• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.325-332
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• 2004

Inflammatory factor such as Interleukin-1 play important roles in determining the fate of both acute and chronic neurological disorders. We investigated whether inhibitors of PKC or PTK can serve as pharmacological agents to reduce IL-I production and the mechanisms underlying their pharmacological effects in a mixed population of glia. Inhibitors of PKC such as H7, Go6976 and Ro31-8220 significantly reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of IL-1α and IL-β in lipopolysaccharide-activated primary glial cells. While the PTK inhibitor genistein also significantly reduced the production of these cytokines, it did not affect the expression of their mRNA. Taken together, inhibitors of PKC and PTK could serve as pharmacological agents to reduce IL-1 production. However, the mechanisms underlying their pharmacological effects are different. Our results provide evidence that inhibitors of protein kinases can serve as pharmacological agents to modulate IL-1 production in glial cell, and in turn, alleviate neuronal injury.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.179-184
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• 2007

PTK6, an intracellular protein tyrosine kinase, is significantly overexpressed in a majority of breast cancers and has a role in promoting the proliferation of the cancer cells, but not of normal cells. Here, we report high-level production of the catalytic unit of PTK6 fused with Drosophila peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRT)-LB, in the baculovirus system. We first found that the PGRP-LB was potentially useful as a fusion partner to increase the yield of heterologous protein in the baculovirus system. The purified recombinant protein exhibited a 1.5-fold activity with much higher yield than the bacterially-expressed protein. The protein expressed in the baculovirus system will be useful for the crystallization to determine its crystal structure helping understand the molecular mechanism of PTK6 and design its inhibitors.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.211-221
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• 2000

L-3-Deoxymimosine-containing decapeptides were prepared for the development of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors. During the preparation of peptides, several side products were formed. identification and determination of major peptides generated were reported.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2000

Purpose :The effect of PTK inhibitors (herbimycin A and genistein) on the induction of radiation-induced apoptosis in Ph-positive KS62 leukemia cell line was investigated. Materials and Methods :K562 cells in exponential growth phase were irradiated with a linear accelerator at room temperature. For 6 MV X-ray irradiation and drug treatment, cultures were initiated at 2×106 cells/mL. The cells were irradiated with 10 Gy. Stock solutions of herbimycin A and genistein were prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). After incubation at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 0$\~$48 h, the extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and TUNEL assay. The progression of cells through the cell cycle after irradiation and drug treatment was also determined with flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to monitor bel-2, bel-X$_{L}$ and bax protein levels. Results :Treatment with 10 Gy X-irradiation did not result in the induction of apoptosis. The HMA alone (500 nM) also failed to induce apoptosis. By contrast, incubation of K562 cells with HMA after irradiation resulted in a substantial induction of nuclear condensation and fragmentation by agarose gel electro-phoresis and TUNEL assay. Genistein failed to enhance the ability of X-irradiation to induce DNA fragmentation. Enhancement of apoptosis by HMA was not attributable to downregulation of the bel-2 or bel-X$_{L}$ anti-apoptotic proteins. When the cells were irradiated and maintained with HMA, the percentage of cells in G2/M phase decreased to 30$\~$40$\%$ at 48 h. On the other hand, cells exposed to 10 Gy X-irradiation alone or maintained with genistein did not show marked cell cycle redistribution. Conclusion : We have shown that nanomolar concentrations of the PTK inhibitor HMA synergize with X-irradiation in inducing the apoptosis in Ph (+) K562 leukemia cell line. While, genistein, a PTK inhibitor which is not selective for p210$^{bcr/abl}$ failed to enhance the radiation induced apoptosis in KS62 cells. It is unlikely that the ability of HMA to enhance apoptosis in K562 cells is attributable to bel-2 family. It is plausible that the relationship between cell cycle delays and cell death is essential for drug development based on molecular targeting designed to modify radiation-induced apoptosis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.431-437
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• 1997

Since the role of CD40 on the interleukin-4(IL-4) -induced B cell activation has been strongly implicated in the agumentation of IgE production and response, we have investigated the intracelluar signaling pathways utilized by IL-4 and CD40 for type II IgE receptor (CD23) expression. IL-4 and anti-CD40 antibody treatment of human B cells, independently caused a rapid induction of CD23 gene activation within 2 h. There was a noticeable synergism between the action of the two agents inducing CD23 expression: the addition of anti-CD40 to the IL-4-treated culture significantly agumented the IL-4-induced CD23 on both mRNA and surface protein levels, and the inclusion of IL-4 in the anti-CD40-treated cells caused a further increase of CD23 expression far above the maximal level induced by anti-CD40. Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors effectively suppressed the both IL-4- and anti -CD40-induced CD23 expression. whereas protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors had no effects. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) have shown that IL-4 and anti-CD40 induce the activation of NF-IL-4 and $NF-_{K}B$, respectively, binding to the CD23 promoter, both in a PKC-independent and PTK-dependent manner. These data suggest that the synergistic activation of CD23 gene expression by IL-4 and anti-CD40 is mediated by co-operative action of distinct nuclear factors. each of which is rapidly activated via PKC-independent and PTK-dependent process.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 1999

