introduction: dna damage, as an important initiator of neuronal cell death, has been implicated in numerous neurodegenerative conditions. previously we have delineated several pathways that control embryonic cortical neuronal cell death evoked by the dna-damaging agent, camptothecin. the camptothecin, topoisomerase ι inhibitor, has been shown to induce cortical neuronal cell death in a reproduc...

We investigated the role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in the PDGF-BB-induced cytoskeleton remodeling that occurs during the migration of porcine aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC). We showed that p38 MAPK controlled the polymerization of actin that is required for PDGF-induced lamellipodia formation and migration. To investigate the mechanism of action of p38 MAPK, we ex...

Inhibitors of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) diminish inflammatory arthritis in experimental animals. This may be effected by diminishing the production of inflammatory mediators, but this kinase is also part of the IL-1 signal pathway in articular chondrocytes. We determined the effect of p38 MAPK inhibition on proliferative and synthetic responses of lapine chondrocytes, cartilag...

Miakotina, Olga L., and Jeanne M. Snyder. TNFinhibits SP-A gene expression in lung epithelial cells via p38 MAPK. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 283: L418–L427, 2002; 10.1152/ajplung.00470.2001.—Surfactant protein A (SP-A), the major lung surfactant-associated protein, mediates local defense against pathogens and modulates inflammation in the alveolus. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a proinfl...

The chimaeric protein Bcr/Abl, the hallmark of chronic myeloid leukaemia, has been connected with several signalling pathways, such as those involving protein kinase B/Akt, JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) or ERKs (extracellular-signal-regulated kinases) 1 and 2. However, no data about the p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) have been reported. Here, we present evidence showing that Bcr/Ab...

BACKGROUND REX1/ZFP42 is a well-known embryonic stem cell (ESC) marker. However, the role of REX1, itself, is relatively unknown because the function of REX1 has only been reported in the differentiation of ESCs via STAT signaling pathways. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) isolated from young tissues and cancer cells express REX1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING Human umbilical cord blood-d...

In the present study, we investigated the induction of the p38-MAPK signalling pathway by copper, as exemplified by CuCl(2), in the isolated perfused heart of the amphibian Rana ridibunda. We found that p38-MAPK phosphorylation by CuCl(2) occurs in a dose-dependent manner, with maximum activation (8.73+/-1.43-fold relative to control values) attained by perfusion with 500 micromol l(-1) CuCl(2)...

Early inflammatory events include cytokine release, activation, and rapid accumulation of neutrophils, with subsequent recruitment of mononuclear cells. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) intracellular signaling pathway plays a central role in regulating a wide range of inflammatory responses in many different cells. A murine model of mild LPS-induced lung inflammation was develope...

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoforms are phosphorylated by a variety of stress stimuli in neurodegenerative disease and act as upstream activators of myriad pathogenic processes. Thus, p38 MAPK inhibitors are of growing interest as possible therapeutic interventions. Axonal dysfunction is an early component of most neurodegenerative disorders, including the most prevalent op...

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, acting through the downstream kinase MK2, regulates the stability of many proinflammatory mRNAs that contain adenosine/uridine-rich elements (AREs). It is thought to do this by modulating the expression or activity of ARE-binding proteins that regulate mRNA turnover. MK2 phosphorylates the ARE-binding and mRNA-destabilizing prot...