• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2005

The effects of sedative peptide alkaloids from Zizyphus species on calmodulin- dependent protein kinase II were investigated. Protein kinase II activity was assayed on the basis of its ability to activate tryptophan 5-monooxygenase as its substrate in the presence of calmodulin. All thirteen alkaloids tested were stronger inhibitors than chlorpromazine ($IC_50,\;98{\mu}M$) on calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Among them, the most potent inhibitor was daechuine S27 ($IC_{50},\;2.95{\mu}M$), which was stronger than pimozide ($IC_{50},\;15.0{\mu}M$).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 1996

Secretion of surfactant phospholipid can be stimulated by a variety of agonists acting via at least three different signal transduction mechanisms. These include the adenylate cyclase system with activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase; activation of protein kinase C either directly or subsequent to activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and generation of diacylglycerols and inositol trisphosphate; and a third mechanism that involves incresed $Ca^{2+}$ levels and a calmodulin-dependent step. ATP stimulates secretion via all three mechanisms. The protein kinase C pathway is also coupled to phopholipase D which, acting on relatively abundant cellular phospholipids, generates diacylglycerols that further activate protein kinase C. Sustained protein kinase C activation can maintain phosphatidylcholine secretion for a prolonged period of time. It is likely that interactions between the different signaling pathways have an important role in the overall physiological regulation of surfactant secretion.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.659-664
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• 1999

To investigate the difference of contractile mechanism between KCI and phenylephrine-induced contraction, we observed effects of $Ca^{2+}$ antagonists and protein kinase inhibitors on aorta contraction of rats. Verapamil dose-dependently inhibited the contraction induced by KCI and phenylephrine, the inhibitory effect of verapamil was more potent in KCI-induced contraction than phenylephrine-induced contraction. Econazole and TMB-8 significantly inhibited CKI-induced contraction but did not inhibit phenylephrine-induced contraction. Staurosporine dose-dependently inhibited both KCI and phenylephrine-induced contraction. Genistein and calmodulin antagonists (W-7 and trifluoperazine) also inhibited both contraction in a dose dependent manner. However, the inhibitory effects of genistein and calmodulin antagonists were more potent in phenylephrine-induced contraction than KCI-induced contraction. These results suggest that involvements of $Ca^{2+}$ channel and protein kinase in rat aorta contraction were dependent on agonist causing aorta smooth muscle contraction.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the inhibition mechanism of cancer cell proof iferation caused by the petroleum-ether extract of ginseng against human rectum (HRT-18), colon (HT-29), llepatoma (Hep G2) and prostate (LNCaP) cancer cells and monkey kidney cells (Vero 76). Cells were treated with the petroleum-ether extract of ginseng (50 to 200 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) in G1 or S phase of the cell cycle, and proliferation and protein kinase C activity were measured. The petroleum-eth or extract of ginseng inhibited proliferation of HRT-18, HT-29, Hep G2 and LNCaP when treated in Gl phase, but not in S phase. This result shows that the ginseng extract arrests the cell cycle in G1 phase, resulting in the inhibition of cell proliferation. At the same concentrations, treatment of the ginseng extract in G1 phase decreased protein kinase C activity, while the treatment in S phase had no effect. This reault suggests that protein kinase C might be involved in the inhibition of the cell cycle and proliferation of cancer cells caused by the petroleum-ether extract of ginseng.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 1998

Hypoglycemic action of brazilin was found to be based on the improvement of peripheral glucose utility, and this action might be correlated with the insulin action pathway. In the present study we investigated the effect of brazilin on the insulin receptor autophosphorylation, protein kinase C (PKC), protein phosphatase and insulin receptor serine kinase in order to confirm whether the hypoglycemic mechanism is concerned with insulin action pathway. Brazilin was found to inhibit PKC and insulin receptor serine kinase, which are involved in the regulation of insulin signal pathway. But any significant effect was not shown on insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity, autophosphorylation and phosphatase activity. These findings suggest that brazilin might enhance insulin receptor function by decreasing serine phosphorylation, which might mediate hypoglycemic effect of brazilin.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.235-240
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• 2002

Streptomycetes is a group of Gram-positive soil bacteria that growas a branching vegetative mycelium leading to the formation of spores, and display a physiological differenti-ation related to the synthesis of many secondary metabolites including antibiotics. Their complex life cycle and multicellular differentiation require various levels of regulation and types of signal transduction systems including eukaryotic-type serine/threonine protein kinases and prokaryotic-type histidine/aspartic acid protein kinases. Akt kinase that was found in cells is a sorine/threonine kinase controlling signal pathway for multi-tude of important cellular events. The activation or inactivation of Akt kinase in the cell is one of the critical regulatory points to deliver cell proliferation, differentiation, survival or apoptosis signal. To find the regula-tory protein homologous to Akt in Streptomyces, the fluorescien-labeled synthetic peptide (FITC-TRRSR-TESIT) was designed from the consensus sequence of target proteins for Akt kinase. From the difference of the mobility between the nonphosphorylated and phosphorylated synthetic peptides on Agarose gel electro-phoresis, the Akt-phosphorylating activity was monitored. The cell-free extract prepared from Streptomyces griseus IFO 13350 and the Akt homologous protein was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and many steps of column chromatographies such as, DEAE-Sepharose, Mono Q, Resource Phenyl-Soporose and Gel permeation column chromatographies. As a result, the protein phosphorylating the fluorescien-labeled Akt substrate was identified and it's molecular weight was estimated as 39 kDa on SDS-PAGE.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.325-332
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• 1998

