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MAP Kinase Activation (map + kinase_activation)
Selected AbstractsTNF-, Mediates p38 MAP Kinase Activation and Negatively Regulates Bone Formation at the Injured Growth Plate in Rats,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 7 2006Fiona H Zhou Abstract TNF-, is known to inhibit osteoblast differentiation in vitro and yet it is essential for bone fracture repair. Roles of TNF-, in the bony repair of injured growth plate were examined in young rats treated with a TNF-, antagonist. The results show that TNF-, mediates p38 activation, which influences the recruitment, proliferation, and osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal cells and negatively regulates bone formation at the injured growth plate. Introduction: TNF-, inhibits expression of osteoblast differentiation factor cbfa1 and osteoblast differentiation in vitro and yet TNF-, signaling is essential for bone fracture healing. Roles of TNF-, in the bony repair of injured growth plate cartilage are unknown. Materials and Methods: Roles of TNF-, in the activation of p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase and the subsequent bony repair of the injured growth plate were examined in young rats receiving the TNF-, inhibitor ENBREL or saline control. Activation of p38 was determined by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Inflammatory cell counts on day 1, measurements of repair tissue proportions, and counting of proliferative mesenchymal cells on day 8 at growth plate injury site were carried out (n = 6). Expression of inflammatory cytokines TNF-, and IL-1,, fibrogenic growth factor (FGF)-2, cbfa1, and bone protein osteocalcin at the injured growth plate was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Effects of TNF-, signaling on proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of rat bone marrow mesenchymal cells (rBMMCs) and the regulatory roles of p38 in these processes were examined using recombinant rat TNF-,, ENBREL, and the p38 inhibitor SB239063 in cultured primary rBMMCs. Results: p38 activation was induced in the injured growth plate during the initial inflammatory response, and activated p38 was immunolocalized in inflammatory cells at the injury site and in the adjacent growth plate. In addition, activation of p38 was blocked in rats treated with TNF-, antagonist, suggesting a role of TNF-, in p38 activation. Whereas TNF-, inhibition did not alter inflammatory infiltrate and expression of TNF-, and IL-1, at the injured growth plate on day 1, it reduced mesenchymal infiltrate and cell proliferation and FGF-2 expression on day 8. Consistently, TNF-, increased proliferation and migration of rBMMCs in vitro, whereas p38 inhibition reduced rBMMC proliferation and migration. At the injured growth plate on day 8, TNF-, inhibition increased expression of cbfa1 and osteocalcin and increased trabecular bone formation at the injury site. There was a significant inverse correlation between TNF-, and cbfa1 expression levels, suggesting a negative relationship between TNF-, and cbfa1 in this in vivo model. Conclusions: These observations suggest that TNF-, activates p38 MAP kinase during the inflammatory response at the injured growth plate, and TNF-,-p38 signaling seems to be required for marrow mesenchymal cell proliferation and migration at the growth plate injury site and in cell culture. Furthermore, TNF signaling has an inhibitory effect on bone formation at the injured growth plate by suppressing bone cell differentiation and bone matrix synthesis at the injury site. [source] MAP kinase activation in avian cardiovascular developmentDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 4 2004Christine M. Liberatore Abstract Signaling pathways mediated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation have multiple functions in the developing cardiovascular system. The localization of diphosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (dp-ERK) was monitored as an indicator of MAPK activation in the forming heart and vasculature of avian embryos. Sustained dp-ERK expression was observed in vascular endothelial cells of embryonic and extraembryonic origins. Although dp-ERK was not detected during early cardiac lineage induction, MAPK activation was observed in the epicardial, endocardial, and myocardial compartments during heart chamber formation. Endocardial expression of dp-ERK in the valve primordia and heart chambers may reflect differential cell growth associated with RTK signaling in the heart. dp-ERK localization in the epicardium, subepicardial fibroblasts, myocardial fibroblasts, and coronary vessels is consistent with MAPK activation in epicardial-derived cell lineages. The complex temporal,spatial regulation of dp-ERK in the heart supports diverse regulatory functions for RTK signaling in different cell populations, including the endocardium, myocardium, and epicardial-derived cells during cardiac organogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 230:773,780, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Neurotrophic activities of trk receptors conserved over 600 million years of evolutionDEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Gad Beck Abstract The trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases is crucial for neuronal survival in the vertebrate nervous