• Animal cells and systems
• /
• 제12권4호
• /
• pp.211-217
• /
• 2008

Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of Bcl-2 family proteins, plays a central role in the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Apoptotic signals induce the translocation of Bax from cytosol into the mitochondria, which triggers the release of apoptogenic molecules such as cytochrome C and apoptosis-inducing factor, AIF. Bax-inhibiting peptide(BIP) is a cell permeable peptide comprised of five amino acids designed from the Bax-interaction domain of Ku70. Because BIP inhibits Bax translocation and Bax-mediated release of cytochrome C, BIP suppresses Bax-dependent apoptosis. In this study, we observed that BIP inhibited staurosporine-induced neuronal death in cultured cerebral cortex and cerebellar granule cells, but BIP failed to rescue granule cells from trophic signal deprivation-induced neuronal death, although both staurosporine-induced and trophic signal deprivation-induced neuronal death are dependent on Bax. These findings suggest that the mechanisms of the Bax activation may differ depending on the type of cell death induction, and thus BIP exhibits selective suppression of a subtype of Bax-dependent neuronal death.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• 제24권2호
• /
• pp.93-100
• /
• 2008

Targeting protein kinases has been active area in drug discovery. The c-Jun N-terminal kinases(JNKs) have also been target for development of novel therapy in various diseases, since the roles of JNK signaling in pathological conditions were revealed in studies using jnk-deficient mice. Small molecule inhibitors and peptide inhibitors are identified for therapeutic intervention of JNK signaling pathway. SP-600125, an anthrapyrazole small molecule inhibitor for JNK with high potency and selectivity has been widely used for dissecting JNK signaling pathway. CC-401 is the first JNK inhibitor that went into clinical trial for inflammation and leukemia. Inhibitor for mixed lineage kinase (MLK), CEP-1347 also negatively regulates JNK signaling, and tried for potential use in Parkinson's disease. Cell-permeable peptide inhibitor D-JNKI-1 is being developed for the treatment of hearing loss. The current status of these JNK inhibitors and safety issue is discussed in the minireview.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.256-262
• /
• 2005

The neuronal cytoskeleton is essential for establishment of neuronal polarity, but mechanisms controlling generation of polarity in the cytoskeleton are poorly understood. The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, Fer, has been shown to bind to microtubules and to interact with several actin-regulatory proteins. Furthermore, Fer binds p120 catenin and has been shown to regulate cadherin function by modulating cadherin-${\beta}$-catenin interaction. Here we show involvement of Fer in neuronal polarization and neurite development. Fer is concentrated in growth cones together with cadherin, ${\beta}$-catenin, and cortactin in stage 2 hippocampal neurons. Inhibition of Fer-p120 catenin interaction with a cell-permeable inhibitory peptide (FerP) increases neurite branching. In addition, the peptide significantly delays conversion of one of several dendrites into an axon in early stage hippocampal neurons. FerP-treated growth cones also exhibit modified localization of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton. Together, this indicates that the Fer-p120 interaction is required for normal neuronal polarization and neurite development.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제31권4호
• /
• pp.466-472
• /
• 2023

Exon skipping is an efficient technique to inhibit specific gene expression induced by a short-sequence peptide nucleic acid (PNA). To date, there has been no study on the effects of PNA on skin pigmentation. In melanocytes, the tripartite complex is responsible for the transport of mature melanosomes from the nucleus to the dendrites. The tripartite complex is composed of Rab27a, Mlph (Melanophilin), and Myosin Va. Defects in the protein Mlph, a melanosome transport-related protein, are known to cause hypopigmentation. Our study shows that Olipass peptide nucleic acid (OPNA), a cell membrane-permeable PNA, targets exon skipping in the Mlph SHD domain, which is involved in Rab27a binding. Our findings demonstrate that OPNA induced exon skipping in melan-a cells, resulting in shortened Mlph mRNA, reduced Mlph protein levels, and melanosome aggregation, as observed by microscopy. Therefore, OPNA inhibits the expression of Mlph by inducing exon skipping within the gene. These results suggest that OPNA, which targets Mlph, may be a potential new whitening agent to inhibit melanosome movement.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국응용약물학회 2008년도 Proceedings of the Convention
• /
• pp.33-45
• /
• 2008

