• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.224-234
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• 2006

We employed human SK-MEL-28 cells as a model system to identify cellular proteins that accompany N-(4-methyl)phenyl-O-(4-methoxy)phenyl-thionocarbamate (MMTC)-induced apoptosis based on a proteomic approach. Cell viability tests revealed that SK-MEL-28 skin cancer cells underwent more cell death than normal HaCaT cells in a dose-dependent manner after treatment with MMTC. Two-dimensional electrophoresis in conjunction with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry analysis or computer matching with a protein database further revealed that the MMTC-induced apoptosis is accompanied by increased levels of caspase-1, checkpoint suppressor-1, caspase-4, NF-kB inhibitor, AP-2, c-Jun-N-terminal kinase, melanoma inhibitor, granzyme K, G1/S specific cyclin D3, cystein rich protein, Ras-related protein Rab-37 or Ras-related protein Rab-13, and reduced levels of EMS (oncogene), ATP synthase, tyrosine-phosphatase, Cdc25c, 14-3-3 protein or specific structure of nuclear receptor. The migration suppressing effect of MMTC on SK-MEL-28 cell was tested. MMTC suppressed the metastasis of SK-MEL-8 cells. It was also identified that MMTC had little angiogenic effect because it did not suppress the proliferation of HUVEC cell line. These results suggest that MMTC is a novel chemotherapeutic and metastatic agents against the SK-MEL-28 human melanoma cell line.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.153-157
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• 2002

A fusion protein, consisting of a human epidermal growth factor as the recognition domain and human angiogenin as the toxin domain, can be used as a targeted therapeutic against breast cancer cells among others. The fusion protein was expressed as an inclusion body in recombinant E. coli, yet when the conventional solution-phase refolding process was used the refolding yield was very low due to severe aggregation, probably because of the opposite surface charge resulting from the vastly different pl values of each domain. Accordingly the solid-phase refolding process, which exploits the ionic interactions between a solid matrix and the protein, was tried, however the ionic binding yield was also very low regardless of the resins and pH conditions used. Therefore, to provide a higher affinity toward the solid matrix, six Iysine residues were tagged to the N-terminus of the hEGF domain. When cation exchange resins, such as heparin- or CM-Sepharose, were used as the matrix, the adsorption capacity increased 2.5~3-fold and the subsequent refolding yield increased nearly 15-fold compared to the conventional process. A similat result was also obtained when an Ni-NTA metal affinity resin was used.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2005

A potent demethylating agent, 5-Azacytidine (5-AzaC) has been widely used as in many studies on DNA methylation, regulation of gene expression, and cancer biology. The mechanisms of the demethylating activity were known to be formation of complex between DNA and DNA methyltransferase (MTase), which depletes cellular MTase activity. However, 5-AzaC can also induce hypermethylation of a transgene in a transgenic cell line, G12 cells and it was explained as a result of defense mechanisms to inactivate foreign gene(s) somehow. This finding evoked the question that whether the phenomenon of hypermethylation induced by 5-AzaC is limited to the transgene or it can be occurred in endogenous gene(s). In order to answer the question, mutagenicity test of 5-AzaC and molecular characterization of mutants obtained from the test were performed using an endogenous gene, thymidine kinase (tk) in Chinese hamster V79 cells. When V79 and V79-J3 subclone cells were treated with 1, 2.5 ,5, $10{\mu}M$ of 5-AzaC for 48 hours, their maximum mutant frequencies were revealed as $6\times10^{-3}\;at\;5{\mu}M$(350-fold induction over background) and $8\times10^{-3}\;at\;2.5{\mu}M$ (l,800-fold induction over background) respectively. Since the induction rates were too high to be induced by true mutations, many trifluorothymidine (TFT)-resistant $(TFT^R)$ cells were subjected to Northern blot analysis to check the presence of tk transcripts. Surprisingly, all clones tested possessed the transcripts in a similar level, that implicates the $TFT^R$ phenotype induced by 5-AzaC has not given rise to hypermethylation of the gene in spite of unusually high mutation frequency. In addition, it has shown that the TK activity in the pool of 5-AzaC-induced $TFT^R$ cells has about a half of that in spontaneously-induced $TFT^R$ cells or in non-selected parental V79-J3 cells. This result suggests that the mechanism(s) underlying the TFT-resistance between spontaneously occurred and 5-AzaC-induced cells may be different. These findings have shown that the $TFT^R$ phenotype induced by 5-AzaC has not given rise to hypermethylation of the tk gene, and 5-AzaC may be induced by one or combined pathways among many drug resistance mechanisms. The exact mechanisms for the 5-AzaC-induced $TFT^R$ phenotype remain to elucidate.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.120-122
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• 2007

