Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3beta is a ser-thr kinase that is phosphorylated by the kinase Akt. Although Akt has been shown to regulate platelet function and arterial thrombosis, its effectors in platelets remain unknown. We show here that agonist-dependent phosphorylation of GSK3beta in platelets is Akt dependent. To determine whether GSK3beta regulates platelet function, platelets from mice...

Studies of skeletal muscle from rodents performed both in vivo and in vitro suggest a regulatory role of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3 in glycogen synthase (GS) activation in response to insulin. Recently, hyperinsulinemic clamp studies in humans support such a role under nearly physiological conditions. In addition, in rats the activation of GS in skeletal muscle during treadmill running is...

Mice with muscle-specific knockout of the Glut4 glucose transporter (muscle-G4KO) are insulin resistant and mildly diabetic. Here we show that despite markedly reduced glucose transport in muscle, muscle glycogen content in the fasted state is increased. We sought to determine the mechanism(s). Basal glycogen synthase activity is increased by 34% and glycogen phosphorylase activity is decreased...

Notch receptors modulate transcriptional targets following the proteolytic release of the Notch intracellular domain (NotchIC). Phosphorylated forms of NotchIC have been identified within the nucleus and have been associated with CSL members, as well as correlated with regions of the receptor that are required for activity. Genetic studies have suggested that the Drosophila homolog of glycogen ...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) pose an increasingly prevalent threat to the well-being and survival of elderly individuals worldwide. NDDs include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s (PD), Huntington’s (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), so on. They are characterized by progressive loss or dysfunction neurons in central peripheral nervous system share several cellular molecular mech...

The diverse effects mediated by PI3K/PTEN (phosphoinositide 3-kinase/phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) signalling in the heart clearly support an important biological and pathophysiological role for this signalling cascade. PI3Ks are a family of evolutionarily conserved lipid kinases that mediate many cellular responses to physiological and pathophysiological stimuli. C...

The activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling has an important function in gastrointestinal tumorigenesis. It has been suggested that the promotion of Wnt/beta-catenin activity beyond the threshold is important for carcinogenesis. We herein investigated the role of macrophages in the promotion of Wnt/beta-catenin activity in gastric tumorigenesis. We found beta-catenin nuclear accumulation in m...

It is known that amphibian oocytes undergo maturation through the formation and activation of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) in response to stimulation by the maturation-inducing hormone progesterone; however, the signal transduction pathway that links the hormonal stimulation on the oocyte surface to the activation of MPF in the oocyte cytoplasm remains a mystery. The aim of this study was ...