• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.228-232
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• 2006

The Drosophila protein, Rbp9, is homologous to human Hu, which is reported to be involved in small cell lung cancer. Rbp9 functions in cystocyte differentiation, and mutations in Rbp9 cause ovarian tumors. Here we show that the antimicrobial peptide, Attacin, is upregulated in Rbp9 mutants, especially in ovaries where tumors form. Upregulation seems to result from activation of the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway since we detected nuclear localization of Relish in Rbp9 mutant ovaries but not in wild type ovaries. Inactivation of NF-${\kappa}B$ in the Rbp9 mutant allows prolonged survival of malformed egg chambers. We conclude that Drosophila initiates an anti-tumor defense response via activation of NF-${\kappa}B$.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.137-140
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• 2017

Diabetes mellitus has become a major growing public health problem worldwide. More than 90% of all diabetes cases are classified as type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) plays an important role in the negative regulation of insulin signal transduction pathway and has emerged as novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. PTP1B inhibitors enhance the sensibility of insulin receptor (IR) and have favorable curing effect for insulin resistance-related diseases. Recently twelve anti-diabetic xanthones were isolated from the bark of Garcinia xanthochymus. Hence, in the present study, molecular docking was carried out for these twelve xanthones. The objective of this work is to study the interaction of the newly isolated xanthones with PTP1B. The docking results showed that xanthones have good interactions and has better docking score with PTP1B and suggest LYS120 and ASP181 are the important residues involved in interaction between PTP1B enzyme and the xanthones.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1657-1660
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• 2004

Several critical geometries associated with the rearrangement of $CH_3SNO_2\;to\;CH_3SONO$ are calculated with the density functional theory (DFT) method and compared with those of the ab initio molecular orbital methods. There are two probable pathways for this rearrangement, one involving the transition state of an oxygen migration and the other through the homolytic decomposition to radicals. The reaction barrier via the transition state is about 60 kcal/mol and the decomposition energy into radicals about 35 kcal/mol, suggesting that the reaction pathway via the homolytic cleavage to radical species is energetically favorable. Since even the homolytic cleavage requires large energies, the rearrangement reaction is unlikely without the aid of catalysts.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 1988

The yeast gene HOM3 encodes aspartokinase, which catalyses the first step (aspartate to and from beta-aspartyl phosphate) of common pathway to threonine and methionine. The yeast HOM3 gene expression is known to be regulated by threonine and methionine specific control, and also by general control of amino acid biosynthesis. Isolation and characterization of the HOM3 gene are essential for the molecular genetic study on its regulation of expression. A recombinant plasmid pSC3 (15.5kb, vector YCp50) has been cloned into E. coli HB101 from yeast genomic library through their complementing activity of HOM3 mutation in a yeast recipient strain M34-24B. Organization of the plasmid was characterized by delineation of restriction cleavage sites in the insert fragment.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.133-141
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• 2023

Transcription factor NRF2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) is a master regulator of cellular responses against environmental stresses. NRF2 induces expression of detoxification and antioxidant enzymes and suppresses inductions of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes. KEAP1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1) is an adaptor subunit of CULLIN 3 (CUL3)-based E3 ubiquitin ligase. KEAP1 regulates the activity of NRF2 and acts as a sensor for oxidative and electrophilic stresses. NRF2 has been found to be activated in many types of cancers with poor prognosis. Therapeutic strategies to control NRF2-overeactivated cancers have been considered not only by targeting cancer cells with NRF2 inhibitors or NRF2 synthetic lethal chemicals, but also by targeting host defense with NRF2 inducers. Understanding precise molecular mechanisms how the KEAP1-NRF2 system senses and regulates the cellular response is critical to overcome intractable NRF2-activated cancers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.625-632
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• 2023

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is both a quality control mechanism and a gene regulation pathway. It has been studied for more than 30 years, with an accumulation of many mechanistic details that have often led to debate and hence to different models of NMD activation, particularly in higher eukaryotes. Two models seem to be opposed, since the first requires intervention of the exon junction complex (EJC) to recruit NMD factors downstream of the premature termination codon (PTC), whereas the second involves an EJC-independent mechanism in which NMD factors concentrate in the 3'UTR to initiate NMD in the presence of a PTC. In this review we describe both models, giving recent molecular details and providing experimental arguments supporting one or the other model. In the end it is certainly possible to imagine that these two mechanisms co-exist, rather than viewing them as mutually exclusive.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.27-33
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• 2024

