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Results for “Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases”

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PubMed1992

Sequential activation of MAP kinase activator, MAP kinases, and S6 peptide kinase in intact rat liver following insulin injection.

An insulin-stimulated phosphorylation cascade was examined in rat liver after insulin injection via a portal vein by the use of immune complex kinase assays specific to the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and S6 kinase II homologue (rsk) kinase. We have prepared an antibody against the peptide consisting of a carboxyl-terminal portion of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (alpha C92), one of the MAP kinases, and an antibody against the peptide consisting of the carboxyl terminus of the mouse S6 kinase II homologue (alpha rsk(m)C). In alpha C92 immune complex assay, maximal activation of rat liver MAP kinases (approximately 4.3-fold) were observed 4.5 min after insulin injection. We also observed an insulin-stimulated MAP kinase activity (approximately 3-fold) in liver extracts from insulin-treated rat in fractions eluted from phenyl-Sepharose with 30-50% ethylene glycol. Kinase assay in myelin basic protein (MBP)-containing gel after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by denaturation with 6 M guanidine HCl, and renaturation revealed that insulin injection stimulated the kinase activity of the 42- and 44-kDa proteins, which corresponded to the two distinct MAP kinases. In alpha rsk(m)C immune complex assay, maximal stimulation (approximately 5-fold) of the S6 peptide (Arg-Arg-Leu-Ser-Ser-Leu-Arg-Ala) kinase activity was observed 7.5 min after insulin injection. In addition, MAP kinases purified from insulin-treated rat liver were able to activate S6 peptide kinase activity in vitro in alpha rsk(m)C immunoprecipitates from untreated rat liver, accompanied by the appearance of several phosphorylated bands including a major band at 88 kDa. We also examined whether insulin injection stimulates the MAP kinase activator (Ahn, N. G., Seger, R., Bratlien, R. L., Diltz, C. D., Tonks, N. K., and Krebs, E. G. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4220-4227) in rat liver. Using recombinant Xenopus MAP kinase, fractions of Q-Sepharose eluted early in the NaCl gradient were found to have MAP kinase activator activity accompanied by the phosphorylation of 42-kDa recombinant Xenopus MAP kinase. From these data, we demonstrate three tiers of a cascade composed of the MAP kinase activator, MAP kinases, and an S6 peptide kinase activity in rat liver under physiological conditions in the intact animal.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1991

Tyrosine and threonine phosphorylation of an immunoaffinity-purified 44-kDa MAP kinase.

We have approached the functioning of a MAP kinase, which is thought to be a "switch kinase" in the phosphorylation cascade initiated from various receptor tyrosine kinases including the insulin receptor. To do so, antipeptide antibodies were raised against the C-terminal portion of ERK1 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1), a protein kinase belonging to the family of MAP kinases. With these antipeptide antibodies, we observed the following: (i) a 44-kDa protein can be specifically recognized both under native and denaturing conditions; (ii) a 44-kDa phosphoprotein can be revealed in 32P-labeled cells; its phosphorylation is stimulated by insulin, sodium orthovanadate, and okadaic acid; (iii) a MBP kinase activity can be precipitated, which phosphorylates MBP on threonine residues, and which is stimulated by insulin, sodium orthovanadate, okadaic acid, and fetal calf serum; (iv) this MBP kinase activity appears to be correlated with the in vivo induced phosphorylation of the 44-kDa protein. We next studied the in vitro phosphorylation of this 44-kDa/ERK1-immunoreactive protein. A time- and manganese-dependent phosphorylation was stimulated by the in vitro addition of sodium orthovanadate. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the in vitro phosphorylated 44-kDa protein revealed both threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation. Importantly, this in vitro phosphorylation of MAP kinase results in activation of phosphorylation of added MBP substrate. As a whole, our data indicate that the 44-kDa phosphoprotein identified by our antipeptide antibodies very likely corresponds to a MAP kinase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1995

An essential role for Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 GTPases in cell cycle progression through G1.

