Activation and signaling of the p38 MAP kinase pathway

The family members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases mediate a wide variety of cellular behaviors in response to extracellular stimuli. One of the four main sub-groups, the p38 group of MAP kinases, serve as a nexus for signal transduction and play a vital role in numerous biological processes. In this review, we highlight the known characteristics and components of the p38 pathway along with the mechanism and consequences of p38 activation. We focus on the role of p38 as a signal transduction mediator and examine the evidence linking p38 to inflammation, cell cycle, cell death, development, cell differentiation, senescence and tumorigenesis in specific cell types. Upstream and downstream components of p38 are described and questions remaining to be answered are posed. Finally, we propose several directions for future research on p38.

Triptolide (PG-490) induces apoptosis of dendritic cells through sequential p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and caspase 3 activation

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presen ting cells that play crucial roles in the regulation of immune response. Triptol ide, an active component purified from the medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfor dii Hook F., has been demonstrated to act as a potent immunosuppressive drug c apab le of inhibiting T cell activation and proliferation. However, little is known a bout the effects of triptolide on DCs. The present study shows that triptolide d oes not affect phenotypic differentiation and LPS-induced maturation of murine DCs. But triptolide can dramatically reduce cell recovery by inducing apoptosis of DCs at concentration as low as 10 ng/ml, as demonstrated by phosphatidylserin e exposure, mitochondria potential decrease, and nuclear DNA condensation. Tript olide induces activation of p38 in DCs, which precedes the activation of caspase 3. SB203580, a specific kinase inhibitor for p38, can block the activation of caspase 3 and inhibit the resultant apoptosis of DCs. Our results suggest that t he anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities of triptolide may be due, in part, to its apoptosis-inducing effects on DCs.

p38 MAP kinase is necessary for melanoma-mediated regulation of VE-cadherin disassembly

Introduction Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is localized to the endothelial borders and the adherens junctions,which are regulated by changes in mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK),GTPases,and intracellular calcium. We previously

Herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid interferes with MAP kinase signaling in Fusarium graminearum and is inhibitory to fungal growth and pathogenesis

Plant hormones are important for regulating growth,development,and plant-pathogen interactions.Some of them are inhibitory to growth of fungal pathogens but the underlying mechanism is not clear.In this study,we found that hyphal growth of Fusarium graminearum was significantly reduced by high concentrations of IAA and its metabolically stable analogue 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D).Besides inhibitory effects on growth rate,treatments with 2,4-D also caused significant reduction in conidiation,conidium germination,and germ tube growth.Treatments with 2,4-D had no obvious effect on sexual reproduction but significantly reduced TRI gene expression,toxisome formation,and DON production.More importantly,treatments with 2,4-D were inhibitory to infection structure formation and pathogenesis at concentrations higher than 100μM.The presence of 1000μM 2,4-D almost completely inhibited plant infection and invasive growth.In F.graminearum,2,4-D induced ROS accumulation and FgHog1 activation but reduced the phosphorylation level of Gpmk1 MAP kinase.Metabolomics analysis showed that the accumulation of a number of metabolites such as glycerol and arabitol was increased by 2,4-D treatment in the wild type but not in the Fghog1 mutant.Transformants expressing the dominant active FgPBS2^(S451D T455D) allele were less sensitive to 2,4-D and had elevated levels of intracellular glycerol and arabitol induced by 2,4-D in PH-1.Taken together,our results showed that treatments with 2,4-D interfere with two important MAP kinase pathways and are inhibitory to hyphal growth,DON biosynthesis,and plant infection in F.graminearum.

MAP Kinases in Immune Responses

MAP kinases are evolutionarily conserved signaling regulators from budding yeast to mammals and play essential roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses.There are three main families of MAPKs in mammals.Each of them has its own activators,inactivators,substrates and scaffolds,which altogether form a fine signaling network in response to different extracellular or intracellular stimulation.In this review,we summarize recent advances in understanding of the regulation of MAP kinases and the roles of MAP kinases in innate and adaptive immune responses.Cellular & Molecular Immunology.2005;2(1):20-27.

