The JNK Signaling Pathway
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Edited By:Anning LinUniversity of Chicago ISBN: 978-1-58706-120-2 Published: 2006-02-15 This book may be purchased as an eBook (pdf) for $99, or individual chapters (pdf) may be purchased from the list below for $19. |
Signal transduction is one of the most exciting research areas in modern biology as it deals with how information flows from the extracellular environment into a living cell to change its metabolism, genotype and phenotype. With the completion of the genomes of human and several other species, it becomes even more important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that govern cellular functions. The intracellular signaling network, which is composed of many signaling pathways, regulates most, if not all, fundamental cellular activities, from proliferation to programmed cell death (apoptosis). Over the past decade, many signaling pathways have been “mapped’ out. Nowadays, we know in great detail about how a specific signal is transmitted via specific signaling pathways, from the membrane to the nucleus, to change the functions of a cell. In this book, a group of experts present a comprehensive review of one of such signaling pathways, the JNK signaling pathway.
Chapters available from this book
The Structure of the Type 1 Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor
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A cell and by extracellular cues from soluble survival factors and from cell contacts with its extracellular environment. For many cell types the most prevalent and potent survival factor is IGF-I. The family of six high affinity IGFBPs modulate the availability and hence the anti-apoptotic action...
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An up to-date description of the etiology, clinical and laboratory pathology of the Laron Syndrome (Primary GH resistance or insensitivity). is presented. Laron Syndrome is a unique model to study the physiological role of IGF-I(primary IGF-I deficiency ) and the IGF-I /GH relationship. Invest...
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Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) modulate cell functions through IGF-dependent and independent mechanisms. The IGFBPs are subject to complex regulation, both inhibitory and stimulatory, by transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b) in various cell types, which may result in eithe...
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Normal and abnormal growth of mammary or breast epithelium is coordinately controlled by circulating hormones and locally-produced growth factors. The insulin-like growth factors and their primary signaling receptor, the IGF type I receptor, have demonstrated roles in normal mammary gland deve...
IGF1 and Brain Development
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During the course of brain development, insulin-like growth factor (IGF1) and the IGF1 receptor are most highly expressed by maturing projection neurons during a time of rapid process growth and synaptogenesis. During this time, IGF1-expressing neurons grow the most extensive dendritic arbors ...
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The proposed “insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) superfamily” is said to consist of the high affinity binding proteins, IGFBP-1 to -6 and low affinity binding proteins (IGFBP-related proteins). A key mechanism for regulating IGF bioactivities is the high-affinity IGFBPs, which ...
Diabetes
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Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Stimulation of Growth: Autocrine, Paracrine and/or Endocrine Mechanisms of Action?
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The relationship between the sites of insulin-like Growth factor-I (IGF-I) expression and the sites of its growth promoting actions have been debated for years. There is compelling evidence for each potential mode of IGF-I action. Arguments for IGF-I endocrine actions include the findings that...
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Extrapancreatic tumors associated with hypoglycemia (non-islet-cell tumor hypoglycemia, NICTH) is one of major causes of fasting hypoglycemia. In some patients with NICTH, insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) produced by and secreted from the tumor is thought to be a hypoglycemic agent. Howe...
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I and the Kidney
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This review describes the multiple ways in which the kidney and the IGF-I system interact in both health and disease. IGF-I is an important physiological regulator of glomerular hemodynamics, renal growth and certain tubular functions. In several disease states the IGF-I system is an important...
IGFs and Sarcomas
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Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors exert their effects on a variety of sarcomas through autocrine, paracrine and endocrine mechanisms. In addition to regulating the proliferation of normal as well as malignant cells of mesenchymal origin, IGFs and their receptors play a centr...
IGFs and the Nervous System
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The insulin-like growth factors-I and -II (IGF-I and IGF-II) are neurotrophic factors with sequence homology to pro-insulin. Through the type I IGF receptor (IGF-IR), the IGFs mediate proliferation, survival and differentiation of neuronal and non-neuronal cells.1,2 IGFs are of particular inte...
Epidemiologic Approaches to Evaluating Insulin-Like Growth Factor and Cancer Risk
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Epidemiologic studies that simply observe the natural cause of events often are referred to as observational studies. In contrast, studies in which the investigator intervenes to change some participants' behavior, assigning the exposure status of each participant, are referred to as int...
Regulation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Gene Expression
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IGF Action and Skeletal Muscle
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The insulin-like growth factors, IGF-I and IGF-II, comprise a pair of structurally related, secreted proteins which control diverse cellular functions by regulating multiple signal transduction pathways. Gene targeting experiments have revealed essential roles for IGF action in normal mu...
IGFs and Epithelial Cancer
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Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), IGF receptors and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) are expressed in epithelial cancer. The IGF system is involved in the regulation of the proliferation of both normal and malignant epithelial cells. Proliferative effects of IGFs are mediated predominantl...
The IGF System in Breast Cancer
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IGFBP-5, A Multifunctional Protein, Is an Important Bone Formation Regulator
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The Insulin-Like Growth Factor System and Bone
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In the last several years, investigators have begun to unravel the role of insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and its family of IGF binding proteins, in the building and maintenance of the adult skeleton. Although it was nearly a half a century ago that the presence of a 'somatomed...
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins (IGFBPs) and Apoptosis
C.M. Perks and J.M.P. Holly
Apoptosis is a physiologically regulated mode of cell death, which plays a critical role during development and maturation. Apoptosis is tightly controlled both within the cell and by extracellular cues from soluble survival factors and from cell contacts with its extracellular environme...
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Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Hematological Malignancies
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Immune cell development and homeostasis is a highly coordinated process influenced by a network of cells and soluble factors. The endocrine system, in particular the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), has been shown to play a key role in development and maintenance of normal immune func...
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Structure and Function of the IGF-1 and Mannose 6-phosphate/IGF-2 Receptors
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The IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R) gene is transcriptionally regulated by growth factors and tumor repressors and encodes a 210 kDa ab chain which is proteolytically cleaved and disulfide bonded to produce an a2b
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Renato Baserga, Marco Prisco and Tina Yuan
The type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) receptor is a tyrosine kinase receptor, conserved through evolution in metazoans, from C. elegans to mammals. It displays several functions, some of which are seemingly contradictory. This Chapter examines only selected functions of the IG...
The Molecular Basis of IGF-I Receptor Gene Expression in Human Cancer
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The insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) has a central role in normal cellular proliferation as well as in transformation processes. Transcription factors have been identified that modulate the activity of the IGF-IR gene. Transcription factors with tum...
Antisense and Triple Helix Strategies in Basic and Clinical Research: Challenge for Gene Therapy of Tumors Expressing IGF-I
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In prokaryotes and eukaryotes, genetic information is supported by doublestranded DNA, in which only one strand is usually transcribed in messenger RNA. Nevertheless, transcription could occur from both strands or from complementary strands, leading sometimes to the synthesis of compleme...
The Many Levels of Control of IGF-II Expression
P. Elly Holthuizen
The functions of IGF-II are very diverse. IGF-II plays a role in the development of the embryo, it is an important mitogenic factor for growing cells, it is involved in differentiation processes and it is highly expressed in many tumor tissues. Because of its pivotal role in these divers...


