Chondrocytes are mechanosensitive cells that require mechanical stimulation for proper growth and function in in vitro culture systems. Ultrasound (US) has emerged as a technique to deliver mechanical stress; however, the intracellular signaling components of the mechanotransduction pathways that transmit the extracellular mechanical stimulus to gene regulatory mechanisms are not fully defined....

In appendiceal cancers, the most frequently mutated genes are (i) KRAS, which, when reactivated, restores signal transduction via RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK signaling pathway and stimulates cell proliferation in early stages of tumor transformation, then angiogenesis; (ii) TP53, whose inactivation leads to inhibition programmed death; (iii) GNAS, links cAMP pathway, stimulating (iv) SMAD4, exhibiting typi...

The ERK/MAP kinase cascade is important for long-term memory formation and synaptic plasticity, with a myriad of upstream signals converging upon ERK activation. Despite this convergence of signaling, neurons routinely activate appropriate biological responses to different stimuli. Scaffolding proteins represent a mechanism to achieve compartmentalization of signaling and the appropriate target...

BACKGROUND The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is considered to be associated with the pathogenesis and treatment of depression. Acupuncture has been demonstrated to ameliorate depression-related behavior and promote neurogenesis. In this study, we explored the role of the ERK signaling pathway in the antidepressant-like effects of acupuncture in rats exposed to ch...

OBJECTIVE Lupus develops when genetically predisposed people encounter environmental agents, such as ultraviolet light, silica, infections, and cigarette smoke, that cause oxidative stress, but how oxidative damage modifies the immune system to cause lupus flares is unknown. We previously showed that inhibiting DNA methylation in CD4+ T cells by blocking ERK pathway signaling is sufficient to a...

Saturated stearic acid (SA) induces apoptosis in the human pancreatic β-cells NES2Y. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. We showed that apoptosis-inducing concentrations of SA activate the p38 MAPK signaling pathway in these cells. Therefore, we tested the role of p38 MAPK signaling pathway activation in apoptosis induction by SA in NES2Y cells. Crosstalk between p38 MAPK pa...

objective(s): oxidative stress has been established as a key cause of alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity. licochalcone b, an extract of licorice root, has shown antioxidative properties. this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of licochalcone b in ethanol-induced hepatic injury in an in vitro study. materials and methods: an in vitro model of ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in brl cel...

Regulation of intracellular transport plays a role in a number of processes, including mitosis, determination of cell polarity, and neuronal growth. In Xenopus melanophores, transport of melanosomes toward the cell center is triggered by melatonin, whereas their dispersion throughout the cytoplasm is triggered by melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), with both of these processes mediated by cAM...

Persistent activation of the Hedgehog (HH)/GLI signaling pathway has been implicated in the development of a number of human cancers. The GLI zinc finger transcription factors act at the end of the HH signaling cascade to control gene expression, and recent studies have shown that the activity of GLI proteins can be additionally modified by integration of distinct signals, such as the MEK/extra...