Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a complex group of compounds produced through the non-enzymatic glycation and oxidation of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, primarily due to aging and under certain pathologic condition such as huperglycemia. Some of the best chemically characterized AGEs include N-epsilon-carboxy-methyl-lysine (CML), N-epsilon-carboxy-ethyl-lysine (CEL), and Imidazolone. The major receptor for AGEs, known as receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE or AGER), belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily and has been described as a pattern recognition receptor. AGE/RAGE signaling elicits activation of multiple intracellular signal pathways involving NADPH oxidase, protein kinase C, and MAPKs, then resulting in NF-kappaB activity. NF-kappa B promotes the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha and a variety of atherosclerosis-related genes, including VCAM-1, tissue factor, VEGF, and RAGE. In addition, JAK-STAT-mediated and PI3K-Akt-dependent pathways are induced via RAGE, which in turn participate in cell proliferation and apoptosis respectively. Hypoxia-mediated induction of Egr-1 was also shown to require the AGE-RAGE interaction. The results of these signal transductions have been reported to be the possible mechanism that initates diabetic complications.
Advanced glycation end products induce human corneal epithelial cells apoptosis through generation of reactive oxygen species and activation of JNK and p38 MAPK pathways.
Hudson BI, Kalea AZ, Del Mar Arriero M, Harja E, Boulanger E, D'Agati V, Schmidt AM
Title
Interaction of the RAGE cytoplasmic domain with diaphanous-1 is required for ligand-stimulated cellular migration through activation of Rac1 and Cdc42.
Yeh CH, Sturgis L, Haidacher J, Zhang XN, Sherwood SJ, Bjercke RJ, Juhasz O, Crow MT, Tilton RG, Denner L
Title
Requirement for p38 and p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinases in RAGE-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB transcriptional activation and cytokine secretion.
Li JH, Huang XR, Zhu HJ, Oldfield M, Cooper M, Truong LD, Johnson RJ, Lan HY
Title
Advanced glycation end products activate Smad signaling via TGF-beta-dependent and independent mechanisms: implications for diabetic renal and vascular disease.
