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)

Lkb1 is a central regulator of cell polarity and energy metabolism through its capacity to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-related family of protein kinases. Germ line-inactivating mutation of Lkb1 leads to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, which is characterized by benign hamartomas and a susceptibility to malignant epithelial tumors. Mutations in Lkb1 are also found in sporadic carcinomas, most frequently in lung cancers associated with tobacco carcinogen exposure. The basis for Lkb1-dependent tumor suppression is not defined. Here, we uncover a marked sensitivity of Lkb1 mutant mice to the chemical carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Lkb1(+/-) mice are highly prone to DMBA-induced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin and lung. Confirming a cell autonomous tumor suppressor role of Lkb1, mice with epidermal-specific Lkb1 deletion are also susceptible to DMBA-induced SCC and develop spontaneous SCC with long latency. Restoration of wild-type Lkb1 causes senescence in tumor-derived cell lines, a process that can be partially bypassed by inactivation of the Rb pathway, but not by inactivation of p53 or AMPK. Our data indicate that Lkb1 is a potent suppressor of carcinogen-induced skin and lung cancers and that downstream targets beyond the AMPK-mTOR pathway are likely mediators of Lkb1-dependent tumor suppression.
 ...
PMID:LKB1 deficiency sensitizes mice to carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis. 1817 96

Regulation of protein translation through Akt and the downstream mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is an important component of the cellular response to hypertrophic stimuli. It has been proposed that 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation during muscle contraction may limit the hypertrophic response to resistance-type exercise by inhibiting translational signaling. However, experimental manipulation of AMPK activity during such a stimulus has not been attempted. Therefore, we investigated whether AMPK activation can attenuate the downstream signaling response of the Akt/mTOR pathway to electrically stimulated lengthening muscle contractions. Extensor digitorum longus muscles (n = 8/group) were subjected to a 22-min bout of lengthening contractions by high-frequency sciatic nerve electrical stimulation (STIM) in young adult (8 mo) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway male rats. Forty minutes before electrical stimulation, rats were subcutaneously injected with saline or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR; 1 mg/g body wt), an AMPK activator. Stimulated and contralateral resting muscles were removed at 0, 20, and 40 min post-STIM, and AMPK, acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), Akt, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1), and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) phosphorylations were assessed by Western blot. AICAR treatment increased (P < or = 0.05) post-STIM AMPK (Thr172) and ACC phosphorylation (Ser79/221), inhibited post-STIM S6K1 (Thr389) and 4E-BP1 (gel shift) phosphorylation, and elevated post-STIM eEF2 phosphorylation (Thr56). These findings suggest that translational signaling downstream of Akt/mTOR can be inhibited after lengthening contractions when preceded by AMPK activation and that energetic stress may be antagonistic to the hypertrophic translational signaling response to loaded muscle contractions.
 ...
PMID:AMPK activation attenuates S6K1, 4E-BP1, and eEF2 signaling responses to high-frequency electrically stimulated skeletal muscle contractions. 1818 10

Loss of function of the tumor suppressor LKB1 occurs in 30% to 50% of lung adenocarcinomas. Because LKB1 activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which can negatively regulate mTOR, AMPK activation might be desirable for cancer therapy. However, no known compounds activate AMPK independently of LKB1 in vivo, and the usefulness of activating AMPK in LKB1-mutant cancers is unknown. Here, we show that lipid-based Akt inhibitors, phosphatidylinositol ether lipid analogues (PIA), activate AMPK independently of LKB1. PIAs activated AMPK in LKB1-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines with similar concentration dependence as that required to inhibit Akt. However, AMPK activation was independent of Akt inhibition. AMPK activation was a major mechanism of mTOR inhibition. To assess whether another kinase capable of activating AMPK, CaMKK beta, contributed to PIA-induced AMPK activation, we used an inhibitor of CaMKK, STO-609. STO-609 inhibited PIA-induced AMPK activation in LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells, and delayed AMPK activation in wild-type LKB1 NSCLC cells. In addition, AMPK activation was not observed in NSCLC cells with mutant CaMKK beta, suggesting that CaMKK beta contributes to PIA-induced AMPK activation in cells. AMPK activation promoted PIA-induced cytotoxicity because PIAs were less cytotoxic in AMPKalpha-/- murine embryonic fibroblasts or LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells transfected with mutant AMPK. This mechanism was also relevant in vivo. Treatment of LKB1-mutant NSCLC xenografts with PIA decreased tumor volume by approximately 50% and activated AMPK. These studies show that PIAs recapitulate the activity of two tumor suppressors (PTEN and LKB1) that converge on mTOR. Moreover, they suggest that PIAs might have utility in the treatment of LKB1-mutant lung adenocarcinomas.
 ...
PMID:Phosphatidylinositol ether lipid analogues induce AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent death in LKB1-mutant non small cell lung cancer cells. 1819 55

The activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is hypothesized to underlie the fact that muscle growth following resistance exercise is decreased by concurrent endurance exercise. To directly test this hypothesis, the capacity for muscle growth was determined in mice lacking the primary upstream kinase for AMPK in skeletal muscle, LKB1. Following either 1 or 4 weeks of overload, there was no difference in muscle growth between the wild type (wt) and LKB1(-/-) mice (1 week: wt, 38.8 +/- 7.75%; LKB1(-/-), 27.8 +/- 12.98%; 4 week: wt, 75.8 +/- 15.2%; LKB1(-/-), 85.0 +/- 22.6%). In spite of the fact that the LKB1 had been knocked out in skeletal muscle, the phosphorylation and activity of the alpha1 isoform of AMPK were markedly increased in both the wt and the LKB1(-/-) mice. To identify the upstream kinase(s) responsible, we studied potential upstream kinases other than LKB1. The activity of both Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase alpha (CaMKKalpha) (5.05 +/- 0.86-fold) and CaMKKbeta (10.1 +/- 2.59-fold) increased in the overloaded muscles, and this correlated with their increased expression. Phosphorylation of TAK-1 also increased 10-fold following overload in both the wt and LKB1 mice. Even though the alpha1 isoform of AMPK was activated by overload, there were no increases in expression of mitochondrial proteins or GLUT4, indicating that the alpha1 isoform is not involved in these metabolic adaptations. The phosphorylation of TSC2, an upstream regulator of the TORC1 pathway, at the AMPK site (Ser1345) was increased in response to overload, and this was not affected by LKB1 deficiency. Taken together, these data suggest that the alpha1 isoform of AMPK is preferentially activated in skeletal muscle following overload in the absence of metabolic adaptations, suggesting that this isoform might be important in the regulation of growth but not metabolism.
 ...
PMID:Normal hypertrophy accompanied by phosphoryation and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha1 following overload in LKB1 knockout mice. 1820 1

2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG), which has been shown to inhibit mammary carcinogenesis, was used as a metabolic probe to investigate effects of limiting energy availability (reduced cellular ATP) on patterns of proteins' phosphorylation that play a role in the development of cancer. Experiments were conducted using a human breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-468, and 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea-induced rat model for mammary carcinogenesis. Under in vitro conditions in which cellular ATP concentration decreased rapidly with increasing 2-DG in a dose and time dependent manner, levels of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (P-mTOR) decreased in parallel to decreases in ATP concentration. Concomitantly, phosphorylation of two upstream regulators of mTOR, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt/protein kinase B were increased and decreased, respectively, with increased levels of phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase as an indicator of AMPK activation. Levels of insulin like growth factor 1-receptor and phosphoinositide-3 kinase p110 alpha were also reduced. Similar effects were observed in mammary carcinomas in vivo at concentration of 0.03% (w/w) dietary 2-DG that inhibited carcinogenesis. In vitro, downregulation of mTOR was accompanied by decreases in phosphorylation of two of mTOR's targets, 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase and eukaryote initiation factor 4E binding protein 1. Glucose treatment reversed 2-DG effects. When cells were transfected with dominant-negative AMPK alpha 2, effects of 2-DG on mTOR and its downstream effectors were diminished, providing evidence of a link between AMPK and mTOR when energy availability was limited. This work indicates that AMPK, Akt, and mTOR are candidate targets for efforts to inhibit the carcinogenic process by limiting energy availability.
 ...
PMID:Modulation of the activities of AMP-activated protein kinase, protein kinase B, and mammalian target of rapamycin by limiting energy availability with 2-deoxyglucose. 1824 80

