• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.1075-1079
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• 2014

MicroRNA expression is a research focus in studies of tumors. This article concentrates attention on potential links between tumors caused by mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) and human breast cancer, in order to provide theoretical basis for using mouse model to search for miRNA effects mediated by Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in human breast cancer. By analyzing interactions between miRNAs and the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer, we hope to casts light on more biological functions of miRNAs in the process of tumor formation and growth and to explore their potential value in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Our endeavor aimed at providing theoretical basis for finding safer, more effective methods for treatment of human breast cancer at the miRNA molecular level.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.1041-1046
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• 2014

Evidence is growing that the $GABA_B$ receptor, which belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, is involved in tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown that ${\beta}$-arrestin can serve as a scaffold to recruit signaling protein c-Jun N-terminal knase (JNK) to GPCR. Here we investigated whether ${\beta}$-arrestin recruits JNK to the $GABA_B$ receptor and facilitates its activation to affect the growth of cancer cells. Our results showed that ${\beta}$-arrestin expression is decreased in breast cancer cells in comparison with controls. ${\beta}$-arrestin could enhance interactions of the $GABA_BR{\cdot}{\beta}-arrestin{\cdot}JNK$ signaling module in MCF-7 and T-47D cells. Further studies revealed that increased expression of ${\beta}$-arrestin enhances the phosphorylation of JNK and induces cancer cells apoptosis. Collectively, these results indicate that ${\beta}$-arrestin promotes JNK mediated apoptosis via a $GABA_BR{\cdot}{\beta}-arrestin{\cdot}JNK$ signaling module.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.21-26
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• 2011

Ceramide is an important lipid mediator of extracellular signals that control various cellular functions, including apoptosis. In this study, we showed that ceramide induced apoptosis in U373MG human glioblastoma cells associated with G1 cell cycle arrest. Treatment of cells with ceramide increased proapoptotic Bax expression and inhibited the expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL Ceramide also downregulated cyclin E, cyclin D1, cdk 2, and cdk4 which are involved in regulating cell cycle. In addition, ceramide suppressed phosphorylation of Akt, Bad, p70 S6 kinase, and 4E-BP1, suggesting the involvement of Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Additionally, okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A, partially blocked the ceramide mediated inhibition of phosphorylation of Akt and 4E-BP1. These results suggest that ceramide induces apoptosis in U373MG glioblastoma cells by regulating multiple signaling pathways that involve cell cycle arrest associated with Akt signaling pathway.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권7호
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• pp.435-443
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• 2022

In response to environmental changes, signaling pathways rewire gene expression programs through transcription factors. Epigenetic modification of the transcribed RNA can be another layer of gene expression regulation. N⁶-adenosine methylation (m⁶A) is one of the most common modifications on mRNA. It is a reversible chemical mark catalyzed by the enzymes that deposit and remove methyl groups. m⁶A recruits effector proteins that determine the fate of mRNAs through changes in splicing, cellular localization, stability, and translation efficiency. Emerging evidence shows that key signal transduction pathways including TGFβ (transforming growth factor-β), ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), and mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) regulate downstream gene expression through m⁶A processing. Conversely, m⁶A can modulate the activity of signal transduction networks via m⁶A modification of signaling pathway genes or by acting as a ligand for receptors. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the crosstalk between m⁶A and signaling pathways and its implication for biological systems.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.303-310
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• 2021

In the present study, kaempferol, a flavonoidal natural compound found in Polygonati Rhizoma, was investigated for its potential effect on the gene expression and production of airway MUC5AC mucin. A human respiratory epithelial NCI-H292 cells was pretreated with kaempferol for 30 min and stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), for the following 24 h. The effect on PMA-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway or EGF-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was investigated. Kaempferol suppressed the production and gene expression of MUC5AC mucins, induced by PMA through the inhibition of degradation of inhibitory kappa Bα (IκBα), and NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Also, kaempferol inhibited EGF-induced gene expression and production of MUC5AC mucin through regulating the phosphorylation of EGFR, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 (p44/42), and the nuclear expression of specificity protein-1 (Sp1). These results suggest kaempferol regulates the gene expression and production of mucin through regulation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, in human airway epithelial cells.

• 한국가금학회지
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.265-272
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• 2022

Many studies on poultry have been conducted in the poultry industry to improve their important economic traits, such as egg production, meat quality, and carcass yield. Environmental changes affect the poultry's economic traits, including muscle growth. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by which simvastatin causes muscle injury in quail muscle cells. Following treatment with various doses of simvastatin, LD50 in the quail myoblast cells was determined using a cell viability test; cell death was caused by apoptosis and/or necrosis. Thereafter, the expression patterns of the atrophy marker genes were examined via quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results showed that the transcriptional levels of the muscle atrophy marker genes (Atrogin-1, TRIM63) and the upstream genes in their signaling cascade were increased by simvastatin treatment. This indicated that simvastatin induced myogenic cell death and muscle injury via protein degradation through muscle atrophy signaling. Further studies should focus on identifying the mechanism by which simvastatin induces the protein degradation signaling pathway in quail muscle..

