• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.128-136
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• 2004

CYP1A1 is known to be inducible by xenobiotic compouds such as polyciclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin(TCDD). These chemicals have been identified worldwide and can have a significant impact on the human health and well being of human and wildlife. Given these issues, the detection and quantification of these chemicals in biological, environmental and food samples is important. First, we investigated the effect of on CYP1A1 promoter activity, 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase(EROD) activity and CYP1A1 mRNA expression induced by benzo(k)fluoranthene(B(k)F) in MCF-7 cells. We found that B(k)F significantly up-regulates the level of CYP1A1 prompter activity, EROD and CYP1A1 mRNA. When cells were treated with genistein, it was not changed that EROD and CYP1A1 mRNA, compared to that of control. However, genistein inhibited the B(k)F-induced CYP1A1 promoter activity and mRNA level at high concentration. Furthermore, in this study, effects of HDAC(histone deacetvlase) inhibitors on human prostate cancer cells proliferation were examined. HC-toxin, SAHA and TSA inhibited cell proliferation in PC3 cells. A novel HDAC inhibitor, IN2001 also suppressed the growth of PC3 cells. And IN2001 and SAHA increased S phase and G2/M phase at 12 hrs treatment but cells were arrested G0/G1 phase at 45 hrs treatment. The HC-toxin treatment for 24 hrs and 48 hrs increased G0/G1 at low concentration ($0.1\mu\textrm{m}$) but increased G2/M at more than concentration of $1\mu\textrm{m}$. TSA increased G2/M phase. These findings height the possbility of developing HDAC inhibitors as potential anticancer therapeutic agents for the treatment of prostate cancer.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.362-372
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• 2018

High mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) is an abundant, chromatin-associated, non-histone protein involved in transcription, chromatin remodeling, and recombination. Recently, the HMGB2 gene was found to be significantly downregulated during senescence and shown to regulate the expression of senescent-associated secretory proteins. Here, we demonstrate that HMGB2 transcription is repressed by p21 during radiation-induced senescence through the ATM-p53-p21 DNA damage signaling cascade. The loss of p21 abolished the downregulation of HMGB2 caused by ionizing radiation, and the conditional induction of p21 was sufficient to repress the transcription of HMGB2. We also showed that the p21 protein binds to the HMGB2 promoter region, leading to sequestration of RNA polymerase and transcription factors E2F1, Sp1, and p300. In contrast, NF-Y, a CCAAT box-binding protein complex, is required for the expression of HMGB2, but NF-Y binding to the HMGB2 promoter was unaffected by either radiation or p21 induction. A proximity ligation assay results confirmed that the chromosome binding of E2F1 and Sp1 was inhibited by p21 induction. As HMGB2 have been shown to regulate premature senescence by IR, targeting the p21-mediated repression of HMGB2 could be a strategy to overcome the detrimental effects of radiation-induced senescence.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.591-598
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• 2018

Epigenetic silencing is considered to be a major mechanism for loss of activity in tumor suppressors. Reversal of epigenetic silencing by using inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) or histone deacetylases (HDACs) such as 5-Aza-CdR and FK228 has shown to enhance cytotoxic activities of several anticancer agents. This study aims to assess the combinatorial effects of genesilencing reversal agents (5-Aza-CdR and FK228) and oxaliplatin in gastric cancer cells, i.e., Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative SNU-638 and EBV-positive SNU-719 cells. The doublet combinatorial treatment of 5-Aza-CdR and FK228 exhibited synergistic effects in both cell lines, and this was further corroborated by Zta expression induction in SNU-719 cells. Three drug combinations as 5-Aza-CdR/FK228 followed by oxaliplatin, however, resulted in antagonistic effects in both cell lines. Simultaneous treatment with FK228 and oxaliplatin induced synergistic and additive effects in SNU-638 and SNU-719 cells, respectively. Three drug combinations as 5-Aza-CdR prior to FK228/oxaliplatin, however, again resulted in antagonistic effects in both cell lines. This work demonstrated that efficacy of doublet synergistic combination using DNMT or HDACs inhibitors can be compromised by adding the third drug in pre- or post-treatment approach in gastric cancer cells. This implies that the development of clinical trial protocols for triplet combinations using gene-silencing reversal agents should be carefully evaluated in light of their potential antagonistic effects.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.417-422
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• 2008

