Search

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) promotes muscle differentiation, hypertrophy, and regeneration through the combined activation of the calcineurin and Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase (CaMK) pathways. The AVP system is impaired in several neuromuscular diseases, suggesting that AVP may act as a physiological factor in skeletal muscle. Since the Phosphoinositide 3-kinases/Protein Kinase B/mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling plays a significant role in regulating muscle mass, we evaluated its role in the AVP myogenic effect. In L6 cells AKT1 expression was knocked down, and the AVP-dependent expression of mTOR and Forkhead box O3 (FoxO) was analyzed by Western blotting. The effect of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 was evaluated by cellular and molecular techniques. Akt knockdown hampered the AVP-dependent mTOR expression while increased the levels of FoxO transcription factor. LY294002 treatment inhibited the AVP-dependent expression of Myocyte Enhancer Factor-2 (MEF2) and myogenin and prevented the nuclear translocation of MEF2. LY294002 also repressed the AVP-dependent nuclear export of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) interfering with the formation of multifactorial complexes on the myogenin promoter. We demonstrate that the PI3K/Akt pathway is essential for the full myogenic effect of AVP and that, by targeting this pathway, one may highlight novel strategies to counteract muscle wasting in aging or neuromuscular disorders.

PURPOSE: Inhibition of phosphoinositide 3 (PI3)-kinase pathway is attractive for cancer treatment. To examine the role of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in the development of resistance to the treatment. METHODS: We cultured human prostate cancer cells (DU145 and PC-3 cells) and bladder cancer cells (EJ-1 and UM-UC-3 cells) with a PI3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002 for more than 6 weeks and cell proliferation was studied. Activation of Akt1 and ERK was examined by immunoblotting. We introduced the wild type PTEN in UM-UC-3 cells and their proliferation along with the signaling pathways was also examined. RESULTS: After 6 weeks, proliferation pathway sensitivity to LY294002 was reduced in cells expressing PTEN, but not in PTEN-null cells. PD98059, a MAPK/ERK kinase inhibitor, significantly inhibited proliferation of PTEN-expressing cells, but not PTEN-null cells. Stable PTEN expression in PTEN-null UM-UC-3 cells increased serum-induced ERK activation and sensitivity to PD98059-treatment, and reduced sensitivity to LY294002 after 6 weeks of exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of PTEN function may protect against resistance to PI3-kinase inhibitors through an addiction to the PI3-kinase/Akt pathway., Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 135(2), pp.303-311; 2009

Retromer is a multimeric protein complex that mediates intracellular receptor sorting. One of the roles of retromer is to promote transcytosis of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) and its ligand polymeric immunoglobulin A (pIgA) in polarized epithelial cells. In Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells, overexpression of Vps35, the retromer subunit key for cargo recognition, restores transcytosis to a pIgR mutant that is normally degraded. Here we show that pIgA transcytosis was not restored in these cells when treated with the specific phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002. Likewise, the decrease in pIgA transcytosis by wild-type pIgR seen upon PI3K inhibition was not reverted by Vps3S overexpression. PI3K inhibition reduced membrane association of sorting-nexins (SNX) 1 and 2, which constitute the retromer subcomplex involved in membrane deformation, while association of the Vps35-Vps26-Vps29 subcomplex, involved in cargo recognition, remained virtually unaffected. Colocalization between the two retromer subcomplexes was reduced upon the treatment. Whereas the interaction among the subunits of the Vps3S Vps26-Vps29 subcomplex remained unchanged, less Vps35 was found associated with pIgR upon P13K inhibition. In addition, colocalization of internalized pIgA with subunits of both retromer subcomplexes throughout the transcytotic pathway was substantially reduced by LY294002 treatment. These data implicate P13K in controlling retromer's role in pIgR-pIgA transcytosis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

type:text, Stress signals that impair the function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can lead to an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER causing cell death. Recent studies have indicated that ER stress contributes to several diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders or diabetes. In the present study, we found that Akt down-regulation is important for inducing CHOP expression, an ER stress-induced transcription factor. Treatment with tunicamycin or thapsigargin, ER stress inducers, caused dephosphorylation of Akt from 12 to 24 h and induced cell death. Interestingly, treatment with a PI3K inhibitor alone induced CHOP expression and caused cell death. However, a MEK 1 inhibitor induced neither CHOP expression nor cell death. These results indicate that the inactivation of Akt by ER stress induces CHOP expression and causes cell death. Therefore, Akt plays an important role in ER stressed condition and may have important implications for understanding ER stress-related diseases.

