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Thomas Force

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Force.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Integrin-linked kinase regulates endothelial cell survival and vascular development.

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent serine/threonine kinase that interacts with beta integrins. Here we show that endothelial cell (EC)-specific deletion of ILK in mice confers placental insufficiency with decreased labyrinthine vascularization, yielding no viable offspring. Deletion of ILK in zebra fish using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides results in marked patterning abnormalities of the vasculature and is similarly lethal. To dissect potential mechanisms responsible for these phenotypes, we performed ex vivo deletion of ILK from purified EC of adult mice. We observed downregulation of the active-conformation of beta1 integrins with a striking increase in EC apoptosis associated with activation of caspase 9. There was also reduced phosphorylation of the ILK kinase substrate, Akt. However, phenotypic rescue of ILK-deficient EC by wild-type ILK, but not by a constitutively active mutant of Akt, suggests regulation of EC survival by ILK in an Akt-independent manner. Thus, endothelial ILK plays a critical role in vascular development through integrin-matrix interactions and EC survival. These data have important implications for both physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Stretch-induced IL-8 depends on c-Jun NH2-terminal and nuclear factor-kappaB-inducing kinases.

Positive pressure ventilation with large tidal volumes has been shown to cause release of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-8. The mechanisms regulating lung stretch-induced cytokine production are unclear. We hypothesized that stretch-induced IL-8 production is dependent on the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNK), p38, and/or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2. We exposed A549 cells, a type II-like alveolar epithelial cell line, to cyclic stretch at 20 cycles/min for 5 min-2 h. Cyclic stretch induced IL-8 protein production, IL-8 mRNA expression, and JNK activation, but only transient activation of p38 and ERK1/2. Inhibition of stretch-induced JNK activation by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of stress-activated protein kinase (SEK-1), a dominant-negative mutant of SEK-1, the immediate upstream activator of the JNKs, and pharmacological JNK inhibitor II SP-600125 blocked IL-8 mRNA expression and attenuated IL-8 production. Inhibition of p38 and ERK1/2 did not affect stretch-induced IL-8 production. Stretch-induced activation NF-kappaB and activator protein (AP)-1 was blocked by NF-kappaB inhibitor and JNK inhibitor, respectively. An NF-IL-6 site was not essential for cyclic stretch-induced IL-8 promoter activity. Stretch also induced NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) activation, and inhibition of NF-kappaB attenuated IL-8 mRNA expression and IL-8 production. We conclude that stretch-induced transcriptional regulation of IL-8 mRNA and IL-8 production was via activation of AP-1 and NF-kappaB and was dependent on JNK and NIK activation, respectively.

Anthracenes↗
PubMed2003

Evidence that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase- and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-4/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-dependent Pathways cooperate to maintain lung cancer cell survival.

Cancer cells in which the PTEN lipid phosphatase gene is deleted have constitutively activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent signaling and require activation of this pathway for survival. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, PI3K-dependent signaling is typically activated through mechanisms other than PTEN gene loss. The role of PI3K in the survival of cancer cells that express wild-type PTEN has not been defined. Here we provide evidence that H1299 NSCLC cells, which express wild-type PTEN, underwent proliferative arrest following treatment with an inhibitor of all isoforms of class I PI3K catalytic activity (LY294002) or overexpression of the PTEN lipid phosphatase. In contrast, overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of the p85alpha regulatory subunit of PI3K (Deltap85) induced apoptosis. Whereas PTEN and Delta85 both inhibited activation of AKT/protein kinase B, only Deltap85 inhibited c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Cotransfection of the constitutively active mutant Rac-1 (Val12), an upstream activator of JNK, abrogated Deltap85-induced lung cancer cell death, whereas constitutively active mutant mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)-1 (R4F) did not. Furthermore, LY294002 induced apoptosis of MKK4-null but not wild-type mouse embryo fibroblasts. Therefore, we propose that, in the setting of wild-type PTEN, PI3K- and MKK4/JNK-dependent pathways cooperate to maintain cell survival.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2003

Stabilization of beta-catenin by a Wnt-independent mechanism regulates cardiomyocyte growth.

