• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.188-197
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• 2020

Cells are designed to be sensitive to a myriad of external cues so they can fulfil their individual destiny as part of the greater whole. A number of well-characterised signalling pathways dictate the cell's response to the external environment and incoming messages. In healthy, well-ordered homeostatic systems these signals are tightly controlled and kept in balance. However, given their powerful control over cell fate, these pathways, and the transcriptional machinery they orchestrate, are frequently hijacked during the development of neoplastic disease. A prime example is the Wnt signalling pathway that can be modulated by a variety of ligands and inhibitors, ultimately exerting its effects through the β-catenin transcription factor and its downstream target genes. Here we focus on the interplay between the three-member family of RUNX transcription factors with the Wnt pathway and how together they can influence cell behaviour and contribute to cancer development. In a recurring theme with other signalling systems, the RUNX genes and the Wnt pathway appear to operate within a series of feedback loops. RUNX genes are capable of directly and indirectly regulating different elements of the Wnt pathway to either strengthen or inhibit the signal. Equally, β-catenin and its transcriptional co-factors can control RUNX gene expression and together they can collaborate to regulate a large number of third party co-target genes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.299-304
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• 2022

Chloride channel-5 (ClC-5), an important branch of the ClC family, is involved in the regulation of the proliferation and cell-fate of a variety of cells, including tumor cells. However, its function in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells remains enigmatic. Here, we discovered that ClC-5 was up-regulated in CCA tissues and CCA cell lines, while ClC-5 silencing inhibited CCA cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Further mechanism studies revealed that ClC-5 inhibition could inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity and further activate the mitochondria apoptotic pathway in CCA cells. Furthermore, rescuing Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation eliminated the anti-tumor function of ClC-5 knockdown. Together, our research findings illustrated that ClC-5 inhibition plays an anti-tumor role in CCA cells via inhibiting the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which in turn activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.176-186
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• 2023

The oxidative balance of a cell is maintained by the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) pathway. This cytoprotective pathway detoxifies reactive oxygen species and xenobiotics. The role of the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway as pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic throughout stages of carcinogenesis (including initiation, promotion, progression, and metastasis) is complex. This mini review focuses on key studies describing how the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway affects cancer at different phases. The data compiled suggest that the roles of KEAP1/NRF2 in cancer are highly dependent on context; specifically, the model used (carcinogen-induced vs genetic), the tumor type, and the stage of cancer. Moreover, emerging data suggests that KEAP1/NRF2 is also important for regulating the tumor microenvironment and how its effects are amplified either by epigenetics or in response to co-occurring mutations. Further elucidation of the complexity of this pathway is needed in order to develop novel pharmacological tools and drugs to improve patient outcomes.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.36.1-36.16
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• 2021

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitously expressed peroxidases that reduce hydrogen peroxide or alkyl peroxide production in cells. Prxs are released from cells in response to various stress conditions, and they function as damage-associated molecular pattern molecules. However, the secretory mechanism of Prxs and their roles have not been elucidated. Thus, we aimed to determine whether inflammasome activation is a secretory mechanism of Prxs and subsequently identify the effect of the secreted Prxs on activation of the classical complement pathway. Using J774A.1, a murine macrophage cell line, we demonstrated that NLRP3 inflammasome activation induces Prx1, Prx2, Prx5, and Prx6 secretion in a caspase-1 dependent manner. Using HEK293T cells with a transfection system, we revealed that the release of Prx1 and Prx2 relies on gasdermin-D (GSDMD)-mediated secretion. Next, we confirmed the binding of both Prx1 and Prx2 to C1q; however, only Prx2 could induce the C1q-mediated classical complement pathway activation. Collectively, our results suggest that inflammasome activation is a secretory mechanism of Prxs and that GSDMD is a mediator of their secretion. Moreover, secreted Prx1 and Prx2 bind with C1q, but only Prx2 mediates the classical complement pathway activation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.7
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• pp.330-335
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• 2024

Arginine methylation, which is catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferases (Prmts), is known to play a key role in various biological processes. However, the function of Prmts in osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has not been clearly understood. In the current study, we attempted to elucidate a positive role of Prmt7 in osteogenic differentiation. Prmt7-depleted C3H/10T1/2 cells or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) showed the attenuated expression of osteogenic specific genes and Alizarin red staining compared to the wild-type cells. Furthermore, we found that Prmt7 deficiency reduced the activation of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling cascade, which is essential for the regulation of cell fate commitment and osteogenesis. Taken together, our data indicate that Prmt7 plays important regulatory roles in osteogenic differentiation.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.360-360
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• 1998

