• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2018

Purpose: Runx2 (runt-related transcription factor 2), a bone-specific transcription factor, is a key regulator of osteoblast differentiation and its expression is induced by the activation of BMP-2 signaling. This study examined whether zinc modulates BMP-2 signaling and therefore stimulates Runx2 and osteoblast differentiation gene expression. Methods: Two osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell lines (subclones 4 as a high osteoblast differentiation and subclone 24 as a low osteoblastic differentiation) were cultured in an osteogenic medium (OSM) as the normal control, Zn-($1{\mu}M$ Zn) or Zn+($15{\mu}M$ Zn) for 24 h. The genes and proteins for BMP-2 signaling (BMP-2, Smad-1/p-Smad-1), transcription factors (Runx2, osterix), and osteoblast differentiation marker proteins were assessed. Results: In both cell lines, BMP-2 mRAN and protein expression and extracellular BMP-2 secretion all decreased in Zn-. The expression of Smad-1 (downstream regulator of BMP-2 signaling) and p-Smad-1 (phosphorylated Smad-1) also downregulated in Zn-. Furthermore, the expression of the bone-specific transcription factors, Runx2 and osterix, decreased in Zn-, which might be due to the decreased BMP-2 expression and Smad-1 activation (p-Smad-1) by Zn-, because Runx2 and osterix both are downstream in BMP-2 signaling. Bone marker gene expression, such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type I (COLI), osteocalcin, and osteopontin were also downregulated in Zn-. Conclusion: The results suggest that a zinc deficiency in osteoblasts suppresses the BMP-2 signaling pathway via the suppression of Smad-1 activation, and this suppressed BMP-2 signaling can cause poor osteoblast differentiation.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.238-246
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• 2001

Bone morphogenetic proteins(BMPs), members of the transforming growth factor $\beta$(TGF-$\beta$) superfamily were first identified as the factors that induce ectopic bone formation in vivo, when implanted into muscular tissue. Especially BMP-2 inhibits terminal differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts and converts them into osteoblast lineage cells. In the molecular mechanism of the signal transduction of TGF-$\beta$ and related factors, intracellular signaling proteins were identified as Smad. In previous study, it has been reported that Smad 1 and Smad 5, which belong to the R-Smad family mediate BMP signaling, were involved in the induction of osteoblast differentiation in C2C12 cells. To understnad the role of Smads involved in osteogenic transdifferentiation in C2C12 cell, in present study, after we stably transfected C2C12 cells with each. Smad(Smad 1,Smad 5) expression vector, cultured for 3 days and stained for alkaline phophatase activity. ALP activity positive cells appeared in the Smad 1, Smad 5 stably transfected cell even in the abscence of BMP. After transiently co-transfected C2C12 cells with each Smad expression vector and ALP promoter, it was examined that Smad 1 and Smad 5 expression vector had increased about 2 fold ALP promoter activity in the abscence of BMP. These result suggested that both Smad 1 and Smad 5 were involved in the intracellular BMP signals which induce osteoblast differentiation in C2C12 cells. The effect of BMP on C2C12 cells with Smad 1, Smad 5 transfected were studied by using northern blot analysis. the treatment of BMP upregulated ALP mRNA level in three groups, especially upregulation of ALP was larger in Smad 1, Smad 5 transfected cell than control group. Pretreatment with cycloheximide($10{\mu}g/ml$), a protein synthesis inhibitor resulted in blocking the ALP gene expression even in BMP(100ng/ml) treated cell. These results suggested that Smad increased the level of ALP mRNA via the synthesis of a certain transcriptional regulatory protein.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.321-327
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• 2014

