Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are evolutionary conserved enzymes connecting cell-surface receptors to critical regulatory targets within cells. The three major MAPK cascades are known, the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) cascade, c-Jun amino-terminal protein kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) cascade and p38-MAPK cascade. This paper is focused on c...

Mast cells secrete multiple cytokines and play an important role in allergic inflammation. Although it is widely accepted that bacteria infection occasionally worsens allergic airway inflammation, the mechanism has not been defined. In this study, we show that LPS induced Th2-associated cytokine production such as IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 from mast cells and also synergistically enhanced producti...

IL-12 and IL-2 can stimulate mitogen- or CD3-activated T cells to proliferate, produce IFN-gamma, and kill tumor cells. The magnitude of these functional responses is greatly augmented when T cells are activated by the combination of IL-12 and IL-2. Although peripheral blood T cells are largely unresponsive to these cytokines without prior activation, a small subset of CD8+ T cells (CD8+CD18bri...

BACKGROUND The transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) is expressed in the cardiovascular system, and increased TRPV1 expression has been associated with cardiac hypertrophy. Nevertheless, the role of TRPV1 in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS In cultured cardiomyocytes, activation of TRPV1 increas...

We investigated the expression, activation, and distribution of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38s) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in gerbil hippocampus after transient forebrain ischemia to clarify the role of these kinases in delayed neuronal death (DND) in the CA1 subfield. Immunoblot...

Multiple pluripotent cell populations, which together comprise the pluripotent cell lineage, have been identified. The mechanisms that control the progression between these populations are still poorly understood. The formation of early primitive ectoderm-like (EPL) cells from mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells provides a model to understand how one such transition is regulated. EPL cells form fr...

Proinsulin C-peptide has been reported to have some biological activities and to be possibly involved in the development of diabetic microangiopathy. In the present study, we examined the effects of C-peptide on the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in LEII mouse lung capillary endothelial cells. Stimulation of the cells with C-peptide increased both p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase ...

Cryptotanshinone (CPT), a natural compound isolated from the plant Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is a potential anticancer agent. However, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Here, we show that CPT induced caspase-independent cell death in human tumor cells (Rh30, DU145, and MCF-7). Besides downregulating antiapoptotic protein expression of survivin and Mcl-1, CPT increased phosphoryl...

Three major mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinases, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal protein kinase (JNK), have been identified in the cardiomyocyte, but their respective roles in the heart are not well understood. The present study explored their functions and cross talk in ischemia/reoxygenation (I/R)-induced cardiac apoptosis. Exposing rat neona...

Atherosclerosis preferentially occurs in areas of turbulent blood flow and low fluid shear stress, whereas laminar blood flow and high shear stress are atheroprotective. Inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), stimulate expression of endothelial cell (EC) genes that may promote atherosclerosis. Recent findings suggest a steady laminar blood flow decreases EC apo...