Members of the Rho family of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) regulate the organization of the actin cytoskeleton; Rho controls the assembly of actin stress fibers and focal adhesion complexes, Rac regulates actin filament accumulation at the plasma membrane to produce lamellipodia and membrane ruffles, and Cdc42 stimulates the formation of filopodia. When microinjected into quiescent fibroblasts, Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 stimulated cell cycle progression through G1 and subsequent DNA synthesis. Furthermore, microinjection of dominant negative forms of Rac and Cdc42 or of the Rho inhibitor C3 transferase blocked serum-induced DNA synthesis. Unlike Ras, none of the Rho GTPases activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade that contains the protein kinases c-Raf1, MEK (MAPK or ERK kinase), and ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase). Instead, Rac and Cdc42, but not Rho, stimulated a distinct MAP kinase, the c-Jun kinase JNK/SAPK (Jun NH2-terminal kinase or stress-activated protein kinase). Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 control signal transduction pathways that are essential for cell growth.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1992

Identification of an activator of the microtubule-associated protein 2 kinases ERK1 and ERK2 in PC12 cells stimulated with nerve growth factor or bradykinin.

Treatment of PC12 pheochromocytoma cells with nerve growth factor (NGF) or bradykinin leads to the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases ERK1 and ERK2, two isozymes of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP) kinase that are present in numerous cell lines and regulated by diverse extracellular signals. The activation of MAP kinase is associated with its phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine residues, both of which are required for activity. In the present studies, we have identified a factor in extracts of PC12 cells treated with NGF or bradykinin, named MAP kinase activator, that, when reconstituted with inactive MAP kinase from untreated cells, dramatically increased MAP kinase activity. Activation of MAP kinase in vitro by this factor required MgATP and was associated with the phosphorylation of a 42- (ERK1) and 44-kDa (ERK2) polypeptide. Incorporation of 32P into ERK1 and ERK2 occurred primarily on tyrosine and threonine residues and was associated with a single tryptic peptide, which is identical to one whose phosphorylation is increased by treatment of intact PC12 cells with NGF. Thus, the MAP kinase activator identified in PC12 cells is likely to be a physiologically important intermediate in the signaling pathways activated by NGF and bradykinin. Moreover, stimulation of the activator by NGF and bradykinin suggests that tyrosine kinase receptors and guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors are both capable of regulating these pathways.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Interleukin-1 represents a new modality for the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases/microtubule-associated protein-2 kinases.

In this study we describe the activation of a protein kinase which phosphorylates a peptide, T669, comprising amino acids 663-681 of the epidermal growth factor receptor and containing the phosphate acceptor site Pro-Leu-Thr669-Pro. In the human epidermoid carcinoma cell line KB, T669 kinase activity in cytosolic extracts peaked (up to 15-fold compared with basal levels) 15-30 min after addition of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and closely paralleled receptor occupancy with a half-maximally effective concentration of approximately 100 pM IL-1 alpha. IL-1 treatment elevated T669 kinase activity to a variable extent in selected fibroblast lines, the hepatoma cell line HepG2, and the murine thymoma EL4 6.1. An IL-1 receptor-negative EL4 variant and the B cell lines 70Z/3, CB23, and RPMI 1788 did not respond in this way. All of the cell lines except 70Z/3 showed increased levels of T669 kinase when treated with the protein kinase C activator phorbol myristate acetate and/or with epidermal growth factor. This finding is in agreement with a previous study (Countaway, J. L., Northwood, I. C., and Davis, R. J. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10828-10835). Activators of protein kinase A did not mimic the ability of IL-1 to stimulate T669 kinase activity, nor did the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine abrogate the effect of IL-1. T669 kinase activity from IL-1-stimulated KB cells was partially purified by ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and size exclusion chromatography. The partially purified enzyme phosphorylated myelin basic protein, a characteristic substrate of microtubule-associated protein-2 kinase (MAP-2 kinase) and the peptide Arg-Arg-Arg-(Tyr-Ser-Pro-Thr-Ser-Pro-Ser)4 from RNA polymerase II. Western blotting of chromatographic fractions revealed that T669 kinase activity corresponded with two proteins of 43 and 45 kilodaltons which cross-reacted with antibodies raised against peptide sequences of rat extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/microtubule-associated protein-2 kinase. T669 kinase activity was critically dependent on the presence of phosphatase inhibitors. Since both the 43- and 45-kDa proteins, immunoprecipitated from [32P]phosphate-labeled cells, demonstrated a dramatic increase in their levels of serine, threonine, and tyrosine phosphorylation after brief treatment with IL-1, we conclude that IL-1 modulates the activity of these extracellular signal-regulated kinase/microtubule-associated protein-2 kinases by altering the level of their phosphorylation.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1992

Evidence that extracellular signal-regulated kinases are the insulin-activated Raf-1 kinase kinases.

