• BMB Reports
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• 제48권10호
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• pp.549-558
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• 2015

Cellular senescence is a process by which cells enter a state of permanent cell cycle arrest. It is commonly believed to underlie organismal aging and age-associated diseases. However, the mechanism by which cellular senescence contributes to aging and age-associated pathologies remains unclear. Recent studies showed that senescent cells exert detrimental effects on the tissue microenvironment, generating pathological facilitators or aggravators. The most significant environmental effector resulting from senescent cells is the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is constituted by a strikingly increased expression and secretion of diverse pro-inflammatory cytokines. Careful investigation into the components of SASPs and their mechanism of action, may improve our understanding of the pathological backgrounds of age-associated diseases. In this review, we focus on the differential expression of SASP-related genes, in addition to SASP components, during the progress of senescence. We also provide a perspective on the possible action mechanisms of SASP components, and potential contributions of SASP-expressing senescent cells, to age-associated pathologies.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.182-187
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• 2018

In carcinoma, cancer-associated fibroblasts participate in force-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, consequently leading to invasion of cancer cells. Likewise, the ECM remodeling actively occurs in glioblastoma (GBM) and the consequent microenvironmental stiffness is strongly linked to migration behavior of GBM cells. However, in GBM the stromal cells responsible for force-mediated ECM remodeling remain unidentified. We show that tumor-associated mesenchymal stem-like cells (tMSLCs) provide a proinvasive matrix condition in GBM by force-mediated ECM remodeling. Importantly, CCL2-mediated Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) activation increased phosphorylation of myosin light chain 2 in tMSLCs and led to collagen assembly and actomyosin contractility. Collectively, our findings implicate tMSLCs as stromal cells providing force-mediated proinvasive ECM remodeling in the GBM microenvironment, and reminiscent of fibroblasts in carcinoma.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.265-276
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• 2014

The interactions between B7 molecules and CD28-family receptors are crucial in the regulation of adaptive cellular immunity. In cancer, the aberrant expression of co-inhibitory B7 molecules has been attributed to reduced anti-tumor immunity and cancer immune evasion, prompting the development of cancer therapeutics that can restore T cell function. Murine tumor models have provided significant support for the targeting of multiple immune checkpoints involving CTLA-4, PD-1, ICOS, B7-H3 and B7-H4 during tumor growth, and clinical studies investigating the therapeutic effects of CTLA-4 and PD-1 blockade have shown exceptionally promising results in patients with advanced melanoma and other cancers. The expression pattern of co-inhibitory B7 ligands in the tumor microenvironment has also been largely correlated with poor patient prognosis, and recent evidence suggests that the presence of several B7 molecules may predict the responsiveness of immunotherapies that rely on pre-existing tumor-associated immune responses. While monotherapies blocking T cell co-inhibition have beneficial effects in reducing tumor burden, combinatorial immunotherapy targeting multiple immune checkpoints involved in various stages of the anti-tumor response has led to the most substantial impact on tumor reduction. In this review, we will examine the contributions of B7- and CD28-family members in the context of cancer development, and discuss the implications of current human findings in cancer immunotherapy.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권7호
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• pp.515-522
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• 2017

CD133, a pentaspan transmembrane glycoprotein, is generally used as a cancer stem cell marker in various human malignancies, but its biological function in cancer cells, especially in glioma cells, is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that forced expression of CD133 increases the expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ and its downstream chemokines, namely, CCL3, CXCL3 and CXCL5, in U87MG glioma cells. Although there were no apparent changes in cell growth and sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, in vitro trans-well studies and in vivo tumor xenograft assays showed that neutrophil recruitment was markedly increased by the ectopic expression of CD133. In addition, the clinical relevance between CD133 expression and IL-$1{\beta}$ gene signature was established in patients with malignant gliomas. Thus, these results imply that glioma cells expressing CD133 are capable of modulating tumor microenvironment through the IL-$1{\beta}$ signaling pathway.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.2-8
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• 2003

The self-assembly of polymers can lead to supramolecular systems and is related to the their functions of material and life sciences. In this article, self-assembly of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, polymer micelles, and polymeric nanoparticles, and their biomedical applications are described. LB surfaces with a well-ordered and layered structure adhered more cells including platelet, hepatocyte, and fibroblast than the cast surfaces with microphase-separated domains. Extensive morphologic changes were observed in LB surface-adhered cells compared to the cast films. Amphiphilic block copolymers, consisting of poly(${\gamma}$-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG) as the hydrophobic part and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) [or poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)] as the hydrophilic one, can self-assemble in water to form nanoparticles presumed to be composed of the hydrophilic shell and hydrophobic core. The release characteristics of hydrophobic drugs from these polymeric nanoparticles were dependent on the drug loading contents and chain length of the hydrophobic part of the copolymers. Achiral hydrophobic merocyanine dyes (MDs) were self-assembled in copolymeric nanoparticles, which provided a chiral microenvironment as red-shifted aggregates, and the circular dichroism (CD) of MD was induced in the self-assembled copolymeric nanoparticles.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.9-16
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• 1983