system, however both C. elegans and Drosophila lack genes encoding trks or their ligands. The only invertebrate representative of this gene family identified to date is Ltrk from the mollusk Lymnaea. Did trophic functions of trk receptors originate early in evolution, or were they an innovation of the vertebrates? Here we show that the Ltrk gene conserves a similar exon/intron order as mammalian trk genes in the region encoding defined extracellular motifs, including one exon encoding a putative variant immunoglobulin-like domain. Chimeric receptors containing the intracellular and transmembrane domains of Ltrk undergo ligand-induced autophosphorylation followed by MAP kinase activation in transfected cells. The chimeras are internalized similarly to TrkA in PC12 cells, and their stimulation leads to differentiation and neurite extension. Knock-down of endogenous Ltrk expression compromises outgrowth and survival of Lymnaea neurons cultured in CNS-conditioned medium. Thus, Ltrk is required for neuronal survival, suggesting that trophic activities of the trk receptor family originated before the divergence of molluscan and vertebrate lineages approximately 600 million years ago. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 60: 12,20, 2004 [source] Nerve growth factor-induced circadian phase shifts and MAP kinase activation in the hamster suprachiasmatic nucleiEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 3 2005Gastón A. Pizzio Abstract Circadian rhythms are entrained by light and by several neurochemical stimuli. In hamsters housed in constant darkness, i.c.v. administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) at various times in their circadian cycle produced phase shifts of locomotor activity rhythms that were similar in direction and circadian timing to those produced by brief pulses of light. Moreover, the effect of NGF and light were not additive, indicating signalling points in common. These points include the immediate-early gene c-fos and ERK1/2, a component of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) family. NGF activates c-FOS and ERK1/2-MAPK in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the site of a circadian clock in mammals, when administered during the subjective night but not during the day. The effect of NGF on ERK1/2 activation was not inhibited by the administration of MK-801, a glutamate/NMDA receptor antagonist. These results suggest that NGF, acting through MAPK activation, plays a role in photic entrainment of the mammalian circadian clock. [source] The P2Y1 receptor mediates ADP-induced p38 kinase-activating factor generation in human plateletsFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 8 2000Carol Dangelmaier U46619, a thromboxane A2 mimetic, but not ADP, caused activation of p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase in aspirin-treated platelets. In nonaspirinated human platelets ADP activated p38 MAP kinase in both a time-and concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that ADP-induced p38 MAP kinase activation requires generation of thromboxane A2. However, neither a thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptor antagonist SQ29548 and a thromboxane synthase inhibitor, furegrelate, either alone or together, nor indomethacin blocked ADP-induced p38 kinase activation in nonaspirinated platelets. Other cycloxygenase products, PGE2, PGD2, and PGF2,, failed to activate p38 kinase in aspirin-treated platelets. Hence, ADP must be generating an agonist, other than thromboxane A2, via an aspirin-sensitive pathway, which is capable of activating p38 kinase. AR-C66096, a P2TAC (platelet ADP receptor coupled to inhibition of adenylate cyclase) antagonist, did not inhibit ADP-induced p38 MAP kinase activation. The P2X receptor selective agonist, ,,,-methylene ATP, failed to activate p38 MAP kinase. On the other hand, the P2Y1 receptor selective antagonist, adenosine-2,-phosphate-5,-phosphate inhibited ADP-induced p38 kinase activation in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating that the P2Y1 receptor alone mediates ADP-induced generation of the p38 kinase-activating factor. These results demonstrate that ADP causes the generation of a factor in human platelets, which can activate p38 kinase, and that this response is mediated by the P2Y1 receptor. Neither the P2TAC receptor nor the P2X1 receptor has any significant role in this response. [source] Differential Effects of Ethanol on Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptor SignalingALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2000Andrea E.M. Seiler Background: Activation of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) by its ligands IGF-I and IGF-II induces cell proliferation and protects against apoptosis. Ethanol inhibits IGF-IR tyrosine autophosphorylation, which subsequently interferes with the activation of key downstream signaling mediators including insulin-receptor substrate-1, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. The ethanol-induced inhibition of IGF-IR signaling reduces mitogenesis and enhances apoptosis. In the current study, we demonstrate that the antiproliferative action of ethanol can be modulated by differential sensitivity of the autophosphorylation of the IGF-IR to ethanol. Methods: A series of subclones was generated from 3T3 cells that express the human