Activation of the SAPK pathway by the human STE20 homologue germinal centre kinase.

Eukaryotic cells respond to different extracellular stimuli by recruiting homologous signalling pathways that use members of the MEKK, MEK and ERK families of protein kinases. The MEKK-->MEK-->ERK core pathways of Saccharomyces cerevisiae may themselves be regulated by members of the STE20 family of protein kinases. Here we report specific activation of the mammalian stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway by germinal centre kinase (GCK), a human STE20 homologue.

Ionizing radiation stimulates a Grb2-mediated association of the stress-activated protein kinase with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

The stress-activated protein (SAP) kinases are induced by tumor necrosis factor, oncoproteins, and UV light. The present studies demonstrate that ionizing radiation (IR) activates p54 SAP kinase. IR-induced activation of SAP kinase is associated with binding to the SH2/SH3-containing adaptor protein Grb2.

Stimulation of MAP kinase by v-raf transformation of fibroblasts fails to induce hyperphosphorylation of transfected tau.

A proportion of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, is in an elevated state of phosphorylation in foetal and adult brain whereas all of the tau in paired helical filaments, which are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease is hyperphosphorylated; it is important therefore to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate tau phosphorylation. Here we describe results that show that although MAP kinase can hyperphosphorylate tau in vitro, activation of MAP kinase in transformed fibroblasts does not result in hyperphosphorylation of transfected tau, whereas glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta) when co-transfected with tau does result in tau hyperphosphorylation. The findings imply that GSK-3 beta may be a stronger candidate than MAP kinase for inducing tau hyperphosphorylation in vivo.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 and dorsoventral patterning in Xenopus embryos.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is homologous to the product of the Drosophila gene shaggy (zeste-white 3), which is required for signalling by wingless during Drosophila development. To test whether GSK-3 is also involved in vertebrate pattern formation, its role was investigated during early Xenopus development. It was found that dominant-negative GSK-3 mutants induced dorsal differentiation, whereas wild-type GSK-3 induced ventralization.

Regulation of nuclear transcription factors by stress signals.

1. A diverse array of stressful stimuli induces changes in gene expression via post-translational modification of transcription factors. 2.

Transforming G protein-coupled receptors potently activate JNK (SAPK). Evidence for a divergence from the tyrosine kinase signaling pathway.

The expression of human muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in NIH 3T3 cells has been used as a model for studying proliferative signaling through G protein-coupled receptors. In this biological system, the m1 class of mAChRs can effectively transduce mitogenic signals (Stephens, E.V.

Stress-activated protein kinases bind directly to the delta domain of c-Jun in resting cells: implications for repression of c-Jun function.

The transactivating function of the c-Jun proto-oncogene component of the AP-1 transcription factor is acutely regulated by a wide variety of cellular signals via modulation of phosphorylation of two serines (63 and 73). The viral oncoprotein, v-Jun, while containing homologous serines, is not phosphorylated in cells. A novel family of stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), also termed Jun N-terminal domain kinases (JNKs), are responsible for mediating S63/73 phosphorylation in response to a variety of cellular stimuli including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, heat stress and u.

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 regulates cell fate in Dictyostelium.

Extracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) induces the formation of prespore cells in Dictyostelium but inhibits stalk cell formation. We have cloned gskA, which encodes the Dictyostelium homolog of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), and discovered that it is required for both cAMP effects. Disruption of gskA creates a mutant that aggregates but forms few spores and an abnormally high number of stalk cells.

Activation of stress-activated protein kinase by MEKK1 phosphorylation of its activator SEK1.

A kinase distinct from the MEK activator Raf, termed MEK kinase-1 (MEKK), was originally identified by virtue of its homology to kinases involved in yeast mating signal cascades. Like Raf, MEKK is capable of activating MEK in vitro. High-level expression of MEKK in COS-7 cells or using vaccinia virus vectors also activates MEK and MAPK, indicating that MEKK and Raf provide alternative means of activating the MAPK signalling pathway.

Role of SAPK/ERK kinase-1 in the stress-activated pathway regulating transcription factor c-Jun.

The stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), which are distantly related to the MAP kinases, are the dominant c-Jun amino-terminal protein kinases activated in response to a variety of cellular stresses, including treatment with tumour-necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-beta (refs 1, 2). SAPK phosphorylation of c-Jun probably activates the c-Jun transactivation function. SAPKs are part of a signal transduction cascade related to, but distinct from, the MAPK pathway.

Mitogen inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta in intact cells via serine 9 phosphorylation.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a protein-serine kinase implicated in cell-fate determination and differentiation, phosphorylates several regulatory proteins that are activated by dephosphorylation in response to hormones or growth factors. GSK-3 beta is phosphorylated in vitro at serine 9 by p70 S6 kinase and p90rsk-1, resulting in its inhibition [Sutherland, Leighton, and Cohen (1993) Biochem. J.

The stress-activated protein kinases are major c-Jun amino-terminal kinases activated by ischemia and reperfusion.

