• BMB Reports
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.219-224
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• 2013

The cell-fate specification of the anchor cell (AC) and a ventral uterine precursor cell (VU) in Caenorhabditis elegans is initiated by a stochastic interaction between LIN-12/Notch receptor and LAG-2/Delta ligand in two neighboring Z1.ppp and Z4.aaa cells. Both cells express lin-12 and lag-2 before specification, and a small difference in LIN-12 activity leads to the exclusive expressions of lin-12 in VU and lag-2 in the AC, through a feedback mechanism of unknown nature. Here we show that the expression pattern of lag-1/CSL, a transcriptional repressor itself that turns into an activator upon binding of the intracellular domain of Notch, overlaps with that of lin-12. Site-directed mutagenesis of LAG-1 binding sites in lag-1 maintains its expression in the AC, and eliminates it in the VU. Thus, AC/VU cell-fate specification appears to involve direct regulation of lag-1 expression by the LAG-1 protein, activating its transcription in VU cells, but repressing it in the AC.

• 통합자연과학논문집
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.22-26
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• 2012

Chemokine receptor antagonists have potential applications in field of drug discovery. Although the chemokine receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors, their cognate ligands are small proteins (8 to 12 kDa), and so inhibiting the ligand/receptor interaction has been challenging. In particular, CCR2 and CCR5 and their ligands have been implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Based on their roles in disease, they have been attractive targets for the pharmaceutical industry, targeting both CCR2 and CCR5 could be a useful strategy. Because of the importance of these receptors, providing information regarding the binding site is of prime importance. Herein, we report the comparison of CCR2 of CCR5 binding sites both sequentially as well as structurally. We also urged the importance of crucial residues in the binding site, to facilitate the development of dual antagonists targeting both the receptors. These results could also be useful for the design of novel and potent dual CCR2 and CCR5 antagonists using structure based drug design.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.215-221
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• 2019

Inflammation is the crucial biological process of immune system which acts as body's defense and protective response against the injuries or infection. However, the systemic inflammation devotes the adverse effects such as multiple inflammation associated diseases. One of the best ways to treat this entity is by blocking the tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to avoid the proinflammation cytokines production. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the potency of Sambucus bioactive compounds as anti-inflammation through in silico approach. In order to assess that, molecular docking was performed to evaluate the interaction properties between the $TNF-{\alpha}$ or TRAIL with the ligands. The 2D structure of ligands were retrieved online via PubChem and the 3D protein modeling was done by using SWISS Model. The prediction results of the study showed that caffeic acid (-6.4 kcal/mol) and homovanillic acid (-6.6 kcal/mol) have the greatest binding affinity against the $TNF-{\alpha}$ and TRAIL respectively. This evidence suggests that caffeic acid and homovanillic acid may potent as anti-inflammatory agent against the inflammation associated diseases. Finally, this study needs further examination and evaluation to validate the potency of Sambucus bioactive compounds.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제35권8호
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• pp.2494-2504
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• 2014

P38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase is an important anti-inflammatory drug target, which can be activated by responding to various stimuli such as stress and immune response. Based on the conformation of the conserved DFG loop (in or out), binding inhibitors are termed as type-I and II. Type-I inhibitors are ATP competitive, whereas type-II inhibitors bind in DFG-out conformation of allosteric pocket. It remains unclear that how these allosteric inhibitors stabilize the DFG-out conformation and interact. Organosilicon compounds provide unusual opportunity to enhance potency and diversity of drug molecules due to their low toxicity. However, very few examples have been reported to utilize this property. In this regard, we performed docking of an inhibitor (BIRB) and its silicon analog (Si-BIRB) in an allosteric binding pocket of p38. Further, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to study the dynamic behavior of the simulated complexes. The difference in the biological activity and mechanism of action of the simulated inhibitors could be explained based on the molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) binding free energy per residue decomposition. MM/GBSA showed that biological activities were related with calculated binding free energy of inhibitors. Analyses of the per-residue decomposed energy indicated that van der Waals and non-polar interactions were predominant in the ligand-protein interactions. Further, crucial residues identified for hydrogen bond, salt bridge and hydrophobic interactions were Tyr35, Lys53, Glu71, Leu74, Leu75, Ile84, Met109, Leu167, Asp168 and Phe169. Our results indicate that stronger hydrophobic interaction of Si-BIRB with the binding site residues could be responsible for its greater binding affinity compared with BIRB.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.91.1-91.15
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• 2020

