• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.114-122
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• 2023

A family of signal transduction pathways known as wingless type (Wnt) signaling pathways is essential to developmental processes like cell division and proliferation. Mutation in Wnt signaling results in a variety of diseases, including cancers of the breast, colon, and skin, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative disease; thus, the Wnt signaling pathways have been attractive targets for disease treatment. However, the complicatedness and large involveness of the pathway often hampers pinpointing the specific targets of the metabolic process. In our current study, we investigated the differential metabolic regulation by the overexpression of the Wnt signaling pathway in a timely-resolved manner by applying high-throughput and un-targeted metabolite profiling. We have detected and annotated 321 metabolite peaks from a total of 36 human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells using GC-TOF MS and LC-Orbitrap MS. The un-targeted metabolomic analysis identified the radical reprogramming of a range of central carbon/nitrogen metabolism pathways, including glycolysis, TCA cycle, and glutaminolysis, and fatty acid pathways. The investigation, combined with targeted mRNA profiles, elucidated an explicit understanding of activated fatty acid metabolism (β-oxidation and biosynthesis). The findings proposed detailed mechanistic biochemical dynamics in response to Wnt-driven metabolic changes, which may help design precise therapeutic targets for Wnt-related diseases.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.235-246
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• 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of micro-current stimulation(MCS) on adipogenesis regarding with Wnt/β-catenin pathway using the ob/ob mouse and 3T3-L1 cell line. 6-week old ob/ob male mice were equally assigned to four groups: obese group(ob), obese with MCS groups(50 μA, 200 μA, and 400 μA). 6-week old C57BL/6J male mice were assigned to the control group(CON). We analyzed abdominal adipose tissue volume by using in vivo micro-CT and measured the body weight, feed intake, liver weight and triglycerides in serum. All the MCS groups showed that significantly reduced body weight and triglycerides in serum. In the case of liver weight and abdominal adipose tissue volume, the inhibitory effect of adipogenesis was shown in the 200 μA and 400 μA groups. To elucidate the anti-obesity effect of MCS, β-catenin, C/EBPα and FAS protein expressions were analyzed by western blotting. β-catenin expression was upregulated, C/EBPα and FAS expression were down-regulated in the relatively high-intensity groups(200 μA and 400 μA). Thus, the 200 μA and 400 μA for the intensity of MCS were chosen for cell experiments. In the 3T3-L1 cell line, Wnt/β-catenin pathway including Wnt10b, Wnt3a, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 was activated in all MCS groups. Accordingly, the expression level of C/EBPα was decreased during the differentiation and lipid droplet was significantly reduced in Oil red O staining results. These results suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling might be activated by MCS with current intensities between 200-400 μA and it may lead to anti-obesity effects.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.301-317
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• 2022

Many studies have shown that Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr (abbreviated as JDBM) alloy has good biocompatibility and biodegradability as well as promotion of cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway may play a unique role in joint tissue by controlling the function of chondrocytes, osteoblasts and synoviocytes. However, it is not clear whether the JDBM alloy induces osteochondral repair through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This study aims to verify that JDBM alloy can repair osteochondral defects in rats, which is realized by Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In this study, the osteochondral defect model of the right femoral condyle non-weight-bearing area in rats was established and randomly divided into three groups: Control group, JDBM alloy implantation group and JDBM alloy implantation combined with signaling pathway inhibitor drug ICRT3 injection. It was found that after JDBM alloy implantation, the bone volume fraction (BVF) became larger, the bone trabeculae were increased, the relative expression of osteogenesis gene Runx2, Bmp2, Opn, Ocn and chondrogenesis gene Collagen II, Aggrecan were increased, and the tissue repair was obvious by HE and Masson staining, which could be inhibited by ICRT3.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.21-30
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• 2024

