• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권8호
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• pp.4775-4778
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• 2013

The key signaling networks regulating cancer cell proliferation remain to be defined. The leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein coupled receptor 48 (GPR48) plays an important role in multiple organ development. In the present study, we investigated whether GPR48 functions in cancer cells using MCF-7, HepG2, NCI-N87 and PC-3 cells. We found that GPR48 overexpression promotes while its knockdown using small interfering RNA oligos inhibits cell proliferation. In addition, Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling was activated in cells overexpressing GPR48. Therefore, our results indicated that GPR48 activates Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to regulate cancer cell proliferation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권8호
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• pp.4907-4911
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• 2013

The key signaling networks regulating glioma cell proliferation remain poorly defined. The leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein coupled receptor 4 (Lgr4) has been implicated in intestinal, gastric, and epidermal cell functions. We investigated whether Lgr4 functions in glioma cells and found that Lgr4 expression was significantly increased in glioma tissues. In addition, Lgr4 overexpression promoted while its knockdown using small interfering RNA oligos inhibited glioma cell proliferation. In addition, Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling was activated in cells overexpressing Lgr4. Therefore, our results revealed that Lgr4 activates Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to regulate glioma cell proliferation.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제28권9호
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• pp.1016-1021
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• 2018

C. difficile 톡신A에 의한 대장상피세포 자살과정은 위막성대장염(Pseudomembranous colitis)의 주요 원인으로 고려되고 있다. 톡신A는 활성산소 를 증가시켜 세포자살 신호를 유도한다. 또한 톡신A는 미세섬유나 미세소관과 같은 세포골격계 형성을 저해함으로써 자살을 유도한다고 알려져 있다. 하지만 톡신A가 야기하는 소화기 상피세포 자살경로는 아직 불분명하다. 본 연구에서는 소화관 상피세포의 성장과 분화 그리고 기능에 중요하다고 알려져 온 Wnt 신호경로에 대한 톡신A의 영향을 확인해보았다. 이를 위해 비암화-인간대장세포주(NCM460)에 톡신A를 처치하고 Wnt 신호 분자들의 변화를 추적하였다. 또한 톡신A를 주입한 생쥐의 회장 상피세포 속 Wnt 신호경로 변화도 평가하였다. 인간 대장상피세포에서 톡신A는 Wnt 경로의 핵심 신호분자인 ${\beta}$-catenin 단백질의 양을 빠르게 감소시켰다. 이 현상은 생쥐 회장 상피세포에서도 동일하게 확인되었다. 연구자 등은 톡신A가 $GSK3{\beta}$ 활성형 인산화(Thr390)를 증가시킴도 확인하였다. 이는 톡신A가 $GSK3{\beta}$의 활성을 높여서 ${\beta}$-catenin의 인산화시키고 이를 통해 단백질 분해 과정이 촉진되었음을 보여준다. 이 결과들을 종합하면, 톡신A에 의한 소화관 상피세포 자살과정이 상피세포의 성장과 자살을 조절하는 Wnt 신호경로 차단과 밀접하게 연관되어 있음을 보여준다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.465-472
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• 2020

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most malignant type of cancers and its incidence is steadily increasing, due to life style factors that include western diet. Abnormal activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Therefore, targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been considered a crucial strategy in the discovery of small molecules for CRC. In the present study, we found that Nodosin, an ent-kaurene diterpenoid isolated from Isodon serra, effectively inhibits the proliferation of human colon cancer HCT116 cells. Mechanistically, Nodosin effectively inhibited the overactivated transcriptional activity of β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) determined by Wnt/β-catenin reporter gene assay in HEK293 and HCT116 cells. The expression of Wnt/β-catenin target genes such as Axin2, cyclin D1, and survivin were also suppressed by Nodosin in HCT116 cells. Further study revealed that a longer exposure of Nodosin induced the G₂/M phase cell cycle arrest and subsequently apoptosis in HCT116 cells. These findings suggest that the anti-proliferative activity of Nodosin in colorectal cancer cells might in part be associated with the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권12호
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• pp.6197-6201
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• 2012

Although enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been reported as an independent prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), little is known about the exact mechanism of EZH2 in promoting the genesis of RCC. However, several studies have shown that dysregulation of the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial role. Therefore, we determined whether EZH2 could affect ACHN human RCC cell proliferation and invasion via the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin pathway. In the present study, we investigated the effects of short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated EZH2 gene silencing on Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling in ACHN cells. EZH2-siRNA markedly inhibited the proliferation and invasion capabilities of ACHN, while also reducing the expression of EZH2, Wnt3a and ${\beta}$-catenin. In contrast, cellular expression of GSK-$3{\beta}$ (glycogen synthase kinase-$3{\beta}$), an inhibitor of the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin pathway, was conspicuously higher after transfection of EZH2 siRNA. These preliminary findings suggest EZH2 may promote proliferation and invasion of ACHN cells via action on the Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• 제47권12호
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• pp.666-672
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• 2014

The Wnt signaling pathway is well known to play major roles in skeletal development and homeostasis. In certain aspects, fracture repair mimics the process of bone embryonic development. Thus, the importance of Wnt signaling in fracture healing has become more apparent in recent years. Here, we summarize recent research progress in the area, which may be conducive to the development of Wnt-based therapeutic strategies for bone repair.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권6호
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• pp.299-304
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• 2022

