scholarly journals TGFβ induces GDNF responsiveness in neurons by recruitment of GFRα1 to the plasma membrane

2002 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Peterziel ◽  
K. Unsicker ◽  
K. Krieglstein

We have previously shown that the neurotrophic effect of glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in vitro and in vivo requires the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)β. Using primary neurons (chick E8 ciliary) we show that the combination of GDNF plus TGFβ promotes survival, whereas the single factors do not. This cooperative effect is inhibited by blocking the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/MAPK pathway, but not by interfering with the PI3 kinase signaling cascade. Although there is no functional GDNF signaling in the absence of TGFβ, pretreatment with TGFβ confers GDNF responsiveness to the cells. This is not due to upregulation of GDNF receptors mRNA and protein, but to TGFβ-induced recruitment of the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored GDNF receptor (GFR)α1 to the plasma membrane. This is supported by the fact that GDNF in the presence of a soluble GFRα1 can promote survival in the absence of TGFβ. Our data suggest that TGFβ is involved in GFRα1 membrane translocation, thereby permitting GDNF signaling and neurotrophic effects.

2007 ◽  
Vol 176 (5) ◽  
pp. 709-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxi Ge ◽  
Guozhi Xiao ◽  
Di Jiang ◽  
Renny T. Franceschi

The extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK)–mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway provides a major link between the cell surface and nucleus to control proliferation and differentiation. However, its in vivo role in skeletal development is unknown. A transgenic approach was used to establish a role for this pathway in bone. MAPK stimulation achieved by selective expression of constitutively active MAPK/ERK1 (MEK-SP) in osteoblasts accelerated in vitro differentiation of calvarial cells, as well as in vivo bone development, whereas dominant-negative MEK1 was inhibitory. The involvement of the RUNX2 transcription factor in this response was established in two ways: (a) RUNX2 phosphorylation and transcriptional activity were elevated in calvarial osteoblasts from TgMek-sp mice and reduced in cells from TgMek-dn mice, and (b) crossing TgMek-sp mice with Runx2+/− animals partially rescued the hypomorphic clavicles and undemineralized calvaria associated with Runx2 haploinsufficiency, whereas TgMek-dn; Runx2+/− mice had a more severe skeletal phenotype. This work establishes an important in vivo function for the ERK–MAPK pathway in bone that involves stimulation of RUNX2 phosphorylation and transcriptional activity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 4248-4260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duc Thang Nguyên ◽  
Sem Kebache ◽  
Ali Fazel ◽  
Hetty N. Wong ◽  
Sarah Jenna ◽  
...  

In response to stress, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) signaling machinery triggers the inhibition of protein synthesis and up-regulation of genes whose products are involved in protein folding, cell cycle exit, and/or apoptosis. We demonstrate that the misfolding agents azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (Azc) and tunicamycin initiate signaling from the ER, resulting in the activation of Jun-N-terminal kinase, p44MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 (ERK-1), and p38MAPK through IRE1α-dependent mechanisms. To characterize the ER proximal signaling events involved, immuno-isolated ER membranes from rat fibroblasts treated with ER stress inducers were used to reconstitute the activation of the stress-activated protein kinase/mitogen-activate protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in vitro. This allowed us to demonstrate a role for the SH2/SH3 domain containing adaptor Nck in ERK-1 activation after Azc treatment. We also show both in vitro and in vivo that under basal conditions ER-associated Nck represses ERK-1 activation and that upon ER stress this pool of Nck dissociates from the ER membrane to allow ERK-1 activation. Moreover, under the same conditions, Nck-null cells elicit a stronger ERK-1 activation in response to Azc stress, thus, correlating with an enhanced survival phenotype. These data delineate a novel mechanism for the regulation of ER stress signaling to the MAPK pathway and demonstrate a critical role for Nck in ER stress and cell survival.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Oh ◽  
Eun Kim ◽  
Yeon-Joo Lee ◽  
Sei Sai ◽  
Sun Lim ◽  
...  

Osteosarcoma (OS) originates from osteoid bone tissues and is prone to metastasis, resulting in a high mortality rate. Although several treatments are available for OS, an effective cure does not exist for most patients with advanced OS. Zoledronic acid (ZOL) is a third-generation bisphosphonate that inhibits osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and has shown efficacy in treating bone metastases in patients with various types of solid tumors. Here, we sought to clarify the mechanisms through which ZOL inhibits OS cell proliferation. ZOL treatment inhibited OS cell proliferation, viability, and colony formation. Autophagy inhibition by RNA interference against Beclin-1 or ATG5 inhibited ZOL-induced OS cell death. ZOL induced autophagy by repressing the protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin/p70S6 kinase pathway and extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling-dependent autophagy in OS cell lines and patient-derived OS cells. Microarrays of miRNA showed that ZOL increased the levels of miR-212-3p, which is known to play an important role in autophagy, in OS in vitro and in vivo systems. Collectively, our data provided mechanistic insight into how increased miR-212-3p through ZOL treatment induces autophagy synergistically in OS cells, providing a preclinical rationale for conducting a broad-scale clinical evaluation of ZOL + miR-212-3p in treating OS.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 6314-6329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Tcherkezian ◽  
Eric I. Danek ◽  
Sarah Jenna ◽  
Ibtissem Triki ◽  
Nathalie Lamarche-Vane