The challenging clinical outcomes associated with advanced cervical cancer underscore the need for a novel therapeutic approach. Monensin, a polyether antibiotic, has recently emerged as a promising candidate with anti-cancer properties. In line with these ongoing efforts, our study presents compelling evidence of monensin's potent efficacy in cervical cancer. Monensin exerts a pronounced inhibitory impact on proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Additionally, monensin significantly inhibited cervical cancer growth in vivo without causing any discernible toxicity in mice. Mechanism studies show that monensin's anti-cervical cancer activity can be attributed to its capacity to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, rather than inducing oxidative stress. Monensin effectively reduces both the levels and activity of β-catenin, and we identify Akt, rather than CK1, as the key player involved in monensin-mediated Wnt/β-catenin inhibition. Rescue studies using Wnt activator and β-catenin-overexpressing cells confirmed that β-catenin inhibition is the mechanism of monensin's action. As expected, cervical cancer cells exhibiting heightened Wnt/β-catenin activity display increased sensitivity to monensin treatment. In conclusion, our findings provide pre-clinical evidence that supports further exploration of monensin's potential for repurposing in cervical cancer therapy, particularly for patients exhibiting aberrant Wnt/β-catenin activation.

• 한국자기공명학회논문지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.72-77
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• 2017

${\beta}-catenin$ is a key signaling protein which regulates cell signaling and gene transcription. Abnormal activation of ${\beta}-catenin$ is linked to many cancers, particularly with colorectal cancers. Although many genetic and biological studies on $Wnt/{\beta}-catenin$ have been reported and structures of the complex between ${\beta}-catenin$ and its diverse binding partners have been published, many of them have focused on armadillo repeat domain of ${\beta}-catenin$. Both N- and C-terminal domains have been suggested to regulate interactions of ${\beta}-catenin$ with other molecules, but still little is known about the C-terminal unstructured domain. To investigate the structure of this domain, construct of C-terminus was designed and structural studies were performed using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. We observed that not only the purified full-length construct but the purified C-terminal construct also dimerizes in solution by SEC, suggesting that this domain involves in dimerization of ${\beta}-catenin$. CD and fluorescence data indicate its flexibility and structural formation in the presence of membrane environments.

• BMB Reports
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• 제52권7호
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• pp.451-456
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• 2019

NDRG1 has been reported to exert pivotal roles in tumor progression and metastasis via Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway. However, little is known about the role of NDRG3 in hepatocarcinogenesis despite its classification in the same subfamily of NDRG1. The present study was aimed to characterize the expression pattern and understand the biological roles of NDRG3 in hepatocarcinogenesis, as a means to exploit its therapeutic potential. It was observed that NDRG3 was up-regulated in HCC tissues and higher NDRG3 expression was associated with significantly shorter overall survival. Furthermore, a lower level of NDRG3 exhibited marked positive correlation with metastasis-free survival. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that knock-down of NDRG3 inhibits HCC metastasis and angiogenesis. We further demonstrated that activation of WNT/${\beta}$-catenin signaling and enhanced CSC-like properties were responsible for NDRG3-mediated promoting effect on HCC. In conclusion, the principal findings demonstrated that high NDRG3 expression facilitates HCC metastasis via regulating the turnover of ${\beta}$-catenin, as well as provides a potential therapeutic target for future therapeutic interventions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.45-53
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• 2017

Aberrant hypermethylation of Wnt antagonists has been observed in gastric cancer. A number of studies have focused on the hypermethylation of a single Wnt antagonist and its role in regulating the activation of signaling. However, how the Wnt antagonists interacted to regulate the signaling pathway has not been reported. In the present study, we systematically investigated the methylation of some Wnt antagonist genes (SFRP2, SFRP4, SFRP5, DKK1, DKK2, and APC) and their regulatory role in carcinogenesis. We found that aberrant promoter methylation of SFRP2, SFRP4, DKK1, and DKK2 was significantly increased in gastric cancer. Moreover, concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 was observed in gastric cancer and this was significantly associated with increased expression of ${\beta}-catenin$, indicating that the joint inactivation of these two genes promoted the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Further analysis using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that DKK2 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival, and the predictive value was markedly enhanced when the combined methylation status of SFRP2 and DKK2 was considered. In addition, the methylation level of SFRP4 and DKK2 was correlated with the patient's age and tumor differentiation, respectively. In conclusion, epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonists was associated with gastric carcinogenesis, and concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 could be a potential marker for a prognosis of poor overall survival.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.957-966
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• 2021

