• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.292-297
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• 2006

One of the steps in angiogenesis is the degradation of the underlying basement membrane via proteases. Endothelial cells release proteinases to degrade the extracellular matrix for their sprouting in vivo. In this study, we examined the effect of water extracts of Phellinus linteusis(Phellinus extracts) and combination of Phellinus extracts and fibroblast growth factor(FGF-2) on cultured porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells(PPAECs). Phellinus extracts induced sprouting of PPAECs, which was inhibited by MMPs and plasmin inhibitors, and induced the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-3(MMP-3) and plasmin. At high concentration of Phellinus extracts($200{\sim}400{\mu}g/mL$), the active MMP-2 secretion was induced. It is therefore, suggested that Phellinus extracts induces the sprouting of cultured endothelial cells by means of increased active MMP-2 and plasmin secretion. Also, combination with Phellinus extracts and FGF-2 produced an enhanced effect on sprouting and secretion of active MMP-2, and MMP-3 and plasmin from PPAECs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1189-1195
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• 2016

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are potent angiogenic factors that have been used clinically to induce angiogenesis. To enable migration and invasion, cells must proliferate and secrete proteinases, which degrade the surrounding extracellular matrix. The goal of this study was to investigate the cell proliferation; matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and plasmin secretion; and migration and invasion of glioma-derived U-373-MG cells induced by VEGF and HGF treatment. An additional goal was to test the hypothesis that elevated secretion of MMP-2, MMP-9, and plasmin contributed directly or indirectly to the proliferation, migration, and invasion of U-373-MG cells. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and MMP-2, MMP-9, and plasmin secretion were significantly increased in the VEGF and HGF-treated U-373-MG cells. To elucidate the role of the increased secretion of MMP-2, MMP-9, and plasmin in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of the U-373-MG cells, they were treated with MMPs inhibitor (BB-94) and plasmin inhibitor (α2AP) prior to VEGF or HGF stimulation. The BB-94 and α2AP treatment resulted in a significant reduction in the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of the U-373-MG cells as compared with the VEGF- and HGF-treated groups. The results indicate that inhibition of MMPs and plasmin reduce the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of U-373-MG cells.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.201-212
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• 2011

The alkaline protease gene was cloned from a halo-tolerant alkalophilic Bacillus clausii I-52 isolated from the heavily polluted tidal mud flat of West Sea in Inchon Korea, which produced a strong extracellular alkaline protease (BCAP). Based on the full genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis, PCR primers were designed to allow for the amplification and cloning of the intact pro-BCAP gene including promoter region. The full-length gene consists of 1,143 bp and encodes 381 amino acids, which includes 29 residues of a putative signal peptide and an additional 77-amino-acid propeptide at its N-terminus. The mature BCAP deduced from the nucleotide sequence consists of 275 amino acids with a N-terminal amino acid of Ala, and a relative molecular weight and pI value was 27698.7 Da and 6.3, respectively. The amino acid sequence shares the highest similarity (99%) to the nattokinase precursor from B. subtilis and subtilisin E precursor from B. subtilis BSn5. The substrate specificity indicated that the recombinant BCAP could hydrolyze efficiently the synthetic substrate, N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA,and did not hydrolyze the substrates with basic amino acids at the P1 site. The recombinant BCAP was strongly inhibited by typical serine protease inhibitor, PMSF, indicating that BCAP is a member of the serine proteases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.954-959
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• 2021

Apoptosis is an important mechanism that regulates cellular populations to maintain homeostasis, and the caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, are key mediators of the apoptosis pathway. Caspase-8 is an initiator caspase of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, which is initiated by extracellular stimuli. Caspase-8 have two conserved domains, N-terminal tandem death effector domains (DED) and C-terminal two catalytic domain, which are important for this extrinsic apoptosis pathway. In extrinsic apoptosis pathway, death receptors which members of TNF superfamily are activated by binding of death receptor specific ligands from cell outside. After the activated death receptors recruit adaptor protein Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), death domains (DD) of death receptor and FADD bind to each other and FADD combined with death receptor recruits procaspase-8, a precursor form of caspase-8. The DED of FADD and procaspase-8 bind to one another and FADD-bound procaspase-8 is activated by cleavage of the prodomain. This death receptor-FADD-caspase-8 complex called death inducing signaling complex (DISC). Cellular FLICE-inhibitory proteins (c-FLIPs) regulate caspase-8 activation by acting both anti- and pro-apoptotically, and caspase-8 activation initiates the activation of executioner caspases such as caspase-3. Finally activated executioner caspases complete the apoptosis by acting critically DNA degradation, nuclear condensation, plasma membrane blebbing, and the proteolysis of certain caspase substrates.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.420-430
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• 2002

Background : Excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition by airway inflammation is presumed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of worsening airflow obstruction (Ed- acceptable three-word noun) seen during acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Although many proteases can cleave ECM molecules, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors are likely to be the physiologically relevant mediators of ECM degradation. Objectives ; The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that antibiotic treatment can change airway MMPs and TIMP-1 concentrations/levels by controlling airway inflammation in acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Methods : We studied 40 patients, all of whom had an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. The patients were treated with two different antibiotics, moxifloxacin and clarithromycin, in a double-blind manner for 7 days. Sputum samples were induced and collected before and after antibiotic therapy. We measured the sputum concentration of MMP-1,-9, TIMP-1, IL-8 and secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI) in sputum supernatants by ELISA method. Results : There was no difference after antibiotic treatment in the sputum concentrations of MMP-1,-9, TIMP-1, IL-8 and SLPI between the patients treated with moxifloxacin and those treated with clarithromycin. But the sputum concentrations of TIMP-1, and SLPI, and the TIMP-1/MMP-1 ratio were significantly reduced by the antibiotic therapy. There were significant positive correlations between sputum TIMP-1 levels and IL-8 levels (p<0.01, r=0.751), and between the sputum TIMP-1/MMP-1 ratio and IL-8 levels (p<0.01, r=0.752). The sputum SLPI levels were significantly elevated by antibiotic treatment and were negatively correlated with sputum TIMP-1 levels (p<0.01, r=-0.496) and TIMP-1/MMP-1 levels (p<0.01, r=-0.456). Conclusion : The study shows that the worsening of airway inflammation in acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis is associated with an imbalance between the concentrations/levels of TIMP-1 and MMPs. Antibiotic treatment can prevent progression of airway narrowing in acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis by modulation of the protease and anti-protease imbalance.