• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2015

Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that binds to the estrogen receptor (ER), and exhibits potent anti-tumor and autophagy-inducing effects in breast cancer cells. However, the mechanism of raloxifene-induced cell death and autophagy is not well-established. So, we analyzed mechanism underlying death and autophagy induced by raloxifene in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Treatment with raloxifene significantly induced death in MCF-7 cells. Raloxifene accumulated GFP-LC3 puncta and increased the level of autophagic marker proteins, such as LC3-II, BECN1, and ATG12-ATG5 conjugates, indicating activated autophagy. Raloxifene also increased autophagic flux indicators, the cleavage of GFP from GFP-LC3 and only red fluorescence-positive puncta in mRFP-GFP-LC3-expressing cells. An autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), suppressed the level of LC3-II and blocked the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta. Moreover, siRNA targeting BECN1 markedly reversed cell death and the level of LC3-II increased by raloxifene. Besides, raloxifene-induced cell death was not related to cleavage of caspases-7, -9, and PARP. These results indicate that raloxifene activates autophagy-dependent cell death but not apoptosis. Interestingly, raloxifene decreased the level of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and activated the AMPK/ULK1 pathway. However it was not suppressed the AKT/mTOR pathway. Addition of ATP decreased the phosphorylation of AMPK as well as the accumulation of LC3-II, finally attenuating raloxifene-induced cell death. Our current study demonstrates that raloxifene induces autophagy via the activation of AMPK by sensing decreases in ATP, and that the overactivation of autophagy promotes cell death and thereby mediates the anti-cancer effects of raloxifene in breast cancer cells.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.380-387
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• 1997

Phytopathogenic Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc) LY34 causes plant tissue maceration by secretion of pectinolytic enzymes such as pectate Iyase (PL) existed as multiple isoenzyme form. Genomic DNA from Ecc LY34 was digested with Sau3Al and ligated into the BamHI site of pBluescript ll $SK^+$. Among them, a clone hydrolyzing polypectate was selected and its DNA was digested with BamHI. Through the subsequent subcloning the resulting 3.1 kb fragment, corresponding to a peICI, was subcloned into pLYPA 100. The structural organization of a peICI gene encoding a 374 amino acid residues consists of an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,122 bp commencing with a ATG start codon and followed by a TAA stop codon. PeICI contained a typical prokaryotic signal peptide of 22-amino acid. Since the deduced amino acid sequences of PeICl protein was very similar to those of PelIII of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, and to those of Pel3 of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica, and to those of PeIC of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, it belong to the same family PLbc group. The 374-amino acld PeICI had a calculated Mr of 40,507 and pI of 7.60.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2013

Objectives Modified Yeolda-Hanso tang (MYH) is a traditional herbal formula in Korea for various diseases. MYH is containing the 10 herbs : Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, Angelica tenuissima Nakai, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq), Angelicae Dahurica, Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom, Raphanus sativa L., Polygala tenuifolia (Willd), Acorus gramineus Soland and Dimocarpus longan Lour. The 10 herbs is constituted as a ratio of the 6:4:2:1:2:2:2:4:6:6. We investigated neuroprotective effects of MYH on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and evaluated the ability of MYH to prevent and treat for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease via basal autophagy enhancement. Methods Pharmacological induction of Autophagy by MYH in SH-SY5Y cells: Induction of autophagy by MYH in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells was carreid out by immunoblot analysis with several autophagy markers. SH-SY5Y cells were treated with MYH at the concentration of 400 and $800{\mu}g/ml$ for 24 hr. Specifically, the autophagosome proteins LC3 II and Atg5 levels were increased and autophagy pathway related proteins such as beclin-1, PI3 Kinase class III protein, ULK1, mTOR and AMPK were activated. Conclusions MYH can enhance the induction of autophagy through key regulator AMPK, mTOR, and Beclin-1 and it should be considered as a possible candidate of neuroprotective agents for such as Parkinson's disease.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 1997

To develope the novel baculovirus transfer vector, the p10 gene was cloned from the Bombyx mori nuclear polygedrosis virus (BmNPV) vB2 strain isolated from the B. mori larvae of sericultural farms. The novel transfer vector was constructed by using the p10 gene of BmNPV vB2 strain was 210 bp. The TAAG sequence at the -71 bp of upstream from translation initiator ATG and two polyadenylation signal site at the downstream from terminator TAA were also detected in the p10 gene. The 5' and 3' flanking region of the p10 gene amplified by PCR was cloned into pBluescriptII SK(+) and then transfer vector pBm10 was construceted. The 7.9 kb pBm10 was analysed by restriction enzymes and the map was confirmed. In order to determine the expression of foreign gene of pBm10, $\beta$-galactosidase gene was inserted in the SmaI site of foreign gene cloning site of pBm10. The pBm10 containing $\beta$-galactosidase gene was cotranfected wth genomic DNA of BmNPV vB2 into BmN-4 cells. The recombinant baculovirus expressing $\beta$-galactosidase was also produced polygedra in the infected cells. The results indicated that pBm10 is functional, suggesting that in the baculovirus expression vector system, the recombinant virus produced by pBm10 was effective by oral infection for the producing recombinant proteins in in vivo expression.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2011

In order to confirm the presence of putative glucoamylase gene in Tricholoma matsutake genome, the genomic DNA was prepared from T. matsutake NBRC30773 strain and was used as template to clone the glucoamylases gene (TmGlu1). We obtained the nucleotide sequence of TmGlu1 and its franking region. The coding region (from ATG to stop codon) is 2,186 bp. The locations of exons and introns were determined from the nucleotide sequences of 3'- and 5'-RACE PCR and RT-PCR products. On the other hand, to investigate the relationship between composition of medium and glucoamylase expression, we checked the expression level of glucoamylase gene by realtime reverse transcription PCR and measurement of glucoamylase enzyme activity. It was found that enzyme activity of glucoamylase was very low in different medium. Expression of glucoamylases gene appeared to not be affected by different carbon source.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 1992

