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

Overexpression of the growth factor receptor subunit c-erbB2, leading to its ligand-independent homodimerization and activation, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of mammary carcinoma. Here, we have examined the effects of c-erbB2 on the adhesive properties of a mammary epithelial cell line, HB2/tnz34, in which c-erbB2 homodimerization can be induced by means of a transfected hybrid "trk-neu" construct. trk-neu consists of the extracellular domain of the trkA nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of c-erbB2, allowing NGF-induced c-erbB2 homodimer signaling. Both spreading and adhesion on collagen surfaces were impaired on c-erbB2 activation in HB2/tnz34 cells. Antibody-mediated stimulation of alpha(2)beta(1) integrin function restored adhesion, suggesting a direct role for c-erbB2 in integrin inactivation. Using pharmacological inhibitors and transient transfections, we identified signaling pathways required for suppression of integrin function by c-erbB2. Among these was the MEK-ERK pathway, previously implicated in integrin inactivation. However, we could also show that downstream of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (PKB) acted as a previously unknown, potent inhibitor of integrin function and mediator of the disruptive effects of c-erbB2 on adhesion and morphogenesis. The integrin-linked kinase, previously identified as a PKB coactivator, was also found to be required for integrin inactivation by c-erbB2. In addition, the PI3K-dependent mTOR/S6 kinase pathway was shown to mediate c-erbB2-induced inhibition of adhesion (but not spreading) independently of PKB. Overexpression of MEK1 or PKB suppressed adhesion without requirement for c-erbB2 activation, suggesting that these two pathways partake in integrin inhibition by targeting common downstream effectors. These results demonstrate a major novel role for PI3K and PKB in regulation of integrin function.
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PMID:c-erbB2-induced disruption of matrix adhesion and morphogenesis reveals a novel role for protein kinase B as a negative regulator of alpha(2)beta(1) integrin function. 1218 54

We show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) stimulates the expression of VEGF by stimulating HIF-1alpha protein expression in a PKB/Akt- and mTOR/FRAP-dependent manner. In human prostate cancer cells, knockdown of ILK expression with siRNA, or inhibition of ILK activity, results in significant inhibition of HIF-1alpha and VEGF expression. In endothelial cells, VEGF stimulates ILK activity, and inhibition of ILK expression or activity results in the inhibition of VEGF-mediated endothelial cell migration, capillary formation in vitro, and angiogenesis in vivo. Inhibition of ILK activity also inhibits prostate tumor angiogenesis and suppresses tumor growth. These data demonstrate an important and essential role of ILK in two key aspects of tumor angiogenesis: VEGF expression by tumor cells and VEGF-stimulated blood vessel formation.
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PMID:Regulation of tumor angiogenesis by integrin-linked kinase (ILK). 1474 28

Activation of members of the protein kinase AGC (cAMP dependent, cGMP dependent, and protein kinase C) family is regulated primarily by phosphorylation at two sites: a conserved threonine residue in the activation loop and a serine/threonine residue in a hydrophobic motif (HM) near the COOH terminus. Although phosphorylation of these kinases in the activation loop has been found to be mediated by phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1), the kinase(s) that catalyzes AGC kinase phosphorylation in the HM remains uncharacterized. So far, at least 10 kinases have been suggested to function as an HM kinase or the so-called "PDK2," including mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase-activated protein kinase-2 (MK2), integrin-linked kinase (ILK), p38 MAP kinase, protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha), PKCbeta, the NIMA-related kinase-6 (NEK6), the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), the double-stranded DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNK-PK), and the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene product. However, whether any or all of these kinases act as a physiological HM kinase remains to be established. Nonetheless, available data suggest that multiple systems may be used in cells to regulate the activation of the AGC family kinases. It is possible that, unlike activation loop phosphorylation, phosphorylation of the HM site in the different AGC family kinases is mediated by distinct kinases. In addition, phosphorylation of the AGC family kinase at the HM site could be cell type, signaling pathway, and substrate specific. Identification and characterization of the bonafide HM kinase(s) will be essential to verify these hypotheses.
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PMID:PDK2: the missing piece in the receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathway puzzle. 1601 56

