• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.484-491
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• 2019

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive common brain tumor in adults. Curcumin, from Curcuma longa, is an effective antitumor agent. Although the same proteins control both autophagy and cell death, the molecular connections between them are complicated and autophagy may promote or inhibit cell death. We investigated whether curcumin affects autophagy, which regulates curcumin-mediated tumor cell death in A172 human glioblastoma cells. When A172 cells were incubated with $10{\mu}M$ curcumin, autophagy increased in a time-dependent manner. Curcumin-induced cell death was reduced by co-incubation with the autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and LY294002. Curcumin-induced cell death was also inhibited by co-incubation with rapamycin, an autophagy inducer. When cells were incubated under serum-deprived medium, LC3-II amount was increased but the basal level of cell viability was reduced, leading to the inhibition of curcumin-induced cell death. Cell death was decreased by inhibiting curcumin-induced autophagy using small interference RNA (siRNA) of Atg5 or Beclin1. Therefore, curcumin-mediated tumor cell death is promoted by curcumin-induced autophagy, but not by an increase in the basal level of autophagy in rapamycin-treated or serum-deprived conditions. This suggests that the antitumor effects of curcumin are influenced differently by curcumin-induced autophagy and the prerequisite basal level of autophagy in cancer cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.262-270
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• 2017

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, small RNAs (21-23 nucleotides) that function in gene silencing and translational inhibition via the RNA interference mechanism. Most miRNAs originate from host genomic regions, such as intergenic regions, introns, exons, and transposable elements (TEs). Here, we focused on the palindromic structure of medium reiteration frequencies (MERs), which are similar to precursor miRNAs. Five MER consensus sequences (MER5A1, MER53, MER81, MER91C, and MER117) were matched with paralogous transcripts predicted to be precursor miRNAs in the horse genome (equCab2) and located in either intergenic regions or introns. The MER5A1, MER53, and MER91C sequences obtained from RepeatMasker were matched with the eca-miR-544b, eca-miR-1302, and eca-miR-652 precursor sequences derived from Ensembl transcript database, respectively. Each precursor form was anticipated to yield two mature forms, and we confirmed miRNA expression in six different tissues (cerebrum, cerebellum, lung, spleen, adrenal gland, and duodenum) of one thoroughbred horse. MER5A1-derived miRNAs generally showed significantly higher expression in the lung than in other tissues. MER91C-derived miRNA-5p also showed significantly higher expression in the duodenum than in other tissues (cerebellum, lung, spleen, and adrenal gland). The MER117-overlapped expressed sequence tag generated polycistronic miRNAs, which showed higher expression in the duodenum than other tissues. These data indicate that horse MER transposons encode miRNAs that are expressed in several tissues and are thought to have biological functions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권10호
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• pp.4947-4951
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• 2012

Objective: Lung cancer is a deadly cancer, whose kills more people worldwide than any other malignancy. SLUG (SNAI2, Snail2) is involved in the epithelial mesenchymal transition in physiological and in pathological contexts and is implicated in the development and progression of lung cancer. Methods: We constructed a lentivirus vector with SLUG shRNA (LV-shSLUG). LV-shSLUG and a control lentivirus were infected into the non-small cell lung cancer cell A549 and real-time PCR, Western blot and IHC were applied to assess expression of the SLUG gene. Cell proliferation and migration were detected using MTT and clony formation methods. Results: Real-time PCR, Western Blot and IHC results confirmed down-regulation of SLUG expression by its shRNA by about 80%~90% at both the mRNA and protein levels. Knockdown of SLUG significantly suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, knockdown of SLUG significantly inhibited lung cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Finally, knockdown of SLUG induced the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of E-cadherin. Conclusion: These results indicate that SLUG is a newly identified gene associated with lung cancer growth and metastasis. SLUG may serve as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of lung cancer in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권14호
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• pp.5667-5672
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• 2014

Folate receptor alpha ($FR{\alpha}$) mediates folate uptake by endocytosis, and while folate is essential to DNA methylation and synthesis and may have an important role in proliferating cells. $FR{\alpha}$ is known to be expressed in rapidly proliferating cells, including many cancer cell lines, but there has been no systematic assessment of expression in cervical cancer cell lines. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of $FR{\alpha}$ on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cells and correlation mechanism. In this study, we investigated the biological function of $FR{\alpha}$ in Hela cells using RNA interference. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay, while cell cycling and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry, mRNA levels by real time-PCR and protein levels of $FR{\alpha}$, c-Fos and c-Jun by Western blotting. The results revealed that $FR{\alpha}$ was highly expressed in Hela cells and its silencing with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle in G0/G1 stages while decreasing the proportion in S and G2/M stages, and suppressed the expression levels of c-Fos and c-Jun. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that $FR{\alpha}$ down-regulation might be capable of suppressing cervical cancer cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. It suggested that $FR{\alpha}$ might be a novel therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권13호
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• pp.5437-5442
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• 2014

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most malignancies with a poor prognosis. The phospholipase $C{\varepsilon}$ gene (PLCE1) encodes a novel ras-related protein effector mediating the effects of R-Ras on the actin cytoskeleton and membrane protrusion. However, molecular mechanisms pertinent to ESCC are unclear. We therefore designed PLCE1-special small interfering RNA and transfected to esophageal squamous cell (EC) 9706 cells to investigat the effects of PLCE1 gene silencing on the cell cycle and apoptosis of ESCC and indicate its important role in the development of ESCC. Esophageal cancer tissue specimens and normal esophageal mucosa were obtained and assayed by immunohistochemical staining to confirm overexpression of PLCE1 in neoplasias. Fluorescence microscopy was used to examine transfection efficiency, while the result of PLCE1 silencing was examined by reverse transcription (RT-PCR). Flow cytometry and annexin V apoptosis assays were used to assess the cell cycle and apoptosis, respectively. Expression of cyclin D1 and caspase-3 was detected by Western-blotting. The level of PLCE1 protein in esophageal cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in normal tissue. After transfection, the expression of PLCE1 mRNA in EC 9706 was significantly reduced, compared with the control group. Furthermore, flow cytometry results suggested that the PLCE1 gene silencing arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase; apoptosis was significantly higher than in the negative control group and mock group. PLCE1 gene silencing by RNAi resulted in decreased expression of cyclin D1 and increased expression of caspase-3. Our study suggests that PLCE1 may be an oncogene and play an important role in esophageal carcinogenesis through regulating proteins which control cell cycling and apoptosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.3695-3700
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• 2012

