• 동의생리병리학회지
• /
• 제31권4호
• /
• pp.226-232
• /
• 2017

In this study, ethanol extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai(EEKN) enhanced melanogenesis by inducing expression of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1). But EEKN did not increase the protein expression of tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2). Moreover, EEKN enhanced tyrosinase activity and melanin contents of B16F10 cells. EEKN raised the expression of CREB phosphorylation and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) as a key transcription factor for tyrosinase expression regulating melanogenesis. And PKC inhibitor H89 supressed that EEKN induced tyrosinase activity, melanin contents, and expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1. These results suggest that melanogenesis-promoting effect of EEKN was correlated with regulation of tyrosinase and TRP-1 protein through cAMP/PKC pathway.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 2018

Cyclic AMP-response element binding protein zhangfei (CREBZF), a member of ATF/CREB (activating transcription factor/ cAMP response element binding protein) family, regulates numerous cellular functions and development of cells by interacting transcription factors. This study discovered the expression pattern of CREBZF in seminiferous tubule of testes during the postnatal development of mice. In testis, CREBZF mRNA expression was the highest among other organs. Immunofluorescence analyses showed that the CREBZF was specifically expressed on spermatocyte but not in spermatogonia and Sertoli cells in seminiferous epithelium of mouse testis. Semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed that CREBZF transcript level was significantly elevated during postnatal development of mouse testis. Confocal imaging analysis indicated that the protein expression of CREBZF in seminiferous tubule remained low until postnatal day (PD) 14, and was dramatically increased in PD 21. Interestingly, only one type of the spermatocyte expressed CREBZF specifically among SCP3-positive spermatocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that CREBZF may be novel putative marker of the spermatocyte and regulate meiosis during postnatal development of mice.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제25권3호
• /
• pp.337-343
• /
• 2017

Kahweol as a coffee-specific diterpene has been reported to induce apoptosis in human cancer cells. Although some molecular targets for kahweol-mediated apoptosis have been elucidated, the further mechanism for apoptotic effect of kahweol is not known. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) has been reported to be associated with apoptosis in colorectal cancer. The present study was performed to investigate the molecular mechanism by which kahweol stimulates ATF3 expression and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. Kahweol increased apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. It also increased ATF3 expression through the transcriptional activity. The responsible cis-element for ATF3 transcriptional activation by kahweol was CREB located between -147 to -85 of ATF3 promoter. ATF3 overexpression increased kahweol-mediated cleaved PARP, while ATF3 knockdown attenuated the cleavage of PARP by kahweol. Inhibition of ERK1/2 and $GSK3{\beta}$ blocked kahweol-mediated ATF3 expression. The results suggest that kahweol induces apoptosis through ATF3-mediated pathway in human colorectal cancer cells.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.475-485
• /
• 2007

Methamphetamine is an illicit drug that is often abused and can cause neuropsychiatric and neurotoxic damage. Repeated administration of psychostimulants such as methamphetamine induces a behavioral sensitization. According to a previous study, Bax was involved in neurotoxicity by methamphetamine, but the function of Bax in rewarding effect has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, we have studied the function of Bax in a rewarding effect model. In the present study, we treated chronic methamphetamine exposure in a Bax-deficient mouse model and examined behavioral change using a conditioned place preference (CPP) test. The CPP score in Bax knockout mice was decreased compared to that of wild-type mice. Therefore, we screened for Bax-related genes that are involved in rewarding effect using microarray technology. In order to confirm microarray data, we applied the RT-PCR method to observe relative changes of Bcl2, a pro-apoptotic family gene. As a result, using our experiment microarray, we selected genes that were associated with Bax in microarray data, and eventually selected the Tgfbr2 gene. Expression of the Tgfbr2 gene was decreased by methamphetamine in Bax knockout mice, and the gene was overexpressed in Bax wild-type mice. Additionally, we confirmed that Creb, FosB, and c-Fos were related to rewarding effect and Bax using immunohistochemistry.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.113-118
• /
• 2009

In this study, we have shown the transcriptional regulation of the human GD3 synthase (hST8Sia I) induced by valproic acid (VPA) in human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the regulation of hST8Sia I gene expression in VPA-stimulated SK-N-BE(2)-C cells, we characterized the promoter region of the hST8Sia I gene. Functional analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the hST8Sia I gene by the transient expression method showed that the -1146 to -646 region, which contains putative binding sites for transcription factors c-Ets-1, CREB, AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$, functions as the VPA-inducible promoter of hST8Sia I in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. Site-directed mutagenesis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that the NF-${\kappa}B$ binding site at -731 to -722 was crucial for the VPA-induced expression of hST8Sia I in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. In addition, the transcriptional activity of hST8Sia I induced by VPA in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells was strongly inhibited by SP600125, which is a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, and $G{\ddot{O}}6976$, which is a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, as determined by RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) and luciferase assays. These results suggest that VPA markedly modulated transcriptional regulation of hST8Sia I gene expression through PKC/JNK signal pathways in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제31권3호
• /
• pp.285-297
• /
• 2023

