• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.307-311
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• 2001

The activation of NF-$\kappa$B induced by kojic Acid, an inhibitor of tyrosinase for biosynthesis of melanin in melanocytes, was investigated in human transfectant HaCaT and SCC-13 cells. These two keratinocyte cell lines transfected with pNF-$\kappa$B-SEAP-NPT plasmid were used to determine the activation of NF-$\kappa$B. Transfectant cells release the secretory alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) as a transcription reporter in response to the NF-$\kappa$B activity and contain the neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT) gene for the dominant selective marker of geneticin resistance. NF-$\kappa$B activation was measured in the SEAP reporter gene assay using a fluorescence detection method. Kojic Acid showed the inhibition of cellular NF-$\kappa$B activity in both human keratinocyte transfectants. It could also downregulate the ultraviolet ray (UVR)-induced activation of NF-$\kappa$B expression in transfectant HaCaT cells. Moreover, the inhibitory activity of kojic Acid in transfectant HaCaT cells was found to be more potent than known antioxidants, e.g., vitamin C and N~acetyl-L-cysteine. These results indicate that kojic Acid is a potential inhibitor of NF-$\kappa$B activation in human keratinocytes, and suggest the hypothesis that NF-$\kappa$B activation may be involved in kojic Acid induced anti-melanogenic effect.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 1999

Nuclear factor $_{\kappa}B\;(NF-_{\kappa}B)$ activation is modulated by various protein kinases. Activation of $NF-_{\kappa}B$ is known to be important in the regulation of cell viability. The present study investigated the effect of inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA) on $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity and the viability of bovine cerebral endothelial cells (BCECs). In serum-deprivation-induced BCEC death, low doses of $TNF{\alpha}$ showed a protective effect. $TNF{\alpha}$ induced $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation within 4 h in serum-deprivation. PTK inhibitors (herbimycin A and genistein) and PKC inhibitor (calphostin C) prevented $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation stimulated by $TNF{\alpha}.$ Likewise, these inhibitors prevented the protective effect of $TNF{\alpha}.$ In contrast to $TNF{\alpha}-stimulated\;NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity, basal $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity of BCECs in media containing serum was suppressed only by calphostin C, but not by herbimycin A. As well BCEC death was also induced only by calphostin C in serum-condition. H 89, a PKA inhibitor, did not affect the basal and $TNF{\alpha}-stimulated\;NF-_{\kappa}B$ activities and the protective effect of $TNF{\alpha}$ on cell death. These data suggest that modulation of $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation could be a possible mechanism for regulating cell viability by protein kinases in BCECs.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.488-498
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• 2003

Background : Activation of the transcription factor NF-${\kappa}B$ has been shown to protect cells from tumor necrosis factor-alpha, chemotherapy, and radiation-induced apoptosis. NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent cIAP expression is a major antiapoptotic mechanism for that. NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and cIAP expression in A549 lung cancer cells which is relatively resistant to radiation-induced cell death were investigated for the mechanism of radioresistance. Materials and methods : We used A549 lung cancer cells and Clinac 1800C linear accelerator for radiation. Cell viability test was done by MTT assay. NF-${\kappa}B$ activation was tested by luciferase reporter gene assay, Western blot for $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation, and electromobility shift assay. For blocking ${\kappa}B$, MG132 and transfection of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-superrepressor plasmid construct were used. cIAP expression was analyzed by RT-PCR and cIAP2 promoter activity was performed using luciferase assay system. Results : MTT assay showed that cytotoxicity even 48 hr after radiation in A549 cells were less than 20%. Luciferas assay demonstrated weak NF-${\kappa}B$ activation of $1.6{\pm}0.2$ fold compared to PMA-induced $3.4{\pm}0.9$ fold. Radiation-induced $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation was observed in Western blot and NF-${\kappa}B$ DNA binding was confirmed by EMSA. However, blocking NF-${\kappa}B$ using MG132 and $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$-superrepressor transfection did not show any sensitizing effect for radiation-induced cell death. The result of RT-PCR for cIAP1 & 2 expression was negative induction while TNF-${\alpha}$ showed strong expression for cIAP1 & 2. The cIAP2 promoter activity also did not show any change compared to positive control with TNF-${\alpha}$. Conclusion : We conclude that activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ does not determine the intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells, at least for the cell lines tested in this study.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.256-262
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• 1999

