• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2007

To investigate the effects of chitosan on the redifferentiation of dedifferentiated chondrocytes, we used chondrocytes obtained from a micromass culture system. Micromass cultures of chick wing bud mesenchymal cells yielded differentiated chondrocytes, but these dedifferentiated during serial monolayer subculture. When the dedifferentiated chondrocytes were cultured on chitosan membranes they regained the phenotype of differentiated chondrocytes. Expression of protein kinase $C{\alpha}$ ($PKC{\alpha}$) increased during chondrogenesis, decreased during dedifferentiation, and increased again during redifferentiation. Treatment of the cultures with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) inhibited redifferentiation and down-regulated $PKC{\alpha}$. In addition, the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase increased during redifferentiation, and its inhibition suppressed redifferentiation. These findings establish a culture system for producing chondrocytes, point to a new role of chitosan in the redifferentiation of dedifferentiated chondrocytes, and show that $PKC{\alpha}$ and p38 MAP kinase activities are required for chondrocyte redifferentiation in this model system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.28-28
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• 1997

Stimulation of $\alpha$$_1$-adrenergic receptor ($\alpha$$_1$-AR) by phenylephrine produced a decrease in intracellular N $a^{＋}$ activity ( $a_{Na}$ $^{i}$ ) in multicellular preparations of cardiac tissues. The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in $\alpha$$_1$-adrenergic regulation of $a_{Na}$ $^{i}$ was studied in single ventricular myocyte isolated from guinea pig hearts. $a_{Na}$ $^{i}$ and membrane potential were measured with N $a^{+}$ indicator, sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate tetraacetoxy methyl ester (SBFI/AM) and microelectrodes respectively when ventricular myocyte was stimulated at 0.3 Hz.(omitted)d)

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.171-181
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• 1995

Gonadosomatic index (GSI) of the crucian carp (Carassius auratus) was investigated to clarify annual reproductive cycle from February in 1992 to October in 1994. The values of GSI were high with individual variation from April to July which period was coincided with the breeding season of fish. The GSI was very low in August and September, when follicular atresia developed in the ovaries. GSI value began to increase in October and reached a peak around the following March, which indicated that ovarian follicles may grow during this period. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG 10 IU), $17\alpha$, 20\beta-dihydroxyprogesterone\;(1-100{\mu}g/ml)$ and phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA, protein kinase C activator, 0.1-10${\mu}M$) induced germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), but $4\alpha-phorbol$ 12, 13- didicanoate ($4\alpha-PDD,\;phorbol\; ester\;analogue,\;25{\mu}M$) did not induce germinal vesicle breakdown in the follicular oocytes. Prostaglandin $F_{2\alpha}$ $(0.1-10 {\mu}g/ml)$ and TPA $(0.1-10 {\mu}M$ induced ovulation of the oocytes, but $4\alpha-PDD$ $(25{\mu}M)$ did not induce ovulation of the follicles. $17\alpha-hydroxyprogesterone$ production was examined from the isolated follicles to investigate the steroid production ability in the crucian carp ovaries. HCG (1 lU, 10 lU) and forskolin (adenylate cyclase activator, 0.1-10 ${\mu}M$) stimulated $17\alpha-hydroxyprogesterone$ production. The time course of HCG (10 lU) and forskolin $(10\;{\mu}M)$ stimulated $17\alpha-hydroxyprogesterone$ production within 3 hours, the elevated levels were maintained during the rest of the culture period. The data indicates that cyclic AMP and protein kinase C may play important roles in the oocyte maturation and ovulation in crucian carp.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2013

Leaf of Sasa borealis, a species of bamboo, has been reported to exhibit anti-hyperglycemic effect. However, its antidiabetic mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we examined whether an extract of S. borealis activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and exerts anti-hyperglycemic effects. Treatment with the S. borealis extract increased insulin signaling and phosphorylation of AMPK and stimulated the expression of its downstream targets, including $PPAR{\alpha}$, ACO, and CPT-1 in C2C12 cells and $PPAR{\alpha}$ in HepG2 cells. However, inhibition of AMPK activation attenuated insulin signaling and prevented the stimulation of AMPK target genes. The S. borealis extract increased glucose uptake in C2C12 cells and suppressed expression of the gluconeogenic gene, PEPCK in HepG2 cells. The extract significantly reduced blood glucose and triglyceride levels in STZ-induced diabetic mice. The extract enhanced AMPK phosphorylation and increased Glut-4 expression in the skeletal muscle of the mice. These findings demonstrated that the S. borealis extract exerts its anti-hyperglycemic effect through activation of AMPK and enhancement of insulin signaling.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 1999

