• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.556-561
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• 2012

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is responsible for the conversion of estrone sulfate to estrone that can stimulate growth in endocrine-dependent tumors such as prostate cancer. Although STS is considered as a therapeutic target for the estrogen-dependent diseases, cellular function of STS are still not clear. Previously, we found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ significantly enhances steroid sulfatase expression in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells through PI3K/Akt-dependent pathways. Here, we studied whether bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which are known to induce TNF-${\alpha}$ may increase STS expression. Treatment with LPS in PC-3 cells induced STS mRNA and protein in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Using luciferase reporter assay, we found that LPS enhanced STS promoter activity. Moreover, STS expression induced by LPS increased PC-3 tumor cell migration determined by wound healing assay. We investigated that LPS induced IL-6 expression and IL-6 increased STS expression. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that LPS induces STS expression through IL-6 pathway in human prostate cancer cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1406-1415
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• 2022

The formation of macrophage foam cells stimulated by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is deemed an important cause of atherosclerosis. Transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1), which is a universally expressed multifunctional protein, is closely related to cell metabolism disorders such as lipid metabolism, sugar metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. However, whether YY1 is involved in macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation still remains unknown. After mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells were induced by ox-LDL, YY1 and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) expressions were found to be increased while low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression was lowly expressed. Subsequently, through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot analysis, Oil Red O staining and cholesterol quantification, it turned out that silencing of YY1 attenuated the inflammatory response and lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 cells caused by ox-LDL. Moreover, results from the JASPAR database, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis suggested that YY1 activated PCSK9 by binding to PCSK9 promoter and modulated the expression of LDLR in the downstream of PCSK9. In addition, the results of functional experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of YY1 interference on ox-LDL-mediated macrophage inflammation and lipid accumulation were reversed by PCSK9 overexpression. To sum up, YY1 depletion inhibited its activation of PCSK9, thereby reducing cellular inflammatory response, cholesterol homeostasis imbalance, and lipid accumulation caused by ox-LDL.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.920-929
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• 2024

As a pivotal defensive line against multitudinous malignant tumors, natural killer (NK) cells exist in the tumor microenvironment (TME). RAD18 E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase (RAD18) has been reported to foster the malignant progression of multiple cancers, but its effect on NK function has not been mined. Here, the study was designed to mine the mechanism by which RAD18 regulates the killing effect of NK cells on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Expression of E2F Transcription Factor 7 (E2F7) and RAD18 in CRC tissues, their correlation, binding sites, and RAD18 enrichment pathway were analyzed by bioinformatics. Expression of E2F7 and RAD18 in cells was assayed by qRT-PCR and western blot. Dual-luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay verified the regulatory relationship between E2F7 and RAD18. CCK-8 assay was utilized to assay cell viability, colony formation assay to detect cell proliferation, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test to assay NK cell cytotoxicity, ELISA to assay levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and immunofluorescence to detect expression of toxic molecules perforin and granzyme B. High expression of RAD18 and E2F7 was found in CRC tissues and cells. Silencing RAD18 could hamper the proliferation of CRC cells, foster viability and cytotoxicity of NK cells, and increase the secretion of GM-CSF, TNF-α, IFN-γ as well as the expression of perforin and granzyme B. Additionally, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assay ascertained the binding relationship between RAD18 promoter region and E2F7. E2F7 could activate the transcription of RAD18, and silencing RAD18 reversed the inhibitory effect of E2F7 overexpression on NK cell killing. This work clarified the inhibitory effect of the E2F7/RAD18 axis on NK cell killing in CRC, and proffered a new direction for immunotherapy of CRC in targeted immune microenvironment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1338-1343
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• 2007

Angiogenesis is an essential step in tumor progress and metastasis. Accordingly, small molecules that inhibit angiogenesis would appear to be a promising way to cure angiogenesis-related diseases, including cancer. In the present study, we report that streptochlorin, a small molecule from marine actinomycete, exhibits a potent antiangiogenic activity. The compound potently inhibited endothelial cell invasion and tube formation stimulated with vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) at low micromolar concentrations where it showed no cytotoxicity to the cells. In addition, streptochlorin inhibited TNF-${\alpha}$-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in the newly developed cell-based reporter gene assay. These data demonstrate that streptochlorin is a new inhibitor of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and can be a basis for the development of novel anti-angiogenic agents.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.117-122
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• 1998