The Raf-1 proto-oncogene protein kinase can be phosphorylated and activated after stimulation of cells with insulin and a variety of other growth factors and mitogens. We recently presented evidence that insulin and certain other growth factors activated one or more Raf-1 kinase kinase activities (Lee, R.M., Rapp, U. R., and Blackshear, P.J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 10351-10357). In the present study, four peaks of Raf-1 kinase kinase activity were identified after anion-exchange chromatography of cell lysates, and two of these were activated by insulin. Further chromatographic characterization of these two peaks of insulin-activated kinase activity indicated that they contained three apparently distinct kinase activities. Two of these activities comigrated with immunoreactive extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1 and 2 (mitogen-activated protein kinase) through three different chromatographic separations. Both ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylated Raf-1 with reasonably high affinity (Km for ERK1 = 90 nM; Km for ERK2 = 120 nM), and produced similar, complex phosphopeptide maps; both kinases also phosphorylated myelin basic protein. The third kinase activity also phosphorylated Raf-1 and myelin basic protein but did not comigrate exactly with either immunoreactive ERK1 or ERK2. We conclude that two and possibly three insulin-activated Raf-1 kinase kinases are members of the ERK family.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1992

Ras is essential for nerve growth factor- and phorbol ester-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinases.

Treatment of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor (NGF) induces a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple cellular proteins. Expression of a dominant inhibitory Ras mutant specifically blocked NGF- and TPA-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of two proteins of approximately 42 and 44 kd. Conversely, expression of an oncogenic variant of Ras induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the same 42 and 44 kd proteins. The 44 kd protein was immunoprecipitated with an antibody directed against extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the 42 kd protein comigrated with a 42 kd MAPK, indicating that at least one and probably both Ras-regulated phosphoproteins are MAPKs. In addition, MAPK activation, as measured by in vitro phosphorylation of myelin basic protein, was also regulated by Ras. Ras was not required for NGF-induced activation of Trk or tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1. Thus, NGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation occurs both prior to and following Ras action, and Ras plays a critical role in the NGF- and TPA-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MAPKs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Mitogen-induced tyrosine-phosphorylated 41- and 43-kDa proteins are family members of extracellular signal-regulated kinases/microtubule-associated protein 2 kinases.

Two antipeptide antibodies, one against the peptide corresponding to residues 307-327 (alpha Y91) and one against the peptide corresponding to the C-terminal portion (alpha C92) of the deduced amino acid sequence of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1), precipitated two 41-kDa and/or two 43-kDa phospho-proteins from mitogen-stimulated Swiss 3T3 cells. Electrophoretic mobilities on two-dimensional gels of the immunoprecipitated 41- and 43-kDa phosphoproteins were similar to those of the 41- and 43-kDa cytosol proteins, whose increased tyrosine phosphorylation we and others had originally identified in various mitogen-stimulated cells (Cooper, J. A., Sefton, B. M., and Hunter, T. (1984) Mol. Cell. Biol. 4, 30-37; Kohno, M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1771-1779); phosphopeptide map analysis revealed that they were respectively identical molecules. All those phosphoproteins contained phosphotyrosine, and the more acidic forms contained additional phosphothreonine. Immunoprecipitated 41- and 43-kDa phosphoproteins had serine/threonine kinase activity toward myelin basic protein (MBP) and microtuble-associated protein 2 (MAP2). With the combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the kinase assay in MBP-containing polyacrylamide gels of the alpha Y91 immunoprecipitates, with or without phosphatase 2A treatment, we showed that only their acidic forms were active. These results clearly indicate that 41- and 43-kDa proteins, the increased tyrosine phosphorylation of which is rapidly and commonly induced by mitogen stimulation of fibroblasts, are family members of ERKs/MAP2 kinases and that phosphorylation both on tyrosine and threonine residues is necessary for their activation.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2026

LncRNA H19 promotes vascular remodeling by inhibiting MFN2.

Neointimal hyperplasia, featuring excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is crucial in vascular remodeling diseases. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 promotes vascular remodeling, yet underlying mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. Here, we investigated whether H19 acts via its derivative miR-675-5p. Bioinformatics found a conserved H19/miR-675-5p/MFN2 (mitofusin 2) axis. Cell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of H19 and miR-675-5p on VSMC proliferation and migration. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to assess the interaction between miR-675-5p and Mfn2 mRNA. The mouse model of common carotid artery ligation was used to evaluate the role of H19 in neointimal hyperplasia. Our data suggested that knockdown of H19 inhibited VSMC proliferation and migration, as well as neointimal hyperplasia. Mechanistically, H19 regulated MFN2 through miR-675-5p, leading to ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) activation. In conclusion, we suggest that targeting the H19/miR-675-5p/MFN2/ERK1/2 axis may help to treat vascular remodeling diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Insulin and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate activation of two immunologically distinct myelin basic protein/microtubule-associated protein 2 (MBP/MAP2) kinases via de novo phosphorylation of threonine and tyrosine residues.

