• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.6 s.86
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• pp.847-858
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• 2007

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important intracellular organelle for folding and maturation of newly synthesized transmembrane and secretory proteins. The ER provides stringent quality control systems to ensure that only correctly folded proteins exit the ER and unfolded or misfolded proteins are retained and ultimately degraded. The ER has evolved stress response both signaling pathways the unfolded protein response (UPR) to cope with the accmulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins and ER overload response (EOR). Accumulating evidence suggests that, in addition to responsibility for protein processing, ER is also an important signaling compartment and a sensor of cellular stress. In this respect, production of bio-functional recombinant-proteins requires efficient functioning of the ER secretory pathway in host cells. This review briefly summarizes our understanding of the ER signaling developed in the recent years to help of the secretion capacities of recombinant cells.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.65-67
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• 2010

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional intercellular organelle in which several posttranslational modification steps occurred such as protein folding, lipid biosynthesis, calcium storage and release. Perturbations that disrupt ER homeostasis lead to the misfolding of proteins in the ER lumen and up-regulation of ER signaling pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). Here, we have demonstrated that ageing changes the expression of ER chaperone and associated ER membrane kinases of IRE1, ATF6 and PERK.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2020

Cisplatin is a widely used anti-cancer agent. However, the effectiveness of cisplatin has been limited by the commonly developed drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress to overcome drug resistance using the cisplatin-resistant A2780/CisR ovarian cancer cell model. The synthetic chalcone derivative (E)-3-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(2-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (named DPP23) is an ER stress inducer. We found that DPP23 triggered apoptosis in both parental cisplatin-sensitive A2780 and cisplatin-resistant A2780/CisR ovarian cancer cells due to activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum. This result suggests that ROS-mediated UPR activation is potential in overcoming drug resistance. DPP23 can be used as a target pharmacophore for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents capable of overcoming drug resistance in cancer cells, particularly ovarian cancer cells.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2019

Purpose: Protein overloading in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress, which exacerbates various disease conditions. Emodin, an anthraquinone compound, is known to have several health benefits. The effect of emodin against palmitic acid (PA) - induced ER stress in HepG2 cells was investigated. Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with varying concentrations of palmitic acid to determine the working concentration that induced ER stress. ER stress associated genes such as ATF4, XBP1s, CHOP and GRP78 were checked using RT- PCR. In addition, the expression levels of unfolded protein response (UPR) associated proteins such as $IRE1{\alpha}$, $eIF2{\alpha}$ and CHOP were checked using immunoblotting to confirm the induction of ER stress. The effect of emodin on ER stress was analyzed by treating HepG2 cells with $750{\mu}M$ palmitic acid and varying concentrations of emodin, then analyzing the expression of UPR associated genes. Results: It was evident from the mRNA and protein expression results that palmitic acid significantly increased the expression of UPR associated genes and thereby induced ER stress. Subsequent treatment with emodin reduced the mRNA expression of ATF4, GRP78, and XBP1s. Furthermore, the protein levels of $p-IRE1{\alpha}$, $p-eIF2{\alpha}$ and CHOP were also reduced by the treatment of emodin. Analysis of sirtuin mRNA expression showed that emodin increased the levels of SIRT4 and SIRT7, indicating a possible role in decreasing the expression of UPR-related genes. Conclusion: Altogether, the results suggest that emodin could exert a protective effect against fatty acid-induced ER stress and could be an agent for the management of various ER stress related diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2024

The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) serves as a critical cellular mechanism dedicated to maintaining protein homeostasis, primarily within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This pathway diligently responds to a variety of intracellular indicators of ER stress with the objective of reinstating balance by diminishing the accumulation of unfolded proteins, amplifying the ER's folding capacity, and eliminating slow-folding proteins. Prolonged ER stress and UPR irregularities have been linked to a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the UPR pathway, delineating its activation mechanisms and its role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. It highlights the intricate interplay within the UPR and its profound influence on brain function, synaptic perturbations, and neural developmental processes. Additionally, it explores evolving therapeutic strategies targeting the UPR within the context of these disorders, underscoring the necessity for precision and further research to effective treatments. The research findings presented in this work underscore the promising potential of UPR-focused therapeutic approaches to address the complex landscape of neuropsychiatric disorders, giving rise to optimism for improving outcomes for individuals facing these complex conditions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.851-858
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• 2015

Disturbed blood flow with low-oscillatory shear stress (OSS) is a predominant atherogenic factor leading to dysfunctional endothelial cells (ECs). Recently, it was found that disturbed flow can directly induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in ECs, thereby playing a critical role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a naturally occurring bile acid, has long been used to treat chronic cholestatic liver disease and is known to alleviate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress at the cellular level. However, its role in atherosclerosis remains unexplored. In this study, we demonstrated the anti-atherogenic activity of UDCA via inhibition of disturbed flow-induced ER stress in atherosclerosis. UDCA effectively reduced ER stress, resulting in a reduction in expression of X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1) and CEBP-homologous protein (CHOP) in ECs. UDCA also inhibits the disturbed flow-induced inflammatory responses such as increases in adhesion molecules, monocyte adhesion to ECs, and apoptosis of ECs. In a mouse model of disturbed flow-induced atherosclerosis, UDCA inhibits atheromatous plaque formation through the alleviation of ER stress and a decrease in adhesion molecules. Taken together, our results revealed that UDCA exerts anti-atherogenic activity in disturbed flow-induced atherosclerosis by inhibiting ER stress and the inflammatory response. This study suggests that UDCA may be a therapeutic agent for prevention or treatment of atherosclerosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.416-420
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• 2017