beta-Catenin is a transcriptional activator that regulates embryonic development as part of the Wnt pathway and also plays a role in tumorigenesis. The mechanisms leading to Wnt-induced stabilization of beta-catenin, which results in its translocation to the nucleus and activation of transcription, have been an area of intense interest. However, it is not clear whether stimuli other than Wnts can lead to important stabilization of beta-catenin and, if so, what factors mediate that stabilization and what biologic processes might be regulated. Herein we report that beta-catenin is stabilized in cardiomyocytes after these cells have been exposed to hypertrophic stimuli in culture or in vivo. The mechanism by which beta-catenin is stabilized is distinctly different from that used by Wnt signaling. Although, as with Wnt signaling, inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 remains central to hypertrophic stimulus-induced stabilization of beta-catenin, the mechanism by which this occurs involves the recruitment of activated PKB to the beta-catenin-degradation complex. PKB stabilizes the complex and phosphorylates glycogen synthase kinase-3 within the complex, inhibiting its activity directed at beta-catenin. Finally, we demonstrate via adenoviral gene transfer that beta-catenin is both sufficient to induce growth in cardiomyocytes in culture and in vivo and necessary for hypertrophic stimulus-induced growth. Thus, in these terminally differentiated cells, beta-catenin is stabilized by hypertrophic stimuli acting via heterotrimeric G protein-coupled receptors. The stabilization occurs via a unique Wnt-independent mechanism and results in cellular growth.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Deletion of cytosolic phospholipase A2 promotes striated muscle growth.

Generation of arachidonic acid by the ubiquitously expressed cytosolic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) has a fundamental role in the regulation of cellular homeostasis, inflammation and tumorigenesis. Here we report that cytosolic PLA2 is a negative regulator of growth, specifically of striated muscle. We find that normal growth of skeletal muscle, as well as normal and pathologic stress-induced hypertrophic growth of the heart, are exaggerated in Pla2g4a-/- mice, which lack the gene encoding cytosolic PLA2. The mechanism underlying this phenotype is that cytosolic PLA2 negatively regulates insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 signaling. Absence of cytosolic PLA2 leads to sustained activation of the IGF-1 pathway, which results from the failure of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase (PDK)-1 to recruit and phosphorylate protein kinase C (PKC)-zeta, a negative regulator of IGF-1 signaling. Arachidonic acid restores activation of PKC-zeta, correcting the exaggerated IGF-1 signaling. These results indicate that cytosolic PLA2 and arachidonic acid regulate striated muscle growth by modulating multiple growth-regulatory pathways.

3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases↗
PubMed2003

Renal ischemia/reperfusion and ATP depletion/repletion in LLC-PK(1) cells result in phosphorylation of FKHR and FKHRL1.

BACKGROUND: Cell death and survival pathways are critical determinants of epithelial cell fate after ischemia. Forkhead proteins have been implicated in the regulation of cellular survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: We have found that none of the forkhead family of proteins, FKHR, is phosphorylated after ischemia/reperfusion in the rat kidney. The time course of phosphorylation is similar to the time course of activation of the forkhead protein kinase Akt/protein kinase B (PKB), with maximal phosphorylation at 24 to 48 hours postreperfusion when the process of regeneration peaks. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 activation has also been implicated as prosurvival in the injured kidney. ERK1/2 were phosphorylated in postischemic kidneys at 5, 30, and 90 minutes of reperfusion, with phosphorylation decreased by 24 and 48 hours. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed increased phospho-ERK1/2 in the thick ascending limb and isolated cells of the S3 segment, which have lost apical actin staining. To understand the relationship between forkhead phosphorylation, Akt, and ERK1/2, an in vitro model of injury was employed. After 40 minutes of chemical anoxia followed by dextrose addition for 20 minutes to replete adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, FKHR and FKHRL1 are phosphorylated. The levels of phospho-Akt are increased for at least 120 minutes after dextrose addition with a maximum at 20 minutes. Phosphorylation of Akt, FKHR, and FKHRL1 are phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) dependent since phosphorylation is reduced by the PI 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin, or LY294002. Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK kinase (MEK1/2), the upstream activator of ERK1/2, has no effect on forkhead protein phosphorylation after chemical anoxia/dextrose addition. CONCLUSION: We conclude that PI 3-kinase and Akt are activated after renal ischemia/reperfusion and that Akt phosphorylation leads to phosphorylation of FKHR and FKHRL1, which may affect epithelial cell fate in acute renal failure.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2002

Role of integrin-linked kinase in leukocyte recruitment.

Chemokines modulate leukocyte integrin avidity to coordinate adhesion and subsequent transendothelial migration, although the sequential signaling pathways involved remain poorly characterized. Here we show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK), a 59-kDa serine-threonine protein kinase that interacts principally with beta(1) integrins, is highly expressed in human mononuclear cells and is activated by exposure of leukocytes to the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Biochemical inhibitor studies show that chemokine-triggered activation of ILK is downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. In functional assays under physiologically relevant flow conditions, overexpression of wild-type ILK in human monocytic cells diminishes beta(1) integrin/vascular cell adhesion molecule-1-dependent firm adhesion to human endothelial cells. These data implicate ILK in the dynamic signaling events involved in the regulation of leukocyte integrin avidity for endothelial substrates.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed2002

Stretch-activated pathways and left ventricular remodeling.