Nuclear factor $_{\kappa}B\;(NF-_{\kappa}B)$ activation is modulated by various protein kinases. Activation of $NF-_{\kappa}B$ is known to be important in the regulation of cell viability. The present study investigated the effect of inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA) on $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity and the viability of bovine cerebral endothelial cells (BCECs). In serum-deprivation-induced BCEC death, low doses of $TNF{\alpha}$ showed a protective effect. $TNF{\alpha}$ induced $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation within 4 h in serum-deprivation. PTK inhibitors (herbimycin A and genistein) and PKC inhibitor (calphostin C) prevented $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation stimulated by $TNF{\alpha}.$ Likewise, these inhibitors prevented the protective effect of $TNF{\alpha}.$ In contrast to $TNF{\alpha}-stimulated\;NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity, basal $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activity of BCECs in media containing serum was suppressed only by calphostin C, but not by herbimycin A. As well BCEC death was also induced only by calphostin C in serum-condition. H 89, a PKA inhibitor, did not affect the basal and $TNF{\alpha}-stimulated\;NF-_{\kappa}B$ activities and the protective effect of $TNF{\alpha}$ on cell death. These data suggest that modulation of $NF-_{\kappa}B$ activation could be a possible mechanism for regulating cell viability by protein kinases in BCECs.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2001

In macrophages, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) alone or in combination with $interferon-{\gamma}\;(IFN-{\gamma})$ has been shown to release a nitric oxide (NO) through the increase of the transcription of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene. To investigate the exact intracellular signaling pathway of the regulation of iNOS gene transcription by LPS plus $IFN-{\gamma},$ the effects of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor and protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors on NO production, iNOS mRNA expression, nuclear $factor-_{\kappa}B\;(NF-_{\kappa}B)$ binding activity and the promoter activity of iNOS gene containing two $NF-_{\kappa}B$ sites have been examined in a mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. LPS or $IFN-{\gamma}$ stimulated NO production, and their effect was enhanced synergistically by mixture of LPS and $IFN-{\gamma}.$ The PTK inhibitor such as tyrphostin reduced LPS plus $IFN-{\gamma}-induced$ NO production, iNOS mRNA expression and $NF-_{\kappa}B$ binding activity. In contrast, PKC inhibitors such as H-7, Ro-318220 and staurosporine did not show any effect on them. In addition, transfection of RAW 264.7 cells with iNOS promoter linked to a CAT reporter gene revealed that tyrphostin inhibited the iNOS promoter activity through the $NF-_{\kappa}B$ binding site, whereas PKC inhibitors did not. Taken together, these suggest that PTK, but not PKC pathway, is involved in the regulation of the iNOS gene transcription through the $NF-_{\kappa}B$ sites of iNOS promoter in RAW 264.7 macrophages by LPS plus $IFN-{\gamma}$.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.588-594
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• 1997

N-(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)-O-(dicyanoethylthiophosphono)-L-tyrosine(7), the key intermediate for the synthesis of thiophosphotyrosine-containing peptide derivat ives, was prepared. For the phosphorylation, we used t-Boc-tyrosine and phosphoramidite in the presence of 1H-tetrazol. For the protection of thiophosphate moiety, cyanoethyl protecting group was used. Thiophosphotyrosine-containing peptides could be used as tools for the elucidation of mechanism of signal transduction pathway and also prepared as PTK inhibitors, PTPase inhibitors and cytosolic protein binding blockers. It may be contributed for the development of potential anticancer agents.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2001

L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels play an important role in regulating cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ and thereby regulating hormone secretions in neuroendocrine cells. Since hormone secretions are also regulated by various kinds of protein kinases, we investigated the role of some kinase activators and inhibitors in the regulation of the L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel currents in rat pituitary $GH_3$ cells using the patch-clamp technique. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, and vanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor, increased the $Ba^{2+}$ current through the L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels. In contrast, bisindolylmaleimide I (BIM I), a PKC inhibitor, and genistein, a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor, suppressed the $Ba^{2+}$ currents. Forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, and isobutyl methylxanthine (IBMX), a non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, reduced $Ba^{2+}$ currents. The above results show that the L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels are activated by PKC and PTK, and inhibited by elevation of cyclic nucleotides such as cAMP. From these results, it is suggested that the regulation of hormone secretion by various kinase activity in $GH_3$ cells may be attributable, at least in part, to their effect on L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 1998

Recently a B cell surface molecule, CD40, has emerged as a receptor mediating a co-stimulatory signal for B cell proliferation and differentiation. To investigate the mechanism of synergy between interleukin-4 (IL-4) and CD40 ligation in B cell activation, we have examined the effect of CE40 cross-linking on the IL-4 receptor expression in human B cells using anti-CE40 antibody. We observed that IL-4 and anti-CD40 both induce IL-4 receptor gene expression with a rapid kinetics resulting in a noticeable accumulation of IL-4 receptor mRNA within 4 h. While IL-4 caused a dose-dependent induction of surface IL-4 receptor expression, the inclusion of anti-CD40 in the IL-4-treated culture, further up-regulated the IL-4-induced IL-4 receptor expression as analyzed by flow cytometry. Pretreatment of B cells with inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) resulted in a significant inhibition of both the IL-4- and anti-CD40-induced IL-4 receptor mRNA levels, while protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors had no effects. These results suggest that IL-4 and CD40 ligation generate B cell signals, which via PTK-dependent pathways, lead to the synergistic induction of IL-4 receptor gene expression. The rapid induction of IL-4 receptor gene expression through the tyrosine kinase-mediated signal transduction by B cell activating stimuli, would provide cells capacity for an efficient response to IL-4 in the early phase of IL-4 action, and may in part constitute the molecular basis of the reported anti-CD40 co-stimulatory effect on the IL-4-induced response.