Timing Is Everything： Highly Specific and Transient Expression of a MAP Kinase Determines Auxin-Induced Leaf Venation Patterns in Arabidopsis

Mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） cascades are universal signal transduction modules present in all eukaryotes. In plants, MAPK cascades were shown to regulate cell division, developmental processes, stress responses, and hormone pathways. The subgroup A of Arabidopsis MAPKs consists of AtMPK3, AtMPK6, and AtMPK10. AtMPK3 and AtMPK6 are activated by their upstream MAP kinase kinases （MKKs） AtMKK4 and AtMKK5 in response to biotic and abiotic stress. In addition, they were identified as key regulators of stomatal development and patterning. AtMPKIO has long been considered as a pseudo-gene, derived from a gene duplication of AtMPK6. Here we show that AtMPKIO is expressed highly but very transiently in seedlings and at sites of local auxin maxima leaves. MPK10 encodes a functional kinase and interacts with the upstream MAP kinase kinase （MAPKK） AtMKK2. mpklO mutants are delayed in flowering in long-day conditions and in continuous light. Moreover, cotyledons of mpk10 and mkk2 mutants have reduced vein complexity, which can be reversed by inhibiting polar auxin transport （PAT）. Auxin does not affect AtMPKIO expression while treatment with the PAT inhibitor HFCA extends the expression in leaves and reverses the mpklO mutant phenotype. These results suggest that the AtMKK2-AtMPK10 MAPK module regulates venation complexity by altering PAT efficiency.

p38α MAP kinase phosphorylates RCAN1 and regulates its interaction with calcineurin

RCAN1, also known as DSCR1, is an endogenous regulator of calcineurin, a serine/threonine protein phosphatase that plays a critical role in many physiological processes. In this report, we demonstrate that p38a MAP kinase can phosphorylate RCAN1 at multiple sites in vitro and show that phospho-RCAN1 is a good protein substrate for calcineurin. In addition, we found that unphosphorylated RCANI noncompetitively inhibits calcineurin protein phosphatase activity and that the phosphorylation of RCAN1 by p38a MAP kinase decreases the binding affinity of RCAN1 for calcineurin. These findings reveal the molecular mechanism by which p38a MAP kinase regulates the function of RCAN1/calcineurin through phosphorylation.

Crystal structure of the p38α MAP kinase in complex with a docking peptide from TAB1

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38α is a key regulator in many cellular processes, whose activity is tightly regulated by upstream kinases, phosphatases and other regulators. Transforming growth factor-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is an upstream kinase in p38α signaling, and its full activation requires a specific activator, the TAK1-binding protein (TAB1). TAB1 was also shown to be an inducer of p38α's autophosphorylation and/or a substrate driving the feedback control of p38α signaling. Here we determined the complex structure of the unphosphorylated p38α and a docking peptide of TAB1, which shows that the TAB1 peptide binds to the classical MAPK docking groove and induces long-range conformational changes on p38α. Our structural and biochemical analyses suggest that TAB1 is a reasonable substrate of p38α, yet the interaction between the docking peptide and p38α may not be sufficient to trigger trans-autophosphorylation of p38α.

Role of Tyrosine Kinase Receptors in Growth Factor Mediated Signal Transduction, with Specific Reference to MAPK/Rasand p13k-Akt Containing Pathways in Oncogenesis: A Qualitative Database Review