Background: Sulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate compound present in cruciferous vegetables. Although the anti-inflammatory effects of SFN have been reported, the precise mechanism related to the inflammatory genes is poorly understood. Objectives: This study examined the relationship between the anti-inflammatory effects of SFN and the differential gene expression pattern in SFN treated ob/ob mice. Methods: Nitric oxide (NO) level was measured using a Griess assay. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression levels were analyzed by Western blot analysis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, and IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA sequencing analysis was performed to evaluate the differential gene expression in the liver of ob/ob mice. Results: The SFN treatment significantly attenuated the iNOS and COX-2 expression levels and inhibited NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. RNA sequencing analysis showed that the expression levels of 28 genes related to inflammation were up-regulated (> 2-fold), and six genes were down-regulated (< 0.6-fold) in the control ob/ob mice compared to normal mice. In contrast, the gene expression levels were restored to the normal level by SFN. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network showed that chemokine ligand (Cxcl14, Ccl1, Ccl3, Ccl4, Ccl17) and chemokine receptor (Ccr3, Cxcr1, Ccr10) were located in close proximity and formed a "functional cluster" in the middle of the network. Conclusions: The overall results suggest that SFN has a potent anti-inflammatory effect by normalizing the expression levels of the genes related to inflammation that were perturbed in ob/ob mice.

• 대한약리학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.101-111
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• 1987

중추신경계 특히 뇌내(腦內)의 무수카린성 콜린 수용체 (mAchR)에 대한 수용체 특성의 연구의 하나로, 물리 화학적 성상에 다른 두 종류의 콜린길항제를 사용하여 서로 다른 두 형태의 조직에서 약물의 작용양상 및 다른 약물과의 상호작용을 정초하였다. 실험동물로는 흰쥐를 일정기간 규정사료를 사육하였고, 사용한 Radioactive ligands는 $(^3H)$ QNB와 $(^3H)$ NMS였으며 그외에 다른 수종의 길항제 또는 효능제와의 치환작용을 brain homogenates와 intact brain cell aggregates에서 관찰하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. $(^3H)$ QNB와 $(^3H)$ NMS는 모두 질량작용의 법칙에 비례하여 수용체와의 결합에서 높은 친화력과 포화를 보였으며 또한 높은 결합 능력을 나타내었다. 더욱이 homogenates 제제와 intact cell aggregates제제에서의 결과 사이에는 유사한 점이 많았다. 2. Homogenates제제를 사용한 실험에서, 제 3 급아민콜린길항제인 QNB, atropine과 scopolamine 또는 제 4 급 암모늄골린 길항제인 methylatropine과 methylscopolamine을 사용하여 위의 radioactive ligands와의 치환작용을 검토하였다. $(^3H)$ NMS 실험군에서는 제 3 급아민 및 제 4 급 암모늄길항제 모두가 구조의 구별없이 질량작용의 법칙에 따라 치환되었으나 $(^3H)$ QNB 실험군에서는 제 4급 암모늄콜린 길항제들을 단일성(unity)이 아닌 높고 낮은 두 종류의 친화도를 가진 결합부위의 양상을 나타내었다. 또 비특이성 콜린길항제인 pirenzepine을 사용한 실험군에서는 두 ligands을 모두 치환시켰고 서로 다른 결합부위가 있음을 보였다. 3. Intact cell aggregates 제제를 사용한 실험에서, $(^3H)$ NMS와 $(^3H)$ QNB 모두 homogenates 제제에서와 같은 양상의 반응을 보였다. 또 $(^3H)$ NMS를 radioligand로 하여 수종의 콜린길항제와 수종의 콜린 효능제를 사용하여 약물 상호작용으로 수용체의 성질을 검토하였다. 그 결과 콜린 길항제들은 질량작용의 법칙에 따라 치환되었으나 콜린 효능제 투여군에서는 높고 낮은 두 종류의 다른 친화력의 결항부위를 나타내었다. 4. 위의 실험의 결과로,(a) 친유성콜린 길항제인 $(^3H)$ QNB는 친수성 콜린길항제인 $(^3H)$ NMS보다 훨씬 높은 결합능력을 보였으며 이것으로 수용체 특히 mAchR의 존재 장소 또는 mAchR의 형상의 일부는 세포막 표면 뿐 아니라 세포막내의 어떤 부위와도 관계가 되는 것으로 간주되는데 이것이 $(^3H)$ QNB가 $(^3H)$ NMS보다 높은 최대 결합능력 $(B_{max})$을 나타낼 이유이다. (b) 두 종류의 다른 제제에서 우리는 같은 양상의 결과를 관찰하었기에 결점이 많은 homogenates 제제보다는 intact cell aggregates 제제를 수용체 연구에 대한 새로운 실험모형(experiment model)으로 사용할 수 있는 가능성을 제시하고자 한다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제30권9호
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• pp.826-833
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• 2020

