• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.441-447
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• 2019

RAS gene mutations are frequently found in one third of human cancers. Affecting approximately 1 in 1,000 newborns, germline and somatic gain-of-function mutations in the components of RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (RAS/MAPK) pathway has been shown to cause developmental disorders, known as RASopathies. Since RAS-MAPK pathway plays essential roles in proliferation, differentiation and migration involving developmental processes, individuals with RASopathies show abnormalities in various organ systems including central nervous system. The frequently seen neurological defects are developmental delay, macrocephaly, seizures, neurocognitive deficits, and structural malformations. Some of the defects stemmed from dysregulation of molecular and cellular processes affecting early neurodevelopmental processes. In this review, we will discuss the implications of RAS-MAPK pathway components in neurodevelopmental processes and pathogenesis of RASopathies.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.189-195
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• 2014

The NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway transcriptionally controls a large set of target genes that play important roles in cell survival, inflammation, and immune responses. While many studies showed anti-tumorigenic and pro-survival role of NF-${\kappa}B$ in cancer cells, recent findings postulate that NF-${\kappa}B$ participates in a senescence-associated cytokine response, thereby suggesting a tumor restraining role of NF-${\kappa}B$. In this review, we discuss implications of the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway in cancer. Particularly, we emphasize the connection of NF-${\kappa}B$ with cellular senescence as a response to chemotherapy, and furthermore, present examples how distinct oncogenic network contexts surrounding NF-${\kappa}B$ produce fundamentally different treatment outcomes in aggressive B-cell lymphomas as an example.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.703-703
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• 2009

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권9호
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• pp.672-684
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• 2014

The exact causes of cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain unknown despite extensive studies on PD.The identification of signaling and metabolic pathways involved in PD might provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying PD. The neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ($MPP^+$) induces cellular changes characteristic of PD, and $MPP^+$-based models have been extensively used for PD studies. In this study, pathways that were significantly perturbed in $MPP^+$-treated human neuroblastoma SH-EP cells were identified from genome-wide gene expression data for five time points (1.5, 3, 9, 12, and 24 h) after treatment. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein processing pathway showed significant perturbation at all time points. Perturbation of each of these pathways resulted in the common outcome of upregulation of DNA-damage-inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3). Genes involved in ER protein processing pathway included ubiquitin ligase complex genes and ER-associated degradation (ERAD)-related genes. Additionally, overexpression of DDIT3 might induce oxidative stress via glutathione depletion as a result of overexpression of CHAC1. This study suggests that upregulation of DDIT3 caused by perturbation of the MAPK signaling pathway and ER protein processing pathway might play a key role in $MPP^+$-induced neuronal cell death. Moreover, the toxicity signal of $MPP^+$ resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction through inhibition of complex I of the electron transport chain might feed back to the mitochondria via ER stress. This positive feedback could contribute to amplification of the death signal induced by $MPP^+$.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.50-54
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• 2018

Atg5 and Atg7 have long been considered as essential molecules for autophagy. However, we found that cells lacking these molecules still form autophagic vacuoles and perform autophagic protein degradation when subjected to certain stressors. During this unconventional autophagy pathway, autophagosomes appeared to be generated in a Rab9-dependent manner by the fusion of vesicles derived from the trans-Golgi and late endosomes. Therefore, mammalian autophagy can occur via at least two different pathways; the Atg5/Atg7-dependent conventional pathway and an Atg5/Atg7-independent alternative pathway.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.90.01-90.13
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• 2022

Background: Insulin regulates glucose homeostasis and has important effects on metabolism, cell growth, and differentiation. Depending on the cell type and physiological context, insulin signal has specific pathways and biological outcomes in different tissues and cells. For studying the signal pathway of insulin on glycolipid metabolism in porcine embryonic fibroblast (PEF), we used high-throughput sequencing to monitor gene expression patterns regulated by insulin. Objectives: The goal of our research was to see how insulin affected glucose and lipid metabolism in PEFs. Methods: We cultured the PEFs with the addition of insulin and sampled them at 0, 48, and 72 h for RNA-Seq analysis in triplicate for each time point. Results: At 48 and 72 h, 801 and 1,176 genes were differentially expressed, respectively. Of these, 272 up-regulated genes and 264 down-regulated genes were common to both time points. Gene Ontology analysis was used to annotate the functions of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), the biological processes related to lipid metabolism and cell cycle were dominant. And the DEGs were significantly enriched in interleukin-17 signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling pathway, pyruvate metabolism, and others pathways related to lipid metabolism by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Conclusions: These results elucidate the transcriptomic response to insulin in PEF. The genes and pathways involved in the transcriptome mechanisms provide useful information for further research into the complicated molecular processes of insulin in PEF.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.402-409
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• 2020