Receptor Tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play a crucial role in the signal transduction pathways at cellular levels. RTK plays a vital role in cellular communication and transmission of signals to the adjacent cells and regulates different functions of the cell, such as cellular growth, differentiation, metabolism and motility. RTK s triggers growth factor receptors such as epidermal growth factor, insulin growth factor-1 receptor, platelet derived growth factor receptor, and fibro blast growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, thereby initiating and regulating cell growth and proliferation. MAPK/RAS and PI3/AKT pathways are the major pathways of RTK’s function. Dysregulation of these RTK’s and pathways often leads to many diseases such as Noonan Syndrome, Logius Syndrome, CFC syndrome and different types of cancer. Point mutation and over expression of receptors and mutations in Ras leads to 30% of human cancers. Also over expression of different growth factor receptors by RTK too lead to several types of cancers as Glioblastoma, Thyroid cancer, Colon cancer and Non-small cell lung cancer. PTEN mutation in PI3/AKT pathway often leads to carcinoma relative to Thyroid, Skin, Large intestine, eye and Bone. Therefore, these RTK’s often used as targets for cancer therapies. The medical sector uses various types of small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as ATP competitive inhibitors, Allosteric inhibitors and covalent inhibitors which are known as Afatinib, Crizotinib, Eroltinib, Icotinib, Lepatinib and Lenvatinib in treatment and management of differential carcinomas.

Down-regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activity in P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells

AIM： To study the expression and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK） i and ERK2 in multidrug resistant （MDR） hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） cells.METHODS： MDR HCC cell lines, HepG2/adriamycin （ADM） and SMMC7721/ADM, were developed by exposing parental cells to stepwise increasing concentrations of ADM. MTT assay was used to determine drug sensitivity. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze cell cycle distribution and measure cell P-glycoprotein （P-gp） and multidrug resistant protein 1 （MRP1） expression levels. ERK1 and ERK2 mRNA expression lev-ls were measured by quantitative real-time PCR （QRTPCR）. Expression and phosphorylation of ERK1 and ERK2 were analyzed by Western blot.RESULTS： MTT assay showed that HepG2/ADM andSMMC7721/ADM were resistant not only to ADM, but also to multiple anticancer drugs. The P-gp expression was over 10-fold higher in HepG2/ADM cells than in HepG2 cells （8.92% ±0.22% vs 0.88% ± 0.05%, P 〈 0.001） and over 4-fold higher in SMMC7721/ADM cells than in SMMC7721 cells （7.37% ± 0.26% vs 1.74% ± 0.25%, P 〈 0.001）. However, the MRP1 expression was not significantly higher in HepG2/ADM and SMMC7721/ADM cells than in parental cells. In addition, the percentage of MDR HepG2/ADM and SMMC7721/ADM cells was significantly decreased in the G0/G1 phase and increased in the the S phase or G2/M phase. QRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the ERK1 and ERK2 mRNA expression increased apparently in HepG2/ADM cells and decreased significantly in SMMC7721/ADM cells. Compared with the expression of parental cells, ERK1 and ERK2 protein expressions were markedly decreased in SMMC7721/ADM cells. However, ERK2 protein expression was markedly increased while ERK1 protein expression had no significant change in HepG2/ADM cells. Phosphorylation of ERK1 and ERK2 was markedly decreased in both HepG2/ADM and SMMC7721/ADM MDR cells.CONCLUSION： ERK1 and ERK2 activities are downregulated in P-gp-mediated MDR HCC cells. ERK1 or ERK2 might be a potential drug target for circumventing MDR HCC cells,

The involvement of p38 MAPK in transforming growth factor β1-induced apoptosis in murine hepatocytes

We reported in this manuscript that TGF-beta1 induces apoptosis in AML12 murine hepatocytes, which is associated with the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway. SB202190, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, strongly inhibited the TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis and PAI-1 promoter activity. Treatment of cells with TGF-beta1 activates p38. Furthermore, over-expression of dominant negative mutant p38 also reduced the TGF-beta1-induced apoptosis. The data indicate that the activation of p38 is involved in TGF-beta1-mediated gene expression and apoptosis.

MAPKs and acetyl-CoA are associated with Curvularia lunata pathogenicity and toxin production in maize

Mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） cascades play an important role in extracellular signal transduction and are involved in the pathogenicity of fungal pathogens to host plants. In Curvularia lunata, the roles of two MAPK genes, Clkl and CIm 1, have already been studied. Clkl is involved in conidia formation and pathogenicity, and Clmf is closely related to pathogen cell wall formation and pathogenicity to maize leaves. In this study, a third C. lunata MAPK gene, Clhl, which is homologous to hog1, was successfully cloned. We found that a Clhl deletion mutant had lower intracellular glycerol accumulation than the wild-type stain and was unable to grow normally under osmotic stress conditions. Furthermore, the deletion mutants of three C. lunata MAPK genes （Clkl, Clml and Clhl） had lower levels of acetyI-CoA, which is an important intermediate product in the synthesis of melanin and furan toxin, and down-regulated expression of pathogenicity-associated genes. Furthermore, pathogenicity and the ability to produce toxin were restored after adding acetyI-CoA to the culture medium, suggesting that acetyI-CoA is closely involved in the pathogen MAPK signaling pathway.