The insulin-signaling pathway leading to the activation of Akt/protein kinase B has been well characterized except for a single step, the phosphorylation of Akt at Ser-473. Double-stranded DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene product, integrin-linked kinase (ILK), protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), when complexed to rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR (RICTOR), have all been identified as playing a critical role in Akt Ser-473 phosphorylation. However, the apparently disparate results reported in these studies are difficult to evaluate, given that different stimuli and cell types were examined and that all of the candidate proteins have never been systematically studied in a single system. Additionally, none of these studies were performed in a classical insulin-responsive cell type or tissue such as muscle or fat. We therefore examined each of these candidates in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In vitro kinase assays, using different subcellular fractions of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, revealed that phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-stimulated Ser-473 phosphorylation correlated well with the amount of DNA-PK, mTOR, and RICTOR but did not correlate with levels of ATM, ILK, and PKCalpha. PKCalpha was completely absent from compartments with Ser-473 phosphorylation activity. Although purified DNA-PK could phosphorylate a peptide derived from Akt that contains amino acid Ser-473, it could not phosphorylate full-length Akt2. Vesicles immunoprecipitated from low density microsomes using antibodies directed against mTOR or RICTOR had phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-stimulated Ser-473 activity that was sensitive to wortmannin but not staurosporine. In contrast, immunopurified low density microsome vesicles containing ILK could not phosphorylate Akt on Ser-473 in vitro. Small interference RNA knockdown of RICTOR, but not DNA-PK, ATM, or ILK, suppressed insulin-activated Ser-473 phosphorylation and, to a lesser extent, Thr-308 phosphorylation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Based on our cell-free kinase and small interference RNA results, we conclude that mTOR complexed to RICTOR is the Ser-473 kinase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
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PMID:mTOR.RICTOR is the Ser473 kinase for Akt/protein kinase B in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 1622 82

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway is an important regulator of a wide spectrum of tumor-related biological processes, including cell proliferation, survival, and motility, as well as neovascularization. Protein kinase B/Akt is activated in a complex manner through the phosphorylation of protein kinase B/Akt on Thr308 and Ser473. Although protein-dependent kinase-1 has been shown to phosphorylate Akt at Thr308, it is not clear whether there is a distinct kinase that exclusively phosphorylates Akt at Ser473. A possible candidate is integrin-linked kinase (ILK), which has been shown to phosphorylate Akt at Ser473 in vitro. ILK is a multidomain focal adhesion protein that is believed to be involved in signal transmission from integrin and growth factor receptors. Further, ILK is implicated in the regulation of anchorage-dependent cell growth/survival, cell cycle progression, invasion and migration, and tumor angiogenesis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that ILK inhibition would inhibit these processes in gliomas in which it is constitutively expressed. We found that a newly developed small-molecule compound (QLT0267) effectively inhibited signaling through the ILK/Akt cascade in glioma cells by blocking the phosphorylation of Akt and downstream targets, including mammalian target of rapamycin and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta. Treatment of glioma cells with 12.5 micromol/L QLT0267 inhibited cell growth by 50% at 48 hours. An anchorage-dependent cell growth assay confirmed the cell growth-inhibitory effect of QLT0267. Further, the decrease in cell growth was associated with a dramatic accumulation of cells in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle. Although the cell growth-inhibitory effects of the ILK inhibitor were achieved only at a high concentration, the QLT0267 was able to reduce cellular invasion and angiogenesis at much lower concentrations as shown by in vitro invasion assays and vascular endothelial growth factor secretion. Thus, blocking the ILK/Akt pathway is a potential strategy for molecular targeted therapy for gliomas.
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PMID:Targeting integrin-linked kinase inhibits Akt signaling pathways and decreases tumor progression of human glioblastoma. 1627 89