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment of bone and kidney-derived cells not only activates adenyly cyclase buy also increases intracellular free calcium, and translocates protein kinase C (PKC) from cytosol to plasma membranes. We have found that acute phorbol ester pretreatment significantly decreases PTH-induced calcium transients and the effect of phorbol ester was antagonized by staurosporine (ST). Although the major effect of ST in that study was the reversal of the action of phorbol ester, it appeared that ST may also have promoted the effect of PTH directly. To further investigate the observation, we examined the effect of ST on the intracellular calcium transients induced by PTH and $\alpha$-thrombin ($\alpha$-TH). For calcium transient experiments, UMR-106 cells were loaded with 2 mM fluo-acetoxymethylester for 30 min at room temperature. The cells were then washed and suspended in buffer containing 1 mM calcium. Fluorescence was detected at 530 nm, with excitation at 505 nm. ST alone did not cause calcium transients, but enhanced the transients elicited by PTH response. added 5 min before the hormone. Another protein kinase inhibitor H-7 likewise enhanced the calcium responses elicited by PTH, while genistein did not affect PTH response. Calcium transients elicited by $\alpha$-TH were also enhanced by ST. The results suggest that there might be tonically activated endogenous protein kinase(s) which inhibit calcium signaling of some calcemic agents.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2000

Subconfluent neonatal human epidermal keratinocytes were treated with a concentration 200 ng/$m\ell$ of human recombinant epidermal growth factor (hrEGF), human recombinant insulin-like growth factor-1 (hrIGF-1), and with a combination of hrEGF and hrIGF-1. Cytoplasmic and membrane-associated proteins were extracted and assayed. Proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE, and subjected to the western blot analysis. In the cytoplasmic fraction, the PKC concentration of keratinocyte treated with hrIGF-1 was higher than the control group, but the concentration of control group was the highest than the others in the membrane fraction. In the cytoplasmic fraction, EGF stimulated PKC-$\beta$II, -$\delta$, -$\theta$, and also stimulated PKC-$\alpha$, -$\beta$I, -$\delta$, -$\Im$ and -$\theta$ in the membrane fraction. IGF-1 stimulated PKC-$\beta$I, -$\Im$ and -$\theta$ in the cytoplasmic, PKC-$\alpha$, -$\beta$I, -$\delta$, -$\Im$, - $\varepsilon$ and -$\theta$ in the membrane. In the cells treated with a combination of EGF and IGF-1, PKC-$\alpha$, -$\beta$I, -$\Im$ and -$\theta$ in the cytoplasmic fraction, PKC-$\alpha$, -$\delta$, -$\Im$, -$\varepsilon$ and -$\theta$ in the membrane fraction were stimulated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.1148-1153
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.41-49
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• 2002

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.350-354
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• 1998

To understand the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of chondrogenesis, we examined proteins which are phosphorylated by PKC. Stage 23/24 chick embryo wing mesenchymes were micromass-cultured to induce chondrogenesis and cell extracts were phosphorylated in a condition that activates PKC. Several proteins including 63 and 66 kDa proteins were phosphorylated. The 66 kDa protein was phosphorylated only in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and phosphatidylserine CPS), and the phosphorylation was almost completely diminished by bisindolylmaleimide, a PKC inhibitor. In addition, partially purified PKC increased the phosphorylation of the 66 kDa protein. Treatment of cultures with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) promoted chondrogenesis and phosphorylation of 66 kDa protein, while PMA and thymeleatoxin inhibited both of the two events. Our results suggest that the 66 kDa protein is a putative substrate of PKC, and phosphorylation of the 66 kDa protein, probably by $PKC\alpha$ is required for chondrogenesis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 2015

Background: Korean Red Ginseng has been used as a traditional oriental medicine to treat illness and to promote health for several thousand years in Eastern Asia. It is widely accepted that ginseng saponins, ginsenosides, are the major active ingredients responsible for Korean Red Ginseng's therapeutic activity against many kinds of illness. Although the crude saponin fraction (CSF) displayed antiplatelet activity, the molecular mechanism of its action remains to be elucidated. Methods: The platelet aggregation was induced by collagen, the ligand of integrin ${\alpha}_{II}{\beta}_I$ and glycoprotein VI. The crude saponin's effects on granule secretion [e.g., calcium ion mobilization and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release] were determined. The activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), and p38 MAPK, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt was analyzed by immunoblotting. In addition, the activation of integrin ${\alpha}_{II}b{\beta}_{III}$ was examined by fluorocytometry. Results: CSF strongly inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and ATP release in a concentration-dependent manner. It also markedly suppressed $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ mobilization in collagen-stimulated platelets. Immunoblotting assay revealed that CSF significantly suppressed ERK1/2, p38, JNK, PI3K, Akt, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. In addition, our fraction strongly inhibited the fibrinogen binding to integrin ${\alpha}_{IIb}{\beta}_3$. Conclusion: Our present data suggest that CSF may have a strong antiplatelet property and it can be considered as a candidate with therapeutic potential for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders involving abnormal platelet function.