• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.447-456
• /
• 2018

Angiotensin-(1-9) [Ang-(1-9)], generated from Ang I by Ang II converting enzyme 2, has been reported to have protective effects on cardiac and vascular remodeling. However, there is no report about the effect of Ang-(1-9) on pulmonary hypertension. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether Ang-(1-9) improves pulmonary vascular remodeling in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertensive rats. Sprague-Dawley rats received Ang-(1-9) ($576{\mu}g/kg/day$) or saline via osmotic mini-pumps for 3 weeks. Three days after implantation of osmotic mini-pumps, 50 mg/kg MCT or vehicle were subcutaneously injected. MCT caused increases in right ventricular weight and systolic pressure, which were reduced by co-administration of Ang-(1-9). Ang-(1-9) also attenuated endothelial damage and medial hypertrophy of pulmonary arterioles as well as pulmonary fibrosis induced by MCT. The protective effects of Ang-(1-9) against pulmonary hypertension were inhibited by Ang type 2 receptor ($AT_2R$) blocker, but not by Mas receptor blocker. Additionally, the levels of LDH and inflammatory cytokines, such as $TNF-{\alpha}$, MCP-1, $IL-1{\beta}$, and IL-6, in plasma were lower in Ang-(1-9) co-treated MCT group than in vehicle-treated MCT group. Changes in expressions of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax, Bcl2, Caspase-3 and -9 in the lung tissue of MCT rats were attenuated by the treatment with Ang-(1-9). These results indicate that Ang-(1-9) improves MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension by decreasing apoptosis and inflammatory reaction via $AT_2R$.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.428-435
• /
• 2006

Specific interaction of the epsin N-terminal homology(ENTH) domain with the plasma membrane appears to bridge other related proteins to the specific regions of the membrane that are invaginated to form endocytic vesicles. An additional $\alpha$-helix, referred to as helix 0 (H0), is formed in the presence of the soluble ligand inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate [$Ins(1,4,5)P_3$] at the N terminus of the ENTH domain (amino acid residues 3-15). The ENTH domain alone and full-length epsin cause tubulation of liposomes made of brain lipids. Thus, it is believed that H0 is membrane-inserted when it is coordinated with the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [$PtdIns(4,5)P_2$], resulting in membrane deformation as well as recruitment of accessory factors to the membrane. However, formation of H0 in a real biological membrane has not been demonstrated. In the present study, the membrane structure of H0 was determined by measurement of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) nitroxide accessibility. H0 was located at the phosphate head-group region of the membrane. Moreover, EPR line-shape analysis indicated that no pre-formed H0-like structure were present on normal acidic membranes. $PtdIns(4,5)P_2$ was necessary and sufficient for interaction of the H0 region with the membrane. H0 was stable only in the membrane. In conclusion, the H0 region of the ENTH domain has an intrinsic ability to form H0 in a $PtdIns(4,5)P_2$-containing membrane, perhaps functioning as a sensor of membrane patches enriched with $PtdIns(4,5)P_2$ that will initiate curvature to form endocytic vesicles.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.47-56
• /
• 2011

Objectives : This study investigated whether the water extract of Spatholobi Caulis (SCE) has the ability to protect hepatocyte against oxidative stress induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBHP) in vitro and $CCl_4$ in vivo. Methods : In vitro, HepG2 cells pre-treated with Spatholobi Caulis water extract (1, 3, 10, $30{\mu}g$/ml) for 12h and further incubated with tBHP ($100{\mu}M$) for the next 12h. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. In vivo, rats were orally administrated with the aqueous extract of Spatholobi Caulis (SCE; 50, 100 mg/kg) for 4 days and then, injected with $CCl_4$ 1 mg/kg body weight to induce acute liver damage. Results : Treatment with SCE inhibited cell death induced by tBHP, as evidenced by alterations in the levels of the proteins associated with apoptosis:SCE prevented a decrease in $Bcl_2$, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase and pro-caspase-3. Moreover, SCE inhibited the ability of tBHP to generate $H_2O_2$ production, thereby restoring GSH content. Moreover, SCE treatments in rats effectively decreased liver injuries induced by a single dose of $CCl_4$, as evidenced by decreases in hepatic degeneration and inflammation as well as plasma alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities. Consistently, treatments of SCE also protected liver in rats stimulated by $CCl_4$, as indicated by restoration GSH and prevention of MDA in the liver. Conclusions : SCE has the ability 1) to protect hepatocyte against oxidative stress induced by tBHP and 2) to prevent $CCl_4$-inducible acute liver toxicity. Present findings may be informative not only in elucidating the pharmacological mechanism of Spatholobi Caulis, but in determining its potential application for oxidative cellular damage in the liver.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.342-346
• /
• 2008

Aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) prevents apoptosis in a wide range of cell types, including PC12 cells. ATA is known to increase the phosphorylation level of IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and downstream signaling proteins. ATA can translocate across the plasma membrane of PC12 cells and inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and, therefore, it is not clear whether ATA exerted its antiapoptotic effect through activation of IGF-1R or by inhibition of cytosolic PTPs. When PC12 cells, deprived of serum, were treated with Fab fragment of anti-IGF-1R antibody to prevent the binding of ATA to the extracellular domain of IGF-1R, ATA was found to penetrate into the cytosolic space of the cells. Under these conditions, the survival-promoting effects of ATA were abolished, and the increase of phosphorylation and characteristic cleavage of IGF-1R were not observed. These results indicate that the antiapoptotic effect of ATA in PC12 cells is due to the binding of ATA to the extracellular domain of IGF-1R and subsequent activation of the IGF-1R, not inhibition of cytosolic PTP(s).

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.349-355
• /
• 2015

EphA7 has been implicated in the regulation of apoptotic cell death in neural epithelial cells. In this report, we provide evidence that EphA7 interacts with caspase-8 to induce apoptotic cell signaling. First, a pull-down assay using biotinylated ephrinA5-Fc showed that EphA7 co-precipitated with wild type caspase-8 or catalytically inactive caspase-8 mutant. Second, co-transfection of EphA7 with caspase-8 significantly increased the number of cleaved caspase-3 positive apoptotic cells under an experimental condition where transfection of EphA7 or caspase-8 alone did not affect cell viability or apoptosis. EphA4 also had a causative role in inducing apoptotic cell death with caspase-8, whereas EphA8 did not. Third, caspase-8 catalytic activity was essential for the apoptotic signaling cascade, whereas tyrosine kinase activity of the EphA4 receptor was not. Interestingly, we found that kinase-inactive EphA4 was well co-localized at the plasma membrane with catalytically inactive caspase-8, suggesting that an interaction between these mutant proteins was more stable. Finally, we observed that the extracellular region of the EphA7 receptor was critical for interacting with caspase-8, whereas the cytoplasmic region of EphA7 was not. Therefore, we propose that Eph receptors physically associate with a transmembrane protein to form an apoptotic signaling complex and that this unidentified receptor-like protein acts as a biochemical linker between the Eph receptor and caspase-8.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.653-661
• /
• 2004

Fluorescence probes located in different membrane regions were used to evaluate the effect of dopamine$.$HCI on the structural parameters (transbilayer lateral mobility, annular lipid fluidity, protein distribution, and thickness of the lipid bilayer) of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV), which were obtained from the bovine cerebral cortex. An experimental procedure was used based on selective quenching of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) by trinitrophenyl groups, and radiationless energy transfer from the tryptophan of membrane pro-teins to Py-3-Py and energy transfer from Py-3-Py monomers to 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) was also utilized. Dopamine$.$HCI increased both the bulk lateral mobility and annular lipid fluidity, and it had a greater fluidizing effect on the inner monolayer than on the outer monolayer. Furthermore, the drug had a clustering effect on membrane proteins.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.2005-2011
• /
• 2012

Nopp140 is a highly phosphorylated protein that resides in the nucleolus of mammalian cell and is involved in the biogenesis of the nucleolus. It interacts with a variety of proteins related to the synthesis and assembly of the ribosome. It also can bind to a ubiquitous protein kinase CK2 that mediates cell growth and prevents apoptosis. We found that Nopp140 is an intrinsically unfolded protein (IUP) lacking stable secondary structures over its entire sequence of 709 residues. We discovered that mitoxantrone, an anticancer agent, was able to enhance the interaction between Nopp140 and CK2 and maintain suppressed activity of CK2. Surface plasma resonance studies on different domains of Nopp140 show that the C-terminal region of Nopp140 is responsible for binding with mitoxantrone. Our results present an interesting example where a small chemical compound binds to an intrinsically unfolded protein (IUP) and enhances protein-protein interactions.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.183-190
• /
• 2009