The 14-3-3 protein family comprises critical regulatory molecules involved in signaling during cell division, proliferation, and apoptosis. Despite extensive study, the functions of the 14-3-3 proteins in brain remain unclear. 14-3-3gamma, a subtype of the 14-3-3 family of proteins, was thought to be brain- and neuron-specific. Using RNA arbitrarily primed PCR, we identified an upregulated cDNA fragment of the 14-3-3gamma gene in primary cultures of astrocytes. Using Northern blot. analysis, we confirmed this fragment was brain-specific. In cultures of astrocytes, 14-3-3gamma genes and proteins were differentially expressed at different ages and the proteins were distributed only in the cytoplasm. These results indicated that 14-3-3gamma was not neuron-specific but also expressed in astrocytes. The function of this protein in brain is unclear. Northern and Western blot analyses demonstrated that 14-3-3gamma mRNA and protein were upregulated in cultured astrocytes in an anaerobic chamber-induced ischemia model. The induction of 14-3-3gamma proteins was neither suppressed by an MAP kinase inhibitor (U0126) nor a PI-3 kinase inhibitor (LY294002). These data indicated that induction of 14-3-3gamma might not involve PI-3 and MAP kinase-dependent pathways. Using coimmunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that endogenous 14-3-3gamma bound to c-Raf-1 and p-Raf 259. As Raf is one of the critical serine/threonine kinases controlling cell growth, differentiation, and death, the binding of 14-3-3gamma to Raf indicates the critical role of this protein in ischemia-induced apoptosis and the changes in signal transduction in astrocytes in culture. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Substantial evidence has shown that extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (Erk1/2) and serine/threonine kinase (Akt) play important roles in regulating cell survival. We examined the activities of these kinases in astrocytes under ischemia in an anaerobic chamber. The level of phosphorylated Erk1/2 in astrocytes began to increase after 1 h ischemia, reached a maximum after 4 h ischemia, before decreasing from 5 to 6 h. Akt was activated later than Erk1/2. It was significantly increased after 4 h ischemia before declining steadily afterwards. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and Hoechst nucleic staining indicated that U0126, which inhibits Erk1/2 phosphorylation, enhanced ischemia-induced cell death, whereas LY294002, which inhibits Akt phosphorylation, delayed cell death. These effects were dose-dependent. At 4 and 6 h ischemia, U0126-treated astrocytes expressed a lower level of Bcl-2 than controls. In contrast, LY294002-treated astrocytes expressed a higher level of Bcl-2 than controls as shown by Western blots. Bcl-X-L expression level was not affected by either treatment. These data suggest that activation of the MAPK/Erk1/2 pathway might protect astrocytes from ischemic injury, but activation of the PI3-K/Akt pathway does not. The effect may involve Bcl-2 but not Bcl-X-L expression. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Stress signals that impair the function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can lead to an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER causing cell death. Recent studies have indicated that ER stress contributes to several diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders or diabetes. In the present study, we found that Akt down-regulation is important for inducing CHOP expression, an ER stress-induced transcription factor. Treatment with tunicamycin or thapsigargin, ER stress inducers, caused dephosphorylation of Akt from 12 to 24 h and induced cell death. Interestingly, treatment with a PI3K inhibitor alone induced CHOP expression and caused cell death. However, a MEK 1 inhibitor induced neither CHOP expression nor cell death. These results indicate that the inactivation of Akt by ER stress induces CHOP expression and causes cell death. Therefore, Akt plays an important role in ER stressed condition and may have important implications for understanding ER stress-related diseases.