• 생명과학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.271-278
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• 2022

신규 종양 유전자 Cancer Upregulated Gene (CUG) 2가 어떻게 유사-종양줄기세포 표현형을 유도하는지 잘 알려져 있지 않다. Cyclin E, c-Myc, Notch, 그리고 Yap1와 같은 종양단백질를 분해하여 그 발현을 조절하는 FBXW7 E3 ligase의 발현이 대장암, 자궁경부암, 그리고 위암 등 여러 암조직에서 낮아져 있음이 보고되고 있다. 그래서 우리는 이 FBXW7 단백질이 CUG2에 의한 종양형성에 관여할 수 있다는 가설을 세웠다. 이 연구에서 우리는 각 대조구 세포주보다 CUG2가 과발현된 A549 폐암 세포주와 BEAS-2B 기관지 세포주에서 FBXW7 단백질 발현이 낮게 나왔다. 여기서 MG132를 처리하게 되면 감소된 FBXW7과 FBXW7 기질로 알려진 Yap1 단백질 발현이 증가되는 결과를 관찰하였다. 종양줄기세포 현상에서 FBXW7의 역할을 규명하기 위하여, FBXW7 siRNA를 처리하였다. 대조구 세포주에서 감소된 FBXW7의 조건은 세포 이동 침습, 그리고 구형 형성이 증가되는 종양줄기세포 현상이 촉진되는 것을 관찰하였고, CUG2가 과발현된 두 세포주에서 FBXW7 발현 벡타 도입으로 FBXW7 발현 증가는 종양줄기세포 현상이 억제됨을 알 수 있었다. 또한 FBXW7의 감소는 EGFR-Akt-ERK1/2와 β-catenin-Yap1-NEK2 신호 경로를 활성화시키고, 반대로 FBXW7 발현 증가는 이 두 경로의 활성이 억제됨을 알 수 있었다. 이들 결과를 종합해 보면, CUG2 과발현은 FBXW7의 발현 감소로 이어지고, 이는 EGFR-Akt-ERK1/2와 β-catenin-Yap1-NEK2 신호경로를 활성화시켜 유사-종양줄기세포 현상을 촉진하는 것으로 생각된다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.43-49
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• 2012

Stimulation of mast cells through the high affinity IgE receptor (Fc${\varepsilon}$RI) induces degranulation, lipid mediator release, and cytokine secretion leading to allergic reactions. Although various signaling pathways have been characterized to be involved in the Fc${\varepsilon}$RI-mediated responses, little is known about the precious mechanism for the expression of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) in mast cells. Here, we report that rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), reduces the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. IgE or specific antigen stimulation of RBL-2H3 cells increases the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and activates various signaling molecules including S6K1, Akt and p38 MAPK. Rapamycin specifically inhibits antigeninduced TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level, while other kinase inhibitors have no effect on TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level. These data indicate that mTOR signaling pathway is the main regulation mechanism for antigen-induced TNF-${\alpha}$ expression. TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA stability analysis using reporter construct containing TNF-${\alpha}$ adenylate/uridylate-rich elements (AREs) shows that rapamycin destabilizes TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA via regulating the AU-rich element of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA. The antigen-induced activation of S6K1 is inhibited by specific kinase inhibitors including mTOR, PI3K, PKC and $Ca^{2+}$chelator inhibitor, while TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level is reduced only by rapamycin treatment. These data suggest that the effects of rapamycin on the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA are not mediated by S6K1 but regulated by mTOR. Taken together, our results reveal that mTOR signaling pathway is a novel regulation mechanism for antigen-induced TNF-${\alpha}$ expression in RBL-2H3 cells.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.170-176
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 Euptelea pleiosperma 에탄올 추출물(EPEE)의 항산화능과 항염증 생리활성을 in vitro assay system 및 cell culture model system을 이용하여 분석하였다. 먼저 EPEE의 항산화능을 DPPH radical scavenging activity로 분석한 결과 radical 소거능의 정도가 양성 대조군으로 사용한 ascorbic acid 보다 높은 활성을 보여 매우 강한 항산화능을 보유함을 확인하였다. 또한 RAW 264.7 세포주를 이용한 $H_2O_2$ 및 LPS의 유도에 의해 생성된 ROS에 대한 소거능을 분석한 결과에서도 농도의존적인 강한 소거능을 보였다. 뿐만 아니라 대표적인 항산화효소 중 하나로 천연물에 의한 항산화능 활성에 의해 주로 발현이 유도되는 hemeoxygenase 1 (HO-1) 및 그 전사 인자인 nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)의 단백질 발현이 EPEE의 처리에 의해 유의적으로 증가됨을 보였으며 이러한 HO-1 및 Nrf2의 발현 변화는 상위신호전달계인 MAPKs 및 PI3K/Akt 에 의해 조절될 가능성을 보였다. 한편 EPEE가 LPS에 의해 유도된 NO 생성에 미치는 영향을 분석한 결과 농도의존적인 NO 생성 저해능을 보였으며 이는 NO 생성 단백질인 iNOS의 발현 저해에서 기인함을 확인하였다. 이와 같은 EPEE의 NO 생성 억제 효과는 염증 상위신호전달계인 NF-${\kappa}B$ 및 AP-1의 조절을 통해 일어날 가능성을 보였다. 이러한 결과를 통해 EPEE의 높은 항산화능과 항염증 활성을 처음으로 확인하였으며 향후 기능성 소재로서 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.107-113
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• 2013