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an integral membrane protein with six transmembrane domains, which is essential for EBV-induced B cell transformation. LMP1 functions as a constitutively active tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) like membrane receptor, whose signaling requires recruitment of TNFR-associated factors (TRAFs) and leads to NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. NF-${\kappa}B$ activation by LMP1 is critical for B cell transformation and has been linked to many phenotypic changes associated with EBV-induced B cell transformation. Deletion analysis has identified two NF-${\kappa}B$ activation regions in the carboxy terminal cytoplasmic domains of LMP1, termed CTAR1 (residues 194-232) and CTAR2 (351-386). The membrane proximal C-terminal domain was precisely mapped to a PXQXT motif (residues 204-208) involved in TRAF binding as well as NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. In this study, we dissected the CTAR2 region, which is the major NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling effector of LMP1, to determine a minimal functional sequence. A series of LMP1 mutant constructs systematically deleted for the CTAR2 region were prepared, and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation activity of these mutants were assessed by transiently expressing them in 293 cells and Jurkat T cells. The NF-${\kappa}B$ activation domain of CTAR2 appears to reside in a stretch of 6 amino acids (residues 379-384) at the end of the carboxy terminus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.556-559
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• 2009

Compounds extracted from Platycodon grandiflorum were evaluated for an activation effect on nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$). In its active state, NF-${\kappa}B$ turns on the expression of genes related to cell proliferation or death. NF-${\kappa}B$ activators promote growth of neuron cells and can be used to control neurodegenerative diseases. The biological activity of P. grandiflorum extracts toward NF-${\kappa}B$ had not yet been studied. Although the biological activity of several compounds extracted from P. grandiflorum was evaluated, only three exhibited any significant activation effect on NF-${\kappa}B$.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2014

CD28/T cell receptor ligation activates the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling cascade during CD4 T cell activation. NF-${\kappa}B$ activation is required for cytokine gene expression and activated T cell survival and proliferation. Recently, many reports showed that NF-${\kappa}B$ activation is also involved in T helper (Th) cell differentiation including Th17 cell differentiation. In this review, we discuss the current literature on NF-${\kappa}B$ activation pathway and its effect on Th17 cell differentiation.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.34 no.2 s.133
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• pp.156-160
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• 2003

$NF-{\kappa}B$ (nuclear factor-kappa B) plays a particularly central role in epidermal biology. It has been established that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is one of the mechanisms to induce the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ in human skin. We previously demonstrated that melanogenic inhibitors may act through the inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in keratinocytes. In order to find another type of melanogenic inhibitors of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation, various kinds of the extracts from crude drugs $(30\;{\mu}g/ml)$ were preincubated with transfectant HaCaT cells for 3 hrs and then UVR $(60\;mj/cm^2)$ was irradiated. UVR-exposed cells were incubated for another 6 hrs to measure the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity. $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation was measured with the secreatory alkaline phosphates (SEAP) reporter gene assay using a fluorescence detection method. Among natural products, Lycium chinense, Acanthopanax senticosus, Angelica koreana, Kalopanax pictus and Asparagus cochinchinensis were the most potent inhibitors of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation by UVR. These observations suggest that some crude drugs might act partially through the modulation of the synthesis of melanotrophic factors to decrease melanogenesis in keratinocytes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.241-246
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• 2005