Two site-specific antibodies have been prepared by immunizing rabbits with chemically synthesized peptides derived from the partial cDNA-predicted amino acid sequence of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1), which has been proposed to encode the microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) kinase (Boulton, T. G., Yancopoulos, G. D., Gregory, J. S., Slauer, C., Moomaw, C., Hsu, J., and Cobb, M. H. (1990) Science 249, 64-67). With immunoprecipitation in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Western blotting, an antibody to the peptide containing triple tyrosine residues (alpha Y91) resembling one of the insulin receptor autophosphorylation sites specifically recognized 42- and 44-kDa proteins. On the other hand, an antibody to the peptide corresponding to the COOH terminus portions (alpha C92) of the ERK1 cDNA gene product recognized the 44-kDa protein much more efficiently than the 42-kDa protein. With immunoprecipitation in the absence of SDS, alpha Y91 could barely recognize these two proteins and alpha C92 recognized the 44-kDa protein but failed to recognize the 42-kDa protein. Kinase assays in myelin basic protein (MBP)-containing gel, after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, revealed that insulin or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated MBP kinase activity in alpha Y91 immunoprecipitates comigrated at molecular mass 42 and 44 kDa. On the other hand, the stimulated MBP kinase activity in alpha C92 immunoprecipitates comigrated only at molecular mass 44 kDa. Insulin stimulated the MBP kinase activity in gels and phosphorylation of these two proteins by greater than 10-fold with a maximal level at 5 min. Insulin and TPA rapidly stimulate the phosphorylation of the 42- and 44-kDa proteins via de novo threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation. Tryptic phosphopeptide mapping analysis of the 42- and 44-kDa proteins, respectively, revealed a single major phosphopeptide containing phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine, which was common to both insulin- and TPA-stimulated phosphoproteins. Protein phosphatase 2A treatment of these two phosphoproteins caused a complete loss of kinase activity with selective dephosphorylation of phosphothreonine. These data strongly suggest that these two proteins are highly related to the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase with an apparent molecular mass of 42 kDa (Ray, L. B., and Sturgill, T. W. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 3753-3757) and that these two immunologically similar but distinct MBP/MAP2 kinases may represent isozymic forms of MBP/MAP2 kinases. These data also demonstrate that insulin and TPA activate MBP/MAP2 kinase activity by de novo phosphorylation of threonine and tyrosine residues via a very similar pathway.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Isolation and characterization of a novel dual specific phosphatase, HVH2, which selectively dephosphorylates the mitogen-activated protein kinase.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) also known as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) plays a crucial role in various signal transduction pathways. ERK is activated by its upstream activator, MEK, via threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation. ERK activity in the cell is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Here we report the cloning and characterization of a novel dual specific phosphatase, HVH2, which may function in vivo as a MAP kinase phosphatase. The deduced amino acid sequence of HVH2 shows significant identity to the VH1-related dual specific phosphatase family. In addition, the N-terminal region of HVH2 also displays sequence identity to the cell cycle regulator, Cdc25 phosphatase. Recombinant HVH2 phosphatase exhibited a high substrate specificity toward activated ERK and dephosphorylated both threonine and tyrosine residues of activated ERK1 and ERK2. Immunofluorescence studies with an epitope-tagged HVH2 showed that the enzyme was localized in cell nucleus. Transfection of HVH2 into NIH3T3 cells inhibited the v-src and MEK-induced transcriptional activation of serum-responsive element containing promoter, consistent with the notion that HVH2 promotes the inactivation of MAP kinase. HVH2 mRNA showed an expression pattern distinct from CL100 (human homologue of mouse MKP1) and PAC1, two previously identified MAP kinase phosphatases. Our data suggest a possible role of HVH2 in MAP kinase regulation.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Molecular characterization of Ste20p, a potential mitogen-activated protein or extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) kinase kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The Ste20p protein kinase was immunopurified from yeast cells and analyzed in an in vitro assay system. Ste20p immune complexes exhibited autophosphorylating activity at serine and threonine residues and specifically phosphorylated a bacterially expressed glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion of Ste11p (a mitogen-activated protein or extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) kinase homologue) at serine and threonine residues. In contrast, GST fusions either of Ste7p (a MEK homologue) or the beta-subunit of the mating response G-protein and immunoprecipitated Ste5p were not phosphorylated by the Ste20p immune complexes. Myelin basic protein was identified as an excellent in vitro substrate, whereas histone H1 was only poorly phosphorylated. Evidence was obtained that autophosphorylation might play a regulatory role for the in vitro kinase activity. The in vitro activity was found to be Ca(2+)-independent. Both the in vivo and in vitro activities were abolished by mutational changes of either the conserved lysine residue 649 within the ATP binding site or threonine 777 between the catalytic subdomains VII and VIII. Wild-type Ste20p and the catalytically inactive T777A mutant were identified as phosphoproteins in vivo. The phosphorylation occurred at serine and threonine residues independent of pheromone stimulation. Based on the genetically determined significance of Ste20p in pheromone signal transduction and on our in vitro studies, we propose the model that Ste20p represents a yeast MEK kinase kinase whose function is to link G-protein-coupled receptors through G beta gamma to a mitogen-activated protein kinase module.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Cloning and characterization of a human protein kinase with homology to Ste20.

