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)

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) regulate cell growth, protein synthesis, and apoptosis in response to nutrients and mitogens. As an important source of nitric oxide during inflammation, human inducible nitric oxide synthase also plays a role in the regulation of cytokine-driven cell proliferation and apoptosis. The role of mTOR and PI3K in the activation of human inducible nitric oxide synthase transcription by cytokines and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was investigated in lung epithelial adenocarcinoma (A549) cells. LY294002, a dual mTOR and PI3K inhibitor, blocked human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) promoter activation and mRNA induction by cytokines and LPS in a PI3K-independent fashion. On gene expression analysis, LY294002 selectively blocked the induction of a subset of 14 LPS/interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-induced genes, previously characterized as signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT1)-dependent. LY294002, but not wortmannin, inhibited LPS/IFN-gamma-dependent STAT1 phosphorylation at Ser-727 and STAT1 activity. Consistent with dual inhibition of mTOR and PI3K by LY294002, dominant-negative mTOR, anti-mTOR small interfering RNA, or rapamycin each inhibited phosphorylation of STAT1 only in the presence of wortmannin. LPS/IFN-gamma led to the formation of a macromolecular complex containing mTOR, STAT1, as well as protein kinase C delta, a known STAT1alpha kinase. Thus, LPS and IFN-gamma activate the PI3K and mTOR pathways, which converge to regulate STAT1-dependent transcription of pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory genes in a rapamycin-insensitive manner.
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PMID:Stimulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT1)-dependent gene transcription by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma is regulated by mammalian target of rapamycin. 1280 16

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 present study has aimed to verify the influence of calcineurin and mTOR pathways in skeletal muscle longitudinal growth induced by stretching. Male Wistar rats were treated with cyclosporin-A or rapamycin for 10 days. To promote muscle stretching, casts were positioned so as completely to dorsiflex the plantar-flexor muscles at the ankle in one hind limb during the last 4 days of treatment with either cyclosporin-A or rapamycin. Thereafter, we determined soleus length, weight, protein content, and phenotype. In addition, NFATc1, Raptor, S6K1, 4E-BP1, iNOS, and nNOS gene expression in the soleus were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Soleus length, weight, and protein content were significantly reduced by rapamycin treatment in animals submitted to stretching (P<0.05). In contrast, cyclosporin-A treatment did not alter these parameters. In all cyclosporin-A treated groups, there was a significant reduction in NFATc1 expression (P<0.001). Similarly, a significant reduction was noted in Raptor (P<0.001) and S6K1 (P<0.01) expression in all rapamycin-treated groups. No alteration was observed in 4E-BP1 gene expression among rapamycin-treated groups. Stretching increased gene expression of both NOS isoforms in skeletal muscle. Rapamycin treatment did not interfere with NOS gene expression (P<0.05). Cyclosporin-A treatment did not impair muscle growth induced by stretching but instead caused a marked slow-to-fast fiber shift in the soleus; this was attenuated by stretching. The data presented herein indicate that mTOR pathway is involved in skeletal muscle longitudinal growth.
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PMID:mTOR pathway inhibition attenuates skeletal muscle growth induced by stretching. 1640 96

Cigarette smoke is a powerful inducer of inflammatory responses resulting in disruption of major cellular pathways with transcriptional and genomic alterations driving the cells towards carcinogenesis. Cell culture and animal model studies indicate that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol present in green tea, possesses potent anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity capable of selectively inhibiting cell growth and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells without adversely affecting normal cells. Here, we demonstrate that EGCG pretreatment (20-80 microM) of normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) resulted in significant inhibition of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC)-induced cell proliferation. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) controls the transcription of genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses. In most cells, NF-kappaB prevents apoptosis by mediating cell survival signals. Pretreatment of NHBE cells with EGCG suppressed CSC-induced phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, and activation and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB/p65. NHBE cells transfected with a luciferase reporter plasmid containing an NF-kappaB-inducible promoter sequence showed an increased reporter activity after CSC exposure that was specifically inhibited by EGCG pretreatment. Immunoblot analysis showed that pretreatment of NHBE cells with EGCG resulted in a significant downregulation of NF-kappaB-regulated proteins cyclin D1, MMP-9, IL-8 and iNOS. EGCG pretreatment further inhibited CSC-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK and p38 MAPKs and resulted in a decreased expression of PI3K, AKT and mTOR signaling molecules. Taken together, our data indicate that EGCG can suppress NF-kappaB activation as well as other pro-survival pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPKs in NHBE cells, which may contribute to its ability to suppress inflammation, proliferation and angiogenesis induced by cigarette smoke.
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PMID:Green tea polyphenol EGCG suppresses cigarette smoke condensate-induced NF-kappaB activation in normal human bronchial epithelial cells. 1686 72

