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Three mitogen activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MAPKAP kinase 2, MK2) interacting proteins were identified using a yeast two-hybrid approach. ShcA, a signaling phospho-protein, human polyhomeotic 2 (HPH2), a transcriptional regulator, and highly similar to smoothelin (HSTS), which is related to the cytoskeletal associated protein smoothelin, interact specifically with MK2. The interaction of MK2 with the 66 kDa isoform of ShcA, p66ShcA, and HPH2 was confirmed using co-immunoprecipitation. MK2 is activated with p66ShcA co-expression and p66ShcA is an in vitro substrate for MK2, further demonstrating their association and suggesting a biological role for p66Shc in MK2 activation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Methylglyoxal (MGO) can modify tissue proteins through the Maillard reaction, resulting in advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can alter protein structure and functions. Several MGO-derived AGEs have been described, including argpyrimidine, a fluorescent product of the MGO reaction with arginine residues. We detected significant amount of argpyrimidine in rat kidney mesangial cells cultured in media containing high concentrations of glucose. Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) was identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry as a major anti-argpyrimidine immunoreactive protein. We confirmed this finding by reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation and by Western analysis. Diabetic rats contained more argpyrimidine-modified glomerular Hsp27 than non-diabetic animals. Additional studies showed that MGO-induced modification of Hsp27 decreased its binding to cytochrome c. Our results suggest that Hsp27 is a major target for MGO modification in mesangial cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

MCF-7 cells are extensively used as a cell model to investigate human breast tumors and the cellular mechanism of antitumor drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antitumor drug widely used in clinical chemotherapy. To understand the effects of DOX on the protein expression, we perform a comprehensive proteomics to survey global changes in proteins after DOX treatment in MCF-7 cells. Exposure of MCF-7 cells to 0.1 μM DOX for 2 days induced a differentiation-like phenotype with prominent perinuclear autocatalytic vacuoles, abundant filamentous material, and irregular microvilli at the cell surface. In this study, we also present a proteome reference map of MCF-7 cells with 21 identified protein spots via analysis of N-terminal sequencing, mass spectrometry, immunoblot and/or computer matching with protein database. Based on the proteome map, we found that DOX causes a markedly decrease in the levels of three isoforms of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) whereas the levels of other stress associated proteins including HSP60, calreticulin, and protein disulfide isomerase were not significantly altered in DOX-treated MCF-7 cells. Taken together, we suggest that that action of DOX on breast tumor cells may be partly related to dysregulation of HSP27 expression. Modulation of HSP27 levels may be a clinically useful potential target for design of antitumor drugs and controlling breast tumor growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Disease progression in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) is most commonly driven by the reactivation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling and involves AR splice variants including ARV7., Materials and Methods: We used the ARV7-positive PCa cell line, 22Rv1, to study the relationship of the PCa marker α-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), AR, and ARV7 in PCa., Results: Docetaxel addition but not AMACR inhibition decreased the proliferation of 22Rv1 cells. The combination of AMACR inhibition and docetaxel treatment resulted in a maximum reduction of cell proliferation. The Western blotting analysis revealed that both AR and ARV7 expression were significantly decreased with the use of charcoal-stripped serum following AMACR inhibition and docetaxel treatment. AMACR inhibition and docetaxel treatment in the charcoal-stripped serum condition reduced the proliferation of 22Rv1, possibly via the downregulation of the heat shock protein 27., Conclusion: Using cell proliferation and Western blot analysis, we demonstrated that AMACR inhibition and docetaxel treatment, under androgen deprivation conditions, significantly reduced the proliferation of ARV7 positive cancer cells and decreased the levels of AR and ARV7 expression, possibly via downregulation of heat shock protein 27., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no potential conflicts of interest., (© 2020 Asian Pacific Prostate Society. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)