Chloride channel-5 (ClC-5), an important branch of the ClC family, is involved in the regulation of the proliferation and cell-fate of a variety of cells, including tumor cells. However, its function in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells remains enigmatic. Here, we discovered that ClC-5 was up-regulated in CCA tissues and CCA cell lines, while ClC-5 silencing inhibited CCA cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Further mechanism studies revealed that ClC-5 inhibition could inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity and further activate the mitochondria apoptotic pathway in CCA cells. Furthermore, rescuing Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation eliminated the anti-tumor function of ClC-5 knockdown. Together, our research findings illustrated that ClC-5 inhibition plays an anti-tumor role in CCA cells via inhibiting the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which in turn activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.1-2
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• 2017

Acquiring a selective growth advantage by breaking the proliferation barrier established by gatekeeper genes is a centrally important event in tumor formation. Removal of the mammalian Hippo kinase Mst1 and Mst2 in hepatocytes leads to rapid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation, indicating that the Hippo signaling pathway is a critical gatekeeper that restrains abnormal growth in hepatocytes. By rigorous genetic approaches, we identified an interacting network of the Hippo, Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin and Notch signaling pathways that control organ size and HCC development. We found that in hepatocytes, the loss of Mst1/2 leads to the activation of Notch signaling, which forms a positive feedback loop with Yap/Taz (transcription factors controlled by Mst1/2). This positive feedback loop results in severe liver enlargement and rapid HCC formation. Blocking the Yap/Taz-Notch positive feedback loop by Notch inhibition in vivo significantly reduced the Yap/Taz activities, hepatocyte proliferation and tumor formation. Furthermore, we uncovered a surprising inhibitory role of Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to Yap/Taz activities, which are important in tumor initiation. Genetic removal of ${\beta}$-catenin in the liver of the Mst1/2 mutants significantly accelerates tumoriogenesis. Therefore, Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling, known for its oncogenic property, exerts an unexpected function in restricting Yap/Taz and Notch activities in HCC initiation. The molecular interplay between the three signaling pathways identified in our study provides new insights in developing novel therapeutic strategies to treat liver tumors.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.13-19
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• 2012

In order to provide the basis for developing practical mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) culture method, how the endogenous level of self-renewal-stimulating factor genes was altered in the mESCs by different extracellular signaling was investigated in this study. For different extracellular signaling, mESCs were cultured in 2 dimension (D), 3D and integrin-stimulating 3D culture system in the presence or absence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and transcriptional level of $Lif$, $Bmp4$ and $Wnt3a$ was evaluated in the mESCs cultured in each system. The expression of three genes was significantly increased in 3D system relative to 2D system under LIF-containing condition, while only $Wnt3a$ expression was increased by 3D culture under LIF-free condition. Stimulation of integrin signaling in mESCs within 3D system with exogenous LIF significantly up-regulated transcriptional level of $Bmp4$, but did not induce transcriptional regulation of $Lif$ and $Wnt3a$. In the absence of LIF inside 3D system, the expression of $Lif$ and $Bmp4$ was significantly increased by integrin signaling, while it significantly decreased $Wnt3a$ expression. Finally, the signal from exogenous LIF significantly caused increased expression of $Lif$ in 2D system, decreased expression of $Bmp4$ in both 2D and 3D system, and decreased expression of $Wnt3a$ in integrin-stimulating 3D system. From these results, we identified that endogenous expression level of self-renewal-stimulating factor genes in mESCs could be effectively regulated through artificial and proper manipulation of extracellular signaling. Moreover, synthetic 3D niche stimulating endogenous secretion of self-renewal-stimulating factors will be able to help develop growth factor-free maintenance system of mESCs.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국응용약물학회 2001년도 추계학술대회 및 정기총회
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• pp.108-108
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• 2001

Axin2/Conductin/Axil and its ortholog Axin are negative regulators of the Wnt signaling pathway, which promote the phosphorylation and degradation of ${\beta}$-catenin. While Axin is expressed ubiquitously, Axin2 mRNA was seen in a restricted pattern during mouse embryogenesis and organogenesis. Because many sites of Axin2 expression overlapped with those of several Wnt genes, we tested whether Axin2 was induced by Wnt signaling. Endogenous Axin2 mRNA and protein expression could be rapidly induced by activation of the Wnt pathway, and Axin2 reporter constructs, containing a 5.6 kb DNA fragment including the promoter and first intron, were also induced. This genomic region contains eight Tcf/LEF consensus binding sites, five of which are located within longer, highly conserved non-coding sequences. The mutation or deletion of these Tcf/LEF sites greatly diminished induction by ${\beta}$-catenin, and mutation of the Tcf/LEF site T2 abolished protein binding in an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay. These results strongly suggest that Axin2 is a direct target of the Wnt pathway, mediated through Tcf/LEF factors. The 5.6 kb genomic sequence was sufficient to direct the tissue specific expression of d2EGFP in transgenic embryos, consistent with a role for the Tcf/LEF sites and surrounding conserved sequences in the in vivo expression pattern of Axin2. Our results suggest that Axin2 participates in a negative feedback loop, which could serve to limit the duration or intensity of a Wnt-initiated signal.