The emerging paradigm of "oncogene addiction" has been called an Achilles' heel of cancer that can be exploited therapeutically. Here, we show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK), which is either activated or overexpressed in many types of cancers, is a critical regulator of breast cancer cell survival through the protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt pathway but is largely dispensable for the survival of normal breast epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells. We show that inhibition of ILK activity with a pharmacologic ILK inhibitor, QLT-0267, results in the inhibition of PKB/Akt Ser473 phosphorylation, stimulation of apoptosis, and a decrease in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression in human breast cancer cells. In contrast, QLT-0267 treatment has no effect on PKB/Akt Ser473 phosphorylation or apoptosis in normal human breast epithelial, mouse fibroblast, or vascular smooth muscle cells. The inhibition of PKB/Akt Ser473 phosphorylation by QLT-0267 in breast cancer cells was rescued by a kinase-active ILK mutant but not by a kinase-dead ILK mutant. Furthermore, a dominant-negative ILK mutant increased apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line but not in normal human breast epithelial cells. The inhibitor was active against ILK isolated from all cell types but did not have any effect on cell attachment and spreading. Our data point to an "ILK addiction" of breast cancer cells whereby they become dependent on ILK for cell survival through the mTOR-PKB/Akt signaling pathway and show that ILK is a promising target for the treatment of breast cancer.
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PMID:Preferential dependence of breast cancer cells versus normal cells on integrin-linked kinase for protein kinase B/Akt activation and cell survival. 1639 54

Study of molecular actions of thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRbeta) mutants in vivo has been facilitated by creation of a mouse model (TRbetaPV mouse) that harbors a knockin mutant of TRbeta (denoted PV). PV, which was identified in a patient with resistance to thyroid hormone, has lost T3 binding activity and transcription capacity. The striking phenotype of thyroid cancer exhibited by TRbeta(PV/PV) mice has allowed the elucidation of novel oncogenic activity of a TRbeta mutant (PV) [PAS1] beyond nucleus-initiated transcription. PV was found to physically interact with the regulatory p85alpha subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in both the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. This protein-protein interaction activates the PI3K signaling by increasing phosphorylation of AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p70(S6K). PV, via interaction with p85alpha, also activates the PI3K-integrin-linked kinase-matrix metalloproteinase-2 signaling pathway in the extra-nuclear compartment. The PV-mediated PI3K activation results in increased cell proliferation, motility, migration, and metastasis. In addition to affecting these membrane-initiated signaling events, PV affects the stability of the pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG) product. PTTG (also known as securin), a critical mitotic checkpoint protein, is physically associated with TRbeta or PV in vivo. Concomitant with T3-induced degradation of TRbeta, PTTG is degraded by the proteasome machinery, but no such degradation occurs when PTTG is associated with PV. The degradation of PTTG/TRbeta is activated by the direct interaction of the T3-bound TRbeta with the steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) that recruits a proteasome activator (PA28gamma). PV that does not bind T3 cannot interact directly with SRC-3/PA28gamma to activate proteasome degradation, and the absence of degradation results in an aberrant accumulation of PTTG. The PV-induced failure of timely degradation of PTTG results in mitotic abnormalities. PV, via novel protein-protein interaction and transcription regulation, acts to antagonize the functions of wild-type TRs and contributes to the oncogenic functions of this mutation.
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PMID:Novel functions of thyroid hormone receptor mutants: beyond nucleus-initiated transcription. 1716 89

Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1 facilitates FSH-induced differentiation of rat ovarian granulosa cells. The signaling crosstalk between follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and TGFbeta receptors remains unclear. This study was to investigate the interplay of cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) signaling including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)C1 dependence in FSH- and TGFbeta1-stimulated steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells. To achieve this aim, inhibitors of PKA (PKAI), PI3K (wortmannin), and mTORC1 (rapamycin) were employed. PKAI and wortmannin suppressions of the FSH-increased progesterone production were partly attributed to decreased level of 3beta-HSD, and their suppression of the FSH plus TGFbeta1 effect was attributed to the reduction of all the three key players, steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, P450scc, and 3beta-HSD. Further, FSH activated the PI3K pathway including increased integrin-linked kinase (ILK) activity and phosphorylation of Akt(S473), mTOR(S2481), S6K(T389), and transcription factors particularly FoxO1(S256) and FoxO3a(S253), which were reduced by wortmannin treatment but not by PKAI. Interestingly, PKAI suppression of FSH-induced phosphorylation of cAMP regulatory element-binding protein (CREB(S133)) disappeared in the presence of wortmannin, suggesting that wortmannin may affect intracellular compartmentalization of signaling molecule(s). In addition, TGFbeta1 had no effect on FSH-activated CREB and PI3K signaling mediators. We further found that rapamycin reduced the TGFbeta1-enhancing effect of FSH-stimulated steroidogenesis, yet it exhibited no effect on FSH action. Surprisingly, rapamycin displayed a suppressive effect at concentrations that had no effect on mTORC1 activity. Together, this study demonstrates a delicate interplay between cAMP/PKA and PI3K signaling in FSH and TGFbeta1 regulation of steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time that TGFbeta1 acts in a rapamycin-hypersensitive and mTORC1-independent manner in augmenting FSH-stimulated steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells.
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PMID:Interplay of PI3K and cAMP/PKA signaling, and rapamycin-hypersensitivity in TGFbeta1 enhancement of FSH-stimulated steroidogenesis in rat ovarian granulosa cells. 1728 41

An unbiased proteomic screen to identify integrin-linked kinase (ILK) interactors revealed rictor as an ILK-binding protein. This finding was interesting because rictor, originally identified as a regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics, is also a component of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), a complex implicated in Akt phosphorylation. These functions overlap with known ILK functions. Coimmunoprecipitation analyses confirmed this interaction, and ILK and rictor colocalized in membrane ruffles and leading edges of cancer cells. Yeast two-hybrid assays showed a direct interaction between the NH(2)- and COOH-terminal domains of rictor and the ILK kinase domain. Depletion of ILK and rictor in breast and prostate cancer cell lines resulted in inhibition of Akt Ser(473) phosphorylation and induction of apoptosis, whereas, in several cell lines, depletion of mTOR increased Akt phosphorylation. Akt and Ser(473)P-Akt were detected in ILK immunoprecipitates and small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of rictor, but not mTOR, inhibited the amount of Ser(473)P-Akt in the ILK complex. Expression of the NH(2)-terminal (1-398 amino acids) rictor domain also resulted in the inhibition of ILK-associated Akt Ser(473) phosphorylation. These data show that rictor regulates the ability of ILK to promote Akt phosphorylation and cancer cell survival.
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PMID:Rictor and integrin-linked kinase interact and regulate Akt phosphorylation and cancer cell survival. 1833 39

Thyroid hormone (T3) is critical in growth, development, differentiation, and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. Recent studies suggest that thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) not only mediate the biological activities of T3 via nucleus-initiated transcription, but also could act via nongenomic pathways. The striking phenotype of thyroid cancer exhibited by a knockin mutant mouse that harbors a dominant negative TRbeta mutant (TRbeta(PV/PV) mouse) allows the elucidation of novel oncogenic activity of a TRbeta mutant (PV) via extra-nuclear actions. PV physically interacts with the regulatory p85alpha subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) to activate the downstream AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p70(S6K) and PI3K-integrin-linked kinase-matrix metalloproteinase-2 signaling pathways. The PV-mediated PI3K activation results in increased cell proliferation, motility, migration, and metastasis. Remarkably, a nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) was found to regulate the PV-activated PI3K signaling by competing with PV for binding to the C-terminal SH2 domain of p85alpha. Over-expression of NCoR in thyroid tumor cells of TRbeta(PV/PV) mice reduces AKT-mTOR-p70(S6K) signaling. Conversely, lowering cellular NCoR by siRNA knockdown in tumor cells leads to over-activated PI3K-AKT signaling to increase cell proliferation and motility. Furthermore, NCoR protein levels are significantly lower in thyroid tumor cells than in wild type thyrocytes, allowing more effective binding of PV to p85alpha to activate PI3K signaling, thereby contributing to tumor progression. Thus, PV, an apo-TRbeta, could act via direct protein-protein interaction to mediate critical oncogenic actions. These studies also uncovered a novel extra-nuclear role of NCoR in modulating the nongenomic actions of a mutated TRbeta in controlling thyroid carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Nongenomic activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling by thyroid hormone receptors. 1901 61


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