Search results for "p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases"
showing 10 items of 145 documents
Mechanisms of ceramide-induced COX-2-dependent apoptosis in human ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cells partially overlapped with resveratrol.
2013
Ceramide is a member of the sphingolipid family of bioactive molecules demonstrated to have profound, diverse biological activities. Ceramide is a potential chemotherapeutic agent via the induction of apoptosis. Exposure to ceramide activates extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2- and p38 kinase-dependent apoptosis in human ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cells, concomitant with an increase in the expression of COX-2 and p53 phosphorylation. Blockade of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity by siRNA or NS398 correspondingly inhibited ceramide-induced p53 Ser-15 phosphorylation and apoptosis; thus COX-2 appears at the apex of the p38 kinase-mediated signaling cascade induced by ceramide. Induct…
Anandamide-induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells involves ceramide and JNK/AP-1 pathway
2006
In the present study we demonstrate that anandamide, the most important endogenous cannabinoid, markedly induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells, an immortalized non-tumor cell line derived from normal liver tissue, while it induced only modest effects in a number of hepatoma cell lines. The apoptotic effect was reduced by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, a membrane cholesterol depletor, suggesting an interaction between anandamide and the membrane microdomains named lipid rafts. Anandamide effects were mediated by the production of ceramide, as demonstrated by experiments performed with the sphingomyelinase inhibitor, desipramine, or with the sphingomyelinase activator, melittin. This conclusion w…
MAP kinase p38 and its relation to T cell anergy and suppressor function of regulatory T cells
2008
Diverse regulatory T cell populations (Treg) are important for the control of self tolerance and immune homeostasis. These include naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ Treg (nTreg) and induced Treg (iTreg). Tolerogenic dendritic cells, modulated by IL-10, are able to convert peripheral T cells into iTreg. These are anergic and characterized by a G(1) cell cycle arrest, dependent on elevated levels of the cdk inhibitor p27(Kip1). Novel data revealed a distinct pattern of MAP kinase activation in iTreg different from clonal T cell anergy, with enhanced activation of the p38-MAPKAP-K2/3 pathway. p38 is involved in cell cycle control and its activity is a prerequisite for the induction and maintenance…
Heme oxygenase-1 inhibits apoptosis in Caco-2 cells via activation of Akt pathway
2005
Heme oxygenase-1 can play a protective role against cellular stress. In colon cancer cells, these effects would be relevant to oncogenesis and resistance to chemotherapy. The aim of the study was to examine the effects of heme oxygenase-1 induction on cell survival in a human colon cancer cell line, Caco-2. Serum deprivation induced apoptosis, reduced Akt and p38 phosphorylation, and increased p21(Cip/WAF1) levels. Heme oxygenase-1 induction by treatment with cobalt protoporphyrin IX resulted in resistance to apoptosis, activation of Akt, reduction in p21(Cip/WAF1) levels and modification of bcl2/bax ratio towards survival. Indomethacin reduced apoptosis but in contrast to heme oxygenase-1,…
Activation and translocation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase after stimulation of monocytes with contact sensitizers.
2002
Recently we described the induction of tyrosine phosphorylation by contact sensitizers as an early molecular event during the activation of antigen- presenting cells. In this study, the role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase for the activation of human monocytes after exposure to four structurally unrelated contact sensitizers was analyzed in comparison with the irritant benzalkonium chloride and an inductor of oxidative stress (H 2 O 2 ) using immunofluorescence, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques. Bio chemical analysis revealed a translocation of p38 from the cytoplasm to the detergent-resistant cell fraction only upon stimulation with contact sen…
A novel regulatory mechanism of MAP kinases activation and nuclear translocation mediated by PKA and the PTP-SL tyrosine phosphatase
1999
Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP-SL retains mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in the cytoplasm in an inactive form by association through a kinase interaction motif (KIM) and tyrosine dephosphorylation. The related tyrosine phosphatases PTP-SL and STEP were phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). The PKA phosphorylation site on PTP-SL was identified as the Ser231 residue, located within the KIM. Upon phosphorylation of Ser231, PTP-SL binding and tyrosine dephosphorylation of the MAP kinases extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38α were impaired. Furthermore, treatment of COS-7 cells with PKA activators, or overexpression of the Cα catalytic subunit …
Ultraviolet light-induced apoptotic death is impaired by the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin.
2003
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (i.e., statins) attenuate C-terminal isoprenylation of Rho GTPases, thereby inhibiting UV-C-induced activation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs). Inhibition of UV-C-triggered JNK/SAPK activation by lovastatin is due to inhibition of Rac-SEK1/MKK4-mediated phosphorylation of JNKs/SAPKs at Thr183/Tyr185. UV-C-stimulated phosphorylation of p38 kinase (Thr180/Tyr182) is also impaired by lovastatin. Cell killing provoked by UV-C irradiation was significantly inhibited by lovastatin. This was paralleled by a reduced frequency of chromosomal aberrations, accelerated recovery from UV-C-induced transient replication blockage, inhib…
Molecular response of the sponge Suberites domuncula to bacterial infection
2001
The aim of this study was the documentation of the molecular immune response of Suberites domuncula upon bacterial infection. Additionally, the bacteria that are naturally present in the sponge after prolonged aquarium maintenance were characterized. After 6 months of maintenance of S. domuncula in seawater aquaria, only one bacterial 16S rDNA sequence could be recovered, which belongs to the genus Pseudomonas. Concomitantly, morphologically uniform bacteria were found encapsulated in bacteriocytes. These findings indicate that certain bacteria, possibly of the genus Pseudomonas, are able to persist for long periods in host bacteriocytes. Subsequent to performing a previously established in…
Early asymmetric cues triggering the dorsal/ventral gene regulatory network of the sea urchin embryo
2014
Dorsal/ventral (DV) patterning of the sea urchin embryo relies on a ventrally-localized organizer expressing Nodal, a pivotal regulator of the DV gene regulatory network. However, the inceptive mechanisms imposing the symmetry-breaking are incompletely understood. In Paracentrotus lividus, the Hbox12 homeodomain-containing repressor is expressed by prospective dorsal cells, spatially facing and preceding the onset of nodal transcription. We report that Hbox12 misexpression provokes DV abnormalities, attenuating nodal and nodal-dependent transcription. Reciprocally, impairing hbox12 function disrupts DV polarity by allowing ectopic expression of nodal. Clonal loss-of-function, inflicted by b…
Aβ and tau toxicities in Alzheimer’s are linked via oxidative stress-induced p38 activation: Protective role of vitamin E
2014
AbstractOxidative stress is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We propose that rather than causing damage because of the action of free radicals, oxidative stress deranges signaling pathways leading to tau hyperphosphorylation, a hallmark of the disease. Indeed, incubation of neurons in culture with 5 µM beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) causes an activation of p38 MAPK (p38) that leads to tau hyperphosphorylation. Inhibition of p38 prevents Aβ-induced tau phosphorylation. Aβ-induced effects are prevented when neurons are co-incubated with trolox (the water-soluble analog of vitamin E).We have confirmed these results in vivo, in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice of AD. We have found that APP/PS1 …