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with progressive memory loss and the cognitive decline. AD is mainly caused by abnormal accumulation of misfolded amyloid β (Aβ), which leads to neurodegeneration via a number of possible mechanisms such as down-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-tropomyosin-related kinase B (BDNF-TRKB) signaling pathway. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), a TRKB agonist, has demonstrated potential to enhance BDNF-TRKB pathway in various neurodegenerative diseases. To expand the capacity of flavones as TRKB agonists, two natural flavones quercetin and apigenin, were evaluated. With tryptophan fluorescence quenching assay, we illustrated the direct interaction between quercetin/apigenin and TRKB extracellular domain. Employing Aβ folding reporter SH-SY5Y cells, we showed that quercetin and apigenin reduced Aβ-aggregation, oxidative stress, caspase-1 and acetylcholinesterase activities, as well as improved the neurite outgrowth. Treatments with quercetin and apigenin increased TRKB Tyr516 and Tyr817 and downstream cAMP-response-element binding protein (CREB) Ser133 to activate transcription of BDNF and BCL2 apoptosis regulator (BCL2), as well as reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic BCL2 associated X protein (BAX). Knockdown of TRKB counteracted the improvement of neurite outgrowth by quercetin and apigenin. Our results demonstrate that quercetin and apigenin are to work likely as a direct agonist on TRKB for their neuroprotective action, strengthening the therapeutic potential of quercetin and apigenin in treating AD.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
• /
• 제20권3호
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2009

Objectives : The glial cell, located in between the blood vessel and nerve cell, takes charge of the cell support, nutrition supply, elimination of body waste, and cell action. GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH), a chinese traditional medicinal prescription has been used orally for the treatment of seizures, infantile, convulsion, stroke and so forth. This paper examines the effect of the GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH) essential oil on cell activity and anti oxidation. Methods : MTT assay methods were employed to measure the cell activity based on the amount of the GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH) essential oil by using primarily cultivated glial cell. In addition, this paper measured a viability of the glial cell after a protein active retarder control to confirm the multiplication of the cell and examined the cell extinction by the active oxygen, an extinction shielding effect with different amount of the GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH) essential oil to observe anti oxidation. Furthermore, this paper measured a viability of the cell and phosphorylation(phosphorylation) of the protein which affects the multiplication of the glial cell. Results : When controlling the amount of the GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH), there was a multiplication effect of the primary glial cell, the multiplication of the cell was dependent on the density of the GagamSohabhwangwon. The multiplication power of the primary glial cell was suppressed by PKA inhibiter (H89). In compliance with the active oxygen the extinction of the primary glial cell was dependent on the density of the GagamSohabhwangwon, there was a shielding effect of the cell extinction when GagamSohabhwangwon(GGSH) was preprocessed. When inducing the multiplication of the primary glial cell, phosphorylation of the Akt, BDNF, CREB, ERK and ERM were increased. Conclusions: Based on the results, GagamSohabhwangwon essential oil will have the effect which activates the nervous system cell and protects the cell through anti oxidation.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제12권2호
• /
• pp.37-41
• /
• 2008

Melatonin has been reported to protect neurons from a variety of neurotoxicity. However, the underlying mechanism by which melatonin exerts its neuroprotective property has not yet been clearly understood. We previously demonstrated that melatonin protected kainic acid-induced neuronal cell death in mouse hippocampus, accompanied by sustained activation of Akt, a critical mediator of neuronal survival. To further elucidate the neuroprotective action of melatonin, we examined in the present study the causal mechanism how Akt signaling pathway is regulated by melatonin in a rat primary astrocyte culture model. Melatonin resulted in increased astrocytic Akt phosphorylation, which was significantly decreased with wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, suggesting that activation of Akt by melatonin is mediated through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, increased Akt activation was also significantly decreased with luzindole, a non-selective melatonin receptor antagonist. As downstream signaling pathway of Akt activation, increased levels of CREB phoshorylation and GDNF expression were observed, which were also attenuated with wortmannin and luzindole. These results strongly suggest that melatonin exerts its neuroprotective property in astrocytes through the activation of plasma membrane receptors and then PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제1권6호
• /
• pp.691-697
• /
• 1997

The mechanisms underlying opiate tolerance and dependence are not fully understood. We used human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells as a model system for studying effects of morphine tolerance and withdrawal on c-myc induction and cAMP levels. It has been reported that regulation of c-fos by acute and chronic morphine withdrawal is mediated through alterations in CREB transcription factor. In this study, we examined the effects of morphine tolerance on c-myc expression and cAMP concentrations. The activation of opiate receptors by an acute morphine administration resulted in an increase in c-myc mRNA and a decrease in cAMP concentrations in a dose-dependent manner $(5,\;10,\;15,\;and\;20\;{\mu}M)$. On the other hand, the chronic treatment of morphine $(10\;{\mu}M\;for\;six\;days)$ did not induce the elevated expression of c-myc mRNA. The c-myc expression was slightly inhibited in comparison with that of the acute morphine response. However, cAMP concentrations were increased with regard to morphine withdrawal response. These results suggest that the alterations in c-myc expression might imply a significant opiate regulation relating to morphine tolerance. This observation differs from increased expression of c-fos via regulation of cAMP pathway.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제51권8호
• /
• pp.388-393
• /
• 2018

The activating transcription factor (ATF) 4 belongs to the ATF/CREB (cAMP Response Element Binding bZIP [Basic Leucine Zipper]) transcription factor family, and plays a central role in the UPR (Unfolded Protein Response) process in cells. The induction of ATF4 expression has previously been shown to increase the replication of HIV-1. However, the detailed mechanism underlying this effect and the factors involved in the regulation of ATF4 function are still unknown. Here, we demonstrate first that knocking out ATF4 using siRNA shows a strong negative effect on HIV-1 production, indicating that ATF4 is a functional positive cellular factor in HIV-1 production. To determine the mechanism by which ATF4 regulates the HIV-1 life cycle, we assessed the effect of the overexpression of wild type ATF4 and its various derivatives on HIV-1 LTR-mediated transcriptional activation and the production of HIV-1 particles. This effect was studied through co-transfection experiments with either reporter vectors or proviral DNA. We found that the N-terminal domains of ATF4 are involved in HIV-1 LTR-mediated transcriptional activation, and thus in HIV-1 production.