• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.196-200
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• 2005

The neurofibromatosis type2 (NF2) tumor suppressor gene product, merlin, is structurally related to the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of proteins that anchor the actin cytoskeleton to specific membrane proteins and participate in cell signaling. However, the basis of the tumor suppressing activity of merlin is not well understood. Previously, we identified a role of merlin as an inhibitor of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway. Recent studies have suggested that phosphorylation of merlin, as of other ERM proteins, may regulate its function. To determine whether phosphorylation of merlin affects its suppression of Ras-ERK signaling, we generated plasmids expressing full-length merlin with substitutions of serine 518, a potential phosphorylation site. A substitution that mimics constitutive phosphorylation (S518D) abrogated the ability of merlin to suppress effects of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway such as Ras-induced SRE transactivation, Elk-mediated SRE transactivation, Ras-induced ERK phosphorylation and Ras-induced focus formation. On the other hand, an S518A mutant, which mimics nonphosphorylated merlin, acted like wild type merlin. These observations show that mimicking merlin phosphorylation impairs not only growth suppression by merlin but also its inhibitory action on the Ras-ERK signaling pathway.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.159-166
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• 2013

본 연구에서는 새로운 미백소재를 개발하기 위해 적양 에탄올추출물을 효소처리 후 EtOAc 분획물(AJE)을 준비하여 in vitro 상에서 이들의 tyrosinase 저해활성과 세포 수준에서의 멜라닌 합성 저해효과를 측정하였다. AJE는 mushroom tyrosinase의 활성에는 영향을 미치지 않았으나 B16-F1 melanoma cell을 이용한 멜라닌 합성 저해효과에 있어서 농도 의존적으로 멜라닌 합성을 저해하여, $40{\mu}g/mL$의 농도에서 52% 이상의 저해효과를 나타내었다. 이러한 멜라닌 합성 저해효과에 대한 작용 기전을 확인하기 위해 western blot을 통해 멜라닌 합성 경로에 관련된 단백질의 발현을 측정하였다. 그 결과 멜라닌 합성에 관여하는 효소인 tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1)의 발현을 억제하였고, 이를 조절하는 전사인자인 microphthalmia associated transcription factor (MITF) 발현 역시 효과적으로 억제하였다. 또한 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway를 활성화시킴으로써 phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK)의 발현을 상당히 증가시키는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 결과는 AJE가 멜라닌 합성의 신호전달 경로 중 ERK pathway의 활성화를 통해 MITF의 분해를 촉진시키고 이로 인해 MITF의 발현을 감소시키며, 그 결과 멜라닌 합성에 관여하는 효소 중 TRP-1의 발현을 감소시킴으로써 멜라닌 합성을 저해하는 것으로 사료되며, 따라서 AJE는 미백용도의 기능성 원료로서의 가능성이 큰 것으로 판단된다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.1066-1070
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• 2006

Smooth muscle cell (SMC)의 증식은 혈관성장에 의한 질환의 발병기전의 중요한 요소이다. 혈관 손상 후 SMC의 성장조절에 대한 분자적 기작에 대한 연구는 치료제 개발에 있어 중요한 의미를 지닌다. 이에, 본 연구에서는 TNF family인 RANKL가 SMC의 증식을 촉진함을 입증하였다. RANKL는 p21의 발현을 감소시키고 p21의 promoter활성을 저해함으로써 SMC의 성장을 증가시켰다. 또한 ERK와 p38 MAPK의 활성이 RANKL에 의해 증가하였으며, ERK/p38의 저해제는 RANKL에 의해 유도되는 SMC의 성장을 완전히 억제하였다. 이러한 결과는 ERK와 p38 MAPK가 RANKL에 의해 유도되는 SMC의 증식에 중요한 역할을 함을 보여주는 것이다. 즉, RANK-RANKL-ERK/p38이 SMC의 증식을 매개하는 중요 분자이며, 이들 분자는 혈관 질환을 막는 새로운 치료제 개발의 표적분자가 될 수 있음이 입증되었다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.170-175
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• 2012