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a member of serine protease inhibitor family, which regulates the activity of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). In CNS, tPA/PAI-1 activity is involved in the regulation of a variety of cellular processes such as neuronal development, synaptic plasticity and cell survival. To gain a more insights into the regulatory mechanism modulating tPA/PAI-1 activity in brain, we investigated the effects of proteasome inhibitors on tPA/PAI-1 expression and activity in rat primary astrocytes, the major cell type expressing both tPA and PAI-1. We found that submicromolar concentration of MG132, a cell permeable peptide-aldehyde inhibitor of ubiquitin proteasome pathway selectively upregulates PAI-1 expression. Upregulation of PAI-1 mRNA as well as increased PAI-1 promoter reporter activity suggested that MG132 transcriptionally increased PAI-1 expression. The induction of PAI-1 downregulated tPA activity in rat primary astrocytes. Another proteasome inhibitor lactacystin similarly increased the expression of PAI-1 in rat primary astrocytes. MG132 activated MAPK pathways as well as PI3K/Akt pathways. Inhibitors of these signaling pathways reduced MG132-mediated upregulation of PAI-1 in varying degrees and most prominent effects were observed with SB203580, a p38 MAPK pathway inhibitor. The regulation of tPA/PAI-1 activity by proteasome inhibitor in rat primary astrocytes may underlie the observed CNS effects of MG132 such as neuroprotection.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제25권8호
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• pp.947-952
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• 2015

Par-4는 종양 억제 유전자로 암세포 선택적으로 세포사멸을 증진하는 기능을 가진다. Par-4 유전자는 nuclear localization sequences (NLS), leucine zipper (LZ), nuclear export sequence (NES), selective for apoptosis in cancer cells (SAC)의 네 가지 도메인을 가지고 있다. 이 중에서도 SAC 도메인이 Par-4에 의한 세포사멸에 중요한 역할을 하며, 이러한 Par-4의 활성화는 세포 내 경로와 세포 외 경로로 나누어진다. 세포질 내의 Par-4는 핵 내로 이동하여 NF-κB 매개의 세포 성장 경로를 억제하고 세포 밖으로 분비된 Par-4는 세포 표면에 존재하는 수용체인 GRP78과 결합하여 세포 사멸을 유도한다. 따라서 Par-4의 발현을 증가시키는 물질에 의한 세포 사멸뿐만 아니라 암세포에서 발현이 낮은 Par-4의 과발현을 통하여 세포사멸 민감화가 증진된다. 따라서 Par-4는 암 치료의 강력한 표적으로의 가능성을 가지고 있다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

비정상적 액틴의 재구성은 암세포의 대표적 특성이다. Thymosin ${\beta}_{10}$ (TB10)과 Profilin-1 (PFN-1)은 액틴중합조절에 필수적인 단백질이다. 이전의 연구에서 본 연구진은 TB10이 F-actin의 구조를 파괴하여 난소 암 세포의 사멸을 일으킨다는 사실을 보고하였으나 그 기전에 대하여 보고 된 바는 아직까지 없다. 본 연구에서는 TB10에 의하여 PFN-1의 발현이 조절되며, PFN-1의 난소 암 저해 유전자로서의 새로운 기능을 보고하였다. 우선 난소암세포주인 SKOV3 세포에서 TB10에 의하여 발현이 조절되는 단백질들을 전기영동법과 liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) 방법을 통하여 분석하였다. 그 결과 PFN-1이 TB10에 의하여 발현이 급격히 증가되는 단백질로 동정되었으며, 이 PFN-1을 난소 암 세포주인 SKOV3에 과발현 시켰을 때 암세포의 증식과 이동을 저해하고 암세포 사멸을 유도하였다. 또한 이 결과는 PFN-1에 의하여 Erk 신호전달기전이 저해되고 부수적으로 Elk-1과 Egr-1의 발현이 저해 됨으로써 유도될 가능성을 보여준다. 결론적으로, PFN-1이 난소암세포의 성장과 이동을 저해함과 동시에 세포사멸을 일으키므로 난소 암 치료에 유용하게 이용될 가능성이 높다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.348-356
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• 2011

