• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.457-461
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• 2008

DNA damage checkpoint is an important self-defense mechanism for the maintenance of genome stability. Defects in DNA damage signaling and repair lead to various disorders and increase tumor incidence in humans. In the past 10 years, we have identified many components involved in the DNA damage-signaling pathway, including the product of breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1). Mutations in BRCA1 are associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, highlighting the importance of this DNA damage-signaling pathway in tumor suppression. While it becomes clear that BRCA1 plays a crucial role in the DNA damage responsive pathway, exactly how BRCA1 receives DNA damage signals and exerts its checkpoint function has not been fully addressed. A series of recent studies reported the discovery of many novel components involved in DNA damage-signaling pathway. These newly identified checkpoint proteins, including RNF8, RAP80 and CCDC98, work in concern in recruiting BRCA1 to DNA damage sites and thus regulate BRCA1 function in G2/M checkpoint control. This review will summarize these recent findings and provide an updated view of the regulation of BRCA1 in response to DNA damage.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2006

Genetic alternation of Brca1 predispose of breast and ovarian cancer. Brca1 plays critical role in cell cycle regulation following DNA damage. Previous studies revealed that Brca1 plays an important role in S phase and G2/M checkpoint regulation. However, whether Brca1 involves in spindle checkpoint is unclear. In this study, the role of Brca1 in cell cycle response following nocodazole, which is a reagent that depolymerizes microtubules and activates the spindle checkpoint, has been examined using wild type $p53^{-/-}\;and\;p53^{-/-}Brca1^{-/-}$ mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). While wild type and Brca1-proficient MEFs showed an acute mitotic arrest, Brca1-deficient MEFs failed to arrest at mitotic phase in response to nocodazole treatment. In double-thymidine block and nocodazole treatment experiment, a portion of $p53^{-/-}\;Brca1^{-/-}$ MEFs were clearly by-passed nocodazole induced mitotic arrest. Consistent with this, in morphologic analysis, $p53^{-/-}\;Brca1^{-/-}$ MEFs showed growing cell morphology after nocodazole treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that Brca1 protein is an important component for normal induction of spindlecheckpoint and impairment of Brca1 function could induce dysregulation of mitotic cell cycle that ultimately results in genomic instability.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.136-141
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• 2005

Mild stresses such as high temperature ($30^{\circ}C$) or a low $H_2O_2$ concentration induced transient cell cycle arrest at G1/S or G2/M depending on the cell cycle stage at which the stress was applied. When stresses were introduced during G0 or G1, the G1/S checkpoint was mainly used; when stresses were introduced after S phase, G2/M was the primary checkpoint. The slowing of cell cycle progression was associated with transient delays in expression of A-, B-, and D-type cyclins. The delay in expression of NtcycA13, one of the A-type cyclins, was most pronounced. The levels of expression of Ntcyc29 (a cyclin B gene) and of CycD3-1 differed most depending on the applied stress, suggesting that different cellular adjustments to mild heat and a low concentration of $H_2O_2$ are reflected in the expression of these two cyclins.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.362-370
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• 2001

Regulation of cell proliferation is a complex process involving the regulated expression and /or modification of discrete gene products. which control transition between different stages of the cycle. The purpose of this short review is to provide an overview of somatic cell cycle events and their controls. Cycline have appeared as major positive regulators in this network, because their association to the cyclin-dependent kinases(Cdks) allows the subsequent activation on the Cdk/cyclin complexes and their catalatic activity. In mammalian cells, early to mid G1 progression and late G1 progression leading to S phase entry are directed by D-type cyclins-Cdk4, 6 and cyclin E-Cdk 2 both of which can phosphorylate the retinoblastoma protein (pRB). pRB is a transcriptional repressor which, in its unphosphorylated state, binds to members of the E2F transcription factor family and blocks E2F-dependent transcription of genes controlling the G1 to S phase transition an subsequent DNA synthesis. Cyclin A is produced in late G1 and expressed during S and G2 phae, and expression of B-type cyclins is typically maximal during the G2 to M phase transition and it controls the passage through M phase. They primarily associate with the activate Cdk2, and Cdc2, respectively. On the other hand, the Cdk inhibitors negatively control the activity of C아/cyclin complex by coordinating internal and/or external signals and impending proliferation at several key checkpoints. These current and further findings will provide novel approaches to understanding and treating major diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1067-1075
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• 2011

Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 98 (CCDC98) plays a role in G2/M DNA damage checkpoint pathways by recruiting breast cancer 1 (BRCA1)-A complex to the DNA-damaged sites. However, the molecular mechanism of CCDC98 on the DNA damage-induced G2/M checkpoint pathways is unclear. In this study, we identifed Wilms tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) as a novel CCDC98-binding protein, using tandem affinity purification. We confirmed the association between CCDC98 and WTAP using in vivo and in vitro binding assays. We demonstrated that CCDC98 regulates cyclin B1 expression by affecting WTAP protein stability. Based on these results, we suggest that CCDC98 may act as a novel cell cycle regulator by regulating the expression level of cyclin B1.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.9
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• pp.699-704
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• 2016

Developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) plays an important role in cell growth. Here we explored the linkage between DRG2 and G2/M phase checkpoint function in cell cycle progression. We observed that knockdown of DRG2 in HeLa cells affected growth in a wound-healing assay, and tumorigenicity in nude mice xenografts. Flow cytometry assays and [$^3H$] incorporation assays indicated that G2/M phase arrest was responsible for the decreased proliferation of these cells. Knockdown of DRG2 elicited down-regulation of the major mitotic promoting factor, the cyclin B1/Cdk1 complex, but upregulation of the cell cycle arresting proteins, Wee1, Myt1, and p21. These findings identify a novel role of DRG2 in G2/M progression.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.155-159
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• 2013

Honokiol, a naturally occurring neolignan mainly found in Magnolia species, has exhibited a potential anti-proliferative activity in human cancer cells. However, the growth inhibitory activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms has been poorly determined. The present study was designed to examine the anti-proliferative effect of honokiol in SK-HEP-1 human hepatocellular cancer cells. Honokiol exerted anti-proliferative activity with cell-cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and sequential induction of apoptotic cell death. The cell-cycle arrest was well correlated with the down-regulation of checkpoint proteins including cyclin D1, cyclin A, cyclin E, CDK4, PCNA, retinoblastoma protein (Rb), and c-Myc. The increase of sub-G1 peak by the higher concentration of honokiol ($75{\mu}M$) was closely related to the induction of apoptosis, which was evidenced by decreased expression of Bcl-2, Bid, and caspase-9. Hohokiol was also found to attenuate the activation of signaling proteins in the Akt/mTOR and ERK pathways. These findings suggest that the anti-proliferative effect of honokiol was associated in part with the induction of cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and dow-nregulation of Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in human hepatocellular cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.832-837
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• 2013

In this study, it was investigated the possible mechanisms by which glutamine deprivation exerts its anti-proliferative action in cultured human prostate carcinoma PC3 cells. Glutamine deprivation resulted in inhibition of growth and G2/M arrest of the cell cycle in a time-dependent manner without apoptosis induction, as determined by MTT assay, DAPI staining and flow cytometry analyses. The induction of G2/M arrest by glutamine deprivation was associated with the inhibition of expression of Cdc2, cyclin A and cyclin B1, and up-regulation of the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1) in both transcriptional and translational levels. Moreover, glutamine deprivation increased the phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase (Chk)1 and Chk2; however, the levels of Cdc25C phosphorylation were decreased in response to glutamine deprivation in a time-dependent manner. Our data provide a first biochemical evidence that glutamine deprivation suppresses cell viability through G2/M phase arrest without induction of apoptosis in PC3 cells.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.175-181
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• 2015

Cells proliferate via repeating process that growth and division. This process is G1, S, G2 and M four phases consists. Monitoring the progression of the cell cycle is a specific step that to be a continuous process is repeated to adjust the start of the next step. At this time, this process is called a Checkpoint. Currently, there are three known checkpoints that G1-S phase, G2-M phase, and the M phase. In this study, we confirmed that cell cycle arrest effects by ethanol extracts of Artemisia annua Linne (AAE) in Hep3B liver cancer cells. AAE was regulated proteins which involved in cell cycle such as pAkt, pMDM2, p53, p21, pCDK2 (T14/Y15). AAE induced cell cycle arrest in G1 checkpoint through phosphorylation of CDK2. Akt and p53 upstream is inhibited by AAE and p53 activated by non-activated pMDM2, p53 inhibitor. Thereby, activated p53 is transcript to p21 and activated p21 protein is combined with Cyclin E-pCDK2 complex. Therefore, we confirmed that AAE-induced cell cycle arrest was occurred by p21-Cyclin E-pCDK2 complex by inhibition of pAkt signal. Because of this cell cycle can't pass to S phase from G1 phase.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.4 s.20
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• pp.260-265
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• 2005

Purpose: The protein kinase Chk1 is required for cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage and is shown to play an important role in the G2/M checkpoint. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between microsatellite instability and frameshift mutation of the Chk1 gene in gastric cancers. Materials and Methods: The microsatellite instability was analyzed in 95 primary gastric carcinomas by using microdissection and 6 microsatellite markers. We also peformed single strand conformational polymorphism and sequencing to detect frameshift mutation of the Chk1 gene. Results: We found positive microsatellite instability in 19 (20%) of the 95 gastric cancers, 13 high- and 6 low-frequency microsatellite instability cases. The frameshift mutation of Chk1, which resulted in a truncated Chk1 protein, was detected in two high-frequency microsatellite instability cases. Conclusion: These data suggest that the microsatellite instability may contribute to the development of gastric carcinomas through inactivation of Chk1.