scholarly journals Essential role of B-Raf in oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination during postnatal central nervous system development

2008 ◽  
Vol 180 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergana Galabova-Kovacs ◽  
Federica Catalanotti ◽  
Dana Matzen ◽  
Gloria X. Reyes ◽  
Jürgen Zezula ◽  
...  

Mutations in the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, particularly in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) activator B-Raf, are associated with human tumorigenesis and genetic disorders. Hence, B-Raf is a prime target for molecule-based therapies, and understanding its essential biological functions is crucial for their success. B-Raf is expressed preferentially in cells of neuronal origin. Here, we show that in mice, conditional ablation of B-Raf in neuronal precursors leads to severe dysmyelination, defective oligodendrocyte differentiation, and reduced ERK activation in brain. Both B-Raf ablation and chemical inhibition of MEK impair oligodendrocyte differentiation in vitro. In glial cell cultures, we find B-Raf in a complex with MEK, Raf-1, and kinase suppressor of Ras. In B-Raf–deficient cells, more Raf-1 is recruited to MEK, yet MEK/ERK phosphorylation is impaired. These data define B-Raf as the rate-limiting MEK/ERK activator in oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination and have implications for the design and use of Raf inhibitors.

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 3932-3942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madesh Belakavadi ◽  
Pradeep K. Pandey ◽  
Ravi Vijayvargia ◽  
Joseph D. Fondell

ABSTRACT Mediator is a conserved multisubunit complex that acts as a functional interface between regulatory transcription factors and the general RNA polymerase II initiation apparatus. MED1 is a pivotal component of the complex that binds to nuclear receptors and a broad array of other gene-specific activators. Paradoxically, MED1 is found in only a fraction of the total cellular Mediator complexes, and the mechanisms regulating its binding to the core complex remain unclear. Here, we report that phosphorylation of MED1 by mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK-ERK) promotes its association with Mediator. We show that MED1 directly binds to the MED7 subunit and that ERK phosphorylation of MED1 enhances this interaction. Interestingly, we found that both thyroid and steroid hormones stimulate MED1 phosphorylation in vivo and that MED1 phosphorylation is required for its nuclear hormone receptor coactivator activity. Finally, we show that MED1 phosphorylation by ERK enhances thyroid hormone receptor-dependent transcription in vitro. Our findings suggest that ERK phosphorylation of MED1 is a regulatory mechanism that promotes MED1 association with Mediator and, as such, may facilitate a novel feed-forward action of nuclear hormones.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Luk ◽  
Sonja Boatman ◽  
Katherine N. Johnson ◽  
Olivia A. Dudek ◽  
Natalie Ristau ◽  
...  

Morphine stimulates tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression in mice. We examined if morphine influences endothelial-pericyte interaction via platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and PDGF receptor-β(PDGFR-β). Clinically relevant doses of morphine stimulated PDGF-BB secretion from human umbilical vein endothelial cells and activated PDGFR-βand mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) phosphorylation in human pericytes. Thesein vitroeffects of morphine were translated into promotion of tumor angiogenesis in a transgenic mice model of breast cancer when treated with clinically used dose of morphine. Increased vessel-associated immunoreactivity of desmin and PDGFR-βwas observed on pericytes in tumors of morphine-treated mice. These data suggest that morphine potentiates endothelial-pericyte interaction via PDGF-BB/PDGFR-βsignaling and promotes tumor angiogenesis, pericyte recruitment, and coverage of tumor vessels. We speculate that morphine may impair the effectiveness of antiangiogenic therapy by influencing vascular pericyte coverage.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (17) ◽  
pp. 7592-7604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Kortum ◽  
Diane L. Costanzo ◽  
Jamie Haferbier ◽  
Steven J. Schreiner ◽  
Gina L. Razidlo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways are implicated in the regulation of cell differentiation, although their precise roles in many differentiation programs remain elusive. The Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase cascade has been proposed to both promote and inhibit adipogenesis. Here, we titrate expression of the molecular scaffold kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) to regulate signaling through the Raf/MEK/ERK/p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) kinase cascade and show how it determines adipogenic potential. Deletion of KSR1 prevents adipogenesis in vitro, which can be rescued by introduction of low levels of KSR1. Appropriate levels of KSR1 coordinate ERK and RSK activation with C/EBPβ synthesis leading to the phosphorylation and stabilization of C/EBPβ at the precise moment it is required within the adipogenic program. Elevated levels of KSR1 expression, previously shown to enhance cell proliferation, promote high, sustained ERK activation that phosphorylates and inhibits peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, inhibiting adipogenesis. Titration of KSR1 expression reveals how a molecular scaffold can modulate the intensity and duration of signaling emanating from a single pathway to dictate cell fate.


2007 ◽  
Vol 403 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Pacquelet ◽  
Jennifer L. Johnson ◽  
Beverly A. Ellis ◽  
Agnieszka A. Brzezinska ◽  
William S. Lane ◽  
...  