Correlation between Expression of P38 MAPK-Signaling and uPA in Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE To study the expression of phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p-p38） and uPA and the correlation of their expression with breast cancer clinicopathological characteristics, and to investigate the role of the p38MAPK-signaling pathway in regulating uPA expression in breast cancer cells.METHODS Immunohistochemistry （S-P） was used to test the expression of p-p38 and uPA in 60 specimens of breast cancer tissues. Western blots were adopted to detect expression of the p-p38 and uPA proteins in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and uPA expression after treatment with SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK.RESULTS The positive rate of the p-p38 protein and uPA protein expression in the breast cancer tissues was 56.7% and 60.0%,respectively. The expression of p-p38 was positively related to the expression of uPA （r = 0.316, P 〈 0.05）. The expression of p-p38 and uPA was related to lymph node metastasis and the TNM stage （P 〈 0.05）, but it was not related to the patient＇s age or tumor size （P 〉 0.05）. The expression of p-p38 and uPA in MDA- MB-231 cells was higher than that in MCF-7 cells. SB203580 inhibited the p38 MAPK pathway and reduced uPA protein expression.CONCLUSION The p38 MAPK-signaling pathway promotes breast cancer malignant progression by up-regulating uPA expression ,and it may be an important process in breast cancer invasion and metastasis.

IL-1β activates p44/42 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases via different pathways in cat esophageal smooth muscle cells

AIM： To examine the pathway related to the IL-1β induced activation of mitogen-activated protein （MAP） kinases in cat esophageal smooth muscle cells. METHODS： Culture of the esophageal smooth muscle cells from cat was prepared. Specific inhibitors were treated before applying the IL-β3. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expressions of COX, iNOS and MAP kinases. RESULTS： In the primary cultured cells, although IL-β3 failed to upregulate the COX and iNOS levels, the levels of the phosphorylated forms of 1344142 HAP kinase and p38 MAP kinase increased in both concentration- and time-dependent manner, of which the level of activation reached a maximum within 3 and 18 h, respectively. The pertussis toxin reduced the level of p44/42 MAP kinase phosphorylation. Tyrphostin 51 and genistein also inhibited this activation. Neomycin decreased the density of the p44/42 HAP kinase band to the basal level. Phosphokinase C （PKC） was found to play a mediating role in the IL-1β-induced p44/42 MAP kinase activity. In contrast, the activation of p38 MAP kinase was inhibited only by a pretreatment with forskolin, and was unaffected by the other compounds. CONCLUSION： Based on these results, IL-1β-induced p44/42 MAP kinase activation is mediated by the Gi protein, tyrosine kinase, phospholipase C （PLC） and PKC. The pathway for p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation is different from that of p44/42 MAP kinase, suggesting that it plays a different role in the cellular response to IL- 1β.

Overexpression of heme oxygenase-1 protects smooth muscle cells against oxidative injury and inhibits cell proliferation

To investigate whether the expression of exogenous heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene within vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) could protect the cells from free radical attack and inhibit cell proliferation, we established an in vitro transfection of human HO-1 gene into rat VSMC mediated by a retroviral vector. The results showed that the profound expression of HO-1 protein as well as HO activity was 1.8- and 2.0-fold increased respectively in the transfected cells compared to the non-transfected ones. The treatment of VSMC with different concentrations of H2O2 led to the remarkable cell damage as indicated by survival rate and LDH leakage. However, the resistance of the HO-1 transfected VSMC against H2O2 was significantly raised. This protective effect was dramatically diminished when the transfected VSMC were pretreated with ZnPP-IX, a specific inhibitor of HO, for 24 h. In addition, we found that the growth potential of the transfected cells was significantly inhibited directly by increased activity of HO-1, and this effect might be related to decreased phosphorylation of MAPK. These results suggest that the overexpression of introduced hHO-1 is potentially able to reduce the risk factors of atherosclerosis, partially due to its cellular protection against oxidative injury and to its inhibitory effect on cellular proliferation.