Clostridium difficile toxin A glucosylates Rho family proteins, resulting in actin filament disaggregation and cell rounding in cultured colonocytes. Given that the cellular toxicity of toxin A is dependent on its receptor binding and subsequent entry into the cell, we herein sought to identify additional colonocyte proteins that might bind to toxin A following its internalization. Our results revealed that toxin A interacted with ERK1 and ERK2 in two human colonocyte cell lines (NCM460 and HT29). A GST-pulldown assay also showed that toxin A can directly bind to ERK1 and ERK2. In NCM460 cells exposed to PMA (an ERK1/2 activator), the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 did not affect the interaction between toxin A and ERK1/2. However, an in vitro kinase assay showed that the direct binding of toxin A to ERK1 or ERK2 inhibited their kinase activities. These results suggest a new molecular mechanism for the cellular toxicity seen in cells exposed to toxin A.

• 한방안이비인후피부과학회지
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.104-117
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• 2009

Objective : Melanin is one of the most important facor in skin color. Melanin protects human skin from ultraviolet radiation otherwise it causes melanin pigmentation. So this experiment is carried out for test whether Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi(SBG) inhibits melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity in mouse B16 melanoma cells. Method : The melanin synthesis inhibition effects of SBG were examined by in vitro melanin production assay. We assessed inhibitory effects of SBG on melanin contents from B16F1 melanoma cell, on tyrosinase activity(cell and cell free system), effect of SBG on the expression tyrosinase, Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor(MITF), Extracellular signal-regulated Kinase(ERK). Result : SBG inhibited melanin synthesis induced $\alpha$-MSH($\alpha$-Melanin Stimulating Hormone) in B16F1. SBG inhibited tyrosinase activity and expression. And SBG down-regulates MITF and stimulated ERK activation in B16F1. Conclusion : According to above results, SBG was improved its suppression effect to the inhibition of melanin synthesis, tyrosinase activation, and tyrosinase promotor activation. So SBG is considered to be used for an strong source of skin whitening effect.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.169-173
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• 2007

Luteolin is a major flavonoid of Lonicera japonica and has anti-inflammatory effect. The activation of proteinase-activated receptor (PAR)-2 and -4 by trypsin appears to play a role in inflammation, In the present study, we examined the inhibitory effects of luteolin on activation of trypsin-induced human leukemic mast cells (HMC-1). HMC-1 cells were stimulated with trypsin, PAR-2 and PAR-4 agonist, in the presence or absence of luteolin. The level of TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of tryptase and phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were assessed by Westem blot analysis. Moreover, trypsin activity was measured by the substrate Bz-DL-Arg-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA). TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion and Tryptase expression in trypsin-stimulated HMC-1 cells were markedly inhibited by pretreatment of luteolin. Furthermore, the pretreatment of luteolin resulted in the reduction of ERK phosphorylation and trypsin activity. These results suggest that luteolin might has the inhibitory effects on the PAR-2 and -4-dependent inflammation.

• 한방안이비인후피부과학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Objective : The goal of this study is to identify the effects of extract ofGentianae sino-ornata(GSO) on the anti-oxidative activity of skin.For this purpose, several functions of GSO were analyzed in terms of skin-lightening activity and wrinkle improvement. Methods : Cell viability was measured by neutral red (NR) assay, and GSO showed highly efficacy in DPPH radical scavenging activity. The level of tyrosinase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in media was analyzed by ELISA kit, and the expressions of p-JNK and p-ERK was measured by Western blot. To elucidate inhibitory effects of GSO on melanin synthesis, I determined the tyrosinase activity and melanin production in B16F10 cells. Results : MMP-1 production in UVB-stimulated HDF cells was inhibited by GSO treatments, and also GSO inhibited protein expression levels of p-JNK and p-ERK. GSO significantly reduced tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis in B16F10 cells. Conclusions : From these results, GSO appears to be effective on skin elasticity increase, wrinkle improvement, whitening as anti-aging activity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.561-571
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• 2023

