The With No lysine [K] (WNK)-Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK)/oxidative stress-responsive kinase 1 (OSR1) pathway has been reported to be a crucial signaling pathway for triggering pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII), an autosomal dominant hereditary disease that is characterized by hypertension. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which the WNK-SPAK/OSR1 pathway is regul...

Comment on: Joaquin M, et al. EMBO J 2012; 31:2952-64.

Glucocorticoid excess induces apoptosis of islet cells, which may result in diabetes. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of ghrelin on dexamethasone-induced INS-1 cell apoptosis. Our data showed that ghrelin (0.1 μM) inhibited dexamethasone-induced (0.1 μM) apoptosis of INS-1 cells and facilitated cell proliferation. Moreover, ghrelin upregulated Bcl-2 expression, downregulate...

Dendritic spine morphology is modulated by protein kinase p38, a mitogen-activated protein (MAPK), in the hippocampus. Protein p38MAPK is a substrate of wip1, a protein phosphatase. The role of wip1 in the central nervous system (CNS) has never been explored. Here, we report a novel function of wip1 in dendritic spine morphology and memory processes. Wip1 deficiency decreases dendritic spine si...

Components from Dendranthema × grandiflorum cv. "Mottenohoka" that promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells were identified and the mechanism of neurite outgrowth stimulated by isolated components was studied. Components that promoted the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2) of PC12 cells were isolated. From various structural analyses, the active components wer...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a permanent neurological disability, and no satisfactory treatment is currently available. After SCI, pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF) is known to play a pivotal role in apoptosis of oligodendrocytes, but the cell types producing proNGF and the signaling pathways involved in proNGF production are primarily unknown. Here, we show that minocycline improves function...

Evidence has shown that Interleukin-33 (IL-33) plays a key role in the early induction and further amplification of sepsis. However, it remains unknown whether IL-33 has effects on sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and, if so, whether p38MAPK signaling pathway plays any role in it. This study was designed to insight the role of IL-33 in sepsis-induced ALI, and to discover the relationship ...

Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a lymphocyte chemoattractant factor well known for its role in immune responses, but its role in vascular disease is unknown. Here, we explored the novel physiological function of IL-16 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The expression of IL-16 and its receptor CD4 was observed in VSMCs. Treatment with IL-16 enhanced the migration and invasion by VSMCs without al...

Nuclear retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) activate gene expression through dynamic interactions with coregulators in coordination with the ligand and phosphorylation processes. Here we show that during RA-dependent activation of the RARalpha isotype, the p160 coactivator pCIP/ACTR/AIB-1/RAC-3/TRAM-1/SRC-3 is phosphorylated by p38MAPK. SRC-3 phosphorylation has been correlated to an initial fa...

Doxorubicin (DOX) has been widely used to treat cancers as a first‑line antitumor drug. However, it causes severe, irreversible, dose‑dependent cardiotoxicity. To evaluate the protective effects of naringin (NRG) on cardiotoxicity, the authors investigated the molecular mechanism of the p38MAPK signaling pathway. H9c2 cells were treated for 24 h by using 5 µmol/l DOX without or with being pretr...