Various cytokines are involved in the regulation of the immune system and of hematopoiesis. Most cytokines utilize the so-called JAK-STAT pathway, but others activate the Ras-ERK pathway, which is more important than the STAT pathway for the proliferation of hematopoietic cells. Dysregulation of cytokine signaling can cause a variety of diseases, including allergy, inflammation, and cancer. We ...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) binds to the uPA receptor (uPAR) and activates the Ras-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in many different cell types. In this study, we demonstrated that endogenously produced uPA functions as a major determinant of the basal level of activated ERK in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. When these cells were cultured in the pre...

Hyperactivation of the Ras/ERK pathway contributes to breast cancer initiation and progression, and recent evidence suggests aberrant signaling of miRNAs that regulate the Ras/ERK pathway play important roles during carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In this study, we demonstrate that miR-550a-3p expression is negatively correlated with levels of ERK1 and ERK2, two pivotal effectors in the ...

We examined functional status, activation mechanisms, and biologic role of the mTORC1 signaling pathway in malignant CD4(+) T cells derived from the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Whereas the spontaneously growing CTCL-derived cell lines displayed persistent activation of the TORC1 as well as the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways, the IL-2-dependent cell lines activated the pathways in response ...

We examined functional status, activation mechanisms, and biologic role of the mTORC1 signaling pathway in malignant CD4 T cells derived from the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Whereas the spontaneously growing CTCL-derived cell lines displayed persistent activation of the TORC1 as well as the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways, the IL-2–dependent cell lines activated the pathways in response to ...

BACKGROUND Persistent atrial fibrillation has been indicated to be related with microRNA-28b. However, the exact role of microRNA-28b in persistent atrial fibrillation needs to be further elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a rat model of persistent atrial fibrillation to investigate the level of microRNA-28b in atrial myocytes and to explore the molecular mechanism involved. M...

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been used as an antineoplastic because of its ability to promote proliferation, inhibition, and differentiation, primarily in leukemia; however, in other types of cancer, such as lung cancer, treatment with ATRA is restricted because not all the patients experience the same results. The ERK signaling pathway is dysregulated in cancer cells, including lung canc...

The ERK/MAPK pathway is an important developmental signaling pathway. Mutations in upstream elements of this pathway result in neuro-cardio-facial cutaneous (NCFC) syndromes, which are typified by impaired neurocognitive abilities that are reliant upon hippocampal function. The role of ERK signaling during hippocampal development has not been examined and may provide critical insight into the c...

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes ~85% of lung cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying the progression of NSCLC remain unclear. In this study, we found the mRNA and protein expression levels of integrin αv are both increased in NSCLC tissues compared to healthy ones, which indicates that integrin αv may play ...

Signaling between tissues is essential to form the complex, three-dimensional organization of an embryo. Because many receptor tyrosine kinases signal through the RAS-MAPK pathway, phosphorylated ERK can be used as an indicator of when and where signaling is active during development. Using whole-mount immunohistochemistry with antibodies specific to phosphorylated ERK1 and ERK2, we analyzed th...