The complete nucleotide sequence of the Bacillus circulans F-2 RSDA gene, coding for raw starch digesting a-amylase (RSDA), has been determined. The RSDA structure gene consists of an open reading frame of 2508 bp. Six bp upstream of the translational start codon of the RSDA is a typical gram-positive Shine-Dalgarno sequence and the RSDA encodes a preprotein of 836 amino acids with an Mr of 96, 727. The gene was expressed from its own regulatory region in E. coli and two putative consensus promoter sequences were identified upstream of a ribosome binding site and an ATG start codon. Confirmation of the nucleotide sequence was obtained and the signal peptide cleavage site was identified by comparing the predicted amino acid sequence with that derived by N-terminal analysis of the purified RSDA. The deduced N-terminal region of the RSDA conforms to the general pattern for the signal peptides of secreted prokaryotic proteins. The complete amino acid sequence was deduced and homology with other enzymes was compared. The results suggested that the Thr-Ser-rich hinge region and the non-catalytic domain are necessary for efficient adsorption onto raw substrates, and the catalytic domain (60 kDa) is necessary for the hydrolysis of substrates, as suggested in previous studies (8, 9).

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.279-286
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• 1996

To know the changes of rbcL mRNA level by illumination, Northern hybridization analysis was performed with maize (Zea mays L.cv. Golden X Bantam). The average level of rbcL. mRNA in the light-grown shoots was 3.1 times higher than that of the dark-grown shoots after 6 to 10 growth days. The maximum difference of rbcL mRNA level between the dark-grown and the light-grown shoots was 5.1 folds. These results indicate that accumulation of rbcL mRNAin maize shoots is induced by light. Since the transcriptional DNA binding proteins and their cognate promoter elements, we carried out gel-retardation assays to elucidate the specific binding proteins on the rbcL promoter. It was found that plastid proteins of light-grown shoots bound to the R2 DNA fragment (-33 to -229) and R3 DNA fragment (-230 to -418 from ATG) of the rbcL promoter. From the results of competitive binding assays and heat or protease treatments, it was demonstrated that the bindings were sequence-specific DNA-protein interactions. Therefore, it could be concluded that the rbcL promoter region has at least two specific recognition sites for plastid proteins.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.434-444
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• 2021

BRAF inhibitors are insufficient monotherapies for BRAF-mutated cancer; therefore, we investigated which inhibitory pathway would yield the most effective therapeutic approach when targeted in combination with BRAF inhibition. The oncogenic BRAF inhibitor, PLX4720, increased basal autophagic flux in BRAF-mutated cells compared to wild-type (WT) BRAF cells. Interestingly, early autophagy inhibition improved the effectiveness of PLX4720 regardless of BRAF mutation, whereas late autophagy inhibition did not. Although ATG5 knockout led to PLX4720 resistance in both WT and BRAF-mutated cells, the MEK inhibitor trametinib exhibited a synergistic effect on PLX4720 sensitivity in WT BRAF cells but not in BRAF-mutated cells. Conversely, the prolonged inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress reduced basal autophagy in BRAF-mutated cells, thereby increasing PLX4720 sensitivity. Taken together, our results suggest that the combined inhibition of ER stress and BRAF may simultaneously suppress both pro-survival ER stress and autophagy, and may therefore be suitable for treatment of BRAF-mutated tumors whose autophagy is increased by chronic ER stress. Similarly, for WT BRAF tumors, therapies targeting MEK signaling may be a more effective treatment strategy. Together, this study presents a rational combination treatment strategy to improve the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors depending on BRAF mutation status.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.557-562
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• 2021

Microglial activation is closely associated with neuroinflammatory pathologies. The nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptor containing a pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes are highly organized intracellular sensors of neuronal alarm signaling. NLRP3 inflammasomes activate nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce inflammatory responses. Moreover, NLRP3 dysfunction is a common feature of chronic inflammatory diseases. The present study investigated the effect of a novel thiazol derivative, N-cyclooctyl-5-methylthiazol-2-amine hydrobromide (KHG26700), on inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated BV-2 microglial cells. KHG26700 significantly attenuated the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6, in these cells, as well as the LPS-induced increases in NLRP3, NF-κB, and phospho-IkBα levels. KHG26700 also suppressed the LPS-induced increases in protein levels of autophagy protein 5 (ATG5), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), and beclin-1, as well as downregulating the LPS-enhanced levels of ROS, lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of KHG26700 may be due, at least in part, to the regulation of the NLRP3-mediated signaling pathway during microglial activation.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.343-348
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• 1995

Human lipocorin-I(LCI) is a calcium ion-dependent and phospholipid-binding protein which exhibits an anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting phospholipase A2 activity. In this study, the LCI gene containing its own terminator region was joined to GAL10 promoter-ppL (prepro-leader sequence of mating factor a). An ATG start codon of LCI gene was placed at downstream with KR endoprotease recognition site(Lys-Arg) of ppL. Recombinant S. cerevisiae harboring the LCI expression/secretion vector, pYGLPT5, was aerobicall grown on a liquid YPDG medium al $30^{\circ}C$ for 72hys. The whole cell and culture supernatant were separated after centrifugation, and the expressed LCI was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting methods. A majority fraction of the expressed LCI was found to be accumulated in the intracellular fraction, resulting in very low secretion efficiency of about 7.4%. About $500mg/\ell$ of LCI was extracellularly produced by the fed-batch culture employing the controlledfeeding of glucose and galactose. The secreted LCI was purified by ultrafiltration and hydroxylapatite column chromatography, and a purity of more than 99% was obtained.