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Inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinase-based signal transduction as specific target for cancer treatment.

Every cell in a multicellular organism receives signals from the extracellular matrix and neighboring cells. These signals are transmitted, via transmembrane receptors and cascade proteins of the intracellular message system, inside the cell and often to the nucleus, regulating almost every physiological function of the cell. Protein tyrosine kinases constitute a family of receptors that regulate major cellular events, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion and apoptosis. Mutant tyrosine kinases and/or their aberrant activity are associated with human cancer and other hyper-proliferative diseases. Strategies for inhibition of aberrant tyrosine kinase activity, such as antisense oligonucleotides, antigenic stimulation and small molecular inhibitors have been developed. STI571, a phenylaminopyrimidine derivative, is considered to be the pioneer of the small molecular inhibitors available to date. It is a successful tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which is currently approved and used for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal tumors. In this article we review the mechanisms of cell signaling, the signal transduction pathways related to tyrosine kinases, their relationship with cancer, and the strategies developed to inhibit the aberrant tyrosine kinase receptor-based signal transduction. Drug resistance and future perspectives for combination therapies are also discussed.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Signal transduction via the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway induced by binding of coagulation factor VIIa to tissue factor.

The putative role of tissue factor (TF) as a receptor involved in signal transduction is indicated by its sequence homology to cytokine receptors (Bazan, J. F. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 87, 6934-6938). Signal transduction induced by binding of FVIIa to cells expressing TF was studied with baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells stably transfected with TF and with a reporter gene construct encoding a luciferase gene under transcriptional control of tandem cassettes of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) elements and one serum response element (SRE). FVIIa induced a significant luciferase response in cells expressing TF, BHK(+TF), but not in cells without TF. The BHK(+TF) cells responded to the addition of FVIIa in a dose-dependent manner, whereas no response was observed with active site-inhibited FVIIa, which also worked as an antagonist to FVIIa-induced signaling. Activation of the p44/42 MAPK pathway upon binding of FVIIa to TF was demonstrated by suppression of signaling with the specific kinase inhibitor PD98059 and demonstration of a transient p44/42 MAPK phosphorylation. No stimulation of p44/42 MAPK phosphorylation was observed with catalytically inactive FVIIa derivatives suggesting that the catalytic activity of FVIIa was obligatory for activation of the MAPK pathway. Signal transduction caused by a putative generation of FXa activity was excluded by experiments showing that FVIIa/TF-induced signaling was not quenched by tick anticoagulant protein, just as addition of FXa could not induce phosphorylation of p44/42 MAPK in BHK(+TF) cells. These results suggest a specific mechanism by which binding of FVIIa to cell surface TF independent of coagulation can modulate cellular functions and possibly play a role in angiogenesis and tumor metastasis as indicated by several recent observations.

Animals↗

Effects of a phosphodiesterase IV inhibitor rolipram on microsphere embolism-induced defects in memory function and cerebral cyclic AMP signal transduction system in rats.

The effects of treatment with rolipram, a specific phosphodiesterase IV inhibitor, on learning and memory function and on the cyclic AMP/PKA/CREB signal transduction system were examined in rats with microsphere embolism (ME)-induced cerebral ischaemia. Sustained cerebral ischaemia was induced by the injection of 900 microspheres (48 microm in diameter) into the right hemisphere of the rat brain. The animals were treated once daily with 3 mg kg(-1) rolipram i.p. from 6 h after the onset of the operation for consecutive 10 days. Microsphere-embolized rats showed prolongation of the escape latency in the water maze task starting from day 7 after the operation and lasting for 3 consecutive days. Treatment with rolipram reduced the escape latency. ME decreased the cyclic AMP content, cytosolic PKA Cbeta level, and nuclear PKA Calpha and Cbeta levels, as well as reduced the pCREB level and the DNA-binding activity of CREB in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus on day 10 after the operation. These alterations were attenuated by treatment with rolipram. These results suggest that ME-induced failure in learning and memory function may be mediated by dysfunction of the cyclic AMP/PKA/CREB signal transduction system, that rolipram may ameliorate ME-induced impairment of learning and memory function, and that the drug effect may be partly attributed to activation of the cyclic AMP/PKA/CREB signal transduction system.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Exclusion of known protease-activated receptors in factor VIIa-induced signal transduction.