A human protein kinase (termed MST1) has been cloned and characterized. The MST1 catalytic domain is most homologous to Ste20 and other Ste20-like kinases (62-65% similar). MST1 is expressed ubiquitously, and the MST1 protein is present in all human cell lines examined. Biochemical characterization of MST1 catalytic activity demonstrates that it is a serine/threonine kinase, and that it can phosphorylate an exogenous substrate as well as itself in an in vitro kinase assay. Further characterization of the protein indicates MST1 activity increases approximately 3-4-fold upon treatment with PP2A, suggesting that MST1 is negatively regulated by phosphorylation. MST1 activity decreases approximately 2-fold upon treatment with epidermal growth factor; however, overexpression of MST1 does not affect extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 and -2 activation. MST1 is unaffected by heat shock or high osmolarity, indicating that it is not involved in the stress-activated or high osmolarity glycerol signal transduction pathways. Thus MST1, although homologous to a member of a yeast MAPK cascade, is not involved in the regulation of a known mammalian MAPK pathway and potentially regulates a novel signaling cascade.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK1 stimulates a pattern of gene expression typical of the hypertrophic phenotype in rat ventricular cardiomyocytes.

Adult mammalian ventricular cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated cells that enlarge adaptively by hypertrophy. In this situation, genes normally expressed in the fetal ventricular cardiomyocyte (e.g. atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC), and skeletal muscle (SkM) alpha-actin) are re-expressed, and there is transient expression of immediate early genes (e.g. c-fos). Using appropriate reporter plasmids, we studied the effects of transfection of the constitutively active or dominant negative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK1 on ANF, beta-MHC, and SkM alpha-actin promoter activities in cultured ventricular cardiomyocytes. ANF expression was stimulated (maximally 75-fold) by the hypertrophic agonist phenylephrine in a dose-dependent manner (EC50, 10 microM), and this stimulation was inhibited by dominant negative MEK1. Cotransfection of dominant negative MEK1 with a dominant negative mitogen-activated protein kinase (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK2)) increased this inhibition. Transfection with constitutively active MEK1 constructs doubled ANF promoter activity. The additional cotransfection of wild-type ERK2 stimulated ANF promoter activity by about 5-fold. Expression of beta-MHC and SkM alpha-actin was also stimulated. Promoter activity regulated by activator protein-1 or c-fos serum response element consensus sequences was also increased. We conclude that the MEK1/ERK2 cascade may play a role in regulating gene expression during hypertrophy.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Functional expression and growth factor activation of an epitope-tagged p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase, p44mapk.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) or extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) are serine/threonine kinases of apparent Mr 42-44 kDa that are rapidly activated by a variety of extracellular signals in many cell types. This activation coincides with their phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine residues, and these covalent modifications are required for full activity of the enzymes. They are thought to play a pivotal role in integrating and transmitting transmembrane signals for growth and differentiation. Here, we report the cloning, sequence, and functional expression in fibroblasts of the hamster p44 MAP kinase (p44mapk). The protein deduced from the nucleotide sequence of an almost full-length cDNA is 98.6% homologous to the rat p44mapk (ERK1). To distinguish the expression of the cloned cDNA from the endogenous p44mapk, we fused to the 5' end of the cDNA an initiating codon followed by an influenza hemagglutinin 9-residue peptide epitope (HAP). The chimeric kinase HAP/p44mapk, under transcriptional control of the cytomegalovirus promoter, was stably expressed in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts in a functional form. We show that its basal activity, measured by phosphorylation of the substrate myelin basic protein, is activated severalfold (up to 25) by the mitogens alpha-thrombin, platelet-derived growth factor, and fetal calf serum. In addition, we report that in response to alpha-thrombin, this activation is rapid (6-fold in 1 min), biphasic (first peak at 5 min, second broader peak at 1-2 h), persistent (for greater than or equal to 4 h), and parallel to an increased phosphorylation on tyrosine.We conclude that the constructed and stably expressed chimera, HAP/p44mapk, has retained apparently all the hormonal regulation features of the endogenous form. This system now offers the possibility to study structure-function relationships and to determine the role of this kinase in growth control.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Requirement for MAP kinase (ERK2) activity in interferon alpha- and interferon beta-stimulated gene expression through STAT proteins.

