Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P51812 (mitogen-activated protein)
 10,636 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The presence of a novel 38 kDa protein that is tyrosine phosphorylated in human neutrophils, a terminally differentiated cell, upon stimulation of these cells with low concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in combination with serum has been demonstrated. This 38 kDa protein was identified as the mammalian homologue of HOG1 in yeast, the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. This conclusion is based on the experimental findings that anti-phosphotyrosine (anti-PY) antibody immunoprecipitates a 38 kDa protein that is recognized by anti-p38 MAP kinase antibody, and conversely, anti-p38 MAP kinase antibody immunoprecipitates a 38 kDa protein that can be recognized by anti-PY antibody. Moreover, this tyrosine phosphorylated protein is found associated entirely with the cytosol. It was also found that this p38 MAP kinase is activated following stimulation of these cells with low concentrations of LPS in combination with serum. This conclusion is based on three experimental findings. First, soluble fractions isolated from LPS-stimulated cells phosphorylate heat shock protein 27 (hsp27) in an in vitro assay, and this effect is not inhibited by protein kinase C and protein kinase A inhibitor peptides. This effect is similar to the effect produced by the commercially available phosphorylated and activated MAPKAP kinase-2 (MAP kinase activated protein kinase-2). Secondly, a 27 kDa protein that aligns with a protein recognized by anti-hsp27 antibody is phosphorylated upon LPS stimulation of intact human neutrophils prelabelled with radioactive phosphate. Lastly, immune complex protein kinase assays, using [gamma-32P]ATP and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) as substrates, showed increased p38 MAP kinase activity from LPS-stimulated human neutrophils. The phosphorylation and activation of this p38 MAP kinase can be affected by both G-protein-coupled receptors such as platelet-activating factor (PAF) and non-G-protein-coupled receptors such as the cytokine-coupled receptors for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The effect of low concentrations of PAF is greatly increased in cells pretreated with LPS. The tyrosine phosphorylation of the p38 MAP kinase is not restricted to stimuli that mediate their actions through membrane-associated receptors, but it can be affected by agents that bypass membrane-associated receptors such as the protein translation blocker anisomycin. While anisomycin is known to increase the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 54 kDa SAPK (stress-activated protein kinase), this is the first report that shows that anisomycin also tyrosine phosphorylates the p38 MAP kinase. Cytokine receptors that increase the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the erk1 and erk2 MAP kinases have less effect on this p38 MAP kinase than those that do not affect the erk1 and erk2 MAP kinases. The possible role of the p38 MAP kinase in the phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 is discussed.
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PMID:Tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of a new mitogen-activated protein (MAP)-kinase cascade in human neutrophils stimulated with various agonists. 876 79

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) alone, whatever the concentration used, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alone at 0.2 ng/ml did not induce the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by human monocytes. However DHEA (10[-9] M or 10[-12] M) in association with LPS (0.2 ng/ml) did induce the release of IL-6 and TNF. When human monocytes were activated by 1 microg/ml LPS, both IL-6 and TNF secretions were observed. Monocytes activated by both DHEA (10[-9] M or 1O[-12] M) and LPS (1 microg/ml) secreted IL-6 and TNF at a higher level than that observed for monocytes activated only by LPS (1 microg/ml) alone. DHEA alone, whatever the concentration used, or LPS alone at 0.2 ng/ml did not induce the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPkinases) and protein kinase C (PKC) or the expression of c-fos and c-jun. However DHEA (10[-9] M or 10[-12] M) and 0.2 ng/ml LPS together induced the activation of both MAPKinases and PKC and the expression of c-fos and c-jun. Furthermore, the activation of PKC and MAPKinases and the expression of c-fos and c-jun were much greater when human monocytes were activated by both LPS (1 microg/ml) and DHEA (10[-9] M or 10[-12] M) than when the monocytes were activated only by LPS at 1 microg/ml. Therefore, DHEA and LPS displayed a synergistic effect on monocyte activation.
J Interferon Cytokine Res 1998 Feb
PMID:Activation of human monocytes by LPS and DHEA. 950 63

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) activates p42/p44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) in target cells. Here we have used two specific inhibitors, PD98059 which inhibits MAP kinase kinase (MEK), and SB203580 which inhibits p38 MAP kinase to explore the involvement of these kinases in the induction of IL-2 by IL-1 in the murine thymoma cell line EL4.NOB-1. Both kinase inhibitors suppressed IL-1-stimulated IL-2 production. PD98059 blocked IL-2 mRNA accumulation and the induction of a reporter gene linked to the IL-2 promoter. In contrast, SB203580 only marginally inhibited IL-2 promoter-linked reporter gene expression and had no inhibitory effect on IL-2 mRNA levels. Neither PD98059 nor SB203580 had an inhibitory effect on NFkappaB-driven reporter gene expression in response to IL-1. Surprisingly, higher concentrations of SB203580 (30 microM) potentiated the IL-1 responses. PD98059 also inhibited induction of IL-2 by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), and AP1-linked reporter gene expression in response to PMA but not IL-1. These results indicate that p42/p44 MAP kinase is involved in the regulation of IL-2 gene transcription by IL-1, whilst p38 MAP kinase has a post-transcriptional target. Additional IL-1 signalling pathways can clearly compensate for the lack of p38 MAP kinase which result in potentiation of the IL-1 responses observed at high-dose SB203580.
Cytokine 1999 Sep
PMID:Distinct roles for p42/p44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in the induction of IL-2 by IL-1. 1047