IGF-IR. Results: There was considerable variability in the ability of ethanol to inhibit IGF-I-dependent IGF-IR tyrosine autophosphorylation and MAP kinase activation, despite equivalent IGF-IR expression. The IGF-IR was completely resistant to a high concentration of ethanol (150 mM) in several subclones. The sensitivity of IGF-IR autophosphorylation to ethanol correlated directly with the inhibition of IGF-I-mediated MAP kinase activation and cell proliferation. Resistant subclones exhibited features of the transformed phenotype including high MAP kinase activity, partial loss of contact inhibition, and the development of foci at confluency. The IGF-IR isolated from ethanol-resistant cells was similarly resistant to ethanol in autophosphorylation reactions in vitro, whereas ethanol inhibited the autophosphorylation of IGF-IR obtained from sensitive cells. Conclusions: Our findings are the first to demonstrate the modulation of ethanol sensitivity of a tyrosine kinase receptor, and they provide a molecular basis for differential effects of ethanol on cell proliferation. [source] Regulation of the p21Ras-MAP kinase pathway by factor VIIaJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 5 2003H. H. Versteeg Summary.,Background:,In recent years it has become clear that factor (F)VIIa is not a passive mediator involved in the linear transduction of the coagulation cascade, but actively engages target cells to induce signal transduction and that this signal transduction fulfills critical functions in angiogenesis, arteriosclerosis and inflammatory processes. Objectives:,The details of coagulation factor-dependent signal transduction are among the least understood in biology and thus we set out to establish the molecular events responsible for MAP kinase activation induced by the interaction of FVIIa with its cellular binding partner tissue factor (TF). Methods:,Two different TF-expressing cell types, BHKTF and HaCaT cells, were assayed for p21Ras activation using a pull-down assay that is specific for activated Ras. This activation was visualized by means of Western blotting. In addition, the upstream pathways leading to FVIIa-induced Ras activation were characterized using phosphospecific antibodies and specific inhibitors. Results:,We observed that in both BHKTF and HaCaT cells FVIIa-induced MAP kinase activation correlates with p21Ras activation, and that this p21Ras activation is essential for FVIIa-induced MAP kinase activation. In BHKTF cells, early p21Ras activation was mediated by the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), whereas late p21Ras activation employed alternative mechanisms. In HaCaT cells, stimulation of the Src kinase family mediated FVIIa-dependent p21Ras activation. Finally, in both cell types, Raf activity was mandatory for MAP kinase activation. Conclusions:,p21Ras activation is instrumental in FVIIa signal transduction and the FVIIa-dependent activation of p21Ras involves either PKC or Src-dependent mechanisms, depending on the cell type investigated. [source] EGF-induced EGF-receptor and MAP kinase phosphorylation in goat cumulus cells during in vitro maturationMOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2005Laurence Gall Abstract EGF has been shown to influence meiotic maturation and development competence of oocyte in various mammalian species. We previously reported, in goat, that the EGF receptor (EGF-R) was present both on cumulus cells and oocytes. Here, EGF-induced signaling was investigated during the in vitro maturation process in goat cumulus,oocyte complexes (COCs). Cumulus cells and oocytes were subjected to Western immunoblotting analysis using anti-MAP kinase, anti-phosphotyrosine, anti-phospho MAP kinase, and anti-phospho EGF-R antibodies. We demonstrated that treatment with EGF during the in vitro maturation process induced rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of EGF-R in a time and concentration dependent manner in cumulus cells. A similar pattern of activation by phosphorylation was observed for MAP kinase upon EGF stimulation. AG 1478, an inhibitor of the EGF kinase, suppressed EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of EGF-R and also affected the MAP kinase activation. Treatment with the MEK inhibitor PD 98059 abolished EGF-induced MAP kinase activation. We did not observe oocyte EGF-R phosphorylation in our experiments during the in vitro maturation process. Our data indicate, in goat cumulus cells, that activation of EGF-R by EGF triggers signaling through the MAP kinase pathway during in vitro maturation. This supports the hypothesis that the major site of action for EGF, that regulates oocyte maturation, is the cumulus cell. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] High humidity suppresses ssi4 -mediated cell death and disease resistance upstream of MAP kinase activation, H2O2 production and defense gene expressionTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004Fasong Zhou Summary The Arabidopsis ssi4 mutant, which exhibits spontaneous lesion formation, constitutive expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and enhanced resistance to virulent bacterial and oomycete pathogens, contains a gain-of-function mutation in a TIR-NBS-LRR type R gene. Epistatic analyses revealed that both PR gene expression and disease resistance are activated via a salicylic acid (SA)- and EDS1 -dependent, but NPR1 - and NDR1 -independent signaling pathway. In this study, we demonstrate that in moderate relative humidity (RH; 60%), the ssi4 mutant accumulates H2O2 and SA prior to lesion formation and displays constitutive activation of the MAP kinases AtMPK6 and AtMPK3. It also constitutively expresses a variety of defense-associated genes, including those encoding the WRKY transcription factors AtWRKY29 and AtWRKY6, the MAP kinases AtMPK6 and AtMPK3, the powdery mildew R proteins RPW8.1 and RPW8.2, EDS1 and PR proteins. All of these ssi4 -induced responses, as well as the chlorotic, stunted morphology and enhanced disease resistance phenotype, are suppressed by high RH (95%) growth conditions. Thus, a humidity sensitive factor (HSF) appears to function at an early point in the ssi4 signaling pathway. All ssi4 phenotypes, except for MAP kinase activation, also were suppressed by the eds1-1 mutation. Thus, ssi4 -induced MAP kinase activation occurs downstream of the HSF but either upstream of EDS1 or on a separate branch of the ssi4 signaling pathway. SA is a critical signaling component in ssi4 -mediated defense responses. However, exogenously supplied SA failed to restore lesion formation in high RH-grown ssi4 plants, although it induced defense gene expression. Thus, additional signals also are involved. [source] NPP1, a Phytophthora -associated trigger of plant defense in parsley and ArabidopsisTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Guido Fellbrich Summary Activation of non-cultivar-specific plant defense against attempted microbial infection is mediated through the recognition of pathogen-derived elicitors. Previously, we have identified a peptide fragment (Pep-13) within a 42-kDa cell wall transglutaminase from various Phytophthora species that triggers a multifacetted defense response in parsley cells. Many of these oomycete species have now been shown to possess another cell wall protein (24 kDa), that evoked the same pattern of responses in parsley as Pep-13. Unlike Pep-13, necrosis-inducing Phytophthora protein 1 (NPP1) purified from P. parasitica also induced hypersensitive cell death-like lesions in parsley. NPP1 structural homologs were found in oomycetes, fungi, and bacteria, but not in plants. Structure,activity relationship studies revealed the intact protein as well as two cysteine residues to be essential for elicitor activity. NPP1-mediated activation of pathogen defense in parsley does not employ the Pep-13 receptor. However, early induced cellular responses implicated in elicitor signal transmission (increased levels of cytoplasmic calcium, production of reactive oxygen species, MAP kinase activation) were stimulated by either elicitor, suggesting the existence of converging signaling pathways in parsley. Infiltration of NPP1 into leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 plants resulted in transcript accumulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, production of ROS and ethylene, callose apposition, and HR-like cell death. NPP1-mediated induction of the PR1 gene is salicylic acid-dependent, and, unlike the P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000(avrRpm1)-induced PR1 gene expression, requires both functional NDR1 and PAD4. In summary, Arabidopsis plants infiltrated with NPP1 constitute an experimental system that is amenable to forward genetic approaches aiming at the dissection of signaling pathways implicated in the activation of non-cultivar-specific plant defense. [source] Nuclear autoantigen CENP-B transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor via chemokine receptor 3 in vascular smooth muscle cellsARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 9 2009Genevičve Robitaille Objective We have previously found that the CENP-B nuclear autoantigen, which is specifically targeted by autoantibodies in the limited cutaneous form of systemic sclerosis, behaved as a potent migratory factor for human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Other recent studies have shown that several disease-associated autoantigens induced cell migration by interacting with various chemokine receptors. Prompted by this hypothesis, we undertook this study to determine whether CENP-B interacts with chemokine receptors on the surface of human PASMCs, to explore the relevant signaling pathways, and to characterize the effects of anti,CENP-B binding on SMC stimulation. Methods To demonstrate the expression of specific chemokine receptors by human PASMCs at both the messenger RNA and protein levels, reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and flow cytometry analyses were performed. Desensitization studies and specific inhibitors were used to further identify the CENP-B target on the surface of human PASMCs. Results Our data strongly suggested that CENP-B used chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) to mediate human PASMCs signaling. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicated that CENP-B binding subsequently stimulated the cross-talk between CCR3 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) via a matrix metalloprotease,dependent mechanism that involved the processing of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor. Transactivation of the EGFR through CCR3 was found to be a critical pathway that elicits MAP kinase activation and secretion of cytokines such as interleukin-8. Finally, anti,CENP-B autoantibodies were found to abolish this signaling pathway, thus preventing CENP-B from transactivating EGFR and exerting its cytokine-like activities toward vascular smooth muscle cells. Conclusion The identification of CENP-B as a CCR3 ligand opens up new perspectives for the study of the pathogenic role of anti,CENP-B autoantibodies. [source] Lack of detection of agonist activity by antibodies to platelet-derived growth factor receptor , in a subset of normal and systemic sclerosis patient seraARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 4 2009Nick Loizos Objective To investigate whether agonist anti,platelet-derived growth factor receptor , (anti-PDGFR,) antibodies are present in the serum of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Methods Sera were obtained from healthy subjects and scleroderma patients. An electrochemiluminescence binding assay was performed for detection of serum autoantibodies to PDGFR,, PDGFR,, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and colony-stimulating factor receptor 1 (CSFR1). Serum immunoglobulin was purified by protein A/G chromatography. To assess Ig agonist activity, PDGFR,-expressing cells were incubated with pure Ig and the level of receptor phosphorylation determined in an enzyme-linked immunoassay, as well as by Western blotting. Ig agonist activity was also assessed in a mitogenic assay and by MAP kinase activation in a PDGFR,-expressing cell line. Results Sera from 34.3% of the healthy subjects and 32.7% of the SSc patients contained detectable autoantibodies to PDGFR, and PDGFR,, but not EGFR or CSFR1. Purified Ig from these sera was shown to retain PDGFR binding activity and, at 200-1,000 ,g/ml, exhibited no agonist activity in a cell-based PDGFR, phosphorylation assay and did not stimulate a mitogenic response or MAP kinase activation in a PDGFR,-expressing cell line. Two purified Ig samples that were unable to bind PDGFR, did exhibit binding activity to a nonglycosylated form of PDGFR,. Conclusion Although approximately one-third of sera from scleroderma patients contained detectable autoantibodies to PDGFR, these antibodies were not specific to scleroderma, since they were also detected in a similar percentage of samples from normal subjects. PDGFR, agonist activity was not demonstrated when purified Ig from these sera was tested in cell-based assays. [source] Stimulation of DNA synthesis, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2 and nuclear accumulation of c-fos in human aortic smooth muscle cells by ketamineCELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 3 2002V. Boulom Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells is known to be regulated by autocrine and paracrine stimuli, including extracellular matrix, reactive oxygen species, lipids, and biomechanical forces. The effect of many pharmacological agents to which smooth muscle cells may be exposed, however, is widely unexplored. Ketamine, an intravenous anaesthetic and a phencyclidine derivative, regulates diverse intracellular signalling pathways in smooth muscle cells, several of which are known to affect cell proliferation. The effect of ketamine on proliferative response of smooth muscle cells, however, is not determined. We tested the hypothesis that ketamine may regulate proliferation of smooth muscle cells, and investigated the effects of pharmacological doses of ketamine on their proliferative capacity by measuring DNA synthesis and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signalling pathway in human aortic smooth muscle cells. DNA synthesis, as determined by incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA, was enhanced by 73% (P < 0.0001) and 130% (P < 0.0001) with 10 and 100 µm ketamine, respectively. Ketamine-induced DNA synthesis was dependent on de novo protein synthesis, as it was abolished by an inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide. A synthetic inhibitor of MAP kinase pathway, PD98059, decreased 50% (P < 0.0001) of ketamine-induced DNA synthesis, suggesting that the activation of MAP kinase pathway was partially responsible for ketamine-induced effects. Consistently, in-gel kinase assay and in vitro kinase assay of cell lysates showed ketamine-induced MAP kinase activation and expression of ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in smooth muscle cells. This effect of ketamine was not dependent on de novo protein synthesis. Immunofluorescent light microscopy showed ketamine-induced nuclear accumulation of c-fos, a downstream effect of MAP kinase activation, in smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, these data support the hypothesis of the study and demonstrate that ketamine, by stimulating DNA synthesis in human aortic smooth muscle cells, may have an impact on proliferative capacity of these cells. The present results also demonstrate that ketamine induces the activation of MAP kinase pathway and nuclear accumulation of transcription factor c-fos in smooth muscle cells. They further demonstrate that the activation of MAP kinases is partially responsible for ketamine-induced DNA synthesis in human aortic smooth muscle cells. Together, these findings suggest that ketamine may play a role as a pharmacological regulator of mechanisms involved in proliferation of smooth muscle cells. [source] | |||||||||||||