The effects of ethanol on Na-K-ATPase activity were investigated with cat kidney homogenate. The results were summarized as follows: 1. Na-K-ATPase activity was inhibited with dose-dependent manner by ethanol of higher concentration than 1%, and showed an estimated $I_{50}$ (the inhibitor concentration to cause 50% inhibition) of 7.5%. 2. Hydrolysis of ATP was linear with the incubation time in the absence and presence of 8% ethanol, whereas it was different with preincubation time in the presence of 15% ethanol. 3. Inhibition of Na-K-ATPase activity by ethanol was not affected by increased enzyme concentration, and showed the reversibility of the inhibitory pattern. 4. Kinetic studies of cationic-substrate activation of Na-K-ATPase showed that ethanol had both properties of classical competitive inhibition for $Mg^{{+}{+}}$ or $K^+ and non-competitive inhibition for ATP or $Na^+$. 5. Arrhenius plot yield two break point at $21^{\circ}$ and $30^{\circ}C$ in the absence of ethanol, whereas showing only one break point at $18^{\circ}C$ in the presence of 8% ethanol. These results suggested that ethanol inhibited Na-K-ATPase activity reversible through a disturbance of microenvironment of lipids associated with the enzyme.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.501-508
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• 2019

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural polyphenolic compound that exists in many medicinal species of Boraginaceae and Lamiaceae. The previous studies have revealed that RA had therapeutic effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the H22-xenograft models by inhibiting the inflammatory cytokines and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p65 pathway in the tumor microenvironment. However, its molecular mechanisms of immunoregulation and pro-apoptotic effect in HCC have not been fully explored. In the present study, RA at 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg was given to H22 tumor-bearing mice via gavage once a day for 10 days. The results showed that RA can effectively inhibit the tumor growth through regulating the ratio of $CD4^+/CD8^+$ and the secretion of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon-${\gamma}$, inhibiting the expressions of IL-6, IL-10 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, thereby up-regulating Bax and Caspase-3 and down-regulating Bcl-2. The underlying mechanisms involved regulation of immune response and induction of HCC cell apoptosis. These results may provide a more comprehensive perspective to clarify the anti-tumor mechanism of RA in HCC.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제26권8호
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• pp.653-658
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• 2003

It has been reported that at low temperature region, poloxamers existed as a monomer. Upon warming, an equilibrium between unimers and micelles was established, and finally micelle aggregates were formed at higher temperature. In this study, the fluorescence spectroscopy was used to study the micelle formation of the poloxamer 407 in aqueous solution. The excitation and emission spectra of pyrene, a fluorescence probe, were measured as a function of the concentration of poloxamer 407 and temperature. A blue shift in the emission spectrum and a red shift in the excitation spectrum were observed as pyrene transferred from an aqueous to a hydrophobic micellar environment. From the $I_1/I_3 and I_{339}/I_{333}$ results, critical micelle concentration (cmc) and critical micelle temperature (cmt) were determined. Also, from the fluorescence spectra of the probe molecules such as 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid and 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde, the blue shift of the $\lambda_{max}$ was observed. These results suggest a decrease in the polarity of the microenvironment around probe because of micelle formation. The poloxamer 407 above cmc strongly complexed with hydrophobic fluorescent probes and the binding constant of complex increased with increasing the hydrophobicity of the probe.

• 한국가시화정보학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.74-80
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• 2021

Cells regulate their shapes and motility by sensing the cues from the internal and external microenvironment. Under different circumstances, microglia, the brain resident immune cells, undergo dynamic phenotypic changes, one of which is a remarkable periodic oscillatory migration in vitro. However, very little is known about the kinematic and dynamic perspectives of this oscillatory behavior. In this study, we tracked the changes in cell morphology and nuclear displacement, and visualized the forces using traction force microscopy (TFM). By correlation analyses, we confirmed that the lamellipodia formation preceded the nuclear translocation. Moreover, traction, developed following lamellipodia formation, was found to be localized and fluctuated at two ends of the oscillating cells. Taken together, our results imply that oscillatory microglial cells feature a viscoelastic migration, which will contribute to the field of cell mechanics.

• International journal of thyroidology
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.152-159
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• 2018

Background and Objectives: Sodium-iodine symporter (NIS) is a marker for the degree of differentiation in thyroid cancer. The genetic factors or microenvironment surrounding tumors can affect transcription of NIS. In this study, we investigated the NIS mRNA expression according to mutational status and coexistent lymphocytic thyroiditis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Materials and Methods: The RNA expression levels of NIS in the samples from database of The Caner Genome Atlas (TCGA; n=494) and our institute (n=125) were analyzed. Results: The PTCs with the $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation and the coexistence of $BRAF^{V600E}$ and TERT promoter mutations showed significantly lower expression of NIS (p<0.001, respectively), and those with BRAF-like molecular subtype also had reduced expression of NIS (p<0.001). NIS expression showed a positive correlation with thyroid differentiation score (r=0.593, p<0.001) and negative correlations with expressions of genes involved in ERK signaling (r=-0.164, p<0.001) and GLUT-1 gene (r=-0.204, p<0.001). The PTCs with lymphocytic thyroiditis showed significantly higher NIS expression (p=0.013), regardless of mutational status. Conclusion: The NIS expression was reduced by the $BRAF^{V600E}$ mutation and MAPK/ERK pathway activation, but restored by the presence of lymphocytic thyroiditis.