr(421)/Ser(424) was inhibited by rapamycin, PD98059, or DNM-ERK2 but not by wortmannin, SB202190, DNM-Deltap85, or DNM-p38. However, Ser(411), but not Thr(421)/Ser(424) phosphorylation, was suppressed in DNM-JNK1 and abrogated in Jnk1-/- or Jnk2-/- cells. In vitro assays indicated that Ser(411) on immunoprecipitated p70(S6K) proteins is phosphorylated by active JNKs and ERKs, but not p38 kinase, and Thr(421)/Ser(424) is phosphorylated by ERK1, but not ERK2, JNKs, or p38 kinase. Moreover, p70(S6K) co-immunoprecipitated with PI 3-kinase and possibly PDK1. The complex possibly possessed a partial basal level of phosphorylation, but not at MAPK sites, which was available for its activation by MAPKs in vitro. Thus, these results suggest that activation of MAPKs, like PI 3-kinase/mTOR, may be involved in UVA-induced phosphorylation and activation of p70(S6K).
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PMID:Signal transduction pathways involved in phosphorylation and activation of p70S6K following exposure to UVA irradiation. 1127 32

Anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATCs) are highly aggressive, extremely lethal human cancers with poor therapeutic response. Chemokines are a superfamily of small cytokine-like proteins that induce, through their interaction with G protein-coupled receptors, cytoskeletal rearrangement, firm adhesion to endothelial cells, and directional migration. In this study, we characterized the expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and analyzed its functions in ARO cells, a human ATC cell. The normal primary cultured thyroid cells and ATC cell lines expressed CXCR4 and stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1 alpha transcripts, detected by RT-PCR. Fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis of CXCR4 expression in normal and ATC cells showed that ARO cells expressed significant levels of CXCR4. FRO, NPA, and normal thyroid cells did not express membrane CXCR4, as determined by fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis. To identify the functional role of CXCR4 in ARO cells, we treated ARO cells with SDF-1 alpha and analyzed the signaling pathways, cellular migration, and proliferation. SDF-1alpha enhanced the migration but did not affect the proliferation of ARO cells or activate the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathways. However, SDF-1 alpha/CXCR4 activation resulted in phosphorylation of the p70S6 kinase and its target protein, ribosomal S6 protein, and also activation of the ERK1/ERK2 signaling pathways. Furthermore, SDF-1 alpha/CXCR4- mediated activation of the p70S6 kinase and phosphorylation of the S6 protein were inhibited by treatment with an mTOR/FRAP inhibitor. The specificity of the CXCR4-mediated migration of ARO cells was demonstrated by the dose-dependent inhibition of migration by neutralizing anti-CXCR4. The ATC cells, FRO and NPA, which do not express CXCR4, did not demonstrate significant SDF-1 alpha-mediated migration in vitro. In addition, the CXCR4-mediated migration of ARO cells was inhibited by treatment with pertussis toxin (a Gi-protein inhibitor) and PD 98059 (a mitogen-activated ERK kinase inhibitor) but not by LY294002 and wortmanin, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors. These findings suggest that a subset of ATC cells expresses functional CXCR4, which may be important in tumor cell migration and local tumor invasion.
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PMID:CXC chemokine receptor 4 expression and function in human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. 1251 84

mRNA abundance for a number of genes is increased by amino acid limitation. From an array screening study in HepG2 human hepatoma cells, it was established that one set of genes affected by amino acid availability is the set associated with cell-cycle control. The present study describes the increased expression of both mRNA and protein for the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p27 in response to deprivation of HepG2 cells for a single essential amino acid, histidine. The increase in p21 and p27 mRNA content depended on de novo protein synthesis and involved a post-transcriptional mRNA stabilization component. For p21, increase in mRNA by histidine depletion appeared to be independent of p53 transactivation, and the absolute level of p53 protein was unaffected by this treatment. Histidine limitation caused an increase in the phosphorylation of ERK1/ERK2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase), and inhibition of the ERK signal transduction pathway resulted in a reduction in the starvation-dependent increase in p21 mRNA. Blockade of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathways also blunted the increase in p21 mRNA content. These results document the amino acid-dependent control of the synthesis of specific cell-cycle regulators and help to explain the block at G1 phase after amino acid limitation.
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PMID:Induction of p21 and p27 expression by amino acid deprivation of HepG2 human hepatoma cells involves mRNA stabilization. 1471 82

