• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.516-521
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• 2021

Although arginase primarily participates in the last reaction of the urea cycle, we have previously demonstrated that arginase II is an important cytosolic calcium regulator through spermine production in a p32-dependent manner. Here, we demonstrated that rhaponticin (RPT) is a novel medicinal-plant arginase inhibitor and investigated its mechanism of action on Ca²⁺-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation. RPT was uncompetitively inhibited for both arginases I and II prepared from mouse liver and kidney. It also inhibited arginase activity in both aorta and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Using both microscope and FACS analyses, RPT treatments induced increases in cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels using Fluo-4 AM as a calcium indicator. Increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ elicited the phosphorylations of both CaMKII and eNOS Ser1177 in a time-dependent manner. RPT incubations also increased intracellular L-arginine (L-Arg) levels and activated the CaMKII/AMPK/Akt/eNOS signaling cascade in HUVECs. Treatment of L-Arg and ABH, arginase inhibitor, increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations and activated CaMKII-dependent eNOS activation in ECs of WT mice, but, the effects were not observed in ECs of inositol triphosphate receptor type 1 knockout (IP3R1^-/-) mice. In the aortic endothelium of WT mice, RPT also augmented nitric oxide (NO) production and attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In a vascular tension assay using RPT-treated aortic tissue, cumulative vasorelaxant responses to acetylcholine (Ach) were enhanced, and phenylephrine (PE)-dependent vasoconstrictive responses were retarded, although sodium nitroprusside and KCl responses were not different. In this study, we present a novel mechanism for RPT, as an arginase inhibitor, to increase cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration in a L-Arg-dependent manner and enhance endothelial function through eNOS activation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.10
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• pp.445-450
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• 2014

Purpose: Familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOKPP) is an autosomal dominant channelopathy characterized by episodic attacks of muscle weakness and hypokalemia. Mutations in the calcium channel gene, CACNA1S, or the sodium channel gene, SCN4A, have been found to be responsible for HOKPP; however, the mechanism that causes hypokalemia remains to be determined. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of this mechanism by investigating the expression of calcium-activated potassium ($K_{Ca}$) channel genes in HOKPP patients. Methods: We measured the intracellular calcium concentration with fura-2-acetoxymethyl ester in skeletal muscle cells of HOKPP patients and healthy individuals. We examined the mRNA and protein expression of KCa channel genes (KCNMA1, KCNN1, KCNN2, KCNN3, and KCNN4) in both cell types. Results: Patient cells exhibited higher cytosolic calcium levels than normal cells. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the mRNA levels of the $K_{Ca}$ channel genes did not significantly differ between patient and normal cells. However, western blot analysis showed that protein levels of the KCNMA1 gene, which encodes $K_{Ca}$1.1 channels (also called big potassium channels), were significantly lower in the membrane fraction and higher in the cytosolic fraction of patient cells than normal cells. When patient cells were exposed to 50 mM potassium buffer, which was used to induce depolarization, the altered subcellular distribution of BK channels remained unchanged. Conclusion: These findings suggest a novel mechanism for the development of hypokalemia and paralysis in HOKPP and demonstrate a connection between disease-associated mutations in calcium/sodium channels and pathogenic changes in nonmutant potassium channels.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.279-282
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• 1998

Effects of high concentration of intracellular calcium on estradiol-induced vitellogenin(VTG) induction were examined using ouabain in Primary hepatocyte culture in the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Ouabain increases cytosolic free calcium as a result of inhibition of $Na^+ - Ca^{2+}$ exchanger. Ouabain markedly reduced VTG production to the control level, despite of calcium concentrations in the incubatin medium. Therefore, ouabain would reduce VTG production not by increasing intracellular calcium bt directly by inhibiting $Na^+ - K^+$ ATPase.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.339.2-339
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.25-25
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• 2001

• Toxicological Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 1988

The role of calcium in the production of oxygen radical which causes reperfusion damage of ischemic heart has been examined. The reperfusion damage was indrced in isolated Langendorff perfused rat hearts by aortic clamping for 60 min followed by reperfusion with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution with or without 1.25 mM $CaCl_2.$ On reperfusion of the ischemic hearts with the calcium containing solution, the release of cytosolic enzymes (LDH and CPK) increased abruptly. These increased release of enzymes were significantly inhibited by additions of oxygen radical scavengers (SOD, 5,000 U; catalase, 12,500 U) into the reperfusion solution. In the hearts isolated from rats pretreated with allopurinol(20 mg/kg orally, 24 hr and 2 hr prior to the experiments), the levels of enzymes being released during reperfusion were significantly lower than that of the control. However, in the hearts perfused with the calcium-free but oxygenated solution, the increase in the release of cytosolic enzymes during reperfusion was neither inhibited by oxygen radical scavengers nor by allopurinol pretreatment. For providing the evidence of oxygen radical generation during the reperfusion of ischemic hearts in situ, the SOD-inhibitable reduction of exogenously administered ferricytochrome C was measured. In the hearts perfused with the calcium containing solution, the SOD-inhibitable ferricytochrome C reduction increased within the first minute of reperfusion, and was almost completely inhibited by allopurinol pretreatment. When the heart was perfused with the calcium free solution, however, the reduction of ferricytochrome C was not only less than that in the calcium containing condition, but also was not so completely inhibited by allopurinol pretreatment. By ischemia, xanthine oxidase (XOD) in the ventricular tissue was changed qualitatively, but not quantitatively. In the heart made ischemic with the calcium containing condition, the oxygen radical producing O-form of XOD increased, while the D- and D/O-form decreased. However, in the ischemic heart reperfused with the calcium free condition, the D/O-form of XOD was elevated without significant increase in O-form of the enzyme. It is suggested from these results that the calclum may play a contributing role in the genesis of reperfusion damage by promoting the conversion of xanthine oxidase from the D/O-form to the oxygen radical producing O-form in the ischemic myocardium.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 1996