Liriope platyphylla is a medical herb that has long been used in Korea and China to treat cough, sputum, neurodigenerative disorders, obesity and diabetes. The aims of this study were to study the antidiabetic effects of the aqueous extract of L. platyphylla (AEtLP) through pancreatic and extrapancreatic actions. AEtLP were orally administrated to ICR mice once a day for 7 days. Of three different concentrations of AEtLP, only 10% AEtLP were low toxic to liver, based on body weight and serum biochemical analyses. However, 10% AEtLP-treated mice displayed signifi cant reduction of the glucose concentration and increased insulin concentration; no changes were noted using 5% and 15% AEtLP. Also, the increase of glucose transporter (Glut)-1 expression in liver was dependent on the concentration of AEtLP, and was regulated by the phosphorylation of Akt. The lowest expression of Glut-3 was observed in 15% AEtLP treated mice, followed by 10% AEtLP- and 5% AEtLP-treated mice. This pattern of Glut-3 expression was roughly in accord with the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-teminal kinase (JNK) in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Furthermore, a signifi cant rise of the superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) was detected in AEtLP-treated mice. The fi ndings suggest that AEtLP should be considered as a diabetes therapeutic candidate to induce insulin secretion from pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells and glucose uptake in liver cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권12호
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• pp.4969-4976
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• 2014

Background: miR-152 is involved in the genesis and development of several malignancies. However, its role in HCC has not been fully clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological significance of miR-152 and its effect on the malignant phenotype of HCC cells. Methods: miR-152 expression was detected using real-time quantitative RT-PCR in 89 pairs of HCC formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded and their adjacent tissues. Functionally, in vitro effects and mechanisms of action of miR-152 on proliferation, viability, caspase activity, apoptosis and motility were explored in HepG2, HepB3 and SNU449 cells, as assessed by spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, fluorescence microscopy, wound-healing and Western blotting, respectively. Results: miR-152 expression in HCC was downregulated remarkably compared to that in adjacent hepatic tissues. miR-152 levels in groups of advanced clinical stage, larger tumor size and positive HBV infection, were significantly lower than in other groups. A miR-152 mimic could suppress cell growth, inhibit cell motility and increase caspase activity and apoptosis in HCC cell lines. Furthermore, Western blotting showed that the miR-152 mimic downregulated Wnt-1, DNMT1, ERK1/2, AKT and TNFRS6B signaling. Intriguingly, inverse correlation of TNFRF6B and miR-152 expression was found in HCC and bioinformatics confirmed that TNFRF6B might be a target of miR-152. Conclusions: Underexpression of miR-152 plays a vital role in hepatocarcinogenesis and lack of miR-152 is related to the progression of HCC through deregulation of cell proliferation, motility and apoptosis. miR-152 may act as a tumor suppressor miRNA by also targeting TNFRSF6B and is therefore a potential candidate biomarker for HCC diagnosis, prognosis and molecular therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권9호
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• pp.460-465
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• 2017

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common inherited disorders, involving progressive cyst formation in the kidney that leads to renal failure. FK506 binding protein 12 (FK506BP) is an immunophilin protein that performs multiple functions, including regulation of cell signaling pathways and survival. In this study, we determined the roles of PEP-1-FK506BP on cell proliferation and cyst formation in PKD cells. Purified PEP-1-FK506BP transduced into PKD cells markedly inhibited cell proliferation. Also, PEP-1-FK506BP drastically inhibited the expression levels of p-Akt, p-p70S6K, p-mTOR, and p-ERK in PKD cells. In a 3D-culture system, PEP-1-FK506BP significantly reduced cyst formation. Furthermore, the combined effects of rapamycin and PEP-1-FK506BP on cyst formation were markedly higher than the effects of individual treatments. These results suggest that PEP-1-FK506BP delayed cyst formation and could be a new therapeutic strategy for renal cyst formation in PKD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권17호
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• pp.7619-7625
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• 2015

Background: Aberrant microRNA expression has been associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of human malignancies including oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In this study, we examined primary oral SCCs for the expression of 6 candidate miRNAs, of which five (miR-34a, miR-143, miR-373, miR-380-5p, and miR-504) regulate the tumor suppressor TP53 and one (miR-99a) is involved in AKT/mTOR signaling. Materials and Methods: Tumor tissues (punch biopsies) were collected from 52 oral cancer patients and as a control, 8 independent adjacent normal tissue samples were also obtained. After RNA isolation, we assessed the mature miRNA levels of the 6 selected candidates against RNU44 and RNU48 as endogenous controls, using specific TaqMan miRNA assays. Results: miR-34a, miR-99a, miR-143 and miR-380-5p were significantly down-regulated in tumors compared to controls. Moreover, high levels of miR-34a were associated with alcohol consumption while those of miR-99a and miR-143 were associated with advanced tumor size. No significant difference was observed in the levels of miR-504 between the tumors and controls whereas miR-373 was below the detection level in all but two tumor samples. Conclusions: Low levels of miR-380-5p and miR-504 that directly target the 3'UTR of TP53 suggest that p53 may not be repressed by these two miRNAs in OSCC. On the other hand, low levels of miR-34a or miR-143 may relieve MDM4 and SIRT1 or MDM2 respectively, which will sequester p53 indicating an indirect mode of p53 suppression in oral tumors.