Objective: Ovarian follicular development, which dependent on the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells (GCs), is a complex biological process in which miRNA plays an important role. Our previous study showed that miR-458b-5p is associated with ovarian follicular development in chicken. The detailed function and molecular mechanism of miR-458b-5p in GCs is unclear. Methods: The luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-458b-5p and catenin beta-1 (CTNNB1), which is an important transcriptional regulatory factor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, flow cytometry with propidium iodide (PI) and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeling were applied to explore the effect of miR-458b-5p on proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of chicken GCs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels. Results: We demonstrated that the expression of miR-458b-5p and CTNNB1 showed the opposite relationship in GCs and theca cells of hierarchical follicles. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that CTNNB1 is the direct target of miR-458b-5p. Using CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry with PI and Annexin V-FITC labeling, we observed that transfection with the miR-458b-5p mimics significantly reduced proliferation and has no effects on apoptosis of chicken GCs. In addition, miR-458b-5p decreased the mRNA and protein expression of CD44 molecule and matrix metallopeptidase 7, which are the downstream effectors of CTNNB1 in Wnt/β-Catenin pathway and play functional roles in cell proliferation. Conclusion: Taken together, the data indicate that miR-458b-5p regulates ovarian GCs proliferation through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by targeting CTNNB1, suggesting that miR-458b-5p and its target gene CTNNB1 may potentially play a role in chicken ovarian follicular development.

• 생약학회지
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.384-390
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• 2013

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wheat bran on the promotion of hair growth. When rat vibrissa follicles were treated with n-hexane fraction of wheat bran, the hair-fiber lengths of the vibrissa follicles significantly increased. Moreover, n-hexane fraction of wheat bran was found to significantly induce the telogen-anagen transition in C57BL/6 mice. The fraction increased the proliferation of immortalized vibrissa dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in a dose dependent manner. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms in relation to proliferation of DPCs by the fraction of wheat bran, we examined the expression of cell cycle proteins and wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling components. Western blot analysis revealed that the proliferation of DPC by n-hexane fraction of wheat bran was accompanied by increased the level of cyclin D1, cyclin E, phospho-CDK2 and phospho-pRB. In addition, the fraction of wheat bran increased the level of phospho(ser552)-${\beta}$-catenin, phospho(ser675)-${\beta}$-catenin and phospho(ser9)-GSK$3{\beta}$. These results suggest that the hair growing potential of wheat bran mediated by proliferation of DPCs via the regulation of cell cycle proteins and Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.423-435
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• 2018

This investigation was aimed at working out the combined role of lncRNA H19, miR-29b and Wnt signaling in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). In the aggregate, 185 CRC tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma tissues were gathered. The human CRC cell lines (i.e. HT29, HCT116, SW480 and SW620) and normal colorectal mucosa cell line (NCM460) were also purchased. Si-H19, si-NC, miR-29b-3p mimics, miR-29b-3p inhibitor, si-PGRN and negative control (NC) were, respectively, transfected into the CRC cells. Luciferase reporter plasmids were prepared to evaluate the transduction activity of $Wnt/{\beta}-catenin$ signaling pathway, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was arranged to confirm the targeted relationship between H19 and miR-29b-3p, as well as between miR-29b-3p and PGRN. Finally, the proliferative and invasive capacities of CRC cells were appraised through transwell, MTT and scratch assays. As a result, overexpressed H19 and down-expressed miR-29b-3p displayed close associations with the CRC patients' poor prognosis (P < 0.05). Besides, transfection with si-H19, miR-29b-3p mimic or si-PGRN were correlated with elevated E-cadherin expression, decreased snail and vimentin expressions, as well as less-motivated cell proliferation and cell metastasis (P < 0.05). Moreover, H19 was verified to directly target miR-29b-3p based on the luciferase reporter gene assay (P < 0.05), and miR-29b-3p also bound to PGRN in a direct manner (P < 0.05). Finally, addition of LiCl ($Wnt/{\beta}-catenin$ pathway activator) or XAV93920 ($Wnt/{\beta}-catenin$ pathway inhibitor) would cause remarkably altered E-cadherin, c-Myc, vimentin and snail expressions, as well as significantly changed transcriptional activity of ${\beta}-catenin/Tcf$ reporter plasmid (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the lncRNA H19/miR-29b-3p/PGRN/Wnt axis counted a great deal for seeking appropriate diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets for CRC.