• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.202-207
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• 2010

Ras genes are responsible for up to 30% of human tumor mutations and are composed of three isoforms: H-Ras, K-Ras and N-Ras. The post-translational modification of the CAAX motif of the Ras protein is essential in Ras actions. In the present study, we studied the effects of novel farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs), YH3938 and YH3945, on the actions of oncogenic mutants of H-Ras, K-Ras and N-Ras. YH3938 and YH3945 completely reverted the proliferation and morphology of oncogenic H-Ras-transformed Rat2 cells, but not of oncogenic K-Ras-transformed Rat2 cells. Oncogenic N-Ras-transformed Rat2 cells were slightly affected. Activation of SRE promoters by oncogenic H-Ras and N-Ras, but not by K-Ras, were inhibited by treatment with YH3938 and YH3945. Using bandshift analysis, YH3938 suppressed the processing of oncogenic H-Ras and N-Ras, but not that of oncogenic K-Ras protein. YH3945 only inhibited the processing of H-Ras. From these results, we conclude that YH3938 and YH3945 specifically inhibit actions of oncogenic H-Ras through inhibition of its farnesylation, that YH3938 also inhibits N-Ras activity in a dose-dependent manner, and that these drugs have no effect on oncogenic K-Ras activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.156-156
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• 2001

One of the most frequent defects in human cancer is the uncontroled activation of the ras-signaling pathway. We have previously shown that H-rasm but not N-ras, induces an invasiveness. Here, we show that cell motility was greatly increased by H-ras, but not by N-ras, suggesting that H-ras-induced invasive phnotype involves enhanced cell motility.(omitted)

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 2006

Among the effector molecules connected with the group of cell surface receptors, Ras proteins have essential roles in transducing extracellular signals to diverse intracellular events, by controlling the activities of multiple signaling pathways. For over 20 years since the discovery of Ras proteins, an enormous amount of knowledge has been accumulated as to how the proteins function in overlapping or distinct fashions. The signaling networks they regulate are very complex due to their multiple functions and cross-talks. Much attention has been paid to the pathological role of Ras in tumorigenesis. In particular, human tumors very frequently express Ras proteins constitutively activated by point mutations. Up to date, three members of the Ras family have been identified, namely H-Ras, K-Ras (A and B), and N-Ras. Although these Ras isoforms function in similar ways, many evidences also support the distinct molecular function of each Ras protein. This review summarizes differential functions of Ras and highlights the current view of the distinct signaling network regulated by each Ras for its contribution to the malignant phenotypic conversion of breast epithelial cells. Four issues are addressed in this review: (1) Ras proteins, (2) membrane localization of Ras, (3) effector molecules downstream of Ras, (4) Ras signaling in invasion. In spite of the accumulation of information on the differential functions of Ras, much more remains to be elucidated to understand the Ras-mediated molecular events of malignant phenotypic conversion of cells in a greater detail.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6517-6521
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• 2012

To analyze the growth, proliferation, apoptosis, invasiveness and chemotherapy sensitivity of EC9706 cells after K-Ras gene silencing, an expression carrier pSilencer-siK-Ras was constructed, and the EC9706 cell line was transfected using a liposome technique. Six groups were established: Control, siRNA NC (transfected with empty vector pSilencer2.1); Ras siRNA (transfected with pSilencer-siK-Ras2); Paclitaxel; Paclitaxel + siRNA NC; and Ras siRNA + Paclitaxel. After the treatment, RT-PCR, Western blotting, MTT assay, flow cytometry and the Transwell technique were used to assess expression of K-Ras mRNA and protein in EC9706 cells, as well as cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis and invasiveness. The effect of Paclitaxel chemotherapy was also tested. pSilencer-siK-Ras2 effectively down-regulated expression of K-Ras mRNA and protein in EC9706 cells, growth being significantly inhibited. Flow cytometry indicated obvious apoptosis of cells in the experimental group, with arrest in the G1 phase; cell migration ability was also reduced. After pSilencer-siK-Ras2 transfection or the addition of Paclitaxel, EC9706 cells were suppressed to different extents; the suppressive effect was strengthened by combined treatment. The results suggested that RNAi-induced K-Ras gene silencing could enhance chemotherapy sensitivity of esophageal cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.158-161
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• 1998

An inhibitor of farnesy-protein transferae is known to be a fgood candidate for antitumor agent that block the oncogenic activity of Ras protein . We recently isolated and characterized dihydrotanshinone I from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen), an oriental herb, which has an inhibitory activity of toposimerase I to some cancer cell lines. In order to examine the molecular mechanism of dihydrotanshinone I, we studied the farmesy-Protein Transferase activity by dihydrotanshinone I. As a result, we found that result, we found that dihydrotanshinone I showed inhibitory effect on farnesyl-protein transferase with $IC_{50}$ value of 15 ug/ml. This result suggest that dihydrotanshinone I may be an useful anticancer agent with the inhibitory activity of farnesyl-protein transferase.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.316-322
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• 1995