TGF-${\beta}$ induces IgA class switching by B cells. We previously reported that Smad3 and Smad4, pivotal TGF-${\beta}$ signal-transducing transcription factors, mediate germline (GL) ${\alpha}$ transcription induced by TGF-${\beta}1$, resulting in IgA switching by mouse B cells. Post-translational sumoylation of Smad3 and Smad4 regulates TGF-${\beta}$-induced transcriptional activation in certain cell types. In the present study, we investigated the effect of sumoylation on TGF-${\beta}1$-induced, Smad3/4-mediated $GL{\alpha}$ transcription and IgA switching by mouse B cell line, CH12F3-2A. Overexpression of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-1, SUMO-2 or SUMO-3 did not affect TGF-${\beta}1$-induced, Smad3/4-mediated $GL{\alpha}$ promoter activity, expression of endogenous $GL{\alpha}$ transcripts, surface IgA expression, and IgA production. Next, we tested the effect of the E3 ligase PIASy on TGF-${\beta}1$-induced, Smad3/4-mediated $GL{\alpha}$ promoter activity. We found that PIASy overexpression suppresses the $GL{\alpha}$ promoter activity in cooperation with histone deacetylase 1. Taken together, these results suggest that SUMO itself does not affect regulation of $GL{\alpha}$ transcription and IgA switching induced by TGF-${\beta}1$/Smad3/4, while PIASy acts as a repressor.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.186-195
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• 2022

Objective : To explore the histological feature of the cervical disc degeneration in patients with degenerative ossification (DO) and its potential mechanisms. Methods : A total of 96 surgical segments, from cervical disc degenerative disease patients with surgical treatment, were divided into ossification group (group O, n=46) and non-ossification group (group NO, n=50) based on preoperative radiological exams. Samples of disc tissues and osteophytes were harvested during the decompression operation. The hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson trichrome staining and Safranin O-fast green staining were used to compare the histological differences between the two groups. And the distribution and content of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 between the two groups were compared by a semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. Results : For all the disc tissues, the content of disc cells and collagen fibers decreased gradually from the outer annulus fibrosus (OAF) to the central nucleus pulposus (NP). Compared with group NO, the number of disc cells in group O increased significantly. But for proteoglycan in the inner annulus fibrosus (IAF) and NP, the content in group O decreased significantly. IHC analysis showed that TGF-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 were detected in all tissues. For group O, the content of TGF-β1 in the OAF and NP was significantly higher than that in group NO. For p-Smad2 in IAF and p-Smad3 in OAF, the content in group O were significantly higher than group NO. Conclusion : Histologically, cervical disc degeneration in patients with DO is more severe than that without DO. Local higher content of TGF-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 are involved in the disc degeneration with DO. Further studies with multi-approach analyses are needed to better understand the role of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway in the disc degeneration with DO.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2007

Smad proteins mediate transforming growth $factor(TGF)-{\beta}$ signaling and play a pivotal role in embryonic development. The estrogen receptor-related receptors(ERRs), which are structurally similar to estrogen receptors, are members of orphan nuclear receptor in the nuclear receptor superfamily and their functions are known to be involved in the formation of extra-embryonic ectoderm. To investigate the involvement of Smad3 and $ERR{\beta}$ like 1 in reproductive activities and embryogenesis in marine invertebrate, we examined gene expression of Smad3 and $ERR{\beta}$ like 1 in Strongylocentrotus nudus during their seasonal changes and embryonic development using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The Smad3 mRNA levels in gonad showed an increasing pattern from February to June 2004 but decreased at August(spawning season) followed by an elevation of the levels at October and December 2004. The mRNA levels of the $ERR{\beta}$ like 1 significantly elevated during the spawning season. During embryonic development, Smad3 mRNA levels at $8{\sim}16$ cell stages were significantly higher than those of other stages, whereas the mRNA of the $ERR{\beta}$ like 1 was significantly high levels at late development stages, i.e., blastular, gastrula and plutei stages. These results suggest that the Smad3 could be involved at least in part in the early cleavage stages and the $ERR{\beta}$ like 1 may play an important role in the spawning season and late developmental stage in the sea urchin.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.273-276
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• 2014