Apicidin is a cyclic tetrapeptide produced by some Fusarium species and is known to inhibit Apicomplexan histone deacetylase. The goals of this study were to determine species identity of Fusarium isolate KCTC16676, an apicidin producer, to improve a method for apicidin extraction, and to test phytotoxicity of apicidin and its analogs. We compared sequences of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) gene in KCTC16676 with those from isolates representing diverse Fusarium species, which showed that KCTC16676 belongs to the F. semitectum-F. equiseti species complex. To enhance apicidin production, after culturing isolate KCTC16676 on a wheat medium for 3 weeks at $25^{\circ}C$, the culture was extracted with chloroform. Apicidins were purified through a reverse phase $C_{18}$ silica gel column, resulting in 5 g of apicidin, 200 mg of apicidin A, and 300 mg of apicidin $D_2$ from 4 kg of wheat cultures; this represents a significant yield improvement from a previous method, offers more materials to study the modes of its action, and facilitates the elucidation of the apicidin biosynthesis pathway. Apicidin and apicidin $D_2$ showed phytotoxicity on both seedlings and 2-week-old plants of diverse species, and weeds were more sensitive to apicidins than vegetables

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2020

Partheno Embryo's research is known to play a very important role in identifying the development of embryonic cells or analyzing the genetic mechanisms of embryonic development, but the information on apoptosis formed during the early stage of development on Partheno Embryo is very little. Therefore, this study analyzed whether the embryonic cell death of unit embryos can be inhibited by adding Scriptaid, one of HDACi, which plays a role in demethylation of histone proteins as a method of regulating the cell cycle in the early embryo development of Partheno Embryo. As a result, the differentiation rate was higher in the group that added Scriptaid and FBS, but the cellular development was higher in the group that added pregnant serum to Scriptaid. As a result of analyzing the expression of the gene through IF and PCR, the group with the addition of gestational serum increased the expression of BCL2 and PCNA, which affects the anti-Casp3 action in cell survival. In addition, it is interpreted that treatment of Scriptaid for 16 hours, rather than 24 h treatment lowers the expression of Casp-3, a representative factor of apoptosis, and also increases embryonic development, thus affecting early embryo development. Therefore, it is concluded that the 16-hour treatment of Scriptaid and the use of gestational serum will inhibit cell death in the early embryonic development and increase the development rate of the embryo.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.243-249
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• 2010

Tissue engineered bone (TEB) can replace an autogenous bone graft requiring an secondary operation site as well as avoid complications like inflammation or infection from xenogenic or synthetic bone graft. Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for TEB are considered to have various ranges of differentiation capacity or multipotency by the donor site and age. This study examined the effect of age on proliferation capacity, differentiation capacity and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) responsiveness of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC) according to the age. In addition, to evaluate the effect on enhancement for osteoblast differentiation, the hBMSC were treated with Trichostatin A (TSA) and 5-Azacitidine (5-AZC) which was HDAC inhibitors and methyltransferase inhibitors respectively affecting chromatin remodeling temporarily and reversibly. The young and old group of hBMSC obtained from the iliac crest from total 9 healthy patients, showed similar proliferation capacity. Cell surface markers such as CD34, CD45, CD90 and CD105 showed uniform expression regardless of age. However, the young group showed more prominent transdifferentiation capacity with adipogenic differentiation. The osteoblast differentiation capacity or BMP responsiveness was low and similar between young and old group. TSA and 5-AZC showed potential for enhancing the BMP effect on osteoblast differentiation by increasing the expression level of osteogenic master gene, such as DLX5, ALP. More study will be needed to determine the positive effect of the reversible function of HDAC inhibitors or methyltransferase inhibitors on enhancing the low osteoblast differentiation capacity of hBMSC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3817-3825
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• 2015

Background: The human protein methyl-transferase DOT1L catalyzes the methylation of histone H3 on lysine 79 (H3K79) at homeobox genes and is also involved in a number of significant processes ranging from gene expression to DNA-damage response and cell cycle progression. Inhibition of DOT1L activity by shRNA or small-molecule inhibitors has been established to prevent proliferation of various MLL-rearranged leukemia cells in vitro, establishing DOT1L an attractive therapeutic target for mixed lineage leukemia (MLL). Most of the drugs currently in use for the MLL treatment are reported to have low efficacy, hence this study focused on various natural compounds which exhibit minimal toxic effects and high efficacy for the target receptor. Materials and Methods: Structures of human protein methyl-transferase DOT1L and natural compound databases were downloaded from various sources. Virtual screening, molecular docking, dynamics simulation and drug likeness studies were performed for those natural compounds to evaluate and analyze their anti-cancer activity. Results: The top five screened compounds possessing good binding affinity were identified as potential high affinity inhibitors against DOT1L's active site. The top ranking molecule amongst the screened ligands had a Glide g-score of -10.940 kcal/mol and Glide e-model score of -86.011 with 5 hydrogen bonds and 12 hydrophobic contacts. This ligand's behaviour also showed consistency during the simulation of protein-ligand complex for 20000 ps, which is indicative of its stability in the receptor pocket. Conclusions: The ligand obtained out of this screening study can be considered as a potential inhibitor for DOT1L and further can be treated as a lead for the drug designing pipeline.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.629-635
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• 2014