We recently demonstrated that the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) elevates intracellular free Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]i) in rat cortical synaptosomes in a manner involving activation of the IL-1 receptor and stimulation of p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. We now report that the effects of IL-1beta on [Ca2+]i are mimicked by the sphingolipid metabolite ceramide. In cortical synaptosomes ceramide elevates [Ca2+]i in a p42 MAP kinase-dependent manner, and we conclude that the effects of IL-1beta on Ca2+ homeostasis involve ceramide as an upstream component of the p42 MAP kinase pathway.
Cytokine 2000 May
PMID:The role of ceramide in the modulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels by interleukin 1 beta in rat cortical synaptosomes. 1085 64

Cytokines may contribute to beta-cell apoptosis in the early stages of type 1 diabetes mellitus. It has been reported recently that interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) induces activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) p38 and ERK1/2 in neonatal rat islets. Since these kinases may participate in cytokine-induced apoptosis, we evaluated whether cytokines induce activation of MAPKs in FACS-purified primary rat beta-cells, and whether blockers of p38 and/or ERK1/2 prevent beta-cell death. IL-1 beta, but not interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), caused phosphorylation of the substrates Elk-1, ATF-2 and hsp25, and the phosphorylation of both Elk-1 and hsp25 were decreased by the p38 blocker SB203580 (p38i) and the MAPK/ERK blocker PD 098059 (MEKi). When added together, p38i and MEKi decreased IL-1 beta-induced nitrite production over 24 hours by 60%, but did not affect IL-1 beta-induced manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) mRNA expression. To test the effects of MAPK inhibitors on beta-cell death by necrosis or apoptosis, these cells were exposed for 6 or 9 days to IL-1 beta + IFN-gamma. This treatment induced cell death, mostly by apoptosis. The MEKi, but not the p38i, significantly decreased cytokine-induced apoptosis, thus decreasing the total number of dead cells. This protection was only partial, suggesting that ERK1/2 activation is not the only mechanism by which cytokines induce beta-cell apoptosis. We conclude that IL-1 beta induces activation of both p38 and ERK1/2, and that ERK1/2 contributes to the pro-apoptotic effects of the cytokine in primary beta-cells.
Eur Cytokine Netw 2000 Jun
PMID:Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 contributes to cytokine-induced apoptosis in purified rat pancreatic beta-cells. 1090 6

Collagenase-1 (MMP-1) is a protease that is expressed by stromal cells and that is involved in remodeling of the extracellular matrix. IL-1 and TNF-alpha enhance collagenase secretion by stromal cells, and chronic exposure of cells to these cytokines can contribute to connective tissue disease. In this study, we show that the NF-kappaB pathway is required for activation of collagenase-1 transcription in rabbit primary synovial fibroblasts (RSF). Although both IL-1 and TNF activate NF-kappaB in these cells, only IL-1 induces collagenase-1 transcription. We have reported previously that NF-kappaB and AP-1 cooperate to mediate IL-1-induced MMP-1 transcription. Here, we show that IL-1 is superior to TNF at inducing c-Jun synthesis, phosphorylation and binding activity in RSF. Similarly, IL-1 is more effective at activating the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), including the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), which are required for IL-1-induced MMP-1 transcription. Thus stimulation of the ERK and AP-1 pathways is an essential component of MMP-1 transcriptional activation, which is deficient in TNF-treated cells. These studies demonstrate cooperation between the MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling pathways for IL-1-dependent collagenase-1 transcription, and they define a dichotomy of IL-1- and TNF-elicited signaling that is relevant to cytokine-mediated connective tissue disease.
Cytokine 2000 Oct
PMID:Integration of the NF-kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase/AP-1 pathways at the collagenase-1 promoter: divergence of IL-1 and TNF-dependent signal transduction in rabbit primary synovial fibroblasts. 1102 61

Interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) is a multifunctional polypeptide considered a key cytokine during inflammation. Fibronectin (FN), a matrix glycoprotein highly expressed in injured tissues, can induce expression of IL-1beta in human blood monocytic cells. Herein, we explore the intracellular signals and transcriptional mechanisms responsible for IL-1beta induction by FN using human promonocytic U937 cells transfected with the human IL-1beta promoter connected to a reporter gene. Exposure of transfected U937s to FN resulted in increased expression of the full-length IL-1beta promoter. This effect, mediated via the alpha5beta1 integrin, was associated with activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and was abolished by pre-treatment of cells with Calphostin C, a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Deletion analysis and co-transfection studies using consensus activator protein 1 (AP-1) oligonucleotides suggested that an AP-1 site present in the 5' end of the IL-1beta promoter was involved in the FN-induced response. Finally, electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that FN induced binding of AP-1, but not NF-kappaB. Together, these experiments demonstrate that FN binding to the alpha5beta1 integrin activates MAPK-dependent signal pathways, and results in the transcription of the IL-1beta promoter in U937 cells by activating PKC and inducing AP-1.
Cytokine 2000 Nov
PMID:Transcriptional regulation of the human interleukin 1beta gene by fibronectin: role of protein kinase C and activator protein 1 (AP-1). 1105 9