In vitro phosphorylation experiments with a cell extract of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) M130 in the presence of ${\gamma}-[^32P]$]ATP revealed the presence of multiple phosphorylated proteins, including the AfsR/AfsK kinases which control the biosynthesis of A-factor, actinorhodin, and undecylprodigiosin. Phosphorylation of AfsR by a cell extract as an AfsK source was significantly inhibited by Ser/Thr protein kinase inhibitors, staurosporine and K-252a, at concentrations giving 50% inhibition ($IC_50$) of $1{\mu}M\;and\;0.1{\mu}M$, respectively. Further in vitro experiments with the cell extracts showed that phosphorylation of multiple proteins was inhibited by various protein kinase inhibitors with different inhibitory profiles. Manganese and calcium ions in the reaction mixture also modulate phosphorylation of multiple proteins. Manganese at 10 mM greatly enhanced the phosphorylation and partially circumvented the inhibition caused by staurosporine and K-252a. A calcium-activated protein kinase(s) was little affected by these inhibitors. Herbimycin and radicicol, which are known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, did not show any significant inhibition of AfsR phosphorylation. Consistent with the in vitro effect of the kinase inhibitors, they inhibited aerial mycelium formation and pigmented antibiotic production on solid media. On the contrary, when assayed in liquid culture, the amount of actinorhodin produced was increased by staurosporine and K-252a and greatly decreased by manganese. All of these data clearly show that the genus Streptomyces possesses several protein kinases of eukaryotic types which are involved in the regulatory network for morphogenesis and secondary metabolism.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.171-176
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• 1993

Protein kinase C, a protein related in PI cascade, was partially purified from the cytosol protein of etiolated plants of Glycine max by DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography and phenylsepharose chromatography. When the DEAE column was eluted with 0-0.8 M linear gradient KCl, tow fractions were found that increased the phosphorylation of histon H1 about five and nine-fold in the presence of 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL phosphatidylserine and 0.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL diolein, respectively. These fractions were used as DEAE pool. The reaction eluted with relatively high concentration of KCl was loaded on phyenylsepharose column with 5 mM CaCl2 and eluted with 1 mM EGTA. A fraction contained the protein kinase C, which increased the phosphorylation of the histon H1 was fractionated. To determine the molecular weight of PKC, the fraction eluted from phenylsepharose column was analyzed by 5~15% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after concentrated with the Amicon membrane (YM10). That revealed two bands corresponding to 60 and 65 kGy by silver staining of the gel, respectively.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2000

Phosphorylation of the eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF-2) blocks the elongation step of translation and stops overall protein synthesis. Although the overall rate of protein synthesis in mitosis reduces to 20% of that in S phase, it is unclear how the protein translation procedure is regulated during the cell cycle, especially in the stage of peptide elongation. To delineate the regulation of the elongation step through eEF-2 function, the changes in phosphorylation of eEF-2, and in activity of corresponding $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase III (CaMK-III) during the cell cycle of NIH 3T3 cells, were determined. The in vivo level of phosphorylated eEF-2 showed an 80% and 40% increase in the cells arrested at G1 and M, respectively. The activity of CaMK-III also changed in a similar pattern, more than a 2-fold increase when arrested at G1 and M. The activity change of the kinase during one turn of the cell cycle also demonstrated the activation at G1 and M phases. The activity change of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) was reciprocal to that of CaMK-III. These results indicated: (1) the activity of CaMK-III was cell cycle-dependent and (2) the level of eEF-2 phosphorylation followed the kinase activity change. Therefore, the elongation step of protein synthesis might be cell cycle dependently regulated.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.44-49
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• 2008

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of kinases involved in the transduction of cellular signals that promote lipid hydrolysis. PKC plays a pivotal role in mediating cellular responses to extracellular stimuli involved in proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Comparative analysis of the PKC-${\alpha},{\beta},{\varepsilon}$ isozymes of 200 recently sequenced microbial genomes was carried out using variety of bioinformatics tools. Diversity and evolution of PKC was determined by sequence alignment. The ser/thr protein kinases of Streptomyces coelicolor A3 (2), is the only bacteria to show sequence alignment score greater than 30% with all the three PKC isotypes in the sequence alignment. S.coelicolor is the subject of our interest because it is notable for the production of pharmaceutically useful compounds including anti-tumor agents, immunosupressants and over two-thirds of all natural antibiotics currently available. The comparative analysis of three human isotypes of PKC and Serine/threonine protein kinase of S.coelicolor was carried out and possible mechanism of action of PKC was derived. Our analysis indicates that Serine/ threonine protein kinase from S. coelicolor can be a good candidate for potent anti-tumor agent. The presence of three representative isotypes of the PKC super family in this organism helps us to understand the mechanism of PKC from evolutionary perspective.