parkinson's disease (pd) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition which has the second largest incidence rate among all other neurodegenerative disorders barring alzheimer's disease (ad). currently there is no cure and researchers continue to probe the therapeutic prospect in cell cultures and animal models of pd. out of several factors contributing to pd prognosis, the role of p38 mapks (mitog...

The role for phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase [p-p38(MAPK)] in b-amyloid plaque deposition [a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology] remains ambiguous. We combined immunohistochemistry and stereological sampling to quantify the distribution of plaques and p-p38(MAPK)-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the sensorimotor cortex of 3-, 6and 10-month-old TgCRND8 mice. The aggre...

Differentiation of PC12 cells by nerve growth factor (NGF) requires the activation of various mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including p38 MAPK. Accumulating evidence has suggested cross-talk regulation of NGF-induced responses by G protein-coupled receptors, thus we examined whether NGF utilizes G(i/o) proteins to regulate p38 MAPK in PC12 cells. Induction of p38 MAPK phosphorylatio...

OBJECTIVE The basal activity of p38 MAPK has recently been shown to impair myocardial contractility. This kinase is activated by ischemia and short-term hibernation. We hypothesized that p38 MAPK activation may contribute to the contractile deficit that characterizes low-flow ischemia. METHODS In Langendorff-perfused isolated C57BL/6 mouse hearts, perfusion pressure was reduced from 85 to 15 ...

Numerous mediators, believed to play a role in endothelial dysfunction (e.g., neurohormones, cytokines, hypoxia, and stretch), have been shown to activate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in a variety of cell types. The purpose of the present study was to examine the regulation of p38 MAPK in endothelium and its role in endothelial dysfunction and salt sensitivity. In cultured human ...

Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent fibrotic factor responsible for the synthesis of extracellular matrix. TGF-beta1 acts through the TGF-beta type I and type II receptors to activate intracellular mediators, such as Smad proteins, the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. We expressed the kinase domain of the TG...

The pathogenesis of hypertension-related cognitive impairment has not been sufficiently clarified, new molecular targets are needed. p38 MAPK pathway plays an important role in hypertensive target organ damage. Activated p38 MAPK was seen in AD brain tissue. In this study, we found that long-term potentiation (LTP) of hippocampal CA1 was decreased, the density of the dendritic spines on the CA1...

We show in rat lung microvessel endothelial cells (RLMVEC) that endocytosis is a critical determinant of activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and thereby regulates endothelial monolayer integrity. In RLMVEC grown in serum-free medium, we observed that albumin supplementation induced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK within 30 min, which persisted for up to 2 h. Engagement of the ...

Adenosine is arguably the most potent and widespread presynaptic modulator in the CNS, yet adenosine receptor signal transduction pathways remain unresolved. Here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism in which adenosine A1 receptor stimulation leads to p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation and contributes to the inhibition of synaptic transmission. Western blot analysis indicated t...

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...