scholarly journals Mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 regulates cytoskeletal organization and chemotaxis via catalytic and microtubule-specific interactions.

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1219-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
A A Reszka ◽  
J C Bulinski ◽  
E G Krebs ◽  
E H Fischer

The extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) 1 and 2 are mitogen-activated protein kinases that act as key components in a signaling cascade linking growth factor receptors to the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. ERK2 mutants have been used to alter cytoskeletal regulation in Chinese hamster ovary cells without affecting cell growth or feedback signaling. Mutation of the unique loop L6 (residues 91-95), which is in a portion of the molecule that is cryptic upon the binding of ERK2 to the microtubules (MTs), generated significant morphological alterations. Most notable phenotypes were observed after expression of a combined mutant incorporating changes to both L6 and the TEY phosphorylation lip, including a 70% increase in cell spreading. Actin stress fibers in these cells, which normally formed a single broad parallel array, were arranged in three or more orientations or in fan-like arrays. MTs, which ordinarily extend longitudinally from the centrosome, spread radially, covering a larger surface area. Single, but not the double, mutations of the Thr and Tyr residues of the TEY phosphorylation lip caused a ca. 25% increase in cell spreading, accompanied by a threefold increase in chemotactic cell migration. Mutation of Lys-52 triggered a 48% increase in cell spreading but no alteration to chemotaxis. These findings suggest that wild-type ERK2 inhibits the organization of the cytoskeleton, the spreading of the cell, and chemotactic migration. This involves control of the orientation of actin and MTs and the positioning of focal adhesions via regulatory interactions that may occur on the MTs.

2002 ◽  
Vol 363 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos MONTERO ◽  
Laura YUSTE ◽  
Elena DÍAZ-RODRÍGUEZ ◽  
Azucena ESPARÍS-OGANDO ◽  
Atanasio PANDIELLA

Solubilization of a number of membrane proteins occurs by the action of cell-surface proteases, termed secretases. Recently, the activity of these secretases has been reported to be controlled by the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/ERK2) and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) routes. In the present paper, we show that shedding of membrane-anchored growth factors (MAGFs) may also occur through MAPK-independent routes. In Chinese-hamster ovary cells, cleavage induced by protein kinase C (PKC) stimulation was largely insensitive to inhibitors of the ERK1/ERK2 and p38 routes. Other reagents such as sorbitol or UV light stimulated MAGF cleavage independent of PKC. The action of sorbitol on cleavage was only partially prevented by the combined action of inhibitors of the p38 and ERK1/ERK2 routes, indicating that sorbitol can also stimulate shedding by MAPK-dependent and -independent routes. Studies in cells devoid of activity of the secretase tumour necrosis factor-α-converting enzyme (TACE) indicated that this protease had an essential role in PKC- and ERK1/ERK2-mediated shedding. However, secretases other than TACE may also cleave MAGFs since sorbitol could still induce shedding in these cells. These observations suggest that cleavage of MAGFs is a complex process in which multiple secretases, activated through different MAPK-dependent and -independent routes, are involved.


2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1129-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Antonelli ◽  
Francesca Bernasconi ◽  
Yung H. Wong ◽  
Lucia Vallar

Many receptors coupled to the pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi/o proteins stimulate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The role of the α chains of these G proteins in MAPK activation is poorly understood. We investigated the ability of Gαo to regulate MAPK activity by transient expression of the activated mutant Gαo-Q205L in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Gαo-Q205L was not sufficient to activate MAPK but greatly enhanced the response to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. This effect was not associated with changes in the state of tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor. Gαo-Q205L also potentiated MAPK stimulation by activated Ras. In Chinese hamster ovary cells, EGF receptors activate B-Raf but not Raf-1 or A-Raf. We found that expression of activated Gαo stimulated B-Raf activity independently of the activation of the EGF receptor or Ras. Inactivation of protein kinase C and inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase abolished both B-Raf activation and EGF receptor-dependent MAPK stimulation by Gαo. Moreover, Gαo-Q205L failed to affect MAPK activation by fibroblast growth factor receptors, which stimulate Raf-1 and A-Raf but not B-Raf activity. These results suggest that Gαo can regulate the MAPK pathway by activating B-Raf through a mechanism that requires a concomitant signal from tyrosine kinase receptors or Ras to efficiently stimulate MAPK activity. Further experiments showed that receptor-mediated activation of Gαo caused a B-Raf response similar to that observed after expression of the mutant subunit. The finding that Gαo induces Ras-independent and protein kinase C- and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase-dependent activation of B-Raf and conditionally stimulates MAPK activity provides direct evidence for intracellular signals connecting this G protein subunit to the MAPK pathway.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (4) ◽  
pp. C1130-C1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
P. M. Rose ◽  
M. L. Webb ◽  
M. J. Dunn

Endothelin (ET) has been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). However, it has been unclear which of the ET receptors is coupled to MAPK activation. In the present study, we conducted experiments to determine which ET receptor is linked to MAPK activation. We found that both human ETA and ETB were coupled to the MAPK cascade in ETA or ETB cDNA-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. ET-1 was more potent than ET-3 in the activation of p42 MAPK, induction of MAPK kinase (MAPKK) gel retardation and uptake of [3H]thymidine in ETA-transfected cells, whereas sarafotoxin (S6c) showed no stimulatory effect on the kinases and [3H]thymidine uptake. ET-1, ET-3, and S6c had approximately the same potency to activate p42 MAPK, MAPKK gel retardation, and [3H]thymidine uptake in ETB-transfected cells. These data suggest that 1) ET isopeptides, through either ETA or ETB receptors, induce the MAPK cascade as well as cell proliferation; and 2) the different potencies of ET isopeptides for activation of the MAPK cascade and induction of cell growth are mainly due to their different affinities toward ETA and ETB.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (23) ◽  
pp. 8296-8305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Vomastek ◽  
Marcin P. Iwanicki ◽  
Hans-Joerg Schaeffer ◽  
Adel Tarcsafalvi ◽  
J. Thomas Parsons ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade is activated in response to a multitude of extracellular signals and converts these signals into a variety of specific biological responses, including cell differentiation, cell movement, cell division, and apoptosis. The specificity of the biological response is likely to be controlled in large measure by the localization of signaling, thus enabling ERK activity to be directed towards specific targets. Here we show that the RACK1 scaffold protein functions specifically in integrin-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK cascade and targets active ERK to focal adhesions. We found that RACK1 associated with the core kinases of the ERK pathway, Raf, MEK, and ERK, and that attenuation of RACK1 expression resulted in a decrease in ERK activity in response to adhesion but not in response to growth factors. RACK1 silencing also caused a reduction of active ERK in focal adhesions, an increase in focal adhesion length, a decreased rate of focal adhesion disassembly, and decreased motility. Our data further suggest that focal adhesion kinase is an upstream activator of the RACK1/ERK pathway. We suggest that RACK1 tethers the ERK pathway core kinases and channels signals from upstream activation by integrins to downstream targets at focal adhesions.


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