Stretch of cardiomyocytes in vivo occurs in response to a number of stimuli, including pressure or volume overload, but it is most clearly seen following relatively large, acute myocardial infarctions. It is in this setting that stretch is most clearly related to the pathogenesis of heart failure. Stretch of the remote, noninfacted myocardium leads to the activation of a large number of cellular signal transduction pathways, which sets into motion a series of what are designed to be compensatory responses to the increased wall stress on the surviving myocardium. Herein, we will discuss the cellular pathways activated by cell stretch, which appear to trigger the initial steps in the pathogenesis of ventricular dilatation following myocardial infarction. We will discuss what is known of the "stretch sensors," which convert the mechanical stimulus into molecular signals. I will then introduce the specific cellular signaling pathways activated by stretch and discuss the evidence for their involvement in remodeling. Since many of these pathways will be covered in more detail in specific sections to follow, this will serve as an introduction to stretch-activated signaling. Finally, we will briefly examine later phases of the response, including advanced heart failure. The goal is to identify molecular modulators that might serve as targets for pharmacologic or molecular intervention.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed2002

Inhibition of oncogenic K-ras signaling by aerosolized gene delivery in a mouse model of human lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Transfer of growth-suppressive genes to lung tumors has therapeutic potential, but effective delivery techniques have not been developed. Here, we investigated gene delivery to lung tumors by aerosolization of adenoviral vectors incorporated into calcium phosphate precipitates. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To investigate the efficacy of this delivery method in normal and neoplastic lung, an adenoviral vector expressing beta-galactosidase was administered by jet nebulization to K-ras(LA1) mice, which develop lung adenocarcinomas through activation of a latent allele carrying mutant K-ras(G12D). Furthermore, we investigated whether aerosolized delivery of Ad-MKK4 (KR), an adenoviral vector expressing dominant-negative mutant mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4(MKK4), can block Ras-dependent signaling in K-ras(LA1) mice. RESULTS: After a single administration, beta-galactosidase was detected in lung tissue for up to 21 days, and expression was much greater in tumors than in normal lung tissue. MKK4 was activated in the lungs of K-ras(LA1) mice, and aerosolized treatment with Ad-MKK4 (KR) decreased c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase but not extracellular signal- regulated kinase activity, providing evidence that MKK4 was selectively inhibited. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate a novel approach to targeting oncogenic pathways in lung tumors by aerosolized gene delivery.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Phospholipase A(2) and Lipids as Potential Modulators of c-Raf-1 Kinase.

c-Raf-1 is a proximal serine/threonine kinase in the signaling cascade of many mitogens. The cellular mechanisms responsible for regulation of this kinase remain ill-defined. Although c-Raf-1-associated proteins have been identified, including Ras, none of these have been found to activate c-Raf-1 kinase in vitro. To evaluate whether arachidonic acid or one of its products is implicated in c-Raf-1 activation, c-Raf-1 activity was measured in LLC-PK(1) kidney epithelial cells overexpressing the 100 kDa phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). As compared to control neomycin plasmid transfected cells, the cells overexpressing PLA(2) had a greater activation of c-Raf-1 in response to A23187 and phorbol ester stimulation. To explore the possibility that c-Raf-1 activity may be modulated directly by lipids, the enzymatic characteristics of c-Raf-1 were determined, and the effects of various possible lipid modulators on c-Raf-1 activity were examined. The K(m) of c-Raf-1 for ATP and mitogen-activiated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK), the only known physiologic substrate of c-Raf-1, were 11.6 &mgr;M and 0.8 &mgr;M, respectively. Of 13 lipids or combinations of lipids tested, including arachidonic acid and several eicosanoids, only phosphatidylserine and diacylglycerol in the presence of CA(2+) (2.5 mM) increased c-Raf-1 kinase activity significantly. The increase (1.5-fold) was approximately two orders of magnitude less than the stimulation of protein kinase C by these lipids. c-Raf-1 kinase activity and immunoreactivity eluted on gel filtration at a predicted molecular mass of greater than 150 kDa, suggesting that active c-Raf-1 is part of a multimeric complex. The absence of immunoreactive Ras in the active fractions confirms that the interaction is not necessary to maintain c-Raf-1 in an active state. In conclusion, a product of PLA(2) may play a role, together with Ras and another unidentified cofactor, in activating c-Raf-1. This lipid mediator(s) may directly or indirectly regulate the activity of c-Raf-1, but the identity of the mediator and its mode of interaction with c-Raf-1 and its associated proteins remain unclear.

Journal Article↗