To develop novel mechanism-based preventive approaches for lung cancer, we examined the effect of oral consumption of a human achievable dose of pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) on growth, progression, angiogenesis, and signaling pathways in two mouse lung tumor protocols. Benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] and N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU) were used to induce lung tumors, and PFE was given in drinking water to A/J mice. Lung tumor yield was examined on the 84th day and 140 days after B(a)P dosing and 240 days after NTCU treatment. Mice treated with PFE and exposed to B(a)P and NTCU had statistically significant lower lung tumor multiplicities than mice treated with carcinogens only. Tumor reduction was 53.9% and 61.6% in the B(a)P + PFE group at 84 and 140 days, respectively, compared with the B(a)P group. The NTCU + PFE group had 65.9% tumor reduction compared with the NTCU group at 240 days. Immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to determine effect on cell survival pathways and markers of cellular proliferation and angiogenesis. PFE treatment caused inhibition of (a) activation of nuclear factor-kappaB and IkappaBalpha kinase, (b) degradation and phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha, (c) phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase 1/2, and p38), (d) phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p85 and p110), (e) phosphorylation of Akt at Thr(308), (f) activation of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling, (g) phosphorylation of c-met, and (h) markers of cell proliferation (Ki-67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and angiogenesis (inducible nitric oxide synthase, CD31, and vascular endothelial growth factor) in lungs of B(a)P- and NTCU-treated mice. Thus, our data show that PFE significantly inhibits lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice and merits investigation as a chemopreventive agent for human lung cancer.
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PMID:Oral consumption of pomegranate fruit extract inhibits growth and progression of primary lung tumors in mice. 1738 58

Curcumin possesses anti-inflammatory activity and is a potent inhibitor of reactive-oxygen-generating enzymes such as lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase, xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS); it is an effective inducer of heme oxygenase-1. Curcumin is also a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), EGF-receptor tyrosine kinase, and IkappaB kinase. Subsequently, curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-KB and the expressions of oncogenes including c-jun, c-fos, c-myc, NIK, MAPKs, ERK, ELK, PI3K, Akt, CDKs, and iNOS. It is considered that PKC, mTOR, and EGFR tyrosine kinase are the major upstream molecular targest for curcumin intervention, whereas the nuclear oncogenes such as c-jun, c-fos, c-myc, CDKs, FAS, and iNOS might act as downstream molecular targets for curcumin actions. It is proposed that curcumin might suppress tumor promotion through blocking signal transduction pathways in the target cells. The oxidant tumor promoter TPA activates PKC by reacting with zinc thiolates present within the regulatory domain, whereas the oxidized form of cancer chemopreventive agent such as curcumin can inactivate PKC by oxidizing the vicinal thiols present within the catalytic domain. Recent studies indicated that proteasome-mediated degradation of cell proteins play a pivotal role in the regulation of several basic cellular processes, including differentiation, proliferation, cell cycling, and apoptosis. It has been demonstrated that curcumin-induced apoptosis is mediated through the impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
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PMID:Molecular targets of curcumin. 1756 14

We investigated the effect of rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of the mammalian serine/threonine kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Pretreatment of cells with rapamycin significantly inhibited LPS-induced nitrite production and the expression of iNOS protein in a dose-dependent manner. However, LPS-induced mRNA expression of iNOS and its concomitant activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB remained unchanged by rapamycin. Intriguingly, LPS-induced nitrite production and iNOS protein expression were partially blocked at nanomolar concentrations of rapamycin, whereas phosphorylation of both p70 S6 kinase and 4E-BP1 was completely abolished. The suppression of LPS-induced iNOS expression by rapamycin was reversed by the protease inhibitor lactacystin. Furthermore, rapamycin treatment stimulated 20S proteasome activity, which was slightly elevated by LPS. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that rapamycin down-regulates LPS-induced iNOS protein expression via proteasomal activation, as well as through inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway.
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PMID:Rapamycin down-regulates inducible nitric oxide synthase by inducing proteasomal degradation. 1948 3