C11, a chloride-containing VK3 analog, acts as a mediator of programmed cell death in SK-Hep-1 cell lines, but its molecular mechanisms linked to cell death are not understood. In this study, we investigated the expression of p21 gene and its relationship to apoptosis induced by C11. In SK -hep-1 cells, the addition of C11 resulted in time-dependent growth suppression and DNA fragmentation characteristics of apoptosis. p21 protein was induced during this process, while the protein level of p53 was not changed at the same condition. This apoptotic cell death with p21 induction was also observed in the Hep3B cells lacking functional p53 after treatment of C11. These results suggest that C11-induced apoptosis is associated with up-regulation of p21 protein in p53-independent pathway. Next, in order to confirm whether the p53-independent p21 induction is required for C11-induced apoptosis, we introduced the p21 gene into Hep3B. Overexpression of p21 did not affect the expression of the bcl-2 gene, but DNA fragmentation and PARa cleavage were significantly increased. These data indicate that p21 is involved in C11-induced apoptosis. Although Bcl-2 has been implicated to interfere with an essential signaling molecule involved in the apoptosis pathway, its molecular mechanism and target molecule are poorly understood. To determine the effects of bcl-2 overexpression on apoptosis and to investigate whether BcI-2 interfers with the p53-independent p21 pathway, we transfected the bcl-2 expression vector into SK - Hep-1 cels. Overexpression of Bcl-2 prevented C11-induced apoptosis. Taken together, C11-induced apoptosis is regulated by p52-independent p21 pathway and bcl-2 may inhibit functional activity of p21, therebe may inhibit the C11-induced apoptosis.ptosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5805-5810
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• 2013

This study was conducted to analyze the molecular mechanisms responsible for anti-proliferation effects of glaucocalyxin A in cultured MCF-7 and Hs578T breast cancer cells. The concentration that reduced cell viability to 50% (IC50) after 72 h treatment was derived and potential molecular mechanisms of anti-proliferation using the IC50 were investigated as changes in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Gene and protein expression changes related to apoptosis were investigated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Involvement of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases and JNK signaling in regulation of these molecules was characterized by western blotting. Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner and the IC50 was determined as $1{\mu}M$ in MCF-7 and $4{\mu}M$ in Hs578T cell. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the GLA-induced MCF-7 and Hst578T cell death was due to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M transition and was associated with activation of the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. We conclude that GLA has the potential to inhibit the proliferation of human breast cancer cells through the JNK pathway and suggest its application forthe effective therapy for patients with breast cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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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.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.203-207
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• 2009

The target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway conserved from yeast to human plays critical roles in regulation of eukaryotic cell growth. It has been shown that TOR pathway is involved in several cellular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, nutrient response, autophagy and aging. However, due to the functional diversity of TOR pathway, we do not know yet some key effectors of the pathway. To find unknown effectors of TOR signaling pathway, we took advantage of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged collection of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We analyzed protein abundance changes by measuring the GFP fluorescence intensity of 4156 GFP-tagged yeast strains under inhibition of TOR pathway. Our proteomic analysis argues that 83 proteins are decreased whereas 32 proteins are increased by treatment of rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of TOR complex 1 (TORC1). We found that, among the 115 proteins that show significant changes in protein abundance under rapamycin treatment, 37 proteins also show expression changes in the mRNA levels by more than 2-fold under the same condition. We suggest that the 115 proteins indentified in this study may be directly or indirectly involved in TOR signaling and can serve as candidates for further investigation of the effectors of TOR pathway.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.509-521
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• 2024

Objective: It was shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in milk protein synthesis. However, the post-transcriptional regulation of casein expression by exogenous miRNA (xeno-miRNAs) in ruminants remains unclear. This study explores the regulatory roles of alfalfa xeno-miR162 on casein synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). Methods: The effects of alfalfa xenomiR-162 and G protein subunit gamma 11 (GNG11) on proliferation and milk protein metabolism of bMECs were detected by 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, flow cytometry, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162. Results: Results showed that over-expression of xenomiR-162 inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis, which also up-regulated the expression of several casein coding genes, including CSN1S1, CSN1S2, and CSN3, while decreasing the expression of CSN2. Furthermore, the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162 was determined, and it was confirmed that GNG11 silencing also inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis and reduced the expression of casein coding genes and genes related to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Conclusion: Alfalfa xenomiR-162 appears to regulate bMECs proliferation and milk protein synthesis via GNG11 in the mTOR pathway, suggesting that this xeno-miRNA could be harnessed to modulate CSN3 expression in dairy cows, and increase κ-casein contents in milk.