• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.287-294
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• 2016

The effect of kaempferol (3,5,7,4-tetrahydroxyflavone), a flavonoid compound that was identified in barnyard millet (Echinochloa crus-galli var. frumentacea) grains, on G₂-checkpoint and apoptotic pathways was investigated in human acute leukemia Jurkat T cell clones stably transfected with an empty vector (J/Neo) or a Bcl-xL expression vector (J/Bcl-xL). Exposure of J/Neo cells to kaempeferol caused cytotoxicity and activation of the ATM/ATR-Chk1/Chk2 pathway, activating the phosphorylation of p53 (Ser-15), inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc25C (Ser-216), and inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1), with resultant G₂-arrest of the cell cycle. Under these conditions, apoptotic events, including upregulation of Bak and PUMA levels, Bak activation, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) loss, activation of caspase-9, -8, and -3, anti-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and accumulation of apoptotic sub-G₁ cells, were induced without accompanying necrosis. However, these apoptotic events, except for upregulation of Bak and PUMA levels, were completely abrogated in J/Bcl-xL cells overexpressing Bcl-xL, suggesting that the G₂-arrest and the Bcl-xL-sensitive mitochondrial apoptotic events were induced, in parallel, as downstream events of the DNA-damage-mediated G₂-checkpoint activation. Together these results demonstrate that kaempferol-mediated antitumor activity toward Jurkat T cells was attributable to G₂-checkpoint activation, which caused not only G₂-arrest of the cell cycle but also activating phosphorylation of p53 (Ser-15) and subsequent induction of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic events, including Bak and PUMA upregulation, Bak activation, Δψm loss, and caspase cascade activation.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2007

The initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication requires assembly of the pre-replicative complex (Pre-RC) through the concerted action of Orc, Cdc6, Cdt1 and Mcm2-7 complex during G1 phase. The pre-RC assembly licenses individual replication origins for the initiation of DNA replication and sufficient number of the pre-RC is essential for proper progression of S phase. However, it is not well known how cells recognize the completion of the pre-RC assembly before G1-S transition. In order to understand the cellular responses to the defects in pre-RC assembly, we depleted the known components of pre-RC proteins using the small interference RNAs in HeLa cells. Although the defects of pre-RC assembly by the depletion of the pre-RC proteins such as Orc2, Cdt1, Mcm2 & Mcm10 did not elicit the activation of Chk1- or Chk2-dependent checkpoint pathways, these cells still showed significant decrease in the cellular level of Cdc25A proteins. These results suggests that a novel checkpoint pathway exist in HeLa cells, which is not dependent upon Chk1 or Chk2 proteins and play essential roles in the cellular responses to the defects in the pre-RC assembly. Also, among those four proteins tested in this study, the depletion of Mcm10 and Cdt1 proteins significantly increased the apoptotic cell death in HeLa cells, suggesting that these proteins not only play roles in the pre-RC assembly, but also are involved in the checkpoint responses to the defects in the pre-RC assembly.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.155-159
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• 2013

Honokiol, a naturally occurring neolignan mainly found in Magnolia species, has exhibited a potential anti-proliferative activity in human cancer cells. However, the growth inhibitory activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms has been poorly determined. The present study was designed to examine the anti-proliferative effect of honokiol in SK-HEP-1 human hepatocellular cancer cells. Honokiol exerted anti-proliferative activity with cell-cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and sequential induction of apoptotic cell death. The cell-cycle arrest was well correlated with the down-regulation of checkpoint proteins including cyclin D1, cyclin A, cyclin E, CDK4, PCNA, retinoblastoma protein (Rb), and c-Myc. The increase of sub-G1 peak by the higher concentration of honokiol ($75{\mu}M$) was closely related to the induction of apoptosis, which was evidenced by decreased expression of Bcl-2, Bid, and caspase-9. Hohokiol was also found to attenuate the activation of signaling proteins in the Akt/mTOR and ERK pathways. These findings suggest that the anti-proliferative effect of honokiol was associated in part with the induction of cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and dow-nregulation of Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in human hepatocellular cancer cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2009

Iron binding lactoferrin (Lf) is involved in the control of cell cycle progression. However, the molecular basis underlying the effects of Lf on cell cycle control, as well as its target genes, remains incompletely understood. In this study, we have demonstrated that a relatively low level of ironsaturated Lf, Lf($Fe^{3+}$), can stimulate S phase cell cycle entry, and requires Akt activation in MCF-7 cells. Lf($Fe^{3+}$) immediately induced Akt phosphorylation at Ser473, which subsequently induced the phosphorylation of two G1-checkpoint Cdk inhibitors, $p21^{Cip/WAF1}$ and $p27^{kip1}$. The Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-induced phosphorylation of Cdk inhibitors impaired their nuclear import behavior, thereby inducing cell cycle progression. However, the treatment of cells with a PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, almost completely blocked Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-stimulated cell cycle progression. LY294002 treatment abrogated Lf($Fe^{3+}$)-induced Akt activation, and prevented the cytoplasmic localization of $p27^{kip1}$. Higher levels of $p21^{Cip/WAF1}$ were also detected in the cytoplasmic sub-cellular compartment as a measure of cellular response to Lf($Fe^{3+}$). Consequently, the degree of phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein was enhanced in response to Lf($Fe^{3+}$). Therefore, we conclude that Lf($Fe^{3+}$), as a potential antagonist of Cdk inhibitors, can facilitate the functions of E2F during progression to S phase via the Akt signaling pathway.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.425-432
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• 2013

Typha orientalis, also known as bulrush or cattail, is a perennial herbaceous plant found in freshwater wetlands and has been widely used in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Recent data has revealed that SH21B, a mixture composed of seven herbs including T. orientalis, exhibited an anti-adipogenic activity by the inhibition of the expression of adipogenic regulators. However, the anti-cancer effect of T. orientalis and its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effect and its mechanism in the methanol extract of T. orientalis (METO) on human colon carcinoma HT29 cells. It was found that METO treatment showed cytotoxic activity in a dose-dependent manner, and induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HT29 cells. The induction of G2/M arrest by METO was associated with the up-regulation of phospho-Cdc2 (Tyr15), an inactive form of Cdc2 and the down-regulation of Cdc25c phosphatase. METO also induced tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (WAF1/CIP1) expression. In addition, METO-induced apoptosis was characterized by the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, degradation of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), and up-regulation of death receptor FAS and pro-apoptotic Bax expression. Collectively, these results indicate that the cell cycle inhibition and apoptosis induction of METO in HT29 cells allows for the possibility of its use in anti-cancer therapies.