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induces unfolded protein response (UPR) via inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) activation, which sends a molecular signal for X box-binding protein 1 (XBP1) mRNA splicing in the cytosol. IRE1 endoribonuclease activity induces cleavage of XBP1 mRNA. The XBP1 mRNA is then ligated by an uncharacterized RNA ligase and translated to produce spliced XBP1 by 23 nt removed in which contains the PstI restriction enzyme site. The splicing of XBP1 mRNA can be detected by semiquantitative RT-PCR, and then splicing of XBP1 is a useful tool to measure the genetic variability in ER stress. In this study, we have estimated IRE1-dependent splicing of XBP1 mRNA under conditions of various hypothermia. The results indicated that hypothermia regulated ER stress. This study demonstrated that hypothermia is closely related to ER stress and may be useful for early diagnosis of ER-associated disease.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.420-428
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of eight weeks high fat intake and regular exercise in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue for Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress in rats. This experiment involved 32 subjects (sprague-dawley rats) divided into four groups as follows: chow group (Chow, n = 8), chow and exercise group (Chow + EX, n = 8), high fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia group (HF, n = 8), and HF and exercise group (HF + EX, n = 8). As a result, there were significant decrease in body weight and abdominal fat, and blood lipid level was significantly improved by exercise for eight weeks (p < .05). There were variables changed about the skeletal muscle and ER stress in GRP78, XBP-1, ATF4, CHOP and JNK mRNA. There increased in mRNA factor by exercise, especially GRP78, and ATF4 mRNA were significantly increased in exercise (p < .05). However, there were increased in adipose tissue by exercise and there were significantly decreased in mRNA factor by high fat diet (p < .05). Consequently, this study suggests that the consistent exercise was more improved of obesity factor, such as dyslipidemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, as well as body weight or abdominal fat. The response of ER stress in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle were more sensitive in exercise than high fat diet feed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2022

Resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is a significant problem in the treatment of colorectal cancer, resulting in low response rates and decreased survival. Recent studies have shown that shikonin, a naphthoquinone derivative, promotes apoptosis in colon cancer cells and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cells, raising the possibility that this compound may be effective in drug-resistant colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to characterize the molecular mechanisms underpinning shikonin-induced apoptosis, with a focus on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in a 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cell line, SNU-C5/5-FUR. Our results showed that shikonin significantly increased the proportion of sub-G₁ cells and DNA fragmentation and that shikonin-induced apoptosis is mediated by mitochondrial Ca²⁺ accumulation. Shikonin treatment also increased the expression of ER-related proteins, such as glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), phospho-protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), phospho-eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α), phospho-phosphoinositol-requiring protein-1 (IRE1), spliced X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), cleaved caspase-12, and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP). In addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of CHOP attenuated shikonin-induced apoptosis, as did the ER stress inhibitor TUDCA. These data suggest that ER stress is a key factor mediating the cytotoxic effect of shikonin in SNU-C5/5-FUR cells. Our findings provide an evidence for a mechanism in which ER stress leads to apoptosis in shikonin-treated SNU-C5/5-FUR cells. Our study provides evidence to support further investigations on shikonin as a therapeutic option for 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2022

Objective: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress engages the unfolded protein response (UPR) that serves as an important mechanism for modulating hepatic fatty acid oxidation and lipogenesis. Chronic fasting in mice induced the UPR activation to regulate lipid metabolism. However, there is no direct evidence of whether negative energy balance (NEB) induces ER stress in the liver of cows. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between the NEB attributed to feed deprivation and ER stress in bovine hepatocytes. Methods: Blood samples and liver biopsy tissues were collected from 6 non-lactating cows before and after their starvation for 48 h. The blood non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) and glucose level were analyzed. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to explore the regulation of genes associated with UPR and lipid metabolism. Results: The starvation increased the plasma BHBA and NEFA levels and decreased the glucose level. Additionally, the starvation caused significant increases in the mRNA expression level of spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) and the protein level of phosphorylated inositol-requiring kinase 1 alpha (p-IRE1α; an upstream protein of XBP1) in the liver. The mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and its target fatty acid oxidation- and ketogenesis-related genes were significantly upregulated by the starvation-mediated NEB. Furthermore, we found that the mRNA expression levels of lipogenic genes were not significantly changed after starvation. Conclusion: These findings suggest that in the initial stage of NEB in dairy cows, the liver coordinates an adaptive response by activating the IRE1 arm of the UPR to enhance ketogenesis, thereby avoiding a fatty liver status.