Stress conditions and proinflammatory cytokines activate the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), a member of the stress-activated group of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). We recently demonstrated that inhibition of JNK signaling with the use of the islet-brain (IB) 1 and 2 proteins prevented interleukin (IL)-1 –induced pancreatic -cell death. Bioactive cell-permeable peptide inhibitors ...

OBJECTIVE C-Jun plays a critical role in ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation-induced photoaging. The exact mechanisms by which UVA irradiation up-regulates c-Jun expression in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) are still not completely understood. We undertook this study to investigate whether microRNA-155 (miR-155) directly regulates the expression of c-Jun in HDFs in vitro. METHODS Expression of c...

Dietary energy restriction (DER, 40% calorie reduction from fat and carbohydrate) inhibited mouse skin carcinogenesis and decreased 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA)-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1):DNA binding previously. This study measured protein levels of c-jun, jun B, jun D, c-fos, fra-1, and fra-2 and examined their contribution to AP-1:DNA binding by electrophoretic mobility...

PURPOSE To investigate c-jun expression in surviving and axon-regenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the effect of intravitreal neurotrophic supply on c-jun expression. METHODS All animals underwent optic nerve transection (ONT) 0.5 mm behind the eyeball. Some animals underwent a replacement of the optic nerve with an autologous sciatic nerve graft (SNG) to allow axonal regrowth. To p...

The effect of cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, on the regulation of proenkephalin (proENK) and prodynorphin (proDYN) mRNA levels, proto-oncogenes, such as c-fos, 35-kDa fra and c-jun mRNA, and the levels of their products induced by kainic acid (KA) in rat hippocampus was studied. The proENK and proDYN mRNA levels were markedly increased 4 and 8 h after KA (10 mg/kg i.p.) adm...

Goldfish and rat optic nerves were cut and crushed, respectively, and the expression of the transcription factor proteins c-JUN, JUN B, JUN D, c-FOS, FOS B, KROX-24, and CREB was investigated in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) by immunocytochemistry. Immunoreactivities (IRs) were followed up to 350 days in the goldfish and up to 22 days in the rat. In RGCs of untreated goldfish and rats, all JUN,...

Previous studies have demonstrated increased expression and phosphorylation of tyrosine kinase receptor (TrkA, TrkB) in lumbosacral DRG after chronic (6 weeks) spinal cord (T8-T10) injury. This study examined the effects of acute SCI (48 hours, 2 weeks) on TrkA and TrkB expression and phosphorylation, and CREB and c-Jun expression in DRG. A significant increase in the number of TrkA- (1.5-3-fol...

In endothelial cells (ECs), the transcription factor c-Jun is induced by a variety of stimuli that perturb EC function. To extend our understanding of the role of c-Jun in EC physiology, we have directed overexpression of c-Jun in human umbilical vein ECs by using a tetracycline-regulated adenoviral expression system. In this study, we report a novel observation using this system. Specific expr...

One of the earliest documented molecular events after sciatic nerve injury in adult rats is the rapid, long-term upregulation of the immediate early gene transcription factor c-Jun mRNA and protein in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, suggesting that c-Jun may regulate genes that are important both in the early post-injury period and during later peripheral axonal regeneration. However...