Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Mechanism of Kemeng Fang's Inhibition of Podocyte Apoptosis in Rats with Membranous Nephropathy through the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway
07:15

Mechanism of Kemeng Fang's Inhibition of Podocyte Apoptosis in Rats with Membranous Nephropathy through the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway

Published on: August 23, 2024

1.1K

β-arrestin promotes c-Jun N-terminal kinase mediated apoptosis via a GABA(B)R·β-arrestin·JNK signaling module

Jin-Xia Wu1, Feng-Xiao Shan, Jun-Nian Zheng

  • 1The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China E-mail : jnzheng@xzmc.edu.cn; dspei@xzmc.edu.cn.

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
|February 27, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Beta-arrestin, a protein crucial for G protein-coupled receptor signaling, promotes breast cancer cell apoptosis by activating the JNK pathway. Reduced beta-arrestin levels in tumors impair this tumor-suppressive function.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • The GABAB receptor (a G protein-coupled receptor) is implicated in tumorigenesis.
  • Beta-arrestin proteins act as scaffolds, recruiting signaling molecules like c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) to G protein-coupled receptors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if beta-arrestin recruits JNK to the GABAB receptor and influences cancer cell growth.
  • To explore the role of the GABAB receptor-beta-arrestin-JNK signaling module in breast cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Western blotting to assess protein expression and phosphorylation.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation to confirm protein-protein interactions.
  • Cell culture of human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T-47D).

Main Results:

  • Beta-arrestin expression is significantly decreased in breast cancer cells.
  • Beta-arrestin facilitates the formation of the GABAB receptor-beta-arrestin-JNK signaling complex.
  • Increased beta-arrestin expression enhances JNK phosphorylation and induces apoptosis in cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • Beta-arrestin plays a tumor-suppressive role in breast cancer by promoting JNK-mediated apoptosis.
  • The GABAB receptor-beta-arrestin-JNK signaling module is a key pathway regulating cancer cell survival.

More Related Videos

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

7.9K
Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model08:15

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

744

Related Concept Videos

MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
7.3K
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
6.2K
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze...
15.3K
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway01:20

The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway

Several cytokine receptors have tightly bound Janus kinase or JAK proteins attached at their cytosolic tail. Small signaling molecules such as cytokines, growth hormones, or prolactins bind to the cytokine receptors and initiate their dimerization. The dimerization brings the cytosolic JAKs together that trans-phosphorylate and activates each other. The activated JAKs now phosphorylate cytosolic tails of the cytokine receptors, which serve as binding sites for adaptor proteins such as  SH2...
10.2K
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The...
7.6K
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
6.2K