Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerotic diseases. Though underlying mechanisms remain to be unraveled, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) appears to play important roles in their pathogenesis. As a member of the MAPK family, it regulates the activities of many transcription factors and proteins/enzymes and thus has ...

HBEpCs (human bronchial epithelial cells) contribute to airway inflammation by secreting a variety of cytokines and chemokines in response to allergens, pathogens, viruses and environmental toxins and pollutants. The potent neutrophil chemoattractant, IL-8 (interleukin-8), is a major cytokine secreted by HBEpCs. We have recently demonstrated that LPA (lysophosphatidic acid) stimulated IL-8 prod...

We previously demonstrated that diperoxovanadate (DPV), a synthetic peroxovanadium compound and cell-permeable oxidant that acts as a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor and insulinomimetic, increased phospholipase D (PLD) activation in endothelial cells (ECs). In this report, the regulation of DPV-induced PLD activation by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was investigated. DPV acti...

Control of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades is central to regulation of many cellular responses. We describe here human tribbles homologues (Htrbs) that control MAPK activity. MAPK kinases interact with Trbs and regulate their steady state levels. Further, Trbs selectively regulate the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases, and p38 MAPK...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is one of the most important stimuli of rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether Ang II can stimulate cell proliferation and/or hypertrophy and investigate pathways and intracellular targets. A 3-d treatment with Ang II (5-100 nm), through the Ang II type 1 receptor subtype, abolished cell proliferation observed in control ce...

We investigated the ability of phenylephrine (PE), an alpha-adrenergic agonist and promoter of hypertrophic growth in the ventricular myocyte, to activate the three best-characterized mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) subfamilies, namely p38-MAPKs, SAPKs/JNKs (i.e. stress-activated protein kinases/c-Jun N-terminal kinases) and ERKs (extracellularly responsive kinases), in perfused contrac...

Stimulation of the Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38/MAPK) is part of the stress-related signal transduction pathways conveying signals from the cell surface into the nucleus in order to initiate programmes of gene expression. Here, it was shown that infection by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) caused a 34-fold in...

The eIF2alpha (eukaryotic initiation factor-2alpha) kinase PERK (doublestranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER kinase) is essential for the normal function of highly secretory cells in the pancreas and skeletal system, as well as the UPR (unfolded protein response) in mammalian cells. To delineate the regulatory machinery underlying PERK-dependent stress-responses, gene profiling was empl...

Purpose: Hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries influence the mechanisms of signal transduction, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) that regulates gene expression through transcription factor activity. Several attempts have been made to use bee venom (BV) to treat neurological diseases. However, limited data are available for brain injuries such as neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopat...

We have previously shown that in vitro exposure to metallic compounds enhances expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α in human bronchial epithelial cells. To characterize signaling pathways involved in metal-induced expression of inflammatory mediators and to identify metals that activate them, we studied the effects of As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, V, and Zn on the mitogen-a...