The protease activity is mandatory for intracellular activities induced by coagulation factor VIIa (FVIIa), and in this way it resembles signal transduction induced by thrombin and trypsin caused by specific, proteolytic cleavage of protease activated receptors (PARs). The mechanism for FVIIa-induced signal transduction is, however, not known although a mechanism involving PAR cleavage has been deduced from studies of cytosolic Ca2+ release and p44/p42 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. In the present work we have examined the possibilities that i) FVIIa-induced signal transduction involves the activation of one of the four known PARs, or ii) exposure of cells to FVIIa releases a soluble ligand that is responsible for MAPK activation. For this purpose, we evaluated the effects of FVIIa, thrombin, FXa, trypsin and PAR agonist peptides on the Ca2+ release and MAPK activation in tissue factor-(TF) transfected baby hamster kidney (BHK[+TF]) cells and Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. FVIIa induced a significant MAPK signal in BHK(+TF) cells and in MDCK-I and -II cells whereas no MAPK activation was observed with thrombin, FXa or PAR agonist peptides. Thrombin, trypsin, PAR-1 and PAR-2 agonist peptides induced a prominent Ca2+ response in both cell types. In contrast the cells did not respond with a detectable Ca2+ signal when treated with FVIIa. These results suggest that the intracellular activity induced by FVIIa is distinctly different from that induced by trypsin, thrombin and FXa not involving any of the known PARs. Conditioned medium from BHK(+TF) cells treated with FVIIa failed to induce a MAPK response in untreated BHK(+TF) cells when FVIIa was removed by immunoadsorption from the medium prior to its transfer to the untreated BHK(+TF) cells. Although it is not possible entirely to exclude a transient response close to the cell surface, the data suggest that the intracellular response was not induced by an autocrine release of a soluble mediator to the medium.

Animals↗

Transmembrane signal transduction in bacterial chemotaxis involves ligand-dependent activation of phosphate group transfer.

Signal transduction in Escherichia coli involves the interaction of transmembrane receptor proteins such as the aspartate receptor, Tar, and the products of four chemotaxis genes, cheA, cheY, cheW, and cheZ. It was previously shown that the cheA gene product is an autophosphorylating protein kinase that transfers phosphate to CheY, whereas the cheZ gene product acts as a specific CheY phosphatase. Here we report that the system can be reconstituted in vitro and receptor function can be coupled to CheY phosphorylation. Coupling requires the presence of the CheW protein, the appropriate form of the receptor, and the CheA and CheY proteins. Under these conditions the accumulation of CheY-phosphate is enhanced approximately 300-fold. This rate enhancement is seen in reactions using wild-type and "tumble" mutant receptors but not "smooth" mutant receptors. The increased accumulation of phosphoprotein was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of aspartate, using wild-type, but not tumble, receptors. These results provide evidence that the signal transduction pathway in bacterial chemotaxis involves receptor-mediated alteration of the levels of phosphorylated proteins. They suggest that CheW acts as the coupling factor between receptor and phosphorylation. The results also support the suggestion that CheY-phosphate is the tumble signal.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Stem cell factor, the JAK-STAT pathway and signal transduction.

Recent work has demonstrated the importance of Janus family kinases (JAKs) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) in the stimulus-response coupling of receptors lacking intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. In particular, the JAK-STAT pathway appears critical in signal transduction by interferon as well as numerous hematopoietic growth factors interacting with members of the hemapoietin receptor superfamily. Although ligands that interact with receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK), such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), have been shown to induce increases in phosphorylation of both JAKs and STATs, little is known about activation of this pathway by stem cell factor (SCF). This review will summarize what is known about the JAK/STAT pathway in relation to SCF signal transduction.