Despite considerable knowledge on the regulation of insulin gene transcription, little is known about the post-transcriptional control mechanisms of this gene. We have recently reported glucose- and hypoxia-regulated binding of the polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) to the pyrimidine-rich sequence of the 3'-untranslated insulin mRNA (ins-PRS), an event which may control insulin mRNA stability. The present aim was to probe for the signaling pathways that control this binding activity. Rat islets were exposed to pharmacological inhibitors against several molecules, previously shown to be involved in glucose signaling. The inhibitors used were; LY 294002 (PI3 kinase), Rp-cAMP triatylamine (the cAMP-dependent protein kinase PKA), bisindolylmaleimide I hydrochloride (PKC), PD 098059 (ERK1/ERK2), SB 203580 (p38/SAPK2a), rapamycin (mTOR) and okadaic acid (PP1/2A). PTB-binding activity to the ins-PRS was then analyzed by elecrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The glucose-induced PTB-binding was only inhibited by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. Rapamycin also reduced glucose-induced insulin mRNA expression. Thus, our results suggest an involvement of mTOR in glucose-induced PTB/ins-PRS binding and insulin mRNA stability.
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PMID:Glucose-induced binding of the polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) to the 3'-untranslated region of the insulin mRNA (ins-PRS) is inhibited by rapamycin. 1522 89

Overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been reported in several human cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a polycyclic hydrocarbon carcinogen found in tobacco smoke and in the environment, induces cancer in multiple organ sites in animals and may be a causative agent for certain human cancers, such as esophageal cancer. In the present study, the effects of B[a]P on the induction of iNOS and the signaling pathways that lead to the induction were investigated in cultured rat esophageal epithelial (RE-149) cells. Treatment of RE-149 cells with B[a]P led to a marked increase in the expression of iNOS. The induction of iNOS by B[a]P was found to occur through an extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs)-dependent pathway, since inhibition of ERKs by either pretreatment of RE-149 cells with PD98059, an inhibitor of ERKs upstream kinase MEK1/2, or overexpression of DN-ERK2, blocked the induction of iNOS by B[a]P. Furthermore, impairing nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB) activation by either NEMO-BDBP, an NFkappaB specific inhibitor, or overexpression of DN-IkappaBalpha or IKK-KM markedly inhibited the expression of B[a]P-induced iNOS, suggesting that the NFkappaB pathway is also required for the induction of iNOS by B[a]P. In addition, treatment of RE-149 cells with either SB202190, a p38 kinase inhibitor, or c-JunN-terminal kinase inhibitor II, resulted in an increased induction of iNOS. Pretreatment of RE-149 cells with wortmannin, a PI-3K inhibitor, or with rapamycin, an mTOR/p70S6K pathway inhibitor, had no effect on the expression of iNOS. These results suggest that B[a]P initiates the signaling pathways leading to the induction of iNOS in cultured rat esophageal epithelial cells. In view of the potential role of iNOS in the development of esophageal SCC in humans, we speculate that the induction of iNOS by B[a]P may be one mechanism by which B[a]P could produce carcinogenic effects in the human esophagus.
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PMID:Differential requirement of signal pathways for benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in rat esophageal epithelial cells. 1571 51