신경괴사증바이러스(NNV)는 25 nm의 작은 입자 크기에 RNA1 (3.4 kb, RdRp), RNA2 (1.4 kb, capsid protein) 두 가닥의 RNA를 유전정보를 가진다. NNV는 1980년대 말 처음 보고된 이후 전 세계적으로 120여종의 어류에 감염을 일으키며 심각한 피해를 일으키고 있는 바이러스이다. NNV 감염에 의한 피해를 최소화하고 효율적인 백신들을 개발하기 위해서는 무엇보다 NNV 감염에 따른 세포내 신호전달체계를 이해할 필요가 있다. NNV는 세포내 감염 이후 숙주가 가진 바이러스 복제에 필요한 요소들을 이용할 수 있도록 숙주세포의 cell cycle arrest 등의 기작을 이용하는 것으로 알려졌다. 반면에 숙주 세포는 NNV와 감염된 세포를 제어하기 위해 RIG-1-like receptor signaling pathway 등을 통해 NNV 감염을 인지한 다음 IFN signaling pathway를 통해 항바이러스 작용에 필요한 ISG들을 발현시킨다. 또한 감염된 세포들을 사멸시키기 위해 ER stress를 통한 unfolded protein response (UPR), mitochondria-mediated cell death 작용을 통해 감염된 세포의 apoptosis를 유발한다. NNV 감염 기작에 대한 세포신호전달연구는 아직 초기단계이며 검증해야 할 pathway들이 아직도 많이 남아있는 상황이다. 따라서 NNV 감염과 연관된 다양한 세포신호전달체계를 탐색하고 질병 특이적인 세포신호전달체계를 이해함으로써 신속하고 정확한 진단법 및 백신 개발에 많은 도움이 될 것으로 생각된다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제54권7호
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• pp.335-343
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• 2021

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer that can self-renew and differentiate into large tumor masses. Evidence accumulated to date shows that CSCs affect tumor proliferation, recurrence, and resistance to chemotherapy. Recent studies have shown that, like stem cells, CSCs maintain cells with self-renewal capacity by means of asymmetric division and promote cell proliferation by means of symmetric division. This cell division is regulated by fate determinants, such as the NUMB protein, which recently has also been confirmed as a tumor suppressor. Loss of NUMB expression leads to uncontrolled proliferation and amplification of the CSC pool, which promotes the Notch signaling pathway and reduces the expression of the p53 protein. NUMB genes are alternatively spliced to produce six functionally distinct isoforms. An interesting recent discovery is that the protein NUMB isoform produced by alternative splicing of NUMB plays an important role in promoting carcinogenesis. In this review, we summarize the known functions of NUMB and NUMB isoforms related to the proliferation and generation of CSCs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.83-92
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• 2018

The biological significance and deregulation of the Hippo pathway during organ growth and tumorigenesis have received a surge of interest in the past decade. The Hippo pathway core kinases, MST1/2 and LATS1/2, are tumor suppressors that inhibit the oncogenic nuclear function of YAP/TAZ and TEAD. In addition to earlier studies that highlight the role of Hippo pathway in organ size control, cell proliferation, and tumor development, recent evidence demonstrates its critical role in cancer stem cell biology, including EMT, drug resistance, and self-renewal. Here we provide a brief overview of the regulatory mechanisms of the Hippo pathway, its role in cancer stem cell biology, and promising therapeutic interventions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.169-178
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• 2016

Although $N{\alpha}$-terminal acetylation (Nt-acetylation) is a pervasive protein modification in eukaryotes, its general functions in a majority of proteins are poorly understood. In 2010, it was discovered that Nt-acetylation creates a specific protein degradation signal that is targeted by a new class of the N-end rule proteolytic system, called the Ac/N-end rule pathway. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism and biological functions of the Ac/N-end rule pathway, and its crosstalk with the Arg/N-end rule pathway (the classical N-end rule pathway).