Animals↗

Efficient signal transduction by a chimeric yeast-mammalian G protein alpha subunit Gpa1-Gsalpha covalently fused to the yeast receptor Ste2.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses G protein-coupled receptors for signal transduction. We show that a fusion protein between the alpha-factor receptor (Ste2) and the Galpha subunit (Gpa1) transduces the signal efficiently in yeast cells devoid of the endogeneous STE2 and GPA1 genes. To evaluate the function of different domains of Galpha, a chimera between the N-terminal region of yeast Gpa1 and the C-terminal region of rat Gsalpha has been constructed. This chimeric Gpa1-Gsalpha is capable of restoring viability to haploid gpa1Delta cells, but signal transduction is prevented. This is consistent with evidence showing that the C-terminus of the homologous Galpha is required for receptor-G protein recognition. Surprisingly, a fusion protein between Ste2 and Gpa1-Gsalpha is able to transduce the signal efficiently. It appears, therefore, that the C-terminus of Galpha is mainly responsible for bringing the G protein into the close proximity of the receptor's intracellular domains, thus ensuring efficient coupling, rather than having a particular role in transmitting the signal. To confirm this conclusion, we show that two proteins interacting with each other (such as Snf1 and Snf4, or Ras and Raf), each of them fused either to the receptor or to the chimeric Galpha, allow efficient signal transduction.

Animals↗

[Signal transduction and drug development].

Extracellular information is translated into the cellular responses by various signal transduction systems such as G protein-coupled receptor-linked and protein tyrosine kinase receptor-mediated pathways. The changes or modifications of theses signaling proteins cause uncontrolled transformation or cell death. One of the features of the signaling molecules is that these proteins contain the domains or motifs for protein-protein or protein-lipid interactions governed by several amino acids. Therefore, these amino acids may become promising targets for the drug design. In contrast with intracellular molecules, the receptors located on cellular surface are still the best candidate for the drugs. The future analysis of cellular signal transduction system allows us to develop new drugs that cannot cause serious side effects in future.

Amino Acids↗

Signal transduction, calcium and acute pancreatitis.

Evidence consistently suggests that the earliest changes of acute pancreatitis are intracellular, the hallmark of which is premature intracellular activation of digestive zymogens, accompanied by disruption of normal signal transduction and secretion. Principal components of physiological signal transduction include secretagogue-induced activation of G-protein-linked receptors, followed by generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate and cyclic ADP-ribose. In response, calcium is released from endoplasmic reticulum terminals within the apical, granular pole of the cell, where calcium signals are usually contained by perigranular mitochondria, in turn responding by increased metabolism. When all three intracellular messengers are administered together, even at threshold concentrations, dramatic potentiation results in sustained, global, cytosolic calcium elevation. Prolonged, global elevation of cytosolic calcium is also induced by hyperstimulation, bile salts, alcohol and fatty acid ethyl esters, and depends on continued calcium entry into the cell. Such abnormal calcium signals induce intracellular activation of digestive enzymes, and of nuclear factor kappaB, as well as the morphological changes of acute pancreatitis. Depletion of endoplasmic reticulum calcium and mitochondrial membrane potential may contribute to further cell injury. This review outlines current understanding of signal transduction in the pancreas, and its application to the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗

Bombesin stimulation of mitogenesis. Specific receptors, signal transduction, and early events.

