Regulation of CAMP (cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide) expression in adipocytes by TLR 2 and 4

Recent data argue for a pro-inflammatory role of CAMP (cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide) in adipocytes and adipose tissue (AT) and for regulatory circuits involving TLRs. In order to investigate regulatory effects of TLR2 and TLR4, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were stimulated with TLR2 agonistic lipopeptide MALP-2 and with TLR4 agonist LPS in presence or absence of signal transduction inhibitors. CAMP gene expression was analysed by quantitative real-time PCR in adipocytes and in murine AT compartments and cellular subfractions. CAMP expression was higher in gonadal than in subcutaneous AT and there was a gender-specific effect with higher levels in males. Adipocytes had higher CAMP expression than the stroma-vascular cell (SVC) fraction. MALP-2 up-regulated CAMP expression significantly, mediated by STAT3 and PI3K and potentially (non-significant trend) by NF-κB and MAPK, but not by raf-activated MEK-1/-2. Moreover, LPS proved to act as a potent inducer of CAMP via NF-κB, PI3K and STAT3, whereas specific inhibition of MAPK and MEK-1/-2 had no effect. In conclusion, activation of TLR2 and TLR4 by classical ligands up-regulates adipocyte CAMP expression involving classical signal transduction elements. These might represent future drug targets for pharmacological modulation of CAMP expression in adipocytes, especially in the context of metabolic and infectious diseases.

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GSK-3β Can Regulate the Sensitivity of MIA-PaCa-2 Pancreatic and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells to Chemotherapeutic Drugs, Targeted Therapeutics and Nutraceuticals

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10040816 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 816

Author(s):

Stephen L. Abrams ◽

Shaw M. Akula ◽

Akshaya K. Meher ◽

Linda S. Steelman ◽

Agnieszka Gizak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Signal Transduction ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Mitochondrial Respiration ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Chemotherapeutic Drugs ◽

Pancreatic Cancers ◽

Signal Transduction Inhibitors ◽

Gsk 3Β ◽

Mcf 7

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a regulator of signaling pathways. KRas is frequently mutated in pancreatic cancers. The growth of certain pancreatic cancers is KRas-dependent and can be suppressed by GSK-3 inhibitors, documenting a link between KRas and GSK-3. To further elucidate the roles of GSK-3β in drug-resistance, we transfected KRas-dependent MIA-PaCa-2 pancreatic cells with wild-type (WT) and kinase-dead (KD) forms of GSK-3β. Transfection of MIA-PaCa-2 cells with WT-GSK-3β increased their resistance to various chemotherapeutic drugs and certain small molecule inhibitors. Transfection of cells with KD-GSK-3β often increased therapeutic sensitivity. An exception was observed with cells transfected with WT-GSK-3β and sensitivity to the BCL2/BCLXL ABT737 inhibitor. WT-GSK-3β reduced glycolytic capacity of the cells but did not affect the basal glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. KD-GSK-3β decreased both basal glycolysis and glycolytic capacity and reduced mitochondrial respiration in MIA-PaCa-2 cells. As a comparison, the effects of GSK-3 on MCF-7 breast cancer cells, which have mutant PIK3CA, were examined. KD-GSK-3β increased the resistance of MCF-7 cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and certain signal transduction inhibitors. Thus, altering the levels of GSK-3β can have dramatic effects on sensitivity to drugs and signal transduction inhibitors which may be influenced by the background of the tumor.

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Techniques to examine nucleotide binding by pseudokinases

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst20130075 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 975-980 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Isabelle S. Lucet ◽

Jeffrey J. Babon ◽

James M. Murphy

Keyword(s):

Signal Transduction ◽

Drug Targets ◽

Nucleotide Binding ◽

Biological Functions ◽

Binding Properties ◽

Catalytic Activities ◽

Functional Studies ◽

Signalling Molecules ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Human Kinome

Approximately 10% of the human kinome has been classified as pseudokinases due to the absence of one or more of three motifs known to play key roles in the catalytic activities of protein kinases. Structural and functional studies are now emerging, reclassifying this ‘dead’ kinase family as essential signalling molecules that act as crucial modulators of signal transduction. This raises the prospect that pseudokinases may well represent an as-yet-unexplored class of drug targets. However, the extent to which nucleotide binding and catalytic activity contribute to the biological functions of pseudokinases remains an area of great controversy. In the present review, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods employed to characterize the nucleotide-binding properties and activity of pseudokinases.

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