Exposure of neutrophils to LPS (lipopolysaccharide) triggers their oxidative response. However, the relationship between the signalling downstream of TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) after LPS stimulation and the activation of the oxidase remains elusive. Phosphorylation of the cytosolic factor p47phox is essential for activation of the NADPH oxidase. In the present study, we examined the hypothesis that IRAK-4 (interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4), the main regulatory kinase downstream of TLR4 activation, regulates the NADPH oxidase through phosphorylation of p47phox. We show that p47phox is a substrate for IRAK-4. Unlike PKC (protein kinase C), IRAK-4 phosphorylates p47phox not only at serine residues, but also at threonine residues. Target residues were identified by tandem MS, revealing a novel threonine-rich regulatory domain. We also show that p47phox is phosphorylated in granulocytes in response to LPS stimulation. LPS-dependent phosphorylation of p47phox was enhanced by the inhibition of p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), confirming that the kinase operates upstream of p38 MAPK. IRAK-4-phosphorylated p47phox activated the NADPH oxidase in a cell-free system, and IRAK-4 overexpression increased NADPH oxidase activity in response to LPS. We have shown that endogenous IRAK-4 interacts with p47phox and they co-localize at the plasma membrane after LPS stimulation, using immunoprecipitation assays and immunofluorescence microscopy respectively. IRAK-4 was activated in neutrophils in response to LPS stimulation. We found that Thr133, Ser288 and Thr356, targets for IRAK-4 phosphorylation in vitro, are also phosphorylated in endogenous p47phox after LPS stimulation. We conclude that IRAK-4 phosphorylates p47phox and regulates NADPH oxidase activation after LPS stimulation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 698-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Ozon ◽  
Antoine Guichet ◽  
Olivier Gavet ◽  
Siegfried Roth ◽  
André Sobel

Stathmin is a ubiquitous regulatory phosphoprotein, the generic element of a family of neural phosphoproteins in vertebrates that possess the capacity to bind tubulin and interfere with microtubule dynamics. Although stathmin and the other proteins of the family have been associated with numerous cell regulations, their biological roles remain elusive, as in particular inactivation of the stathmin gene in the mouse resulted in no clear deleterious phenotype. We identified stathmin phosphoproteins inDrosophila, encoded by a unique gene sharing the intron/exon structure of the vertebrate stathmin andstathmin family genes. They interfere with microtubule assembly in vitro, and in vivo when expressed in HeLa cells. Drosophila stathmin expression is regulated during embryogenesis: it is high in the migrating germ cells and in the central and peripheral nervous systems, a pattern resembling that of mammalian stathmin. Furthermore, RNA interference inactivation ofDrosophila stathmin expression resulted in germ cell migration arrest at stage 14. It also induced important anomalies in nervous system development, such as loss of commissures and longitudinal connectives in the ventral cord, or abnormal chordotonal neuron organization. In conclusion, a single Drosophilagene encodes phosphoproteins homologous to the entire vertebrate stathmin family. We demonstrate for the first time their direct involvement in major biological processes such as development of the reproductive and nervous systems.


2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 1544-1556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jade Mei-Yeh Lu ◽  
Robert J. Deschenes ◽  
Jan S. Fassler

ABSTRACT Yeast Sln1p is an osmotic stress sensor with histidine kinase activity. Modulation of Sln1 kinase activity in response to changes in the osmotic environment regulates the activity of the osmotic response mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and the activity of the Skn7p transcription factor, both important for adaptation to changing osmotic stress conditions. Many aspects of Sln1 function, such as how kinase activity is regulated to allow a rapid response to the continually changing osmotic environment, are not understood. To gain insight into Sln1p function, we conducted a two-hybrid screen to identify interactors. Mog1p, a protein that interacts with the yeast Ran1 homolog, Gsp1p, was identified in this screen. The interaction with Mog1p was characterized in vitro, and its importance was assessed in vivo. mog1 mutants exhibit defects in SLN1-SKN7 signal transduction and mislocalization of the Skn7p transcription factor. The requirement for Mog1p in normal localization of Skn7p to the nucleus does not fully account for the mog1-related defects in SLN1-SKN7 signal transduction, raising the possibility that Mog1p may play a role in Skn7 binding and activation of osmotic response genes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1426-1434
Author(s):  
Hairui Xie ◽  
Lili Zhou ◽  
Zhijiang Chen ◽  
Hong Zhao

Achondroplasia is a kind of congenital dysplasia due to the defect of endochondral ossification. Achondroplasia is considered to be a protein folding disease leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress may lead to disease by affecting the function and survival state of chondrocytes, but the specific mechanism requires further study. In this study, bioinformatics methods, online database mining, screening of differentially expressed genes for pathway enrichment, and interaction analysis were conducted to detect the Wnt family member 5a (Wnt5a) gene. Additionally, we designed a novel DNAzymes-based nanocomposite that can simultaneously silence Wnt5a genes in chondrocytes. The nanocomposite was composed of amino-functionalized cobalt oxyhydroxide nanoflakes modified by DNAzymes that target the Wnt5a gene. Further, we conducted in vitro experiments to verify that Wnt5a can mediate the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway through the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway to affect the proliferation of chondrocytes.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5659-5669 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tyers ◽  
B Futcher

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Cdc28 protein kinase controls commitment to cell division at Start, but no biologically relevant G1-phase substrates have been identified. We have studied the kinase complexes formed between Cdc28 and each of the G1 cyclins Cln1, Cln2, and Cln3. Each complex has a specific array of coprecipitated in vitro substrates. We identify one of these as Far1, a protein required for pheromone-induced arrest at Start. Treatment with alpha-factor induces a preferential association and/or phosphorylation of Far1 by the Cln1, Cln2, and Cln3 kinase complexes. This induced interaction depends upon the Fus3 protein kinase, a mitogen-activated protein kinase homolog that functions near the bottom of the alpha-factor signal transduction pathway. Thus, we trace a path through which a mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates a Cdc2 kinase.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document