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fatal hematological malignancy which is resistant to a variety of chemotherapy drugs. Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), a death-inhibiting protein that regulates apoptosis, has been shown to be overexpressed in numerous malignancies. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the expression level of the Mcl-1 gene increases at the time of leukemic relapse following chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to target Mcl-1 by small interference RNA (siRNA) and analyze its effects on survival and chemosensitivity of acute myeloid leukemia cell line HL-60. Materials and Methods: siRNA transfection was performed with a liposome approach. The expression levels of mRNA and protein were measured by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. Trypan blue assays were performed to evaluate tumor cell growth after siRNA transfection. The cytotoxic effects of Mcl-1 siRNA (siMcl-1) and etoposide were determined using MTT assay on their own and in combination. Apoptosis was quantified using a DNA-histone ELISA assay. Results: Transfection with siMcl-1 significantly suppressed the expression of Mcl-1 mRNA and protein in a time-dependent manner, resulting in strong growth inhibition and spontaneous apoptosis. Surprisingly, pretreatment with siMcl-1 synergistically enhanced the cytotoxic effect of etoposide. Furthermore, Mcl-1 down-regulation significantly increased apoptosis sensitivity to etoposide. No significant biological effects were observed with negative control siRNA treatment. Conclusions: Our results suggest that specific suppression of Mcl-1 by siRNA can effectively induce apoptosis and overcome chemoresistance of leukemic cells. Therefore, siMcl-1 may be a potent adjuvant in leukemia chemotherapy.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.449-455
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• 2011

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been generated from mouse and human somatic cells by etopic expression of transcription factors. iPS cells are indistinguishable from ES cells in terms of morphology and stem cell marker expression. Moreover, mouse iPS cells give rise to chimeric mice that are competent for germline transmission. However, mice derived from iPS cells often develop tumors. Furthermore, the low efficiency of iPS cell generation is a big disadvantage for mechanistic studies. Nonviral plasmid.based vectors are free of many of the drawbacks that constrain viral vectors. The histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) has been shown to improve the efficiency of mouse and human iPS cell generation, and vitamin C (Vc) accelerates gene expression changes and establishment of the fully reprogrammed state. The MEK inhibitor PD0325901 (Stemgent) has been shown to increase the efficiency of the reprogramming of human primary fibroblasts into iPS cells. In this report, we described the generation of mouse iPS cells devoid of exogenous DNA by the simple transient transfection of a nonviral vector carrying 2A-peptide-linked reprogramming factors. We used VPA, Vc, and the MEK inhibitor PD0325901 to increase the reprogramming efficiency. The reprogrammed somatic cells expressed pluripotency markers and formed EBs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2008

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) mediates various responses to stress through CRF receptors 1 and 2. CRF receptor 2 has two forms, $2{\alpha}$ and $2{\beta}$ each of which appears to have distinct roles. Here we used dopaminergic neuron-derived MN9D cells to investigate the function of CRF receptor 2 in dopamine neurons. We found that n-butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, induced MN9D cell differentiation and increased gene expression of all CRF receptors. CRF receptor $2{\beta}$ was minimally expressed in MN9D cells; however, its expression dramatically increased during differentiation. CRF receptor $2{\beta}$ expression levels appeared to correlate with neurite outgrowth, suggesting CRF receptor $2{\beta}$ involvement in neuronal differentiation. To validate this statement, we made a CRF receptor $2{\beta}$-overexpressing $MN9D/CRFR2{\beta}$ stable cell line. This cell line showed robust neurite outgrowth and GAP43 overexpression, together with MEK and ERK activation, suggesting MN9D cell neuronal differentiation. From these results, we conclude that CRF receptor $2{\beta}$ plays an important role in MN9D cell differentiation by activating the MEK/ERK signaling pathway.