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an important energy-sensing protein in skeletal muscle. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mediates translation initiation and protein synthesis through ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). AMPK activation reduces muscle protein synthesis by down-regulating mTOR signaling, whereas insulin mediates mTOR signaling via Akt activation. We hypothesized that AMPK-mediated inhibitory effects on mTOR signaling depend on catalytic alpha2 and regulatory gamma3 subunits. Extensor digitorum longus muscle from AMPK alpha2 knockout (KO), AMPK gamma3 KO, and respective wild-type (WT) littermates (C57BL/6) were incubated in the presence of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-d-ribonucleoside (AICAR), insulin, or AICAR plus insulin. Phosphorylation of AMPK, Akt, and mTOR-associated signaling proteins were assessed. Insulin increased Akt Ser473 phosphorylation (P < 0.01), irrespective of genotype or presence of AICAR. AICAR increased phosphorylation of AMPK Thr172 (P < 0.01) in WT but not KO mice. Insulin stimulation increased phosphorylation of S6K1 (Thr389), ribosomal protein S6 (Ser235/236), and 4E-BP1 (Thr37/46) (P < 0.01) in WT, AMPK alpha2 KO, and AMPK gamma3 KO mice. However, in WT mice, preincubation with AICAR completely inhibited insulin-induced phosphorylation of mTOR targets, suggesting mTOR signaling is blocked by prior AMPK activation. The AICAR-induced inhibition was partly rescued in extensor digitorum longus muscle from either alpha2 or gamma3 AMPK KO mice, indicating functional alpha2 and gamma3 subunits of AMPK are required for the reduction in mTOR signaling. AICAR alone was without effect on basal phosphorylation of S6K1 (Thr389), ribosomal protein S6 (Ser235/236), and 4E-BP1 (Thr37/46). In conclusion, functional alpha2 and gamma3 AMPK subunits are required for AICAR-induced inhibitory effects on mTOR signaling.
 ...
PMID:Role of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase subunits in skeletal muscle mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. 1827 28

Skeletal muscle loss during aging leads to an increased risk of falls, fractures, and eventually loss of independence. Resistance exercise is a useful intervention to prevent sarcopenia; however, the muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response to resistance exercise is less in elderly compared with young subjects. On the other hand, essential amino acids (EAA) increase MPS equally in both young and old subjects when sufficient EAA is ingested. We hypothesized that EAA ingestion following a bout of resistance exercise would stimulate anabolic signaling and MPS similarly between young and old men. Each subject ingested 20 g of EAA 1 h following leg resistance exercise. Muscle biopsies were obtained before and 1, 3, and 6 h after exercise to measure the rate of MPS and signaling pathways that regulate translation initiation. MPS increased early in young (1-3 h postexercise) and later in old (3-6 h postexercise). At 1 h postexercise, ERK1/2 MNK1 phosphorylation increased and eIF2alpha phosphorylation decreased only in the young. mTOR signaling (mTOR, S6K1, 4E-BP1, eEF2) was similar between groups at all time points, but MNK1 phosphorylation was lower at 3 h and AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKalpha) phosphorylation was higher in old 1-3 h postexercise. We conclude that the acute MPS response after resistance exercise and EAA ingestion is similar between young and old men; however, the response is delayed with aging. Unresponsive ERK1/2 signaling and AMPK activation in old muscle may be playing a role in the delayed activation of MPS. Notwithstanding, the combination of resistance exercise and EAA ingestion should be a useful strategy to combat sarcopenia.
 ...
PMID:Skeletal muscle protein anabolic response to resistance exercise and essential amino acids is delayed with aging. 1832 67