The signal transduction pathways that mediate activation of trans acting factors controlling an organ's response to ischemia are unknown. The stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), a subfamily of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), phosphorylate c-Jun within the amino-terminal transactivation domain and are activated in response to a variety of cellular stresses. We determined whether SAPKs are activated in response to ischemia, an extreme, albeit common, pathophysiologic stress.

PHF-tau from Alzheimer's brain comprises four species on SDS-PAGE which can be mimicked by in vitro phosphorylation of human brain tau by glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta.

Extensive in vitro phosphorylation of a purified preparation of control human brain tau consistently produces four rather than, as previously believed, three tau species on SDS-PAGE. The species thus generated are shifted on SDS-PAGE to positions that match those of PHF-tau isolated from Alzheimer's disease brain. A mixture of recombinant human tau isoforms phosphorylated by GSK-3 beta gave similar results to those obtained with control human brain tau.

Transcriptional activation by the v-Jun oncoprotein is independent of positive regulatory phosphorylation.

Growth factors, phorbol esters, and oncogenes such as ras, src, and sis are believed to stimulate c-Jun transcriptional activation by inducing increased phosphorylation at two serine residues (S63 and S73) within the N-terminal transactivation domain. Although S63 and S73 are conserved in the mutant v-Jun oncoprotein, they are not phosphorylated by two enzymes which target the corresponding residues in c-Jun in vitro; namely a partially purified c-Jun kinase from TPA-stimulated U937 cells and purified p54 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase. In addition, v-Jun activates transcription more strongly than c-Jun when fused to the Gal4 DNA-binding domain, and transcriptional activation by Gal4-v-Jun is unaffected when S63, S73, or both, are replaced with non-phosphorylatable alanine residues, amino acid substitutions which severely impair transcriptional activation by Gal4-c-Jun.

Regulation and functions of the glycogen synthase kinase-3 subfamily.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 is a 'black sheep' among protein kinases. Although its name suggests a primary function in intermediary metabolism, its scope is far more diverse as indicated by both genetic and biochemical evidence. Over the past five years the enzyme has emerged as an important component of transduction pathways ultimately regulating cell fate and differentiation.

ATP citrate-lyase and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta in 3T3-L1 cells during differentiation into adipocytes.

ATP citrate-lyase (CL), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta) levels were measured in cytosol from 3T3-L1 cells during differentiation from fibroblasts into fat-cells. Protein levels were estimated from immunoblots using specific antisera. Cytosol from confluent cells contain significant amounts of GSK-3 beta, which fell during differentiation of these cells into adipocytes.

The stress-activated protein kinase subfamily of c-Jun kinases.

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases Erk-1 and Erk-2 are proline-directed kinases that are themselves activated through concomitant phosphorylation of tyrosine and threonine residues. The kinase p54 (M(r) 54,000), which was first isolated from cycloheximide-treated rats, is proline-directed like Erks-1/2, and requires both Tyr and Ser/Thr phosphorylation for activity. p54 is, however, distinct from Erks-1/2 in its substrate specificity, being unable to phosphorylate pp90rsk but more active in phosphorylating the c-Jun transactivation domain.

Nuclear onco-protein targets of signal transduction pathways.

Irradiation of mammalian cells with ultraviolet light (200-400 nm) results in the activation of a number of genes, the so-called "UV response" (Herrlich et al., Rev. Physiol.

Arabidopsis homologs of the shaggy and GSK-3 protein kinases: molecular cloning and functional expression in Escherichia coli.

The conservation in evolution of fundamental signal transduction modules offers a means of isolating genes likely to be involved in plant development. We have amplified by PCR Arabidopsis cDNA and genomic sequences related to the product of the shaggy/zeste-white 3 (sgg) segment polarity gene of Drosophila. This regulatory protein is functionally homologous to glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mammals (GSK-3), which regulates, among others, the DNA-binding activity of the c-jun/AP1 transcription factor.

Differential subcellular localisation of two isoforms of p70 S6 protein kinase.

Ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation is stimulated by a variety of hormones and growth factors. In mammalian cells the predominant S6 kinase is a 70 kDa enzyme which exists in two forms differing only in their amino terminal region. To determine whether this difference is functionally significant we have examined the intracellular localisation of the two forms.

Site-specific modulation of c-Myc cotransformation by residues phosphorylated in vivo.

c-Myc is a nuclear phosphoprotein which binds DNA as a heterodimer with Max. We have identified two in vivo phosphorylation sites, Thr58 and Ser62, within a domain highly conserved among all Myc family members. Thr58 is mutated in several viral forms of the protein and constitutes a mutational hot-spot in Burkitt's lymphoma.

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein-serine kinase related to mammalian glycogen synthase kinase-3 and the Drosophila melanogaster gene shaggy product.

The glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) family of protein-serine kinases is implicated in the development and hormonal regulation of higher eukaryotes. GSK-3-related genes have been cloned and characterized in mammals (alpha and beta forms), Drosophila melanogaster (shaggy/zeste-white3) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (MCK1). Using the polymerase chain reaction and primers designed to hybridize to conserved catalytic domain sequences of this family, a genomic fragment was amplified from budding yeast DNA.