Peptides Targeting Protein Kinases: Strategies and Implications

Physiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Kaidanovich-Beilin ◽  
Hagit Eldar-Finkelman

Protein kinases are important key regulators in most, if not all, biological processes and are linked with many human diseases. Protein kinases thus became attractive targets for drug design. Intracellularly active peptides that selectively interfere with kinase function and or kinase-mediated signaling pathways are potential drug compounds with therapeutic implications.

Author(s):  
Min Wei ◽  
Jing-Wen Bai ◽  
Lei Niu ◽  
Yong-Qu Zhang ◽  
Hong-Yu Chen ◽  
...  

Accumulating evidence indicates that N6-methyladenosine (m6A), which directly regulates mRNA, is closely related to multiple biological processes and the progression of different malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). Studies of the aberrant expression of m6A mediators in BC revealed that they were associated with different BC subtypes and functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, stemness, the cell cycle, migration, and metastasis, through several factors and signaling pathways, such as Bcl-2 and the PI3K/Akt pathway, among others. Several regulators that target m6A have been shown to have anticancer effects. Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) was identified as the first m6A demethylase, and a series of inhibitors that target FTO were reported to have potential for the treatment of BC by inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. However, the exact mechanism by which m6A modifications are regulated by FTO inhibitors remains unknown. m6A modifications in BC have only been preliminarily studied, and their mechanisms require further investigation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junming Luo ◽  
Xiaoqin Luo ◽  
Zhili Duan ◽  
Wenbin Bai ◽  
Xiaoming Che ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is thought to be the most prevalent chronic joint disease, especially in Tibet of China. Here, we aimed to explore the integrative lncRNA and mRNA landscape between the OA patients of Tibet and Han. Methods The lncRNA and mRNA expression microarray profiling was performed by SurePrint G3 Human Gene Expression 8x60K v2 Microarray in articular cartilage samples from OA patients of Han nationality and Tibetans, followed by GO, KEGG, and trans-regulation and cis-regulation analysis of lncRNA and mRNA. Results We found a total of 117 lncRNAs and 297 mRNAs differently expressed in the cartilage tissues of Tibetans (n = 5) comparing with those of Chinese Han (n = 3), in which 49 lncRNAs and 158 mRNAs were upregulated, and 68 lncRNAs and 139 mRNAs were downregulated. GO and KEGG analysis showed that several unreported biological processes and signaling pathways were particularly identified. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression analysis revealed a remarkable lncRNA-mRNA relationship, in which OTOA may play a critical role in the different mechanisms of the OA progression between Tibetans and Chinese Han. Conclusion This study identified different lncRNA/mRNA expression profiling between OA patients of Tibetans and Han, which were involved in many characteristic biological processes and signaling pathways.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3427
Author(s):  
Reyhaneh Farghadani ◽  
Rakesh Naidu

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Despite the overall successes in breast cancer therapy, hormone-independent HER2 negative breast cancer, also known as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), lacking estrogens and progesterone receptors and with an excessive expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), along with the hormone-independent HER2 positive subtype, still remain major challenges in breast cancer treatment. Due to their poor prognoses, aggressive phenotype, and highly metastasis features, new alternative therapies have become an urgent clinical need. One of the most noteworthy phytochemicals, curcumin, has attracted enormous attention as a promising drug candidate in breast cancer prevention and treatment due to its multi-targeting effect. Curcumin interrupts major stages of tumorigenesis including cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, and metastasis in hormone-independent breast cancer through the modulation of multiple signaling pathways. The current review has highlighted the anticancer activity of curcumin in hormone-independent breast cancer via focusing on its impact on key signaling pathways including the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, JAK/STAT pathway, MAPK pathway, NF-ĸB pathway, p53 pathway, and Wnt/β-catenin, as well as apoptotic and cell cycle pathways. Besides, its therapeutic implications in clinical trials are here presented.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangbin Li ◽  
Shuangshuang Li ◽  
Qian Zhao ◽  
Jiayu Huang ◽  
Jinfeng Meng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is one of the most common serious diseases in newborns, with a high mortality and disability rate. This study aims to use the bioinformatics analysis to identify potential hematologic/immune systems tissue-specific genes and related signaling pathways neonatal HIBD.Methods Microarray datasets in HIBD were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and DEGs were identified by R software.Enrichment analyses were performed and protein–protein interaction networks were constructed to understand the functions and enriched pathways of DEGs and to identify central genes and key modules. Results In the cerebral cortex tissue with HIBD, 2598 DEGs were identified, including 2362 up-regulated and 236 down-regulated DEGs. In the blood with HIBD, 1442 DEGs were identified, including 540 up-regulated and 902 down-regulated DEGs. The results of biological processes and KEGG enrichment were very similar in DEGs of the two kinds of tissues, and both involved inflammation, immunity and apoptosis. The common DEGs of the two kinds of tissues also showed similar results in biological processes and KEGG enrichment.and four hematologic/immune system tissues specifically expressed potential biomarker genes were confirmed through a variety of methods, which were verified by GEO datasets and published experimental research. Conclusion The DEGs of HIBD including the potential peripheral biomarkers TYROBP, ITGAM, EGR1 and HMOX1, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of HIBD through inflammation and immune-mediated signaling pathways.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yani Dong ◽  
Likang Lyu ◽  
Daiqiang Zhang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Haishen Wen ◽  
...  

