Persistent cell shrinkage, called apoptotic volume decrease (AVD), is a pivotal event of apoptosis. Activation of the volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying Cl(-) channel (VSOR) is involved in the AVD induction. On the other hand, activation of the MAP kinase (MAPK) cascade is also known to play a critical role in apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the AVD ...

UNLABELLED Reduced availability of l-serine limits cell proliferation and leads to an adaptation to l-serine-deficient environment, the underlying molecular mechanism of which remain largely unexplored. Genetic ablation of 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh), which catalyzes the first step of de novo l-serine synthesis, led to diminished cell proliferation and the activation of p38 MAPK an...

Physical damage to the peripheral nerves triggers Schwann cell injury response in the distal nerves in an event termed Wallerian degeneration: the Schwann cells degrade their myelin sheaths and dedifferentiate, reverting to a phenotype that supports axon regeneration and nerve repair. The molecular mechanisms regulating Schwann cell plasticity in the PNS remain to be elucidated. Using both in v...

PURPOSE AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Previously, we observed that the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK1) is mediated through the activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) as a result of the reactive oxygen species-mediated dissociation of glutaredoxin and thioredoxin from ASK1. In this study, we examined whether p38 MAPK a...

Protein kinase C (PKC)-alpha, -betaI, and -delta are known to be involved in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) p44/42 and p38 in the LPS effect was studied further. LPS-mediated NO release and the inducible form of NO synthase expression were inhibited by the p38 inhibitor, SB 203580, ...

Adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells plays an important role in neuroinflammation. Therefore, suppression of the expression of adhesion molecules in brain endothelial cells may inhibit neuroinflammation. Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid component of propolis, blue passion flowers, and fruits. In the present study, we examined the effects of chrysin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS...

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway activated by mechanical stress was investigated in the isolated perfused amphibian (Rana ridibunda) heart. High perfusion pressure induced the rapid (30 s) and prolonged (30 min) phosphorylation of a p43-extracellular regulated kinase, a response almost completely inhibited by 25 microM PD-98059. c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (...

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (h-channels; I(h); HCN) modulate intrinsic excitability in hippocampal and neocortical pyramidal neurons, among others. Whereas I(h) mediated by the HCN2 isoform is regulated by cAMP, there is little known about kinase modulation of I(h), especially for the HCN1 isoform predominant in pyramidal neurons. We used a computational met...

Cellular phosphorylation events during viral infection are necessary for effective viral replication. Encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus has been used for studies on the molecular mechanisms of viral replication, but little is known about the cellular signaling pathways involved. This investigation was initiated to determine whether mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which are central com...

Evidence indicates that stretch of the uterus imposed by the growing fetus contributes to the onset of labor. Previously we have shown that mechanically stretching rat myometrial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) induces c-fos expression. To investigate this stretch-induced signaling, we examined the involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. We show that stretching rat myometr...