The invasive differentiation pathway of trophoblasts is an indispensable physiological process of early human placental development. Formation of anchoring villi, proliferation of cell columns and invasion of extravillous cytotrophoblasts into maternal decidual stroma and vessels induce vascular changes ensuring an adequate blood supply to the growing fetus. Extravillous trophoblast differentiation is regulated by numerous growth factors as well as by extracellular matrix proteins and adhesion molecules expressed at the fetal-maternal interface. These regulatory molecules control cell invasion by modulating activities of matrix-degrading protease systems and ECM adhesion. The differentiation process involves numerous signalling cascades/proteins such as the GTPases RhoA, the protein kinases ROCK, ERK1, ERK2, FAK, PI3K, Akt/protein kinase B and mTOR as well as TGF-beta-dependent SMAD factors. While an increasing number of signalling pathways regulating trophoblast differentiation are being unravelled, downstream effectors such as executing transcription factors remain largely elusive. Here, we summarise our current knowledge on signal transduction cascades regulating invasive trophoblast differentiation. We will focus on cell model systems which are used to study the particular differentiation process and discuss signalling pathways which regulate trophoblast proliferation and motility.
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PMID:Signalling pathways regulating the invasive differentiation of human trophoblasts: a review. 1583 62

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutritional deprivation (ND) on signal transduction pathways influencing the translational apparatus in the diaphragm muscle. Male rats were divided into two groups: 1) 20% of usual food intake for 4 days (ND) with water provided at libitum and 2) free-eating control (Ctl). Total protein and RNA were extracted from the diaphragm. Insulin-like growth factor I mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR. Protein analyses of key cytoplasmic proteins for three signaling pathways deemed important in influencing protein turnover [phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase- Akt-mammalian target of rapamycin, P13K/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, and MAPK-ERK] were performed by Western blot. Body weight decreased 30% in ND and increased 17% in Ctl animals. Diaphragm mass decreased 29% in ND animals. Muscle insulin-like growth factor I mRNA abundance was reduced 63% in ND animals. ND resulted in a 55% reduction in phosphorylated (Ser473) Akt. Phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin at Ser2448 was reduced by 85% in ND animals. Downstream effectors important in translation initiation were also affected by ND. Phosphorylated (Thr389) 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase was significantly reduced (35%) by ND. ND also resulted in significant dephosphorylation of the translational repressor initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1. Phosphorylation of GSK-3alpha (Ser21) and GSK-3beta (Ser9) was increased 55 and 45%, respectively, with ND. Phosphorylation of ERK1 (Thr202) and ERK2 (Tyr204), p44 and p42, respectively, was reduced 64 and 55%, respectively, with ND. Total protein concentration for all signaling intermediates of the three pathways was preserved. We conclude that short-term ND altered the phosphorylation states of key proteins of several pathways involved in protein turnover. This forms the framework for future studies aimed at identifying therapeutic targets in the management of short-term nutritionally induced cachectic states.
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PMID:Effect of severe short-term malnutrition on diaphragm muscle signal transduction pathways influencing protein turnover. 1648 60

An early signaling event activated by amino acids and growth factors in many cell types is the phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR; FRAP), which is functionally linked to ribosomal protein s6 kinase (p70(s6k)), a kinase that plays a critical regulatory role in the translation of mRNAs and protein synthesis. We previously showed that intestinal cell migration, the initial event in epithelial restitution, is enhanced by l-arginine (ARG). In this study, we used amino acids as prototypic activators of mTOR and ARG, IGF-1, or serum as recognized stimulators of intestinal cell migration. We found that 1) protein synthesis is required for intestinal cell migration, 2) mTOR/p70(s6k) pathway inhibitors (rapamycin, wortmannin, and intracellular Ca(2+) chelation) inhibit cell migration, 3) ARG activates migration and mTOR/p70(s6k) (but not ERK-2) in migrating enterocytes, and 4) immunocytochemistry reveals abundant p70(s6k) staining in cytoplasm, whereas phospho-p70(s6k) is virtually all intranuclear in resting cells but redistributes to the periphery on activation by ARG. We conclude that mTOR/p70(s6k) signaling is essential to intestinal cell migration, is activated by ARG, involves both nuclear and cytoplasmic events, and may play a role in intestinal repair.
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PMID:Role of mTOR signaling in intestinal cell migration. 1671 51


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