Ellagic acid has been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, our aim was to investigate whether ellagic acid inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells via regulation of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 signaling pathway. MCF-7 breast cancer cells were transfected with pEGFP-C3 or pEGFP-C3/Smad3 plasmids, and treated with ellagic acid alone or in combination with SIS3, a specific inhibitor of Smad3 phosphorylation. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and the cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Moreover, gene expression was detected by RT-PCR, real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. The MTT assay showed that SIS3 attenuated the inhibitory activity of ellagic acid on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Flow cytometry revealed that ellagic acid induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest which was mitigated by SIS3. Moreover, SIS3 reversed the effects of ellagic acid on the expression of downstream targets of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 pathway. In conclusion, ellagic acid leads to decreased phosphorylation of RB proteins mainly through modulation of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 pathway, and thereby inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4621-4625
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network related to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Each protein was ranked and those most associated with OSCC were mined within the network. First, OSCC-related genes were retrieved from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. Then they were mapped to their protein identifiers and a seed set of proteins was built. The seed proteins were expanded using the nearest neighbor expansion method to construct a PPI network through the Online Predicated Human Interaction Database (OPHID). The network was verified to be statistically significant, the score of each protein was evaluated by algorithm, then the OSCC-related proteins were ranked. 38 OSCC related seed proteins were expanded to 750 protein pairs. A protein-protein interaction nerwork was then constructed and the 30 top-ranked proteins listed. The four highest-scoring seed proteins were SMAD4, CTNNB1, HRAS, NOTCH1, and four non-seed proteins P53, EP300, SMAD3, SRC were mined using the nearest neighbor expansion method. The methods shown here may facilitate the discovery of important OSCC proteins and guide medical researchers in further pertinent studies.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2012

We previously reported that the extract of Taraxacum platycarpum (AF-343) had several biological properties such as skin hydration and anti-inflammatory effects, thereby AF-343 be a promising anti-atopic dermatitis agent. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate its effect on modulation of extracellular matrix proteins in human skin fibroblasts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expressions of type I collagen, MMP-1, Smad2/3, and TIMP-1 proteins in AF-343-treated human skin fibroblasts. Human skin fibroblasts were treated by various concentrations of AF-343 (0~2 mg/ml). The expressions of type I collagen, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), Smad2/3, and TIMP-1 proteins were analyzed by Western blot analysis. In addition, level of type I collagen mRNA was analyzed by CAT assay. Expression of type I collagen protein was increased in AF-343-treated human skin fibroblasts by dose and time-dependent manners. Consistent with this result, the expressions of phospho-Smad2/3 in skin fibroblasts were increased and MMP-1 expression was decreased by AF-343 treatment. TIMP-1 expression was not significantly changed in AF-343 treated skin fibroblasts. Extract of Taraxacum platycarpum (AF-343)-induced up-regulation of type I collagen expression was through increased expression of phospho-Smad2/3. These results were occurred combined with down-regulation of MMP-1 in skin fibroblasts. Taken together, this study indicated that AF-343 has property of the modulation of ECM in tissue as well as skin hydration and anti-inflammation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2005

Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-$\beta$ family, including TGF-$\beta$, bone morphorgenic protein (BMP), and activn, plays an important role in essential cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, tissue remodeling, angiognesis, immune responses, and cell adhesions. TGF-$\beta$ predominantly transmits the signals through serine/threonine receptor kinases and cytoplasmic proteins called Smads. Since the discovery of TGF-$\beta$ in the early 1980s, the dysregulation of TGF-$\beta$/Smad signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human diseases. Among signal transducers in TGF-$\beta$/Smad signaling, inhibitory Smads (I-Smads), Smad6 and Smad7, act as major negative regulators forming autoinhibitory feedback loops and mediate the cross-talking with other signaling pathways. Expressions of I-Smads are mainly regulated on the transcriptional levels and post-translational protein degradations and their intracellular levels are tightly controlled to maintain the homeostatic balances. However, abnormal levels of I-Smads in the pathological conditions elicit the altered TGF-$\beta$ signaling in cells, eventually causing TGF-$\beta$-related human diseases. Thus, exploring the molecular mechanisms about the regulations of I-Smads may provide the therapeutic clues for human diseases induced by the abnormal TGF-$\beta$ signaling.

• Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.162-169
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• 2018

$TGF-{\beta}$ signaling plays a tumor suppressive role in normal and premalignant cells but promotes tumor progression during the late stages of tumor development. The $TGF-{\beta}$ signaling pathway is tightly regulated at various levels, including transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. Ubiquitination of signaling components, such as receptors and Smad proteins is one of the key regulatory mechanisms of $TGF-{\beta}$ signaling. Tripartite motif (TRIM) family of proteins is a highly conserved group of E3 ubiquitin ligase proteins that have been implicated in a variety of cellular functions, including cell growth, differentiation, immune response, and carcinogenesis. Recent emerging studies have shown that some TRIM family proteins function as important regulators in tumor initiation and progression. This review summarizes current knowledge of TRIM family proteins regulating the $TGF-{\beta}$ signaling pathway with relevance to cancer.