The plasma membrane-localized BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1) and BRI1-ASSOCIATED KINASE1 (BAK1) are a well-known receptor pair involved in brassinosteroids (BR) signaling in Arabidposis. The formation of a receptor complex in response to BRs and the subsequent activation of cytoplasmic domain kinase activity share mechanistic characteristics with animal receptor kinases. Here, we demonstrate that BRI1 and BAK1 are BR-dependently phosphorylated, and that phosphorylated forms of the two proteins persist for different lengths of time. Mutations of either protein abolished phosphorylation of the counterpart protein, implying transphosphorylation of the receptor kinases. To investigate the specific amino acids critical for formation of the receptor complex and activation of BAK1 kinase activity, we expressed several versions of BAK1 in yeast and plants. L32E and L46E substitutions resulted in a loss of binding of BAK1 to BRI1, and threonine T455 was essential for the kinase activity of BAK1 in yeast. Transgenic bri1 mutant plants overexpressing BAK1(L46E) displayed reduced apical dominance and seed development. In addition, transgenic wild type plants overexpressing BAK1(T455A) lost the phosphorylation activity normally exhibited in response to BL, leading to semi-dwarfism. These results suggest that BAK1 is a critical component regulating the duration of BR efficacy, even though it cannot directly bind BRs in plants.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.6 no.6
• /
• pp.402-409
• /
• 2001

Different bioligands carrying synthetic adsorbents have been reported in the literature for protein separation, We have developed a novel and new approach to obtain high protein ad-sorption capacity utilizing 2-methacrylamidohistidine(MAH) as a bioligand. MAH was synthe-sized by reacting methacrylocholride and histidine, Spherical beads with an average size of 150-200㎛ were obtained by the radical suspension polymerization of MAH and 2-hydrosyethyl-methacrylate(HEMA) conducted in an aqueous dispersion medium. p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads had a specific surface area of 17.6㎡/g . Synthesized MAH monomer was characterized by NMR. p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads were characterized by swelling test, FTIR and elemental analysis. Then Cu(II) ions were incorporated onto the beads and Cu(II) loading was found to be 0.96 mmol/g.These affinity beads with a swelling ration of 65% and containing, 1.6 mmol MAH/g were used in the adsorption/desorption of human serum albumin(HSA) from both aqueous solutions and hu-man serum. The adsorption of HSA onto p(HEM-co-MAH) was low(8.8 mg/g). Cu(II) chelation onto the beads significantly increased the HSA adsorption (56.3 mg/g). The maximum HSA ad-sorption ws observed at pH 8.0 Higher HSA adsorption was observed from human plasma(94.6 mgHSA/g) Adsorption of other serum proteins were obtained as 3.7 mg/g for fibrinogen and 8.5mg/g for γ-globulin. The total protein adsorption was determined as 107.1mg/g. Desorption of HSA was obtained using 0.1 M Tris/HCl buffer containing 0.5 M NaSCN, High desorption rations(up to 98% of the adsorbed HSA) were observed. It was possible to reuse Cu(II) chelated-p(HEMA-co-MAH) beads without significant decreases in the adsorption capacities.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.43 no.9
• /
• pp.821-830
• /
• 2020

Altered dendritic morphology is frequently observed in various neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but the cellular and molecular basis underlying these pathogenic dendritic abnormalities remains largely unclear. In this study, we investigated dendritic morphological defects caused by dipeptide repeat protein (DPR) toxicity associated with G4C2 expansion mutation of C9orf72 (the leading genetic cause of ALS and FTD) in Drosophila neurons and characterized the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Among the five DPRs produced by repeat-associated non-ATG translation of G4C2 repeats, we found that arginine-rich DPRs (PR and GR) led to the most significant reduction in dendritic branches and plasma membrane (PM) supply in Class IV dendritic arborization (C4 da) neurons. Furthermore, expression of PR and GR reduced the number of Golgi outposts (GOPs) in dendrites. In Drosophila brains, expression of PR, but not GR, led to a significant reduction in the mRNA level of CrebA, a transcription factor regulating the formation of GOPs. Overexpressing CrebA in PR-expressing C4 da neurons mitigated PM supply defects and restored the number of GOPs, but the number of dendritic branches remained unchanged, suggesting that other molecules besides CrebA may be involved in dendritic branching. Taken together, our results provide valuable insight into the understanding of dendritic pathology associated with C9-ALS/FTD.