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in multiple biological processes. However, the roles of lncRNAs in the reproduction of half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) are unclear, especially in the molecular regulatory mechanism driving ovarian development and ovulation. Thus, to explore the mRNA and lncRNA mechanisms regulating reproduction, we collected tongue sole ovaries in three stages for RNA sequencing. In stage IV vs. V, we identified 312 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and 58 DE lncRNAs. In stage V vs. VI, we identified 1,059 DE mRNAs and 187 DE lncRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses showed that DE mRNAs were enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, oocyte meiosis and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways. Furthermore, we carried out gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify potential reproduction related-pathways additionally, such as fatty metabolism and retinol metabolism. Based on enrichment analysis, DE mRNAs with a potential role in reproduction were selected and classified into six categories, including signal transduction, cell growth and death, immune response, metabolism, transport and catabolism, and cell junction. The interactions of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs were predicted according to antisense, cis-, and trans-regulatory mechanisms. We constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Several lncRNAs were predicted to regulate genes related to reproduction including cyp17a1, cyp19a1, mmp14, pgr, and hsd17b1. The functional enrichment analysis of these target genes of lncRNAs revealed that they were involved in several signaling pathways, such as the TGF-beta, Wnt signaling, and MAPK signaling pathways and reproduction related-pathways such as the progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, oocyte meiosis, and GnRH signaling pathway. RT-qPCR analysis showed that two lncRNAs (XR_522278.2 and XR_522171.2) were mainly expressed in the ovary. Dual-fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments showed that both XR_522278.2 and XR_522171.2 colocalized with their target genes cyp17a1 and cyp19a1, respectively, in the follicular cell layer. The results further demonstrated that lncRNAs might be involved in the biological processes by modulating gene expression. Taken together, this study provides lncRNA profiles in the ovary of tongue sole and further insight into the role of lncRNA involvement in regulating reproduction in tongue sole.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Rust ◽  
Stephen W. Carper ◽  
George E. Plopper

This review will briefly describe integrin function, address why integrins are attractive targets for chemotherapeutic drug design, and discuss some ongoing studies aimed at inhibiting integrin activity. Integrins are cell surface heterodimeric receptors. They modulate many cellular processes including: growth, death (apoptosis), adhesion, migration, and invasion by activating several signaling pathways. Many potential chemotherapeutic agents target integrins directly (eg, polypeptides, monoclonal antibodies, adenovirus vectors). These agents may be clinically useful in controlling the metastatic spread of cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinguo Mao ◽  
Yuying Li ◽  
Shoaib Ur Rehman ◽  
Lili Miao ◽  
Yanfei Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Reversible protein phosphorylation orchestrated by protein kinases and phosphatases is a major regulatory event in plants and animals. The SnRK2 subfamily consists of plant-specific protein kinases in the Ser/Thr protein kinase superfamily. Early observations indicated that SnRK2s are mainly involved in response to abiotic stress. Recent evidence shows that SnRK2s are multifarious players in a variety of biological processes. Here, we summarize the considerable knowledge of SnRK2s, including evolution, classification, biological functions and regulatory mechanisms at the epigenetic, post-transcriptional and post-translation levels.


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