Activation of early response genes by interferons (IFNs) requires tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) proteins. It was found that the serine-threonine kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) [specifically, the 42-kilodalton MAPK or extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2)] interacted with the alpha subunit of IFN-alpha/beta receptor in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of cells with IFN-beta induced tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of MAPK and caused MAPK and Stat1 alpha to coimmunoprecipitate. Furthermore, expression of dominant negative MAPK inhibited IFN-beta-induced transcription. Therefore, MAPK appears to regulate IFN-alpha and IFN-beta activation of early response genes by modifying the Jak-STAT signaling cascade.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1995

Identification of a dual specificity kinase that activates the Jun kinases and p38-Mpk2.

One Ras-dependent protein kinase cascade leading from growth factor receptors to the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinases) subgroup of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is dependent on the protein kinase Raf-1, which activates the MEK (MAPK or ERK kinase) dual specificity kinases. A second protein kinase cascade leading to activation of the Jun kinases (JNKs) is dependent on MEKK (MEK kinase). A dual-specificity kinase that activates JNK, named JNKK, was identified that functions between MEKK and JNK. JNKK activated the JNKs but did not activate the ERKs and was unresponsive to Raf-1 in transfected HeLa cells. JNKK also activated another MAPK, p38 (Mpk2; the mammalian homolog of HOG1 from yeast), whose activity is regulated similarly to that of the JNKs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Gamma interferon induces rapid and coordinate activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and calcium-independent protein kinase C in human monocytes.

Gamma interferon plays an important role in regulating the functional properties of mononuclear phagocytes. In the present study, the role of activated protein kinases in the mechanism of action of gamma interferon cell signaling in human peripheral blood monocytes was investigated. Analysis in vitro of 100,000 x g cytosolic fractions from untreated and interferon-treated cells showed that agonist treatment resulted in time- and concentration-dependent increases in phosphotransferase activity when myelin basic protein (MBP) was used as the substrate. Anion-exchange chromatography of high-speed supernatants prepared from detergent extracts of interferon-treated cells revealed two discrete peaks of MBP phosphotransferase activity. Immunoblotting of fractions from these peaks with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies and with antibodies that specifically recognize the family of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases detected a MAP kinase with a subunit M(r) of 42,000 in the earliest-eluting peak (peak 1). Phosphorylation of the 42,000-M(r) protein on tyrosine was observed only after treatment of cells with interferon. The contribution of MAP kinase to the interferon-stimulated activity in peak 1 was confirmed by quantitative immunoprecipitation with anti-MAP kinase and antiphosphotyrosine antibodies. The conclusion that the interferon-activated MBP kinase in peak 1 could be accounted for by an activated MAP kinase was also supported by the finding that fractions from Mono Q peak 1 demonstrated activity towards a MAP kinase-specific substrate. The later-eluting peak of interferon-activated MBP phosphotransferase activity appeared to be accounted for by an activated protein kinase C (PKC). This conclusion is based upon analyses of immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation experiments with antibodies to PKC and was also supported by the observed inhibition of this kinase with a PKC pseudosubstrate peptide. The interferon-stimulated PKC present in Mono Q peak 2 was active in the absence of calcium ions, suggesting that it is a calcium-independent isoform of PKC.

Amino Acid Sequence↗