PDK-1 activates PI3-kinase/Akt signaling and regulates fundamental cellular functions, such as growth and survival. NF-${\kappa}B$ is involved in the induction of a variety of cellular genes affecting immunity, inflammation and the resistance to apoptosis induced by some anti-cancer drugs. Even though the crucial involvement of the PI3-kinase/Akt pathway in the anti-apoptotic activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ is well known, the exact role of PDK-1 as well as PI3-kinase/Akt in NF-vactivation is not understood. Here we demonstrate that PDK-1 plays a pivotal role in transcriptional activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ by dissociating the transcriptional co-repressor HDAC1 from the p65 subunit of NF-${\kappa}B$. The association of CBP with p65 was not directly modulated by PDK-1 or by PI3-kinase. Etoposide activated NF-${\kappa}B$ through PI3-kinase/Akt, and the transcription activation domain (TAD) of p65 was further activated by wild-type PDK-1. Overexpression of a dominant negative PDK-1 mutant decreased etoposide-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ transcription and further down-regulated the ectopic HDAC1-mediated decrease in NF-${\kappa}B$ transcriptional activity. Thus activation of PDK-1 relieves the HDAC1-mediated repression of NF-${\kappa}B$ that may be related to basal as well as activated transcription by NF-${\kappa}B$. This effect may also explain the role of the PI3-kinase/PDK-1 pathway in the anti-apoptotic function of NF-${\kappa}B$ associated with the chemoresistance of cancer cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.253-257
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• 2008

Acrolein is a highly electrophilic ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated aldehyde present in a number of environmental sources, especially cigarette smoke. It reacts strongly with the thiol groups of cysteine residues by Michael addition and has been reported to inhibit nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The mechanism by which it inhibits $NF-{\kappa}B$ is not clear. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in sensing microbial components and inducing innate immune responses, and LPS-induced dimerization of TLR4 is required for activation of downstream signaling pathways. Thus, dimerization of TLR4 may be one of the first events involved in activating TLR4-mediated signaling pathways. Stimulation of TLR4 by LPS activates both myeloid differential factor 88 (MyD88)- and TIR domain-containing adapter inducing $IFN{\beta}$ (TRIF)-dependent signaling pathways leading to activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and IFN-regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Acrolein inhibited $NF-{\kappa}B$ and IRF3 activation by LPS, but it did not inhibit $NF-{\kappa}B$ or IRF3 activation by MyD88, inhibitor ${\kappa}B$ kinase $(IKK){\beta}$, TRIF, or TNF-receptor-associated factor family member-associated $NF-{\kappa}B$ activator (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1). Acrolein inhibited LPS-induced dimerization of TLR4, which resulted in the down-regulation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and IRF3 activation. These results suggest that activation of TLRs and subsequent immune/inflammatory responses induced by endogenous molecules or chronic infection can be modulated by certain chemicals with a structural motif that enables Michael addition.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.651-656
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• 2006

Activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ is known to be a trigger of various cellular disorders including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Numerous approaches are ongoing within laboratories to identify potential therapeutic agents which inhibit the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation. In this study, we have tested the inhibitory effects of five traditional medicines on the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ by NIK. Among three medicines which exhibited inhibitory effect on the expression of $NF-{\kappa}B$ repoter plasmid, we investigated further the inhibitory mechanism of Dichroa febrifuga in connection with IKKY activity. Wild type $IKK{\gamma}$ inhibited the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation by NIK but the C-terminal deletion mutant of IKKY did not show the inhibitory effect, indicating that the C-terminal leucine zipper domain of $NF-{\kappa}B$ is important for the inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation. The water extract of Dichroa febrifuga(DFE) also strongly inhibited the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation by NIK. The inhibitory activity of DFE appeared to be independent of the expression of $IKK{\gamma}$, suggesting that the pathways of inhibition by Dichroa febrifuga and $IKK{\gamma}$ are different. Our results suggest that Dichroa febrifuga can be used as a medicine for inhibition of the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in a wide range of cells without relation to the expression of $IKK{\gamma}$.