Diabetes, a chronic hyperglycemic condition, is caused by insufficient insulin secretion or functional impairment. Long-term inadequate regulation of blood glucose levels or hyperglycemia can lead to various complications, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have explored the molecular mechanisms linking diabetes to bone loss and an increased susceptibility to fractures. This study reviews the characteristics and molecular mechanisms of diabetes-induced bone disease. Depending on the type of diabetes, changes in bone tissue vary. The molecular mechanisms responsible for bone loss in diabetes include the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, induction of oxidative stress, and deficiencies in insulin/IGF-1. In diabetes, alveolar bone loss results from complex interactions involving oral bacterial infections, host responses, and hyperglycemic stress in periodontal tissues. Therapeutic strategies for diabetes-induced bone loss may include blocking the AGEs signaling pathway, decreasing inflammatory cytokine activity, inhibiting reactive oxygen species generation and activity, and controlling glucose levels; however, further research is warranted.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.816-822
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• 2011

Kaempferol, a component of Polygonati rhizoma, is one of the herbal flavonoids, which is used in therapeutic agent for anti-hypercholesterol, anti-hypertension and anti-diabetes. And it is also known to be effective in anti-cancer therapy for breast, prostate and other type of cancers. However, the anti-cancer therapeutic mechanisms are pooly understood. To address molecular mechanism underlying kaempferol-induced anti-cancer effects, we determined the effect of kaempferol on cell growth of the lung cancer cell lines, A549, H1299 and H460. From the FACS analysis, measurement of caspase activity, DAPI and tryptophan blue staining, and DNA fragmentation assay, we found that kaempferol induces apoptosis and H460 cells are most sensitive among the tested cell lines. In addition, we performed microarray to identify the genome-wide expression profiling regulated by kaempferol. Lots of cell cycle-related genes were under-expressed, whereas the genes related to TGF-beta/SMAD pathway were over-expressed in kaempferol-treated H460 cells. Additionally, kaempferol also increased expression levels of apoptosis related genes such as death receptors, FAS, TRAIL-R and TNF-R, and casepase-8 and caspase-10. Overall, our results suggest that kaempferol promotes anti-lung cancer therapeutic effects by inducing G1 arrest and apoptosis through TGF-beta/SMAD pathway and death receptors/caspase pathway, respectively.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 2008

Despite versatile activity (cancericidal, antimicrobial, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) inhibition, immune deactivation of DNA bis-intercalation agent, echinomycin, its specific mechanism has been elusive. Of these novel mechanisms, we reported that using human colon cancer cells (HT-29), apoptotic machinery induced by echinomycin might be dependent of caspase-3 pathway. Despite a partial enlightenment of prototypic signal path triggered by echinomycin, the role of Bcl-2 in this signaling pathway is unclear. To address this issue, we explored whether or not echinomycin would overcome the anti-apoptotic impact of Bcl-2 in HT-29 cells by the controlled Bcl-2 overexpression. Prior to this proof, we confirmed that echinomycin induces mitochondrial depolarization, then triggering the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis with an involvement of upstream cas-pases-3. Transiently transfection with inactive Bax-DNA failed to prevent echinomycin-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. To dissect the role of Bcl-2 in echinomycin-induced apoptosis, HT-29 cells were transiently transfected with Bcl-2 DNA for overexpression and then treated with echinomycin for 24h. Combined analyses of DNA fragmentation and flow cytometric analysis clearly verified that echinomycin-induced apoptosis was drastically attenuated by Bcl-2 overexpression, whereas a control vector rarely affected echinomycin-induced apoptosis. Collectively, these data verify that Bcl-2 regulates echinomycin-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. To my knowledge, this is the first evidence that of diverse, structured minor groove binders (MGB), the prototypic echinomycin might control the apoptotic signaling via Bcl-2-mitochondrial pathway.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2009

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in host defense by sensing invading microbial pathogens. The stimulation of TLRs by microbial components triggers the activation of the myeloid differential factor 88 (MyD88)- and toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adapter inducing interferon-$\beta$ (TRIF)-dependent downstream signaling pathways. TLR/MyD88 signaling pathway induces the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) and the expression of inflammatory cytokine genes, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, and IL-$1{\beta}$. On the other hand, TLR/TRIF signaling pathway induces the delayed-activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and the expression of type I interferons (IFNs) and IFN-inducible genes. The divalent heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is clearly toxic to most mammalian organ systems, especially the immune system. Yet, the underlying toxic mechanism(s) remain unclear. Cd inhibits the MyD88-dependent pathway by ceasing the activity of inhibitor-${\kappa}B$ kinase. However, it is not known whether Cd inhibits the TRIF-dependent pathway. Presently, Cd inhibited NF-${\kappa}B$ and IRF3 activation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. Cd inhibited LPS-induced IRF3 phosphorylation and IFN-inducible genes such as interferon inducible protein-10 and regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES). These results suggest that Cd can modulate TRIF-dependent signaling pathways of TLRs.