• BMB Reports
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.484-488
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• 2001

STATs are proteins with a dual function: signal transducers in the cytoplasm and transcriptional activators in the nucleus. Among the six known major STATs (STAT1-6), STAT3 has been implicated in the widest range of signaling pathways that regulate cell growth and differentiation. As a part of our on-going investigation on the pleiotropic functions of STAT proteins, we examined the role of STAT3 as a molecular adaptor that links diverse cell growth signaling pathways. We observed that STAT3 can be specifically activated by multiple cytokines, such as IL-3, in transformed fibroblasts and IL-4 or IFN-$\gamma$ in primary immune cells, respectively. The selective activation of STAT3 in H-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells is associated with an increased expression of phosphoserioe STAT3 in these cells, compared to the parental cells. Notably phosphoresine-STAT3 interacts with oncogenic ras, shown by immunoprecipitation and Western blots. The results suggest the role of STAT3 in rasinduced cellular transformation as a molecular adaptor linking the Jak/STAT and Ras/MAPK pathways. In primary immune cells, IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$ each induced (in addition to the characteristic STAT6 and STAT1 homodimers) the formation of STAT3-containing complexes that bind to GAS probes, which correspond to the $Fe{\varepsilon}$ Rll and $Fe{\gamma}$ RI promoter sequences, respectively. Since IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$ are known to counter-regulate the expression of these genes, the ability of STAT3 to form heterodimeric complexes with STAT6 or STAT1 implies its role in the fine-tuned control of genes that are regulated by IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권7호
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• pp.933-941
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• 2021

Ginsenoside Rg4 is a rare ginsenoside that is naturally found in ginseng, and exhibits a wide range of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in several cell types. The purpose of this study was to use an in vivo model of hair follicle (HF)-mimic based on a human dermal papilla (DP) spheroid system prepared by three-dimensional (3D) culture and to investigate the effect of Rg4 on the hair-inductive properties of DP cells. Treatment of the DP spheroids with Rg4 (20 to 50 ㎍/ml) significantly increased the viability and size of the DP spheres in a dose-dependent manner. Rg4 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of DP signature genes that are related to hair growth including ALP, BMP2, and VCAN in the DP spheres. Analysis of the signaling molecules and luciferase reporter assays further revealed that Rg4 induces the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β, which activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results correlated with not only the increased nuclear translocation of β-catenin following the treatment of the DP spheres with Rg4 but also the significant elevation of mRNA expression of the downstream target genes of the WNT/β-catenin pathway including WNT5A, β-catenin, and LEF1. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg4 promotes the hair-inductive properties of DP cells by activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in DP spheres, suggesting that Rg4 could be a potential natural therapy for hair growth.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.365-378
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• 2018

Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, which is one of the major diseases of red dates, causes severe damages in jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Miller) production in Korea. This study was done to evaluate the inhibition of anthracnose occurrence and pathogen growth by the treatment of environment-friendly materials such as a Bordeaux mixture and loess-sulfur mixture and by defense-response signaling in jujube. The in vitro test of the environment-friendly materials and signaling molecules that were routinely applied did not exhibit any antifungal activities against the pathogen for jujube anthracnose. The Bordeaux mixture and loess-sulfur mixture at a two-fold concentration showed inhibition zones that were 16.0 and 20.3 mm in diameter, respectively. In the pathogen inoculation test with detached jujube tree leaves, while treatment with the environment-friendly materials diluted by half showed no inhibition of lesion development, they did show inhibition of lesion development when they were routinely applied to the leaves. In detached jujube fruits inoculated with the pathogen, better suppressive effects by the treatment of the environment-friendly materials were seen in the fruits at a young stage rather than in the ripening stage. The in vivo test with jujube trees in pots showed that the treatment of salicylic acid (1 mM) resulted in the best suppressive effects against lesion development. The results suggest that it is possible to manage the incidence of anthracnose by the treatment of environment-friendly materials such as the Bordeaux and loess-sulfur mixtures and signaling chemicals such as ethephon, hydrogen peroxide, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid in jujube trees and fruits. Consequently, these findings suggest that environment-friendly materials and defense response signaling molecules could be used as suitable candidates for sustainable agrochemicals to manage anthracnose in jujube production.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제63권4호
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• pp.444-454
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• 2020

Objective : Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive for of brain tumor and treatment often fails due to the invasion of tumor cells into neighboring healthy brain tissues. Activation of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway is essential for normal cellular function including angiogenesis, and has been proposed to have a pivotal role in glioma invasion. This study aimed to determine the dose-dependent effects of ruxolitinib, an inhibitor of JAK, on the interferon (IFN)-I/IFN-α/IFN-β receptor/STAT and IFN-γ/IFN-γ receptor/STAT1 axes of the IFN-receptor-dependent JAK/STAT signaling pathway in glioblastoma invasion and tumorigenesis in U87 glioblastoma tumor spheroids. Methods : We administered three different doses of ruxolitinib (50, 100, and 200 nM) to human U87 glioblastoma spheroids and analyzed the gene expression profiles of IFNs receptors from the JAK/STAT pathway. To evaluate activation of this pathway, we quantified the phosphorylation of JAK and STAT proteins using Western blotting. Results : Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that ruxolitinib led to upregulated of the IFN-α and IFN-γ while no change on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor expression levels. Additionally, we showed that ruxolitinib inhibited phosphorylation of JAK/STAT proteins. The inhibition of IFNs dependent JAK/STAT signaling by ruxolitinib leads to decreases of the U87 cells invasiveness and tumorigenesis. We demonstrate that ruxolitinib may inhibit glioma invasion and tumorigenesis through inhibition of the IFN-induced JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Conclusion : Collectively, our results revealed that ruxolitinib may have therapeutic potential in glioblastomas, possibly by JAK/STAT signaling triggered by IFN-α and IFN-γ.