Background: Escalating evidence shows that ginseng possesses an antiaging potential with cognitive enhancing activity. As mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) is cultivated without agricultural chemicals, MCG has emerged as a popular herb medicine. However, little is known about the MCG-mediated pharmacological mechanism on brain aging. Methods: As we demonstrated that glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is important for enhancing memory function in the animal model of aging, we investigated the role of MCG as a GPx inducer using GPx-1 (a major type of GPx) knockout (KO) mice. We assessed whether MCG modulates redox and cholinergic parameters, and memory function in aged GPx-1 knockout KOmice. Results: Redox burden of aged GPx-1 KO mice was more evident than that of aged wild-type (WT) mice. Alteration of Nrf2 DNA binding activity appeared to be more evident than that of NFκB DNA binding activity in aged GPx-1 KO mice. Alteration in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was more evident than that in acetylcholine esterase activity. MCG significantly attenuated reductions in Nrf2 system and ChAT level. MCG significantly enhanced the co-localization of Nrf2-immunoreactivity and ChAT-immunoreactivity in the same cell population. Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol significantly counteracted MCG-mediated up-regulation in ChAT level and ChAT inhibition (by k252a) significantly reduced ERK phosphorylation by MCG, suggesting that MCG might require signal cascade of Nrf2/ChAT/ERK to enhance cognition. Conclusion: GPx-1 depletion might be a prerequisite for cognitive impairment in aged animals. MCG-mediated cognition enhancement might be associated with the activations of Nrf2, ChAT, and ERK signaling cascade.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.161-168
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• 2009

In the peripheral nerves, injury-induced cytokines and growth factors perform critical functions in the activation of both the MEK/ERK and JAK/STAT3 pathways. In this study, we determined that nerve injury-induced ERK activation was temporally correlated with STAT3 phosphorylation at the serine 727 residue. In cultured Schwann cells, we noted that ERK activation is required for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 by neuropoietic cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Serine phosphorylated STAT3 by IL-6 was transported into Schwann cell nuclei, thereby indicating that ERK may regulate the transcriptional activity of STAT3 via the induction of serine phosphorylation of STAT3. Neuregulin-1 (NRG) also induced the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ERK-dependent fashion. In contrast with the IL-6 response, serine phosphorylated STAT3 induced by NRG was not detected in the nucleus, thus indicating the non-nuclear function of serine phosphorylated STAT3 in response to NRG. Finally, we determined that the inhibition of ERK prevented injury-induced serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ex-vivo explants culture of the sciatic nerves. Collectively, the results of this study show that ERK may be an upstream kinase for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 induced by multiple stimuli in Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.159-165
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• 2013

Objectives Mechanisms of clinical synergistic effects, induced by co-treatments of lithium and valproate, are unclear. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) has been suggested to play important roles in mechanisms of the action of mood stabilizers. In this study, effects of co-treatments of lithium and valproate on the ERK1/2 signal pathway and its down-stream transcription factors, ELK1 and C-FOS, were investigated in vitro. Methods PC12 cells, human pheochromocytoma cells, were treated with lithium chloride (30 mM), valproate (1 mM) or lithium chloride + valproate. The phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was analyzed with immunoblot analysis. Transcriptional activities of ELK1 and C-FOS were analyzed with reporter gene assay. Results Single treatment of lithium and valproate increased the phosphorylation of ERK and transcriptional activities of ELK1 and C-FOS, respectively. Combined treatments of lithium and valproate induced more robust increase in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and transcriptional activities of ELK1 and C-FOS, compared to those in response to single treatment of lithium or valproate. Conclusions Co-treatments of lithium and valproate induced synergistic increase in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and transcriptional activities of its down-stream transcription factors, ELK1 and C-FOS, compared to effects of single treatment. The findings might suggest potentiating effects of lithium and valproate augmentation treatment strategy.