Quiescent cultures of Swiss 3T3 cells can be stimulated to recommence DNA synthesis by polypeptide growth factors, neuropeptides, and various pharmacologic agents that act via multiple signal transduction pathways. Neuropeptides of the bombesin family provide potent mitogens to elucidate these pathways. These peptides bind to specific receptors that have been characterized by radioligand binding and sensitivity to antagonists and identified as glycoproteins with a Mr of 75,000-85,000 by chemical cross-linking. After binding, bombesin elicits a cascade of early molecular events including stimulation of phosphorylation of the acidic Mr 80,000 cellular protein, which is a major substrate of protein kinase C; Ca2+ mobilization mediated by Ins(1,4,5)P3, Na+ and K+ fluxes, transmodulation of EGF receptor, enhancement of cAMP accumulation, and expression of the proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-myc. Studies using membrane preparations and permeabilized 3T3 cells indicate that G proteins play a role in the transduction of the mitogenic signal triggered by the binding of bombesin to its receptor. A pertussis toxin-insensitive G protein couples the bombesin receptor to the generation of a signal that activates protein kinase C, whereas a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein mediates cross-talk between transmembrane signaling pathways. Bombesin-mediated mitogenesis can be blocked by different antagonists and by interrupting the signal-transduction process at various postreceptor levels. Thus, prolonged treatment with vasopressin causes heterologous desensitization to the mitogenic action of bombesin. This mitogenic block is mediated by uncoupling the receptor from its signaling system. Loss of responsiveness to bombesin-stimulated DNA synthesis is also induced by down-regulation of protein kinase C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of milk protein genes is induced directly by exogenous STAT5 without prolactin-mediated signal transduction in transgenic mice.

STAT5 is a member of the family of STAT (signal transducer for activating transcription), which was isolated from nuclear extracts of the lactating gland of sheep. It was reported that, in vitro, STAT5 could be activated directly by prolactin (PRL) without PRL-mediated signal transduction. The present study was conducted to investigate above the possibility in vivo, using the transgenic mice overexpressing ovine STAT5 (oSTAT5) under the control of MMTV promoter. Three transgenic mouse lines that expressed the exogenously introduced oSTAT5 in their mammary glands were established. The expression levels of exogenous oSTAT5 were higher than those of endogenous STAT in the mammary glands of all of the three transgenic lines. Although the expression levels of endogenous milk protein genes, WAP, and beta-casein genes, were not correlated with oSTAT5 expression, the expression levels of WAP and beta-casein were induced by exogenous oSTAT5 in the transgenic mice. The present study demonstrated, at very least, that STAT5 expression can directly activate the expression of milk protein genes, and particularly the WAP gene without PRL-mediated signal transduction.

Animals↗

Actin polymerization is required for negative feedback regulation of epidermal growth factor-induced signal transduction.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces rapid actin filament assembly in the membrane skeleton of a variety of cells. To investigate the significance of this process for signal transduction, actin polymerization is inhibited by dihydrocytochalasin B (CB). CB almost completely abolishes EGF-induced actin polymerization, as assessed by quantitative confocal laser scanning microscopy. Under these conditions, EGF induces enhanced EGF receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase activity, as well as superinduction of the c-fos proto-oncogene. These data suggest that EGF-induced actin polymerization may be important for negative feedback regulation of signal transduction by the EGFR. The phosphorylation of Thr654 by protein kinase C (PKC) is a well-characterized negative feedback control mechanism for signal transduction by the EGFR tyrosine kinase. A synthetic peptide, corresponding to the regions flanking Thr654 of the EGFR, is used to analyze EGF stimulated PKC activity by incorporation of 32P into the peptide. Cotreatment of cells with CB and EGF results in a complete loss of EGF-induced phosphorylation of the peptide. These data suggest that actin polymerization is obligatory for negative feedback regulation of the EGFR tyrosine kinase through the C-kinase pathway.

Actins↗

Demonstration of functional immaturity of signal transduction pathways in human cord T cells.

We examined the nature of cytoplasmic signal transduction pathways in cord blood T cells by stimulating them with tumor promoter (TPA) and calcium ionophore (A23187). Costimulation of T cells with TPA and A23187 induced optimal proliferative responses on Day 2 in cord T cells but on Day 4 in adult T cells. The maximal responses observed in cord T cells were much less than those of adult T cells, whereas the Con A-induced proliferative responses of these cells showed no significant differences. The reduced responses of cord T cells were due to their lower efficiency in activating the cellular events in T cell activation and proliferation phase, because cord T cells have significantly less ability than adult T cells to express IL-2 receptor as well as HLA-DR and produce IL-2 molecules, thereby inducing proliferation. These data show immature characteristics of intracellular signal transduction pathways in cord T cells, which are directly related with the functional immaturity of cord T cells.