Cytokine activation of vascular endothelial cells renders the hyperadhesiveness for neutrophils. During the processes of inflammation and atherosclerosis, the production of reactive oxygen species by neutrophils contributes to endothelial cell (EC) damage and injury. However, the precise mechanisms for neutrophil activation by ECs remain unknown. Thus, we investigated what kinds of pathophysiological factors synthesized by inflammatory cytokine-activated ECs potentiated the activity of neutrophil functions. The magnitude of O(2)(-) release from neutrophils, which is one of pivotal neutrophil functions, was measured as an indicator potentiated by activated ECs. Neutrophils release massive amounts of O(2)(-) on coculture with activated ECs. Anti-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibody (Ab) or specific platelet-activating factor (PAF)-receptor antagonist suppressed the O(2)(-) release from neutrophils on coculture with the activated ECs by 50% to 70%. The supernatants from activated ECs also induced O(2)(-) release by neutrophils. This stimulatory effect of activated EC supernatants on O(2)(-) release by neutrophils was abolished by anti-GM-CSF Ab or by PAF-receptor antagonist. As we previously reported, we demonstrated the expression of GM-CSF mRNA by Northern blotting and protein synthesis of GM-CSF by ELISA on tumor necrosis factor as well as interleukin-1-activated ECs. Although phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases was observed in ECs stimulated by tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1, treatment of ECs with PD98059 (MEK1 inhibitor) and SB203580 (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor) in the presence of the cytokine failed to attenuate the stimulatory effect of activated ECs on neutrophil activation. We found that activated ECs regulated neutrophil function on coculture. We show here for the first time, to our knowledge, that the collaboration between GM-CSF and PAF synthesized by activated ECs markedly potentiated neutrophil activation.
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PMID:Activation of human neutrophil by cytokine-activated endothelial cells. 1123 Jan 10

Signals of interleukin 6 (IL-6) are transduced by binding of IL-6 to its cell surface receptor (IL-6R) and subsequent association of the resultant IL-6/IL-6R complex with gp130, the signal transducing receptor component utilized in common by all the IL-6 family of cytokines. A soluble form of IL-6R (sIL-6R), which lacks transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions, retains the ability to bind IL-6 and signal through gp130. We show here that a fusion protein of sIL-6R and IL-6 without a polypeptide linker, termed FP6, induces differentiation of astrocytes from fetal mouse neuroepithelial cells as potently as a representative IL-6 family cytokine, leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF). FP6 has a potential to activate a transcription factor, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and mitogen-activated protein kinases, ERK1 and ERK2, in these cells as does LIF. FP6 activates a promoter of the gene for an astrocytic marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), in neuroepithelial cells. This activation is virtually abolished by ectopic expression of a dominant-negative form of STAT3, or by introducing a point mutation into the STAT3 response element located in the GFAP promoter. These results suggest that FP6 induces astrocyte differentiation from neuroepithelial cells through STAT3 activation and that FP6 could be of use as a substitute for natural IL-6 family cytokines.
Cytokine 2001 Mar 07
PMID:Directly linked soluble IL-6 receptor-IL-6 fusion protein induces astrocyte differentiation from neuroepithelial cells via activation of STAT3. 1124 5

The cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) is cytotoxic to rat pancreatic beta-cells and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. IL-1 beta causes expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and production of nitric oxide (NO). NO may be the mediator of the cytotoxic effect of IL-1 beta in rat islets and beta-cell lines. Glucose has been shown to modulate the effects of IL-1 beta on accumulated insulin release and potentiate NO production in rat islets, but the biochemical mechanism is unknown. IL-1 beta activates the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), p38 and c-jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) in rat islets and beta-cells. Glucose may modulate MAPK activity although contrasting data have been published. The aim of this study was to investigate whether glucose potentiated IL-1 beta-induced p38 and ERK1/2 activity in rat islets. It was shown that glucose alone increased the phosphorylation of the MAPK substrates Elk-1 and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2). D-glucose potentiated the p38 activity induced by a low concentration of IL-1 beta, whereas no effect was seen at high concentrations of IL-1 beta. Inhibition of p38 activity prevented IL-1 beta-induced nitrite production in the presence of D-glucose. We conclude that IL-1 beta-induced NO production in the presence of glucose is signalled by the p38 pathway.
Eur Cytokine Netw
PMID:Glucose potentiates interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta)-induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in rat pancreatic islets of Langerhans. 1139 23


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