D-raf, a Drosophila homolog of the human c-raf-1, is known as a signal transducer in cell proliferation and differentiation. A previous study found that the D-raf gene expression is regulated by the DNA replication-related element (DRE)/DRE-binding factor (DREF) system. In this study, we found the sequences homologous to transcription factor C/EBP, MyoD, STAT and Myc recognition sites in the D-raf promoter. We have generated various base substitutional mutations in these recognition sites and subsequently examined their effects on D-raf promoter activity through transient CAT assays in Kc cells with reporter plasmids p5'-878DrafCAT carrying the mutations in these binding sites. Through gel mobility shift assay using nuclear extracts of Kc cells, we detected factors binding to these recognition sites. Our results show that transcription factor C/EBP, STAT and Myc binding sites in D-raf promoter region play a positive role in transcriptional regulation of the D-raf gene and the Myo D binding site plays a negative role.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.48-55
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• 2001

When an elongating RNA polymerase encounters DNA damage on the template strand of a transcribed gene it can either be arrested by or be transcribed through the lesion. Lesions that arrest RNA polymerases are thought to be subject to transcription-coupled repair, whereas that damage that is bypassed can cause miscoding, resulting in mutations in the transcript (transcriptional mutagenesis). We have developed a technique using a plasmid-based luciferase reporter assay to determine the extent to which a particular type of DNA base modification is capable of causing transcriptional mutagenesis in vivo. The system uses Escherichia coli strains with different DNA repair backgrounds and is designed to detect phenotypic changes caused by transcriptional mutageneis under nongrowth conditions. In addition, this method is capable of indicating the extent to which a particular DNA repair enzyme (or pathway) suppresses the occurrence of transcriptional mutagenesis. Thus, this technique provides a tool with which the effects of various genes on non-replication-dependent pathways resulting in the generation of mutant proteins can be gauged.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.285-290
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• 2005

We demonstrate that radicicol, a macrocyclic antifungal antibiotic originally isolated from Monosporium bonorden, inhibits LPS-induced expression of iNOS gene in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment of peritoneal macrophages and RAW 264.7 cells with radicicol inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide production in a dose-related manner. Immunohistochemical staining of iNOS and RTPCR analysis showed that the decrease of NO was due to the inhibition of iNOS gene expression in RAW 264.7 cells. Immunostaining of p65, EMSA, and reporter gene assay showed that radicicol inhibited $NF-\kappa/Rel$ nuclear translocation. DNA binding, and transcriptional activation, respectively. Collectively, these series of experiments indicate that radicicol inhibits iNOS gene expression by blocking $NF-\kappa/Rel$ nuclear translocation. Due to the critical role that NO release plays in mediating inflammatory responses, the inhibitory effects of radicicol on iNOS suggest that radicicol may represent a useful anti-inflammatory agent.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.113-113
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• 2001

Stable MCF-7-ERE cells, in which pERE-Luc reporter gene has been stably integrated into the genome of the MCF-7 cells, were used to detect the estrogenic activity of various dietary flavonoids in either pure chemical or mixtures. Estradiol (E2) induced luciferase activity in dose dependent manner and this activity was inhibited by tamoxifen (Tam) concomitant treatment. A large series of flavonoids showed estrogenic activities, corresponding to EC5O values between 0.2 and 9 microM and their mixtures didn't show additive or synergistic effects. And we could find some structure and activity relationship. First, 4-methoxylation and catechol structure decreased estrogenic activities. Second, hydroxylation of 3 position reduced estrogenic effect. Third glycosides of flavonoids showed weak estrogenic activity or no activity. Interestingly, when tested at high concentrations, genistein, kaempferol, biochanin A and chrysin elicited luciferase induction higher than that of the maximum induction by estradiol. And these effects of genistein and kaempferol could not be fully inhibited with tamoxifen

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.154-159
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• 2009

JARID1B (jumonji AT rich interactive domain 1B) is a large nuclear protein that is highly expressed in breast cancers and is proposed to function as a repressor of gene expression. In this paper, a phage display screen using the N-terminus of JARID1B as bait identified one of the JARID1B interacting proteins, namely PcG protein (Polycomb group) hPc2. We demonstrated that the C-terminal region, including the COOH box, was required for the interaction with the N-terminus of JARID1B. In a reporter assay system, co-expression of JARID1B with hPc2 significantly enhanced the transcriptional repression. These results support a role for hPc2 acting as a transcriptional co-repressor.