The GTPase activating protein (GAP) can function both as a negative regulator and an effector of $p21^{ras}$. Overexpression of GAP in NIH-3T3 cells has been shown to inhibit transformation by ms or src. To investigate the function of GAP in a differentiative system, we overexpressed this protein in the nerve growth factor (NGF)-responsive PC12 cell line. Two-fold overexpression of GAP caused a delay of several days in the onset of NGF- but not FGF-induced neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. However, the NGF-induced activation or tyrosine phosphorylation of upstream (Trk, PLC-${\gamma}1$, SHC) and downstream (B-Raf and $p44^{mapk/erk1}$) components of $p21^{ras}$, signalling cascade was not altered by GAP overexpression. Therefore, the change of phenotype induced by GAP was probably not due to GAP functioning as a negative regulator of $p21^{ras}$. Rather, we found that NGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SNT, a specific target of neurotrophin-induced tyrosine kinase activity, was inhibited by GAP overexpression. SNT is thought to function upstream or independent of $p21^{ras}$. Thus in PC12 cells, overexpressed GAP may control the rate of neuronal differentiation through a pathway involving SNT rather than the $p21^{ras}$ signalling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.34 no.1 s.132
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• pp.91-99
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• 2003

Ras proteins play an important role in intracellular signal transduction pathways involved in cell growth and the mutated twas genes have been found in thirty percent of human cancers. Ras proteins (H-, K- and N-Ras) are small guanine nucleotide binding proteins that undergo a series of posttranslational modifications including the farnesylation onto cysteine 186 at C-terminal of Ras by farnesyl protein transferase (FPTase). This is a mandatory process for retention of transforming ability. Therefore, inhibitors of FPTase have a promising to be effective antitumor agents. In our screening program for FPTase inhibitors, the methanol extracts of 193 plants were screened for the inhibitory activity against FPTase partially purified from the rat brain. Extracts of 7species plants including Areca catechu, Saururus chinensis, Curcuma longa, Artemisa princeps, Paeonia suffruticosa, Spatholobus suberectus, Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum japonicum inhibited more than 60% of FPTase activity at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$.

• The Microorganisms and Industry
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.32-35
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• 1993

ras는 활성화 형태인 GTP bound form과 비활성화 형태인 GDP bound form의 두 형태로 존재하며 두 형태를 매개하는 regulatory protein들에 의해 그 activity가 조절된다. 또한 ras는 GTP와 GDP에 강한 친화성이 있으며 세포내에는 GTP보다 GDP가 더 많이 있어서 평소에는 ras가 GDP와 결합하고 있다가 활성화될때만 GTP와 결합하는 것으로 추정된다. GDP bound ras는 guanine nucloetide exchange protein(GEP)에 의해 활성화된 GTP bound form으로 전환되며 ras의 기능이 발휘된 후에는 GTPase activating protein(GAP)에 의해 비활성화된다. Yeast의 경우 IRA1과 2의 product가 GAP의 역할을 하는 것으로 알려져 있고 CDC25 gene의 product가 GEP의 기능을 담당하는 것으로 알려져 있다. NF1 gene은 Von Recklinghausen Neurofibromatosis Type I 질병을 가진 환자에게서 발견되었는데 부분적으로 sequencing한 결과에 따르면 yeast의 IRA1/2, mammalian GAP gene product와 protein homology가 높은 것으로 나타났다. Yeast의 경우 IRA1/2 gene의 손실이나 mammalian ras gene의 transformation으로 인한 heat shock sensitivity가 NF1 gene(2,3) 혹은 GAP(4)의 expression으로 suppression된 것으로 보아 NF1이 GAP protein으로서 ras를 불활성화 시킨다는 것이 판명되었다. 결론적으로 ras의 활성은 GTP bound 혹은 GDP bound의 양쪽형태를 이동하면서 조절되는데 이 기능은 GAP과 GEP 또는 그의 유사 protein들에 의해 수행되며 이러한 regulatory protein들은 growth factor, cytokine 그리고 protein kinase 같은 signal에 의해 활성화된다고 생각된다. 본 총설에서는 ras protein의 여러가지 성질보다는 ras의 modification과 관련하여 항암제로 사용할 수 있는 ras에 specific한 약품개발의 가능성과 현재 알려진 ras의 inhibitor를 중심으로 논하고자 한다.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.399-403
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• 2009

$p19^{ras}$ is an alternative splicing variant of the proto-oncogene c-H-ras pre-mRNA of $p21^{ras}$. In contrast to $p21^{ras}$, $p19^{ras}$ does not have a C-terminal CAAX motif that targets the plasma membrane and is localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus. We found that $p19^{ras}$ activated the transcriptional activity of $p73{\beta}$ through protein-protein interactions in the nucleus. p73 is known to play an important role in cellular damage responses such as apoptosis. Although p73 is a structural and functional homologue of p53, p73-mediated apoptosis has not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that the interaction between $p19^{ras}$ and $p73{\beta}$ accelerated $p73{\beta}$-induced apoptosis through a caspase-3 dependent pathway. Treatment with DEVD-CHO, a caspase inhibitor, also strengthened $p73{\beta}$-mediated apoptosis through a caspase-3 dependent pathway. Furthermore, the enhanced transcriptional activity of endogenous $p73{\beta}$ by treatment with Taxol was amplified by $p19^{ras}$ overexpression, which markedly increased caspase-3 dependent apoptosis in the p53-null SAOS2 cancer cell line. Our findings indicate a functional linkage between $p19^{ras}$ and p73 in caspase-3 mediated apoptosis of cancer cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.157-157
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• 2001

One of the most frequent defects in human cancer is the uncontrolled activation of the ras-signaling pathways. We have previously shown that H-ras, but not N-ras, induces an invasiveness and motility in human breast epithelial cells (MCF10A), while both H-ras and N-ras induce transformed phenotype. Since migration plays a crucial role in invasive, we examined motility of MCF10A cells transformed with H-ras of N-ras.(omitted)