Molecular determinants of the antitumor effects of trichostatin A in pancreatic cancer cells

AIM:To gain molecular insights into the action of the histone deacetylase inhibitor(HDACI) trichostatin-A(TSA) in pancreatic cancer(PC) cells.METHODS:Three PC cell lines,BxPC-3,AsPC-1 and CAPAN-1,were treated with various concentrations of TSA for def ined periods of time.DNA synthesis was assessed by measuring the incorporation of 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine.Gene expression at the level of mRNA was quantif ied by real-time polymerase chain reaction.Expression and phosphorylation of proteins was monitored by immunoblotting,applying an infrared imaging technology.To study the role of p38 MAP kinase,the specif ic enzyme inhibitor SB202190 and an inactive control substance,SB202474,were employed.RESULTS:TSA most eff iciently inhibited BrdU incorporation in BxPC-3 cells,while CAPAN-1 cells displayed the lowest and AsPC-1 cells an intermediate sensitivity.The biological response of the cell lines correlated with the increase of histone H3 acetylation after TSA application.In BxPC-3 cells(which are wild-type for KRAS),TSA strongly inhibited phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 and AKT.In contrast,activities of ERK and AKT in AsPC-1 and CAPAN-1 cells(both expressing oncogenic KRAS) were not or were only modestly affected by TSA treatment.In all three cell lines,but most pronounced in BxPC-3 cells,TSA exposure induced an activation of the MAP kinase p38.Inhibition of p38 by SB202190 slightly but signif icantly diminished the antiproliferative effect of TSA in BxPC-3 cells.Interestingly,only BxPC-3 cells responded to TSA treatment by a signif icant increase of the mRNA levels of bax,a pro-apoptotic member of the BCL gene family.Finally,in BxPC-3 and AsPC-1 cells,but not in the cell line CAPAN-1,signif icantly higher levels of the cell cycle inhibitor protein p21Waf1 were observed after TSA application.CONCLUSION:The biological effect of TSA in PC cells correlates with the increase of acetyl-H3,p21Waf1,phospho-p38 and bax levels,and the decrease of phosphoERK 1/2 and phospho-AKT.

Study of signal transduction factors involved in mycoparasitic response of Trichoderma atroviride

Numerous Trichoderma spp. are mycoparasites and commercially applied as biological control agents against a large number of plant pathogenic fungi. The mycoparasitic interaction is host-specific and several research strategies have been applied to identify the main genes and compounds involved in the antagonist-plant-pathogen three-way interaction. During mycoparasitism, signals from the host fungus are recognised by Trichoderma, stimulating antifungal activities that are accompanied by morphological changes and the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes and antibiotics. Interestingly some morphological changes appeared highly conserved in the strategy of pathogenicity within the fungal world, i.e. the formation of appressoria as well as the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes seem to be general mechanisms of attack both for plant pathogens and mycoparasitic antagonists. This knowledge is being used to identify receptors and key components of signalling pathways involved in fungus-fungus interaction. For this purpose we have cloned the first genes (tmk1, tga1, tga3) from T. atroviride showing a high similarity to MAP kinase and G protein subunits (see abstract by Zeilinger et al.), which have been found to have an important role in pathogenicity by Magnaporthe grisea. To identify the function and involvement of these factors in mycoparasitism by T. atroviride, tmk1, tga1, tga3 disruptant strains were produced. The knock-out mutants were tested by in vivo biocontrol assays for their ability to inhibit soil and foliar plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium ultimum and Botrytis cinerea . Disruption of these genes corresponded to a complete loss of biocontrol ability, suggesting a significant role in mycoparasitism. In particular, it has been suggested that tga3 regulates the expression of chitinase-encoding genes, the secretion of the corresponding enzymes and the process of conidiation. Comparative proteome analysis of wild type and disruptants supported this hypothesis, and indicated many changes in the protein profiles of T. atroviride in different interaction conditions with plants and pathogenic hosts.