Auditory fear memory is thought to be maintained by fear conditioning-induced potentiation of synaptic efficacy. The conditioning-induced potentiation has been shown to be maintained, at least in part, by enhanced expression of surface AMPA receptor (AMPAR) at excitatory synapses in the lateral amygdala (LA). Depotentiation, reversal of conditioning-induced potentiation, has been proposed as a cellular mechanism for fear extinction. However, a direct link between depotentiation and extinction has not yet been tested. To address this, we applied both ex vivo and in vivo approaches to rats in which fear memory had been consolidated. We found a novel form of ex vivo depotentiation; the depotentiation reversed conditioning-induced potentiation at thalamic input synapses onto the LA (T-LA synapses) ex vivo, and it could be induced only when both NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors were co-activated. Extinction returned the enhanced T-LA synaptic efficacy observed in conditioned rats to baseline and occluded the depotentiation. Consistently, extinction reversed conditioning-induced enhancement of surface expression of AMPAR subunits in LA synaptosomal preparations. A GluR2-derived peptide that blocks regulated AMPAR endocytosis inhibited depotentiation, and microinjection of a cell-permeable form of the peptide into the LA attenuated extinction. Our results are consistent with the use of depotentiation to weaken potentiated synaptic inputs onto the LA during extinction, and they provide strong evidence that AMPAR removal at excitatory synapses in the LA underlies extinction. The results described here are in line with previous findings. Neural activity in the LA has been shown to decrease after extinction in the rat and human. The NMDAR dependency of the depotentiation fits nicely with a large body of evidence that fear extinction depends upon amygdala NMDARs. Similarly, blockade of metabotropic glutamate recepotrs in the LA has recently been shown to attenuate fear extinction.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제19권5호
• /
• pp.435-440
• /
• 2015

This study aimed to investigate the effect of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) on the pacemaker activity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in mouse colon and to identify the underlying mechanisms of PACAP action. Spontaneous pacemaker activity of colonic ICC and the effects of PACAP were studied using electrophysiological recordings. Exogenously applied PACAP induced hyperpolarization of the cell membrane and inhibited pacemaker frequency in a dose-dependent manner (from 0.1 nM to 100 nM). To investigate cyclic AMP (cAMP) involvement in the effects of PACAP on ICC, SQ-22536 (an inhibitor of adenylate cyclase) and cell-permeable 8-bromo-cAMP were used. SQ-22536 decreased the frequency of pacemaker potentials, and cell-permeable 8-bromo-cAMP increased the frequency of pacemaker potentials. The effects of SQ-22536 on pacemaker potential frequency and membrane hyperpolarization were rescued by co-treatment with glibenclamide (an ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channel blocker). However, neither $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase) nor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-${\alpha}$]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase) had any effect on PACAP-induced activity. In conclusion, this study describes the effects of PACAP on ICC in the mouse colon. PACAP inhibited the pacemaker activity of ICC by acting through ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channels. These results provide evidence of a physiological role for PACAP in regulating gastrointestinal (GI) motility through the modulation of ICC activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제10권6호
• /
• pp.797-804
• /
• 2000

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat is one of the viral gene products essential for HIV replication. The exogenous Tat protein is transduced through the plasma membrane and then accumulated in a cell. The basic domain of the Tat protein, which is rich in arginine and lysine residues and called the protein transduction domain (PTD), has been identified to be responsible for this transduction activity. To better understand the nature of the transduction mediated by this highly basic domain of HIV-1 Tat, the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) was expressed and purified as a fusion protein with a peptide derived from the HIV-1 Tat basic domain in Escherichia coli. The transduction of Tat-GFP into mammalian cells was then determined by a Western blot analysis and fluorescence microscopy. The cells treated with Tat-GFP exhibited dose- and time-dependent increases in their intracellular level of the protein. the effective transduction of denatured Tat-GFP into both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of mammalian cells was also demonstrated, thereby indicating that the unfolding of the transduced protein is required for efficient transduction. Accordingly, the availability of recombinant Tat-GFP can facilitate the simple and specific identification of the protein transduction mediated by the HIV-1 Tat basic domain in living cells either by fluorescence microscopy or by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• 제31권4호
• /
• pp.277-283
• /
• 2016

In this system, rice cells were genetically modified to express human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) using RAmy3D promoter induced by sugar depletion. Even though the target protein fused with signal sequence peptide, plant cell wall can be a barrier against secretion of recombinant proteins. Therefore, hCTLA4Ig can be trapped inside cell wall or remained in intracellular space. In this study, to enhance the secretion of hCTLA4Ig from cytoplasm and cell walls into the medium, permeabilizing agents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Triton X-100 and Tween 20, were applied in transgenic rice cell cultures. When 0.5% (v/v) of DMSO was added in sugar-free medium, intracellullar hCTLA4Ig was increased, on the other hand, the secreted extracellular hCTLA4Ig was lower than that of control. DMSO did not give permeable effects on transgenic rice cell cultures. And Triton X-100 was toxic to rice cells and also did not give enhancing permeability of cells. When 0.05% (v/v) Tween 20 was added in rice cell cultures, however, intracellular hCTLA4Ig was lower than that of control cultures. And the maximum 44.76 mg/L hCTLA4Ig was produced for 10 days after induction, which was 1.4-fold increase compared to that of control cultures. Especially, Tween 20 at 0.05% (v/v) showed the positive effect on the secretion of hCTLA4Ig though the decrease of intracellular hCTLA4Ig. Also, Tween 20 as a non-toxic surfactant did not affect the cell growth, cell viability and protease activity. In conclusion, secretion of hCTLA4Ig could be increased by enhancing permeability of cells regardless of the cell growth, cell viability and protease activity.