Adult↗

Phosphotransfer between CheA, CheY1, and CheY2 in the chemotaxis signal transduction chain of Rhizobium meliloti.

The soil bacterium Rhizobium meliloti responds to chemotactic stimuli by modulating the rotary speed of its flagella. Unlike in Escherichia coli, the signal transduction chain of R. meliloti contains two different response regulators, CheY1 and CheY2, but no CheZ phosphatase. Phosphorylation of CheY1 and CheY2 by the central ATP-dependent autokinase, CheA, is the crucial step in signal transduction. In vivo, phospho-CheY2 (CheY2-P) is the chief regulator of flagellar rotation, its action being modulated by CheY1 [Sourjik, V., and Schmitt, R. (1996) Mol. Microbiol. 22, 427-436]. In this study, we have investigated these phosphotransfer reactions in vitro using the radiolabeled recombinant proteins, CheA (labeled via [gamma-32P]ATP), CheY1, and CheY2 (labeled via acetyl [32P]phosphate). Our results are consistent with the following four-step phosphotransfer: (i) ATP-dependent autophosphorylation of CheA (with a limiting rate constant of 0.008 s-1 at saturating ATP concentrations); (ii) rapid phospho transfer from phospho-CheA to CheY1 and CheY2; (iii) autodephosphorylation of CheY1-P and CheY2-P with half-lives of 12 +/- 1 s and 10.5 +/- 1 s, respectively; and (iv) reversible phosphotransfer from CheY2-P to CheA. In the three-component mixture, CheA/CheY1/CheY2, we observed rapid phosphotransfer from CheY2-P via CheA to CheY1. Thus, CheY1 assumes the role of a "phosphatase" of CheY2-P by acting as a sink for phosphate, whenever unphosphorylated CheA is present. The intracellular concentrations of CheA/CheY1/CheY2 determined immunochemically were 1.5 microM:20 microM:20 microM, a range that was adopted for in vitro assays. The results reflect a unique control by CheY1 of the active, phosphorylated state of the main response regulator, CheY2-P. This mechanism appears to be a new twist to signal transduction among members of the alpha-subgroup of proteobacteria.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Rapid response of Arabidopsis T87 cultured cells to cytokinin through His-to-Asp phosphorelay signal transduction.

According to the current consistent model for the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the scheme for an immediate early response to the plant hormone cytokinin can be formulated as Arabidopsis histidine kinase (AHK) cytokinin receptor-mediated His --> Asp phosphorelay signal transduction. Nonetheless, clarification of the comprehensive picture of cytokinin-mediated signal transduction in this higher plant is at a very early stage. As a new approach to this end, we studied whether or not a certain Arabidopsis cell line (named T87) would be versatile for such work on cytokinin signal transduction. We show that T87 cells had the ability to respond to cytokinin, displaying the immediate early induction of type-A Arabidopsis response regulator (ARR) family genes (e.g., ARR6) at the transcriptional level. This event was further confirmed by employing the stable transgenic lines of T87 cells with a set of ARR::LUC reporter transgenes. We also show that T87 cells had the ability to respond to auxin when the expression of a set of AUX/IAA genes (e.g., IAA5) was examined. As postulated for intact plants, in T87 cells too, the induction of IAA5 by auxin was selectively inhibited in the presence of a proteasome inhibitor, while the induction of ARR6 by cytokinin was not significantly affected under the same conditions. Through transient expression assays with T87 protoplasts, it is shown that the intracellular localization profiles of the phosphorelay intermediate Arabidopsis histidine-containing phosphotransfer factor (AHPs; e.g., AHP1 and AHP4) were markedly affected in response to cytokinin, but those of type-A ARRs were not (e.g., ARR15 and ARR16). Taken together, we conclude that, in T87 cells, the AHK-dependent His --> Asp phosphorelay circuitry appears to be propagated in response to cytokinin, as in the case of plants, as far as the immediate early responses were concerned. This cultured cell system might therefore provide us with an alternative means to further characterize the mechanisms underlying cytokinin (and also auxin) responses at the molecular level.

