scholarly journals Antiplatelet Activities of Anthrax Lethal Toxin Are Associated with Suppressed p42/44 and p38 Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase Pathways in the Platelets

2005 ◽  
Vol 192 (8) ◽  
pp. 1465-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyh‐Hwa Kau ◽  
Der‐Shan Sun ◽  
Wei‐Jern Tsai ◽  
Huey‐Fen Shyu ◽  
Hsin‐Hsien Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Anthrax Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

scholarly journals Anthrax lethal factor-cleavage products of MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) kinases exhibit reduced binding to their cognate MAPKs

2004 ◽  
Vol 378 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Jane BARDWELL ◽  
Mahsa ABDOLLAHI ◽  
Lee BARDWELL
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Protective Antigen ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Lethal Factor ◽  
Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Cell Surface Receptor ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Anthrax Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

Anthrax lethal toxin is the major cause of death in systemic anthrax. Lethal toxin consists of two proteins: protective antigen and LF (lethal factor). Protective antigen binds to a cell-surface receptor and transports LF into the cytosol. LF is a metalloprotease that targets MKKs [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) kinases]/MEKs [MAPK/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinases], cleaving them to remove a small N-terminal stretch but leaving the bulk of the protein, including the protein kinase domain, intact. LF-mediated cleavage of MEK1 and MKK6 has been shown to inhibit signalling through their cognate MAPK pathways. However, the precise mechanism by which this proteolytic cleavage inhibits signal transmission has been unclear. Here we show that the C-terminal LF-cleavage products of MEK1, MEK2, MKK3, MKK4, MKK6 and MKK7 are impaired in their ability to bind to their MAPK substrates, suggesting a common mechanism for the LF-induced inhibition of signalling.

scholarly journals Anthrax Lethal Toxin Induces Human Endothelial Cell Apoptosis

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 430-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Type I Collagen ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Vascular Pathology ◽  
Type I ◽  
Anthrax Lethal Toxin ◽  
Edema Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

ABSTRACT Because of its ease of dispersal and high lethality, Bacillus anthracis is one of the most feared biowarfare agents. A better understanding of anthrax pathogenesis is urgently needed to develop new therapies for systemic disease that is relatively unresponsive to antibiotics. Although experimental evidence has implicated a role for macrophages in anthrax pathogenesis, clinical and pathological observations suggest that a direct insult to the host vasculature may also be important. Two bacterial toxins, lethal toxin and edema toxin, are believed to mediate the clinical sequelae of anthrax. Here, I examined whether these toxins are directly toxic to endothelial cells, the cell type that lines the interior of blood vessels. I show for the first time that lethal toxin but not edema toxin reduces the viability of cultured human endothelial cells and induces caspase-dependent endothelial apoptosis. In addition, this toxicity affects both microvascular and large vessel endothelial cells as well as endothelial cells that have differentiated into tubules within a type I collagen extracellular matrix. Finally, lethal toxin induces cleavage of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases in endothelial cells and inhibits phosphorylation of ERK, p38, and JNK p46. Based on the contributions of these pathways to endothelial survival, I propose that lethal toxin-mediated cytotoxicity/apoptosis results primarily through inhibition of the ERK pathway. I also hypothesize that the observed endothelial toxicity contributes to vascular pathology and hemorrhage during systemic anthrax.

scholarly journals Anthrax Lethal Toxin Impairs CD1d-Mediated Antigen Presentation by Targeting the Extracellular Signal-Related Kinase 1/2 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 1859-1863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masood A. Khan ◽  
Richard M. Gallo ◽  
Randy R. Brutkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Antigen Presentation ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

ABSTRACT Lethal toxin (LT) is a critical virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis and an important means by which this bacterium evades the host's immune system. In this study, we demonstrate that CD1d-expressing cells treated with LT have reduced CD1d-mediated antigen presentation. We earlier showed an important role for the mitogen-activated protein kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in the regulation of CD1d-mediated antigen presentation, and we report here that LT impairs antigen presentation by CD1d in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. Similarly, LT and the ERK1/2 pathway-specific inhibitor U0126 caused a decrease in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-mediated antigen presentation. Confocal microscopy analyses revealed altered intracellular distribution of CD1d and LAMP-1 in LT-treated cells, similar to the case for ERK1/2-inhibited cells. These results suggest that Bacillus anthracis has the ability to evade the host's innate immune system by reducing CD1d-mediated antigen presentation through targeting the ERK1/2 pathway.

scholarly journals CA-074Me Protection against Anthrax Lethal Toxin

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 4327-4336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary L. Newman ◽  
Stephen H. Leppla ◽  
Mahtab Moayeri
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Cathepsin B ◽  
Inbred Mouse ◽  
Lethal Toxin ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Anthrax Lethal Toxin ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein

ABSTRACT Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) activates the NLRP1b (NALP1b) inflammasome and caspase-1 in macrophages from certain inbred mouse strains, but the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. We report here that similar to several NLRP3 (NALP3, cryopyrin)-activating stimuli, LT activation of the NLRP1b inflammasome involves lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and subsequent cytoplasmic cathepsin B activity. CA-074Me, a potent cathepsin B inhibitor, protects LT-sensitive macrophages from cell death and prevents the activation of caspase-1. RNA interference knockdown of cathepsin B expression, however, cannot prevent LT-mediated cell death, suggesting that CA-074Me may also act on other cellular proteases released during LMP. CA-074Me appears to function downstream of LT translocation to the cytosol (as assessed by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase cleavage), K+ effluxes, and proteasome activity. The initial increase in cytoplasmic activity of cathepsin B occurs at the same time or shortly before caspase-1 activation but precedes a larger-scale lysosomal destabilization correlated closely with cytolysis. We present results suggesting that LMP may be involved in the activation of the NLRP1b inflammasome.

Age-Related Changes in Activation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascades by Oxidative Stress

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Z Guyton ◽  
Myriani Gorospe ◽  
Xiantao Wang ◽  
Yolanda D Mock ◽  
Gertrude C Kokkonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Age Related Changes
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document