All living organisms use numerous signal-transduction pathways to sense and respond to their environments and thereby survive and proliferate in a range of biological niches. Molecular dissection of these signalling networks has increased our understanding of these communication processes and provides a platform for therapeutic intervention when these pathways malfunction in disease states, including infection. Owing to the expanding availability of sequenced genomes, a wealth of genetic and molecular tools and the conservation of signalling networks, members of the fungal kingdom serve as excellent model systems for more complex, multicellular organisms. Here, we employed Cryptococcus neoformans as a model system to understand how fungal-signalling circuits operate at the molecular level to sense and respond to a plethora of environmental stresses, including osmoticshock, UV, high temperature, oxidative stress and toxic drugs/metabolites. The stress-activated p38/Hog1 MAPK pathway is structurally conserved in many organisms as diverse as yeast and mammals, but its regulation is uniquely specialized in a majority of clinical Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A and D strains to control differentiation and virulence factor regulation. C. neoformans Hog1 MAPK is controlled by Pbs2 MAPK kinase (MAPKK). The Pbs2-Hog1 MAPK cascade is controlled by the fungal "two-component" system that is composed of a response regulator, Ssk1, and multiple sensor kinases, including two-component.like (Tco) 1 and Tco2. Tco1 and Tco2 play shared and distinct roles in stress responses and drug sensitivity through the Hog1 MAPK system. Furthermore, each sensor kinase mediates unique cellular functions for virulence and morphological differentiation. We also identified and characterized the Ssk2 MAPKKK upstream of the MAPKK Pbs2 and the MAPK Hog1 in C. neoformans. The SSK2 gene was identified as a potential component responsible for differential Hog1 regulation between the serotype D sibling f1 strains B3501 and B3502 through comparative analysis of their meiotic map with the meiotic segregation of Hog1-dependent sensitivity to the fungicide fludioxonil. Ssk2 is the only polymorphic component in the Hog1 MAPK module, including two coding sequence changes between the SSK2 alleles in B3501 and B3502 strains. To further support this finding, the SSK2 allele exchange completely swapped Hog1-related phenotypes between B3501 and B3502 strains. In the serotype A strain H99, disruption of the SSK2 gene dramatically enhanced capsule biosynthesis and mating efficiency, similar to pbs2 and hog1 mutations. Furthermore, ssk2, pbs2, and hog1 mutants are all hypersensitive to a variety of stresses and completely resistant to fludioxonil. Taken together, these findings indicate that Ssk2 is the critical interface protein connecting the two-component system and the Pbs2-Hog1 pathway in C. neoformans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1057-1063
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• 2013

Citri Pericarpium is one of the most commonly used traditional herbal medicines in Korea, China, and Japan. Its extracts have many properties including the treatment of indigestion and inflammatory respiratory syndromes such as bronchitis and asthma. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of anti-cancer activity and molecular targets are not fully understood. In this work, we investigated the anti-proliferative activity of Citri Pericapium (EMCP) methanol extract on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the association of these effects with apoptotic cell death using U937 human leukemia cells in vitro. EMCP treatment decreased cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner following an increase of the sub-G1 phase, the down-regulation of Bax proteins, the activation of caspases, the degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase proteins (PARP), and the induction of ROS generation. However, the quenching of ROS generation by N-acetyl-L-cysteine administration, a scavenger of ROS, reversed the EMCP-induced apoptosis effects. In addition, heme oxygenase-1 expression also recovered by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of phosphorylated NF-E2-related factor 2. Taken together, our data indicate that ROS are involved as key mediators in the early molecular events in the EMCP-induced apoptotic pathway.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.184-192
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• 2014

${\beta}$-lapachone is a naturally occurring quinone that selectively induces apoptotic cell death in a variety of human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo; however, its mechanism of action needs to be further elaborated. In this study, we investigated the effects of ${\beta}$-lapachone on the induction of apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma AGS cells. ${\beta}$-lapachone significantly inhibited cellular proliferation, and some typical apoptotic characteristics such as chromatin condensation and an increase in the population of sub-G1 hypodiploid cells were observed in ${\beta}$-lapachone-treated AGS cells. Treatment with ${\beta}$-lapachone caused mitochondrial transmembrane potential dissipation, stimulated the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway, as indicated by caspase-9 activation, cytochrome c release, Bcl-2 downregulation and Bax upregulation, as well as death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway, as indicated by activation of caspase-8 and truncation of Bid. This process was accompanied by activation of caspase-3 and concomitant with cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The general caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, significantly abolished ${\beta}$-lapachone-induced cell death and inhibited growth. Further analysis demonstrated that the induction of apoptosis by ${\beta}$-lapachone was accompanied by inactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. The PI3K inhibitor LY29004 significantly increased ${\beta}$-lapachone-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition. Taken together, these findings indicate that the apoptotic activity of ${\beta}$-lapachone is probably regulated by a caspase-dependent cascade through activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic signaling pathways, and that inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling may contribute to ${\beta}$-lapachone-mediated AGS cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induction.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.991-997
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• 2015

