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Caliz AD, Vertii A, Fisch V, Yoon S, Yoo HJ, Keaney JF, Kant S. Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 in inflammatory, cancer, and neurological diseases. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:979673. [PMID: 36340039 PMCID: PMC9630596 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.979673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MKK7) is a member of the dual-specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase family. In the human body, MKK7 controls essential physiological processes, including but not limited to proliferation and differentiation in multiple tissues and organs. MKK7, along with the MKK4 pathway, has been implicated in stress-activated activities and biological events that are mediated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. Although numerous studies have been performed to identify the role of JNK in multiple biological processes, there are limited publications that focus on dissecting the independent role of MKK7. Recent research findings have spurred testing via in vivo genetically deficient models, uncovering previously undocumented JNK-independent functions of MKK7. Here we discuss both JNK-dependent and-independent functions of MKK7 in vivo. This review summarizes the role of MKK7 in inflammation, cytokine production, cancer, and neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amada D Caliz
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Anastassiia Vertii
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Vijay Fisch
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Soonsang Yoon
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Hyung-Jin Yoo
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - John F Keaney
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shashi Kant
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Serafim RAM, Elkins JM, Zuercher WJ, Laufer SA, Gehringer M. Chemical Probes for Understudied Kinases: Challenges and Opportunities. J Med Chem 2021; 65:1132-1170. [PMID: 34477374 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over 20 years after the approval of the first-in-class protein kinase inhibitor imatinib, the biological function of a significant fraction of the human kinome remains poorly understood while most research continues to be focused on few well-validated targets. Given the strong genetic evidence for involvement of many kinases in health and disease, the understudied fraction of the kinome holds a large and unexplored potential for future therapies. Specific chemical probes are indispensable tools to interrogate biology enabling proper preclinical validation of novel kinase targets. In this Perspective, we highlight recent case studies illustrating the development of high-quality chemical probes for less-studied kinases and their application in target validation. We spotlight emerging techniques and approaches employed in the generation of chemical probes for protein kinases and beyond and discuss the associated challenges and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo A M Serafim
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Elkins
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - William J Zuercher
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Stefan A Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Tübingen Center for Academic Drug Discovery, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Gehringer
- Department of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided & Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Shin T, Hiraoka Y, Yamasaki T, Marth JD, Penninger JM, Kanai-Azuma M, Tanaka K, Kofuji S, Nishina H. MKK7 deficiency in mature neurons impairs parental behavior in mice. Genes Cells 2020; 26:5-17. [PMID: 33098150 PMCID: PMC7839552 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases (JNKs) are constitutively activated in mammalian brains and are indispensable for their development and neural functions. MKK7 is an upstream activator of all JNKs. However, whether the common JNK signaling pathway regulates the brain's control of social behavior remains unclear. Here, we show that female mice in which Mkk7 is deleted specifically in mature neurons (Mkk7flox/floxSyn‐Cre mice) give birth to a normal number of pups but fail to raise them due to a defect in pup retrieval. To explore the mechanism underlying this abnormality, we performed comprehensive behavioral tests. Mkk7flox/floxSyn‐Cre mice showed normal locomotor functions and cognitive ability but exhibited depression‐like behavior. cDNA microarray analysis of mutant brain revealed an altered gene expression pattern. Quantitative RT‐PCR analysis demonstrated that mRNA expression levels of genes related to neural signaling pathways and a calcium channel were significantly different from controls. In addition, loss of neural MKK7 had unexpected regulatory effects on gene expression patterns in oligodendrocytes. These findings indicate that MKK7 has an important role in regulating the gene expression patterns responsible for promoting normal social behavior and staving off depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadashi Shin
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichi Hiraoka
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tokiwa Yamasaki
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jamey D Marth
- Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, SBP Medical Discovery Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Josef M Penninger
- IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Medical Genetics, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Masami Kanai-Azuma
- Department of Experimental Animal Model for Human Disease, Center for Experimental Animals, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kohichi Tanaka
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kofuji
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishina
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
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