Sustained activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) induces apoptosis in several cell types. In pancreatic beta cells this occurs under glucose limitation, or in the presence of the pharmacological AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-riboside (AICAR). It is unknown whether Akt activation can counteract AMPK-mediated apoptosis, nor whether mTOR activation downstream of Akt mediates any survival signal in these conditions. We report that expression of a constitutively active form of Akt increases mTOR activity and prevents apoptosis upon AMPK activation. Akt-mediated survival was inhibited by rapamycin. Expression of a constitutively active form of the mTOR target ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K) or of translation factor eIF4E reduced apoptosis by glucose limitation, and co-expression of S6K and eIF4E protected beta cells to the same extent as active Akt. The protective effects of active Akt and S6K were associated with increased cellular protein synthesis activity. It is concluded that Akt stimulation of mTOR and subsequent activation of the targets by which mTOR affects protein translation are required and sufficient mechanisms for Akt-mediated survival of beta cells undergoing sustained AMPK activation.
 ...
PMID:Akt activation protects pancreatic beta cells from AMPK-mediated death through stimulation of mTOR. 1837 70

The LKB1 tumour suppressor phosphorylates and activates AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) when cellular energy levels are low, thereby suppressing growth through multiple pathways, including inhibiting the mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1) kinase that is activated in the majority of human cancers. Blood glucose-lowering Type 2 diabetes drugs also induce LKB1 to activate AMPK, indicating that these compounds could be used to suppress growth of tumour cells. In the present study, we investigated the importance of the LKB1-AMPK pathway in regulating tumorigenesis in mice resulting from deficiency of the PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) tumour suppressor, which drives cell growth through overactivation of the Akt and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) kinases. We demonstrate that inhibition of AMPK resulting from a hypomorphic mutation that decreases LKB1 expression does not lead to tumorigenesis on its own, but markedly accelerates tumour development in PTEN(+/-) mice. In contrast, activating the AMPK pathway by administration of metformin, phenformin or A-769662 to PTEN(+/-) mice significantly delayed tumour onset. We demonstrate that LKB1 is required for activators of AMPK to inhibit mTORC1 signalling as well as cell growth in PTEN-deficient cells. Our findings highlight, using an animal model relevant to understanding human cancer, the vital role that the LKB1-AMPK pathway plays in suppressing tumorigenesis resulting from loss of the PTEN tumour suppressor. They also suggest that pharmacological inhibition of LKB1 and/or AMPK would be undesirable, at least for the treatment of cancers in which the mTORC1 pathway is activated. Most importantly, our results demonstrate the potential of AMPK activators, such as clinically approved metformin, as anticancer agents, which will suppress tumour development by triggering a physiological signalling pathway that potently inhibits cell growth.
 ...
PMID:Important role of the LKB1-AMPK pathway in suppressing tumorigenesis in PTEN-deficient mice. 1846 13

Maternal insulin resistance results in poor pregnancy outcomes. In vivo and in vitro exposure of the murine blastocyst to high insulin or IGF1 results in the down-regulation of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R). This in turn leads to decreased glucose uptake, increased apoptosis, as well as pregnancy resorption and growth restriction. Recent studies have shown that blastocyst activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) reverses these detrimental effects; however, the mechanism was not clear. The objective of this study was to determine how AMPK activation rescues the insulin-resistant blastocyst. Using trophoblast stem (TS) cells derived from the blastocyst, insulin resistance was recreated by transfecting with siRNA to Igf1r and down-regulating expression of the protein. These cells were then exposed to AMPK activators 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside and phenformin, and evaluated for apoptosis, insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake, PI3-kinase activity, and levels of phospho-AKT, phospho-mTor, and phospho-70S6K. Surprisingly, disrupted insulin signaling led to decreased AMPK activity in TS cells. Activators reversed these effects by increasing the AMP/ATP ratio. Moreover, this treatment increased insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose transport and cell survival, and led to an increase in PI3-kinase activity, as well as increased P-mTOR and p70S6K levels. This study is the first to demonstrate significant crosstalk between the AMPK and insulin signaling pathways in embryonic cells, specifically the enhanced response of PI3K/AKT/mTOR to AMPK activation. Decreased insulin signaling also resulted in decreased AMPK activation. These findings provide mechanistic targets in the AMPK signaling pathway that may be essential for improved pregnancy success in insulin-resistant states.
 ...
PMID:Crosstalk between the AMP-activated kinase and insulin signaling pathways rescues murine blastocyst cells from insulin resistance. 1857 54


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>