Arabidopsis↗

Searching for potential drug targets in two-component and phosphorelay signal-transduction systems using three-dimensional cluster analysis.

Two-component and phosphorelay signal transduction systems are central components in the virulence and antimicrobial resistance responses of a number of bacterial and fungal pathogens; in some cases, these systems are essential for bacterial growth and viability. Herein, we analyze in detail the conserved surface residue clusters in the phosphotransferase domain of histidine kinases and the regulatory domain of response regulators by using complex structure-based three-dimensional cluster analysis. We also investigate the protein-protein interactions that these residue clusters participate in. The Spo0B-Spo0F complex structure was used as the reference structure, and the multiple aligned sequences of phosphotransferases and response regulators were paired correspondingly. The results show that a contiguous conserved residue cluster is formed around the active site, which crosses the interface of histidine kinases and response regulators. The conserved residue clusters of phosphotransferase and the regulatory domains are directly involved in the functional implementation of two-component signal transduction systems and are good targets for the development of novel antimicrobial agents.

Binding Sites↗

Flow cytometric analysis of cytokine receptor signal transduction.

Cytokines are critical regulators of the development and maturation of hematopoietic cells. Signal transduction via cytokine receptors proceeds through activation of the JAK-STAT pathway to stimulate cell proliferation, differentiation and effector functions. Phosphorylation of intracellular STAT molecules by the receptor-associated JAK kinases is one of the very early events following cytokine stimulation. Western blot detection of tyrosine phosphorylated STAT molecules is widely used as a hallmark of cytokine receptor activation. However, this is not feasible when cells of interest are limiting, or represent a small fraction within a mixed population of different cell types. To circumvent this technical obstacle, we have developed techniques to detect phosphorylated STAT molecules in fixed cells by flow cytometry. The fixation and permeabilization protocols preserve the antigenicity of cell surface markers allowing us to distinguish distinct cell populations responding to cytokine stimulation. In this report, we demonstrate the use of this technique to rapidly and reliably identify, and quantify thymocyte subsets activated by interleukin-7. We envisage that this technique will find wide application in studying cytokine receptor signal transduction, particularly in identifying cytokine-dependent developmental checkpoints during hematopoiesis.

Animals↗

Immunomodulatory role of interleukin-10 in visceral leishmaniasis: defective activation of protein kinase C-mediated signal transduction events.

Leishmania donovani, an intracellular protozoan parasite, challenges host defense mechanisms by impairing the signal transduction of macrophages. In this study we investigated whether interleukin-10 (IL-10)-mediated alteration of signaling events in a murine model of visceral leishmaniasis is associated with macrophage deactivation. Primary in vitro cultures of macrophages infected with leishmanial parasites markedly elevated the endogenous release of IL-10. Treatment with either L. donovani or recombinant IL-10 (rIL-10) inhibited both the activity and expression of the Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) isoform. However, preincubation with neutralizing anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody (MAb) restored the PKC activity in the parasitized macrophage. Furthermore, we observed that coincubation of macrophages with rIL-10 and L. donovani increased the intracellular parasite burden, which was abrogated by anti-IL-10 MAb. Consistent with these observations, generation of superoxide (O2-) and nitric oxide and the release of murine tumor necrosis factor-alpha were attenuated in response to L. donovani or rIL-10 treatment. On the other hand, preincubation of the infected macrophages with neutralizing anti-IL-10 MAb significantly blocked the inhibition of nitric oxide and murine tumor necrosis factor-alpha release by the infected macrophages. These findings imply that infection with L. donovani induces endogenous secretion of murine IL-10, which in turn facilitates the intracellular survival of the protozoan and orchestrates several immunomodulatory roles via selective impairment of PKC-mediated signal transduction.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