Signal transduction of bombesin-induced circular smooth muscle cell contraction in cat esophagus

AIM： To investigate the mechanism of bombesin-induced circular smooth muscle cell contraction in cat esophagus. METHODS： Specific G protein or phospholipase C involved in cat esophagus contraction was identified, muscle cells were permeabilized with saponin. After per- meabilization of muscle cells, the Gi3 antibody inhibited bombesin-induced smooth muscle cell contraction. RESULTS： Incubation of permeabilized circular muscle cells with PLC-β3 antibody could inhibit bombesin-induced contraction. H-7, chelerythrine （PKC inhibitor） and genistein （protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor） inhibited bombesin-induced contraction, but DAG kinase inhibitor, R59949, could not inhibit it. To examine which mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） was involved in bombesin-induced contTaction, the specific MAPK inhibitors （MEK inhibitor, PD98059 and p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB202190） were used. Preincubation of PD98059 blocked the contraction induced by bombesin in a concentration-dependent manner. However, SB202190 had no effects on contraction. CONCLUSION： Bombesin-induced circular muscle cell contraction in cat esophagus is mediated via a PKC or a PTK-dependent pathway or p44/p42 HAPK pathway.

Targeting key signalling pathways in oesophageal adenocarcinoma:A reality for personalised medicine?

Cancer treatments are rapidly changing.Curative treatment for oesophageal adenocarcinoma currently involves surgery and cytotoxic chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.Outcomes for both regimes are generally poor as a result of tumor recurrence.We have reviewed the key signalling pathways associated with oesophageal adenocarcinomas and discussed the recent trials of novel agents that attempt to target these pathways.There are many trials underway with the aim of improving survival in oesophageal cancer.Currently,phase 2 and 3 trials are focused on MAP kinase inhibition,either through inhibition of growth factor receptors or signal transducer proteins.In order to avoid tumor resistance,it appears to be clear that targeted therapy will be needed to combat the multiple signalling pathways that are in operation in oesophageal adenocarcinomas.This may be achievable in the future with the advent of gene signatures and a combinatorial approach.

Evodiamine induces extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells via the mitogen-activated protein kinase/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathways

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of evodiamine on ovarian cancer cells and the mechanisms underlying such effects.METHODS: Human ovarian cancer cells HO-8910 PM were treated with evodiamine at 0, 1.25,2.5, and 5 μM for 1-4 d. 3-(4,5-Dimethiylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay was used to detect the growth inhibition rate of evodiamine-treated HO-8910 PM cells. The cell cycle was observed via propidium iodide(PI) staining. Apoptosis induction was assessed via Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide(Annexin V-FITC/PI) double staining assay. To verify the mechanism of apoptosis, caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway-related protein was detected by Western blot analysis. The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)and/or phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase(PI3K)/pro-tein kinase B(Akt) pathway-related proteins were also investigated.RESULTS: Evodiamine significantly inhibited the proliferation of HO-8910 PM cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Evodiamine induced G2/M arrest with an increase of cyclin B1 level, and promoted cell apoptosis with a decrease of B cell lymphoma/lewkmia-2(Bcl-2) and an increase of Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax) level. In addition,evodiamine treatment led to the activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3 and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase(PARP). Evodiamine targeted the MAPK and/or PI3K/Akt pathways by reducing the expression and activity of PI3 K, Akt, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase(ERK1/2 MAPK)and the activity of p38 MAPK.CONCLUSION: Evodiamine can inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells by G2/M arrest and intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis. In addition, evodiamine-induced PI3K/Akt, ERK1/2 MAPK, and p38 MAPK signaling may be involved in cell death.