Phospholipase C gamma (PLCγ)는 phosphatidylinositol을 가수분해하여 신호전달 과정에 참여하는 PLC의 주요한 isotype으로 γ-specific array의 특징적인 구조를 바탕으로 receptor tyrosine kinases 및 non-receptor tyrosine kinase 신호를 주로 매개한다. PLCγ1과 PLCγ2의 두 isozyme이 존재하며 다양한 세포에서 발현하여 cell proliferation, migration 및 differentiation 등 여러 세포작용을 조절하고 있다. 최근의 연구들에서 PLCγ 돌연변이가 cancer와 immune disease 및 brain disorder 등에 연관된다는 것이 밝혀지고 있으며 genetic model을 통해 PLCγ의 생리적·병리적 기능이 제시되었다. 본 리뷰에서는 최신의 연구 결과들을 바탕으로 PLCγ의 구조와 활성 조절 기전에 대해 기술하고 나아가 여러 질병의 발병과 진행에서 보고된 PLCγ의 돌연변이와 knockout 마우스를 활용한 연구 결과를 바탕으로 생리적·병리적 관점에서 PLCγ의 역할에 대해 고찰하였다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권7호
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• pp.653-664
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• 2018

The RNA-binding protein tristetraprolin (TTP) binds to adenosine-uridine AU-rich elements in the 3'-untranslated region of messenger RNAs and facilitates rapid degradation of the target mRNAs. Therefore, it regulates the expression of multiple cancer and immunity-associated transcripts. Furthermore, a lack of TTP in cancer cells influences cancer progression and predicts poor survival. Although the functions of TTP on cancer cells have previously been researched, the mechanism of TTP on the interaction between cancer cells with their micro-environment remains undiscovered. In this study, we admed to determine the role of cancer cell TTP during the interaction between tumor and immune cells, specifically regulatory T cells (Tregs). We evaluate the capability of TTP to modulate the antitumor immunity of GC and explored the underlying mechanism. The overexpression of TTP in GC cells dramatically increased peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocyte (PBML) -mediated cytotoxicity against GC cells. Increased cytotoxicity against TTP-overexpressed GC cells by PBMLs was determined by Treg development and infiltration. Surprisingly, we found the stabilization of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) mRNA was declining while TTP was elevated. The PD-L1 protein level was reduced in TTP-abundant GC cells. PD-L1 gas been found to play a pivotal role in Treg development and functional maintenance in immune system. Taken together, our results suggest the overexpression of TTP in GC cells not only affects cell survival and apoptosis but also increases PBMLs -mediated cytotoxicity against GC cells to decelerate tumor progression. Moreover, we identified PD-L1 as a critical TTP-regulated factor that contributes to inhibiting antitumor immunity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.39-45
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• 2009

Ligand-dependent or independent oligomerization of receptor protein tyrosine kinase (RPTK) is often an essential step for receptor activation and intracellular signaling. The novel oncogene with kinase-domain (NOK) is a unique RPTK that almost completely lacks an ectodomain, expresses intracellularly and activates constitutively. However, it is unknown whether NOK can form oligomer or what function oligomerization would have. In this study, two NOK deletion mutants were generated by either removing the ectodomain ($NOK{\Delta}ECD$) or including the endodomain (NOK-ICD). Co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that the transmembrane (TM) domain of NOK was essential for its intermolecular interaction. The results further showed that NOK aggregated more closely as lower order oligomers (the dimer- and trimer-sized) than either deletion mutant did since NOK could be crosslinked by both Sulfo-EGS and formaldehyde, whereas either deletion mutant was only sensitive to Sulfo-EGS. Removing the NOK TM domain (NOK-ICD) not only markedly promoted higher order oligomerization, but also altered the subcellular localization of NOK and dramatically elevated the NOK-mediated constitutive activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Moreover, NOK-ICD but not NOK or $NOK{\Delta}ECD$ was co-localized with the upstream signaling molecule RAS on cell membrane. Thus, TM-mediated intermolecular contacting may be mainly responsible for the constitutive activation of NOK and contribute to the autoinhibitory effect on RAS/MAPK signaling.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.69-74
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• 2010

The mu opioid receptor (MOR) has been regarded as the main site of interaction with analgesics in major clinical use, particularly morphine. The repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) functions as a transcriptional repressor of neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells. However, it is expressed in certain mature neurons, suggesting that it may have complex and novel roles. In addition, the interactions between MOR and REST and their functions remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of morphine on the expression of REST mRNA and protein in human neuroblastoma NMB cells to investigate the roles of REST induced by MOR activation in neuronal cells. To determine the effects of morphine on REST expression, we performed RT-PCR, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, western blot analysis and radioligand binding assays in NMB cells. By RTPCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR, the expression of REST was found to be unchanged by either the MOR agonist morphine or the MOR specific antagonist CTOP. By western blot, morphine was shown to significantly inhibit the expression of REST, but this suppression was completely blocked by treatment with CTOP. In the radioligand binding assay, the overexpression of REST led to an increased opioid ligand binding activity of endogenous MOR in the NMB cells. These results together suggest that morphine inhibits the expression of REST in human neuroblastoma cells through a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism mediated through MOR.