The role of Ca2+ on benzyladenine (BA)-induced senescence retardation in mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) primary leaves was investigated. When an extracellular calcium chelator, ethylene glycol-bis-($\beta$-aminoethylether)-N, N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) together with BA, was applied to senescing leaves for 4 days of dark incubation, the content of chlorophyll and soluble protein decreased rapidly. And, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), known to be a degradation product of membrane lipids, increased compared with the BA alone control. The BA-EGTA combination also caused the stimulation of protease and RNase activity and a rapid loss of catalase activity owing to the decling of BA effects. In the case of treatment with only intracellular calcium antagonist 3, 4, 5-trimethoxybenzoic acid 8-(diethylamino) octyl ester (TMB-8) without the BA addition, the chlorophyll content at day 4 after dark incubation decreased in paralled with the increasing concentration of the antagonist. In addition, the chlorophyll content at 10-5 M calcium ionophore A23187 treatment in the absence of BA was similar to that of the BA alone treatment. These results suggest that calcium may mediate the retardation effect of BA on leaf senescence by acting as a second messenger and that the calcium input from cell organelles, as well as the calcium inflow from intercellular spaces and cell walls, may be involved in modulating cytosolic calcium levels related to BA action.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.360-378
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• 1992

This study was performed to investigate effect of dietary protein and calcium levels on cad-mium intoxication in rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley male rate(245$\pm$21g) were blocked into 18 groups of 7 animals according to body weight Nine experimental diets different with protein(40%, 15%, 7%) and calcium (1.3%, 0.6%, 0.1%) levels were prepared. Nine groups of animals were fed each diet with 50ppm cadmium in drinking water and the other 9 groups without cadmium for 30days. Results were summarized as follows: 1) Body weight gain F. E. R(Food Efficiency Ratio) and weights of liver kidney and femur were higher in high protein groups among cadmium exposed groups. 2) Cadmium contents in liver and intestine were higher in rats fed high protein diet or low calcium diet among cadmium exposed groups. Fecal cadmium excretion was highest in high protein-high calcium diet group among cadmium exposed animals. Metallothionein contents in liver kidney and intestine were higher in animals exposed to cadmium and fed high protein diets. 3) Gel filtration chromatography of cytosolic solution showed that the higher dietary protein and calcium levels were the more cadmium was found in metallothionein fractions. 4) No gross histopathological change was seen in liver kidney and intestine of cadmium exposed rats. However a significant increase of smooth endoplasmic reticulum which was alleveated by high protein-high calcium diet was observed. Results obtained indicated that not only high protein diet but also high calcium diet showed preventive effect on cadmium intoxication by increasing the induction of metallothionein syn-thesis and decreasing the cadmium absorption.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.154-160
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• 1999

A calcium-independent phospholipase $A_2$ ($iPLA_2$) was identified from the cytosolic fraction of rat liver cells. On gel filtration chromatography, the $iPLA_2$ activity was eluted as broad peaks of 150 to 500 kDa. The enzyme was maximally active at pH 7.5, retained 75% of its original activity after heating at $50^{\circ}C$ for 5 h, and was inhibited by $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, and $Zn^{2+}$ ions, but was not affected by $Na^+$ and $K^+$ ions. The enzymatic activity was increased up to 150% by 1 to 4 mM DTT and was inhibited up to 25% by 0.1 to 1 mM PMSF. The $iPLA_2$ activity had preference for the head group of phospholipids, where phosphatidylethanolamine was preferred to phosphatidylcholine. The results suggest that the $iPLA_2$ may be a novel enzyme distinct from the previously reported $iPLA_2s$.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2009

Calbindin-$D_{9k}$ (CaBP-9k), a cytosolic calcium-binding protein, is expressed in a variety of tissues, i.e., the duodenum, uterus, placenta, kidney and pituitary gland. Duodenal CaBP-9k is involved in intestinal calcium absorption, and is regulated at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D, and glucocorticoids (GCs). Uterine CaBP-9k has been implicated in the regulation of myometrial action(s) through modulation of intracellular calcium, and steroid hormones appear to be the main regulators in its uterine and placental regulation. Because phenotypes of CaBP-9k-null mice appear to be normal, other calcium-transporter genes may compensate for its gene deletion and physiological function in knockout mice. Previous studies indicate that CaBP-9k may be controlled in a tissue-specific fashion. In this review, we summarize the current information on calcium homeostasis related to CaBP-9k gene regulation by GCs, vitamin D and its receptors, and its molecular regulatory mechanism. In addition, we present related data from our current research.