• 문화기술의 융합
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.271-282
• /
• 2019

본 연구의 목적은 아카시아 잎의 생리활성을 평가하고 고분자 미셀과 세포투과 펩티드를 이용한 피부흡수 증진에 관한 것이다. 아카시아 잎을 열수 및 에탄올 추출한 후에, 항노화, 미백, 항균 등 다양한 생리활성을 측정하였다. 총 polyphenol 함량은 열수 추출에서 56.88 mg/g, 에탄올 추출에서 47.42 mg/g이고, DPPH radical 소거능은 농도 $1,000{\mu}g/mL$에서, 에탄올 추출물의 경우 44.24% 저해율을 나타냈고 이는 열수 추출물의 값(41.50%)보다 더 좋은 효능을 나타냈다. Elastase 저해능 실험결과에서 농도 의존성을 보였으며, 아카시아 잎 에탄올 추출물 $500{\mu}g/mL$에서 가장 높은 54.09% 저해능, 열수 추출물은 36.95% 저해능을 보였다. SOD 유사 활성능 결과에서 농도 의존적인 결과를 보였고, 모든 농도에서 아카시아 잎 에탄올 추출물이 열수 추출물의 값보다 높았다. $500{\mu}g/mL$에서 76.41%, 같은 농도에서 아카시아 잎 에탄올 추출에서 86.31%로 더욱 높은 활성을 나타냈다. Tyrosinase 저해능 실험에서는 아카시아 잎 에탄올 추출물 농도 20 mg/mL에서 56.47% 저해율, 아카시아 잎 열수 추출물은 23.05% 저해율이 나타났다. 항균실험 결과에서는 아카시아 열수 추출물은 항균효과를 나타내지 못했지만, 아카시아 에탄올 추출물은 P ropionbacterium acnes 균주에서 11.00 mm의 최대 clear zone을, Bacillus subtilis 균주에선 10.50 mm로 최대 clear zone을 제시하였다. 난용성 문제와 피부 흡수율을 증진시키기 위하여, 아카시아 에탄올 추출물과 1.0% 세포투과 펩티드(6개 알르기닌, R6)을 함유한 108.23, 126.47 nm로 약 1/10배 미세한 나노입자 크기를 갖는 PCL-PEG 고분자 미셀이 성공적으로 제조되었고, 우수한 경피흡수 증진 효과를 나타낼 수 있었다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
• /
• 제11권2호
• /
• pp.111-119
• /
• 2007

배아줄기세포는 외부 기인 특정 요소를 이용한 세포 조절물질 활성을 통하여 원하는 세포형태로 분화될 수 있다. 배아줄기세포의 이용성세포침투성단백질(CPP)은 몇 개의 아미노산으로 구성된 작은 펩타이드로 유용한 물질 수송계 중의 하나로 인식되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 몇 종류의 CPP를 이용하여 특정 단백질을 생쥐배아줄기세포(R1)내로 트렌스펙션하는데 있어 그 정도를 결정할 수 있는 요소들의 영향을 분석하였다. CPP인 Buforin II, pEP-1을 강도를 강화한 녹색형광단백질(EGFP)에 부착되도록 하여 살아있는 세포에서 볼 수 있도록 하였다. 다양한 시간대별로 그리고 다양한 농도로 재조합 CPP-EGPF를 생쥐 배아줄기세포에 처리하였으며, 대조군으로 사용한 EGFP는 CPP를 갖고 있지 않았다. 재조합 CPP-EGFP들이 R1 배아줄기세포에 미치는 세포독성은 CPP 종류와 재조합 CPP-EGFP 농도에 의존적이었다. CPP-EGFP가 배아줄기세포의 세포질이나 핵질로 들어간 증거는 처리 후 30분 이내에서는 찾을 수 없었다. 1시간 후, pEP-1-EGFP-N을 처리한 일부 세포에서만 형광단백질이 세포안으로 들어간 것을 발견할 수 있었다. 처리를 24시간까지 하였으나 흥미롭게도 세포안으로 들어가는 정도와는 비례관계가 없었다. 또한, 배아줄기세포의 막을 통과할 수 있는 CPP의 경우, 처리 농도는 세포막을 침투하여 세포내로 이동하는 것과 비례적 관계는 없으나, 매우 높은 농도에서 약간 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 요약하면, CPP-EGFP의 트렌스펙션 효과는 전적으로 CPP에 의존적이며, CPP에 따라서는 His tag의 위치 또한 트렌스펙션에 영향을 줄 수 있으며, 처리시간은 CPP를 이용하여 배아줄기세포내로 단백질을 수송하는데 있어 중요 변수가 아니다. 또한, CPP-EGFP의 농도는 배아줄기세포막을 가로질러 수송되는데 큰 영향을 주지 않았다. 앞으로의 연구에서, 이들 CPP의 변형 또는 매개자 개발을 통한 배아줄기세포에서 좋은 단백질성 매개 수송자를 만드는 것이 필요하며 이를 이용한 분화 유도는 매우 유용할 것으로 사료된다.