Biliverdin reductase: new features of an old enzyme and its potential therapeutic significance.
Journal Title: Pharmacological Reports - Year 2008, Vol 60, Issue 1
Abstract
Biliverdin reductase (BVR) was known for a long time solely as an enzyme converting biliverdin to bilirubin, the major physiological antioxidant. Recent years revealed unique features of this protein which are not related to its reductase activity. The most intriguing and surprising finding is its dual-specificity kinase character. As such serine/threonine/tyrosine kinase BVR is involved in regulation of glucose metabolism or in control of cell growth and apoptosis. In consequence, it may play a role in pathogenesis of many diseases, such as diabetes or cancers. Moreover, in the nucleus BVR, being a leucine zipper-like DNA binding protein, can act as a transcription factor for activator protein 1 (AP-1)-regulated genes. It has been shown that BVR modulates ATF-2 and HO-1 expression, what suggests its potential role in control of AP-1 and cAMP-regulated genes. In conclusion, BVR together with its substrate, biliverdin, and product, bilirubin, are revealed to be important players in cellular signal transduction pathways, gene expression and oxidative response. These features make BVR unusually interesting and unique among all enzymes characterized to date.
Authors and Affiliations
Urszula Florczyk, Alicja Jozkowicz, Jozef Dulak
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP123716
- DOI -
- Views 109
- Downloads 0
Effect of the pyridoindole SMe1EC2 and compounds affecting A(1) and A(2A) adenosine receptors in rat hippocampus under ischemia in vitro.
The effect of the newly synthesized pyridoindole antioxidant SMe1EC2 (1 mumol/l) and drugs activating or inhibiting adenosine receptors was tested under ischemia. Synaptic transmission was recorded extracellularly before...
Imidazoline receptors in relaxation of acetylcholine-constricted isolated rat jejunum.
Since 20 years the concept of specific imidazoline receptors has remained controversial. The problem with imidazoline receptors is mostly due to their functional similarity to alpha-adrenoceptors. In this work, a pharmac...
Antidepressant-like effect of chromium chloride in the mouse forced swim test: involvement of glutamatergic and serotonergic receptors.
Chromium (Cr) (III), an essential microelement of living organisms, was reported to exhibit potential antidepressant properties in preclinical and clinical studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect...
Can we use adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to study "aspirin resistance"? The Janus faces of ADP-triggered platelet aggregation.
There is a growing number of contradictory reports indicating that adenosine diphosphate (ADP) can be a useful agonist in monitoring of the antiplatelet action of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in humans and animals. In the...
Purinoceptors in renal microvessels: adenosine-activated and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase-derived arachidonate metabolites.
Cytochrome P450 (CYP)-dependent epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) dilaterat preglomerular microvessels (PGMVs) when adenosine 2A receptors (A(2A)R) are stimulated. As high salt intake increases epoxygenase activity and ad...