Mammalian mediator (MED) is a multi-protein coactivator that has been identified by several research goups. The involvement of the MED complex subunit 19 (MED 19) in the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cell line (H1299), which expresses the MED 19 subunit, was here investigated. When MED 19 expression was decreased by RNA interference H1299 cells demonstrated reduced clone formation, arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle, and lowered metastatic capacity. Thus, MED 19 appears to play important roles in the biological behavior of non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. These findings may be important for the development of novel lung carcinoma treatments.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2011

Previously, we have identified 14 putative downstream target genes of Hoxc8 homeoprotein in F9 murine embryonic teratocarcinoma cells through proteomics analysis. Among those, we tested a possibility of a DNA-k type molecular chaperone, Grp78, as a direct downstream target of Hoxc8, by cloning a 2.4 kb upstream region of murine Grp78 into a reporter plasmid and by testing if Hoxc8 can regulate its expression. We observed that Hoxc8 proteins could transactivate the reporter gene, which was affected by small interference RNAs (siRNAs) against to Hoxc8, suggesting that Grp78 is a novel downstream target of Hoxc8 in vivo.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권11호
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• pp.6321-6326
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• 2013

Introduction: Lung cancer is extremely harmful to human health and has one of the highest worldwide incidences of all malignant tumors. Approximately 80% of lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Cisplatin-based multidrug chemotherapy regimen is standard for such lesions, but drug resistance is an increasing problem. F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 7 (FBW7) is a member of the F-box protein family that regulates cell cycle progression, and cell growth and differentiation. FBW7 also functions as a tumor suppressor. Methods: We used cell viability assays, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence combined with siRNA interference or plasmid transfection to investigate the underlying mechanism of cisplatin resistance in NSCLC cells. Results: We found that FBW7 upregulation significantly increased cisplatin chemosensitivity and that cells expressing low levels of FBW7, such as NCI-H1299 cells, have a mesenchymal phenotype. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated silencing or plasmid-mediated upregulation of FBW7 resulted in altered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) patterns in NSCLC cells. These data support a role for FBW7 in regulating the EMT in NSCLC cells. Conclusion: FBW7 is a potential drug target for combating drug resistance and regulating the EMT in NSCLC cells.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제19권11호
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• pp.1506-1513
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• 2009

RGS단백질은 G 단백질 신호전달작용에 있어서 신호를 억제하는 조절단백질로서 G 단백질 매개수용체(GPCR)의 활성을 억제하는 것으로 알려졌다. 그렇지만 캐너비노이드 수용체 CB2의 활성에 있어서 RGS 단백질의 조절효과에 관해서는 지금까지 알려져 있지 않다. 그러므로 본 연구에서 우리는 RGS2, 3, 4, 5와 캐너비노이드 수용체 CB2 cDNA를 동시에 HEK293 세포주에 발현시킨 후 각 RGS 단백질의 효과를 조사하였다. CB2 단백질을 발현하는 HEK293 세포주(CB2-HEK293)에서 CB2 효현제인 WIN55,212-2는 폴스콜린으로 유도된 cAMP response element (CRE) 활성을 억제하였다. 이러한 WIN55,212-2의 CRE 억제 활성은 RGS3에 의하여 차단되었지만 RGS2, 4, 및 RGS5에서는 관찰되지 않았다. 뿐만 아니라 RGS3 small interference RNA (siRNA)를 사용하여 내인성 RGS3 단백질의 발현을 저하시키면 WIN55,212-2에 의한 폴스콜린 유도 CRE 억제활성은 더욱 증강되었다. 이상의 결과는 캐너비노이드 수용체 CB2 신호전달작용에 있어서 RGS 단백질의 기능적 역할과 특히 내인성 RGS3의 캐너비노이드 수용체 CB2에 대한 선택적 작용을 나타낸다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.19-25
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• 2015

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of neovascularization. Hypoxia inducible nitric oxide (NO) enhanced the expression of VEGF and thymosin beta-4 ($T{\beta}4$), actin sequestering protein. Here, we investigated whether NO-mediated VEGF expression could be regulated by $T{\beta}4$ expression in HeLa cervical cancer cells. Hypoxia inducible NO production and VEGF expression were reduced by small interference (si) RNA of $T{\beta}4$. Hypoxia response element (HRE)-luciferase activity and VEGF expression were increased by the treatment with N-(${\beta}$-D-Glucopyranosyl)-N2-acetyl-S-nitroso-D, L-penicillaminamide (SNAP-1), to generate NO, which was inhibited by the inhibition of $T{\beta}4$ expression with $T{\beta}4$-siRNA. In hypoxic condition, HRE-luciferase activity and VEGF expression were inhibited by the treatment with $N^G$-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor to nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which is accompanied with a decrease in $T{\beta}4$ expression. VEGF expression inhibited by L-NMMA treatment was restored by the transfection with pCMV-$T{\beta}4$ plasmids for $T{\beta}4$ overexpression. Taken together, these results suggest that $T{\beta}4$ could be a regulator for the expression of VEGF via the maintenance of NOS activity.