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    Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreatitis, and Oxidative Stress
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    Objectives: Pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas. However, it often shares many molecular features with pancreatic cancer. Biomarkers present in pancreatic cancer frequently occur in the setting of pancreatitis. The efforts to develop diagnostic biomarkers for pancreatic cancer have thus been complicated by the false-positive involvement of pancreatitis. Methods: In an attempt to develop protein biomarkers for pancreatic cancer, we previously use quantitative proteomics to identify and quantify the proteins from pancreatic cancer juice. Pancreatic juice is a rich source of proteins that are shed by the pancreatic ductal cells. In this study, we used a similar approach to identify and quantify proteins from pancreatitis juice. Results: In total, 72 proteins were identified and quantified in the comparison of pancreatic juice from pancreatitis patients versus pooled normal control juice. Nineteen of the juice proteins were overexpressed, and 8 were underexpressed in pancreatitis juice by at least 2-fold compared with normal pancreatic juice. Of these 27 differentially expressed proteins in pancreatitis, 9 proteins were also differentially expressed in the pancreatic juice from pancreatic cancer patient. Conclusions: Identification of these differentially expressed proteins from pancreatitis juice provides useful information for future study of specific pancreatitis-associated proteins and to eliminate potential false-positive biomarkers for pancreatic cancer.
    Pancreatic juice
    Pancreatic Disease
    Exocrine pancreas
    Transcription factor NRF2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) is a master regulator of cellular responses against environmental stresses. NRF2 induces expression of detoxification and antioxidant enzymes and suppresses inductions of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes. KEAP1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1) is an adaptor subunit of CULLIN 3 (CUL3)-based E3 ubiquitin ligase. KEAP1 regulates the activity of NRF2 and acts as a sensor for oxidative and electrophilic stresses. NRF2 has been found to be activated in many types of cancers with poor prognosis. Therapeutic strategies to control NRF2-overeactivated cancers have been considered not only by targeting cancer cells with NRF2 inhibitors or NRF2 synthetic lethal chemicals, but also by targeting host defense with NRF2 inducers. Understanding precise molecular mechanisms how the KEAP1-NRF2 system senses and regulates the cellular response is critical to overcome intractable NRF2-activated cancers.
    KEAP1
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    Thioredoxin-1 is a 12 kDa protein that consists of a redox regulatory domain containing the active cysteine residues 32 and 35. These cysteines are conserved from bacteria to human. Unlike thioredoxins from lower species, mammalian thioredoxin-1 contains three additional nonactive cysteine residues at positions 62, 69, and 73 (for human thioredoxin-1). Key biological functions of thioredoxin-1 are antioxidative, anti-apoptotic, and pro-proliferative properties. Thioredoxin-1 is regulated by the ability of the thioredoxin reductase to reduce oxidized thioredoxin-1 at cysteines 32 and 35. However, posttranslational modifications of thioredoxin-1, including glutathionylation, thiol-oxidation, and S-nitros(yl)ation, at the nonactive cysteines importantly contribute to the regulation and functions of thioredoxin-1. This review focuses on the posttranslational modifications of the active and nonactive cysteines and their contribution for functional regulation of thioredoxin-1.
    Ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase
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    The Kelch-like ECH-associating protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway is the major regulator of cytoprotective responses to oxidative and electrophilic stress. The Cul3/Keap1 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex interacts with Nrf2, leading to Nrf2 ubiquitination and degradation. In this study, we focused on the disruption of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction to upregulate Nrf2 expression and the transcription of ARE-controlled cytoprotective oxidative stress response enzymes, such as HO-1. We completed a drug-repositioning screening for inhibitors of Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interactions using a newly established fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) screening system. The binding reaction between Nrf2 and Keap1 was successfully detected with a KD of 2.6 μM using our FCS system. The initial screening of 1,633 drugs resulted in 12 candidate drugs. Among them, 2 drugs significantly increased Nrf2 protein levels in HepG2 cells. These two promising drugs also upregulated ARE gene promoter activity and increased HO-1 mRNA expression, which confirms their ability to dissociate Nrf2 and Keap1. Thus, drug-repositioning screening for Keap1-Nrf2 binding inhibitors using FCS enabled us to find two promising known drugs that can induce the activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway.
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    Abstract Nrf2 is the key transcription factor regulating the antioxidant response. Nrf2 signaling is repressed by Keap1 at basal condition and induced by oxidative stress. Keap1 is recently identified as a Cullin 3‐dependent substrate adaptor protein. A two‐sites binding “hinge & latch” model vividly depicts how Keap1 can efficiently present Nrf2 as substrate for ubiquitination. Oxidative perturbation can impede Keap1‐mediated Nrf2 ubiquitination but fail to disrupt Nrf2/Keap1 binding. Nrf2 per se is a redox‐sensitive transcription factor. A new Nrf2‐mediated redox signaling model is proposed based on these new discoveries. Free floating Nrf2 protein functions as a redox‐sensitive probe. Keap1 instead functions as a gate keeper to control the availability of Nrf2 probes and thus regulates the overall sensitivity of the redox signaling. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
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    The thioredoxin system consisting of NADP(H), thioredoxin reductase and thioredoxin provides reducing equivalents to a large and diverse array of cellular processes. Despite a great deal of information on the kinetics of individual thioredoxin-dependent reactions, the kinetic regulation of this system as an integrated whole is not known. We address this by using kinetic modeling to identify and describe kinetic behavioral motifs found within the system.Analysis of a realistic computational model of the Escherichia coli thioredoxin system revealed several modes of kinetic regulation in the system. In keeping with published findings, the model showed that thioredoxin-dependent reactions were adaptable (i.e. changes to the thioredoxin system affected the kinetic profiles of these reactions). Further and in contrast to other systems-level descriptions, analysis of the model showed that apparently unrelated thioredoxin oxidation reactions can affect each other via their combined effects on the thioredoxin redox cycle. However, the scale of these effects depended on the kinetics of the individual thioredoxin oxidation reactions with some reactions more sensitive to changes in the thioredoxin cycle and others, such as the Tpx-dependent reduction of hydrogen peroxide, less sensitive to these changes. The coupling of the thioredoxin and Tpx redox cycles also allowed for ultrasensitive changes in the thioredoxin concentration in response to changes in the thioredoxin reductase concentration. We were able to describe the kinetic mechanisms underlying these behaviors precisely with analytical solutions and core models.Using kinetic modeling we have revealed the logic that underlies the functional organization and kinetic behavior of the thioredoxin system. The thioredoxin redox cycle and associated reactions allows for a system that is adaptable, interconnected and able to display differential sensitivities to changes in this redox cycle. This work provides a theoretical, systems-biological basis for an experimental analysis of the thioredoxin system and its associated reactions.
    Ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase
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