Many new polyisoprenylated benzophenones with a bicyclo[3.3.1]-nonane-2,4,9-trione core structure have been isolated from plants in the Clusiaceae family, and their potent biological properties have been the subject of several studies. This review summarizes the biological activities reported for these secondary metabolites including cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Our efforts during the past years have foremost been directed towards isolating new polyisoprenylated benzophenones, as well as understanding the possible target and mechanism of action through which these compounds arrest cancer cells and inhibit the progression of the cell-cycle. The transcription of genes is affected in cancer cells treated with polyisoprenylated benzophenones; the oncogene c-Myb is down-regulated and endoplasmatic stress genes XBP1, ATF4, and DDIT3/CHOP are turned on. Consequently, the expression of iNOS and cell cycle regulators such as cyclin D and E are reduced. Evidence presented by independent investigators suggests that polyisoprenylated benzophenones affect the mediators in the Akt/mTOR stress pathway, although the specific target remains to be discovered. In addition, benzophenones isolated from plants display high antioxidant capacity and protect cells from oxidative stress and the formation of ROS involved during the inflammatory process. Since antiviral activity was initially reported for guttiferone A, potent synthetic analogues have been developed as effective new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) to treat drug resistant HIV-1. In addition, benzophenones exert antimicrobial effects particularly against MRSA. The structure-activity relationships of polyisoprenylated benzophenones from natural sources and those of synthetic analogues are included in this review. Absorption, metabolism, and elimination of benzophenones are also discussed.
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PMID:Polyisoprenylated benzophenones from Clusiaceae: potential drugs and lead compounds. 1990 62

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by activated macrophages. Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive nitrogen radical implicated in inflammatory responses. We investigated the signaling pathway involved in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and NO production stimulated by TNF-alpha in cultured myoblasts. TNF-alpha stimulation caused iNOS expression and NO production in myoblasts (G7 cells). TNF-alpha-mediated iNOS expression was attenuated by integrin-linked kinase (ILK) inhibitor (KP392) and siRNA. Pretreatment with Akt inhibitor, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor (rapamycin), NF-kappaB inhibitor (PDTC), and IkappaB protease inhibitor (TPCK) also inhibited the potentiating action of TNF-alpha. Stimulation of cells with TNF-alpha increased ILK kinase activity. TNF-alpha also increased the Akt and mTOR phosphorylation. TNF-alpha mediated an increase of NF-kappaB-specific DNA-protein complex formation, p65 translocation into nucleus, NF-kappaB-luciferase activity was inhibited by KP392, Akt inhibitor, and rapamycin. Our results suggest that TNF-alpha increased iNOS expression and NO production in myoblasts via the ILK/Akt/mTOR and NF-kappaB signaling pathway.
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PMID:Integrin-linked kinase is involved in TNF-alpha-induced inducible nitric-oxide synthase expression in myoblasts. 2013 42

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a bioactive component of green tea, has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory effects on immune cells. EGCG is also shown to activate the metabolic regulator, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Reports have also indicated that EGCG inhibits the immune-stimulated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway has been implicated in mesangial cell activation in lupus. Mesangial cells from MRL/lpr lupus-like mice are hyper-responsive to immune stimulation and overproduce nitric oxide (NO) and other inflammatory mediators when stimulated. In our current studies, we sought to determine the mechanism by which EGCG attenuates immune-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. Cultured mesangial cells from MRL/lpr mice were pre-treated with various concentrations of EGCG and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/interferon (IFN)-gamma. EGCG activated AMPK and blocked LPS/IFN-gamma-induced inflammatory mediator production (iNOS expression, supernatant NO and interleukin-6). Interestingly, EGCG attenuated inflammation during AMPK inhibition indicating that the anti-inflammatory effect of EGCG may be partially independent of AMPK activation. Furthermore, we found that EGCG effectively inhibited the immune-stimulated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway independently of AMPK, by decreasing phosphorylation of Akt, suggesting an alternate mechanism for EGCG-mediated anti-inflammatory action in mesangial cells. Taken together, these studies show that EGCG attenuated inflammation in MRL/lpr mouse mesangial cells via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Our findings suggest a potential therapeutic role for the use of EGCG to regulate inflammation and control autoimmune disease.
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PMID:Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) attenuates inflammation in MRL/lpr mouse mesangial cells. 2014 7


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