ABSTRACT Rho GTPases regulate multiple cellular processes affecting both cell proliferation and cytoskeletal dynamics. Their cycling between inactive GDP- and active GTP-bound states is tightly regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). We have previously identified CdGAP (for Cdc42 GTPase-activating protein) as a specific GAP for Rac1 and Cdc42. CdGAP consists of an N-terminal RhoGAP domain and a C-terminal proline-rich region. In addition, CdGAP is a member of the impressively large number of mammalian RhoGAP proteins that is well conserved among both vertebrates and invertebrates. In mice, we find two predominant isoforms of CdGAP differentially expressed in specific tissues. We report here that CdGAP is highly phosphorylated in vivo on serine and threonine residues. We find that CdGAP is phosphorylated downstream of the MEK-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway in response to serum or platelet-derived growth factor stimulation. Furthermore, CdGAP interacts with and is phosphorylated by ERK-1 and RSK-1 in vitro. A putative DEF (docking for ERK FXFP) domain located in the proline-rich region of CdGAP is required for efficient binding and phosphorylation by ERK1/2. We identify Thr776 as an in vivo target site of ERK1/2 and as an important regulatory site of CdGAP activity. Together, these data suggest that CdGAP is a novel substrate of ERK1/2 and mediates cross talk between the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and regulation of Rac1 activity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (3) ◽  
pp. F672-F679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Wang ◽  
Jifu Jiang ◽  
Qiunong Guan ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Christopher Y. C. Nguan ◽  
...  

Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN), the most common cause of late kidney allograft failure, is not effectively prevented by immunosuppressive regimens. Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) via MEK mediates actions of various growth factors, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, which plays a key role in CAN. Hence, we tested the therapeutic potential of MEK-ERK1/2 signaling disruption to prevent CAN. Kidneys from C57BL/6J (H-2b) mice were transplanted to bilaterally nephrectomized BALB/c (H-2d) mice. At 14 days after transplantation, the recipients were subjected to 28 days of treatment with the MEK inhibitor CI-1040. All six CI-1040-treated allografts survived, while two of seven grafts in the vehicle-treated group were lost. At the end of the experiment, the function and structure of grafts in the CI-1040-treated group were significantly preserved, as indicated by lower levels of serum creatinine or blood urea nitrogen than in the vehicle-treated group [30 ± 6 vs. 94 ± 39 μM creatinine ( P = 0.0015) and 22 ± 8 vs. 56 ± 25 mM BUN ( P = 0.0054)] and reduced CAN in the CI-1040-treated group compared with vehicle controls (CAN score = 4.2 vs. 10.3, P = 0.0119). The beneficial effects induced by CI-1040 were associated with reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and TGFβ1 levels in grafts. Also, CI-1040 potently suppressed not only TGFβ biosynthesis in kidney cell cultures but also antiallograft immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Our data suggest that interference of MEK-ERK1/2 signaling with a pharmacological agent (e.g., CI-1040) has therapeutic potential to prevent CAN in kidney transplantation.


Tumor Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 101042831769431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Hu ◽  
Zihan Sun ◽  
Jinmu Deng ◽  
Baoquan Hu ◽  
Wenting Yan ◽  
...  

Increasing evidence has indicated that the splicing factor hnRNPA2B1 plays a direct role in cancer development, progression, gene expression, and signal transduction. Previous studies have shown that knocking down hnRNPA2B1 in breast cancer cells induces apoptosis, but the mechanism and other functions of hnRNPA2B1 in breast cancer are unknown. The goal of this study was to investigate the biological function, clinical significance, and mechanism of hnRNPA2B1 in breast cancer. The expression of hnRNPA2B1 in 92 breast cancer and adjacent normal tissue pairs was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Stable clones exhibiting knockdown of hnRNPA2B1 via small hairpin RNA expression were generated using RNA interference technology in breast cancer cell lines. The effects of hnRNPA2B1 on cell proliferation were examined by MTT and EdU assay, and cellular apoptosis and the cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry. A nude mouse xenograft model was established to elucidate the function of hnRNPA2B1 in tumorigenesis in vivo. The role of hnRNPA2B1 in signaling pathways was investigated in vitro. Our data revealed that hnRNPA2B1 was overexpressed in breast cancer tissue specimens and cell lines. Knockdown of hnRNPA2B1 reduced breast cancer cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and prolonged the S phase of the cell cycle in vitro. In addition, hnRNPA2B1 knockdown suppressed subcutaneous tumorigenicity in vivo. On a molecular level, hnRNPA2B1 knockdown decreased signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. We concluded that hnRNPA2B1 promotes the tumorigenic potential of breast cancer cells, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, through the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 or signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway, which may serve as a target for future therapies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanqing Cao ◽  
Guangmeng Xu ◽  
Hongyu He ◽  
Jiannan Li

Abstract Hepatoma is a common clinical disease with poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Chemotherapy is important for hepatoma treatment because only a small amount of hepatoma patients are suitable for local resection, and the effects of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are unsatisfactory. But many limitations restrict further application of chemotherapy. In this study, sorafenib (Sor) and metformin (Met) co-loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(L-glutamic acid-co-L-phenylalanine) (mPEG-b-P(Glu-co-Phe)) micelles were developed. Sor is a common molecular target agent which can inhibit the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway to treat hepatoma clinically. Met can also regulate the MAPK pathway and inhibit the expression of the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK). Moreover, both Sor and Met play important roles in cell cycle arrest. The integration of these two drugs aims to achieve synergistic effects against hepatoma. The micelles can be targeted to cancer cells and possess longer blood circulation time. The two agents can be released rapidly in the tumor sites. Both orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) hepatoma models were developed to analyze the treatment efficacy of the Sor and Met loaded micelles. The in vivo study showed that the micelles can prevent hepatoma progression by inhibiting the expressions of p-ERK and cyclin D1. This study indicated that the Sor/Met-loaded micelles are suitable for hepatoma treatment.


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