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an AU-rich elements (AREs)-binding protein, which regulates the decay of ARE-scontaining mRNAs such as proto-oncogenes, anti-apoptotic genes and immune regulatory genes. Despite the low expression of TTP in various human cancers, the mechanism involving suppressed expression of TTP is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene, Res), a naturally occurring compound, induces glioma cell apoptosis through activation of tristetraprolin (TTP). Res increased TTP expression in U87MG human glioma cells. Res-induced TTP destabilized the urokinase plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor mRNAs by binding to the ARE regions containing the 3' untranslated regions of their mRNAs. Furthermore, TTP induced by Res suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis in the human glioma cells. Because of its regulation of TTP expression, these findings suggest that the bioactive dietary compound Res can be used as a novel anti-cancer agent for the treatment of human malignant gliomas.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.199-208
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• 2015

Objectives : In the present study, we investigated the effects of ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis (EESB) on the progression of cell cycle in human renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cells. Methods : The effects of EESB on cell growth and apoptosis induction were evaluated by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results : It was found that EESB treatment on Caki-1 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death as detected by Annexin V-FITC staining. The flow cytometric analysis indicated that EESB resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with the down-regulation of cyclin A expression. Our results also revealed that treatment with EESB increased the mRNA and proteins expression of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), without any noticeable changes in cyclin B1, Cdk2 and Cdc2. In addition, the incubation of cells with EESB resulted in a significant increase in the binding of p21 and Cdk2 and Cdc2. These findings suggest that EESB-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in Caki-1 cells is mediated through the p53-mediated upregulation of Cdk inhibitor p21. Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that EESB may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent and further studies will be needed to identify the biological active compounds that confer the anti-cancer activity of S. baicalensis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.323-328
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• 2020

Matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), a calcium-dependent zinccontaining collagenase, is involved in the initial degradation of native fibrillar collagen. Tissue necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is rapidly produced by dermal fibroblasts, monocytes/macrophages, and keratinocytes and regulates inflammation and damaged-tissue remodeling. MMP-1 is induced by TNFα and plays a critical role in tissue remodeling and skin aging processes. However, the regulation of the MMP1 gene by TNFα is not fully understood. We aimed to find additional cis-acting elements involved in the regulation of TNFα-induced MMP1 gene transcription in addition to the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein 1 (AP1) sites. Assessments of the 5'-regulatory region of the MMP1 gene, using a series of deletion constructs, revealed the requirement of the early growth response protein 1 (EGR-1)-binding sequence (EBS) in the proximal region for proper transcription by TNFα. Ectopic expression of EGR-1, a zinc-finger transcription factor that binds to G-C rich sequences, stimulated MMP1 promoter activity. The silencing of EGR-1 by RNA interference reduced TNFα-induced MMP-1 expression. EGR-1 directly binds to the proximal region and transactivates the MMP1 gene promoter. Mutation of the EBS within the MMP1 promoter abolished EGR-1-mediated MMP-1 promoter activation. These data suggest that EGR-1 is required for TNFα-induced MMP1 transcriptional activation. In addition, we found that all three MAPKs, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 kinase, mediate TNFα-induced MMP-1 expression via EGR-1 upregulation. These results suggest that EGR-1 may represent a good target for the development of pharmaceutical agents to reduce inflammation-induced MMP-1 expression.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1235-1242
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• 2006

Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate derived from hydrolysis of glucoraphanin in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, was shown to induce phase II detoxification enzymes and inhibit chemically induced mammary tumors in rodents. Recently, sulforaphane is known to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human canter cells, however its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In tile present study, we demonstrated that sulforaphane acted to inhibit proliferation and induce morphological changes of human hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells. Treatment of HepG2 cells with $10{\mu}M\;or\;15{\mu}M$ sulforaphane resulted in significant G2/M cell cycle arrest as determined by DNA flow cytometry. Moreover, $20{\mu}M$ sulforaphane significantly induced the population of sub-G1 cells suggesting that sulforaphane induced apoptosis. This anti-proliferative effect of sulforaphane was accompanied by a marked inhibition of ryclin A, cyclin 31 and Cdc2 protein. However, the levels of tumor suppressor p53 and Cdk inhibitor p21 mRNA and protein expression were significantly increased by sulforaphane treatment in a concentration-dependent manner. Although further studies are needed, the present work suggests that sulforaphane may be a potential rhemoprevetiveichemotherapeucc agent for the treatment of human cancer cells.