Biomedical subjects

Mi-Sung Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Mi-Sung Kim.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

H-Ras selectively up-regulates MMP-9 and COX-2 through activation of ERK1/2 and NF-kappaB: an implication for invasive phenotype in rat liver epithelial cells.

One of the most frequent events in carcinogenesis is uncontrolled activation of Ras signaling pathway. A previous study demonstrated that the introduction of H-Ras into the normal WB-F344 rat liver epithelial (WB) cell line and adult male F344 rats resulted in tumorigenicity. The present study investigated whether H-Ras induced the invasive and migrative phenotypes in WB cells, and subsequently aimed at characterizing the underlying mechanisms. H-Ras induced the invasive and migrative phenotypes of WB cells with a selective up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, but not MMP-2. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and the subsequent production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were also induced by H-Ras. Treatment of H-Ras WB cells with GM6001 and NS398, the inhibitors of MMPs and COX-2, respectively, significantly inhibited the H-Ras-induced invasive and migrative phenotypes. DNA binding activity of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, but not that of activator protein (AP)-1, was increased by H-Ras. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester and Bay 11-7082, specific inhibitors of NF-kappaB and IKK, respectively, significantly inhibited the expression of MMP-9 and COX-2, invasion and migration of H-Ras WB cells, revealing NF-kappaB as a transcriptional factor responsible for H-Ras-induced malignant phenotypic conversion of WB cells. Activation of ERKs pathway was critical for H-Ras-induced invasive and migrative phenotypes, up-regulation of MMP-9 and COX-2 as well as enhanced DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB in WB cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that H-Ras up-regulates MMP-9 and COX-2 through activation of ERKs and IKK-IkappaBalpha-NF-kappaB signal pathway which may contribute to the malignant progression of WB rat liver epithelial cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) modulates the JNK1 activity through redox mechanism: a cGMP independent pathway.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small, uncharged molecule, which is primarily generated by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) family of proteins, including neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS). NO has been implicated in diverse roles in biological systems, such as the regulation of cell death and survival signaling pathways of a variety of cell types, including neuronal cells. In this study, we determined that the NO generated from l-arginine by ectopically overexpressed nNOS in HEK293 cells exerted an inhibitory effect against the activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), an important modulator of neuronal cell death and survival signaling pathways. NO repressed the activation of JNK, but exerted no significant effects on the activities of SEK1/MKK4 and MEKK1, which are the upstream MAPKK and MAPKKK of JNK1, respectively. This NO-mediated inhibition of JNK1 was not affected by the addition of ODQ, a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, indicating that the effect is independent of the level of cyclic GMP. In an in vitro kinase assay, SNAP, a NO donor, was shown to directly suppress JNK1 activity, thereby indicating that NO is a direct modulator of JNK1. Moreover, the NO-mediated suppression of JNK1 was demonstrated to be redox-sensitive and dependent on the cysteine-116 in JNK1. Finally, according to the results of an immunohistochemical study using rat striatal neurons, we were able to determine that nNOS-expressing neurons evidenced significantly reduced JNK1 activation. Collectively, these data suggest that JNK1 is regulated by nNOS-mediated NO production in neurons, via a thiol-redox-sensitive mechanism.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Regulation of cardiac stress signaling by protein kinase d1.

In response to pathological stresses such as hypertension or myocardial infarction, the heart undergoes a remodeling process that is associated with myocyte hypertrophy, myocyte death, and fibrosis. Histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) is a transcriptional repressor of cardiac remodeling that is subject to phosphorylation-dependent neutralization in response to stress signaling. Recent studies have suggested a role for protein kinase C (PKC) and its downstream effector, protein kinase D1 (PKD1), in the control of HDAC5 phosphorylation. While PKCs are well-documented regulators of cardiac signaling, the function of PKD1 in heart muscle remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that PKD1 catalytic activity is stimulated in cardiac myocytes by diverse hypertrophic agonists that signal through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and Rho GTPases. PKD1 activation in cardiomyocytes occurs through PKC-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In vivo, cardiac PKD1 is activated in multiple rodent models of pathological cardiac remodeling. PKD1 activation correlates with phosphorylation-dependent nuclear export of HDAC5, and reduction of endogenous PKD1 expression with small interfering RNA suppresses HDAC5 shuttling and associated cardiomyocyte growth. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of constitutively active PKD1 in mouse heart leads to dilated cardiomyopathy. These findings support a role for PKD1 in the control of pathological remodeling of the heart via its ability to phosphorylate and neutralize HDAC5.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in conjunction with H-ras activation promotes malignant progression of MCF10A breast epithelial cells.

To address how transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and oncogenic H-ras signal transduction pathways interact with each other in the malignant progression of breast epithelial cells, we investigated the role of TGF-beta signaling pathway in invasive and migrative properties of H-ras-transformed MCF10A human breast epithelial cells in this study. Here we show that TGF-beta treatment significantly enhanced invasion and migration of H-ras MCF10A cells. H-ras-mediated activation of p38 MAPK and ERK-1/2 was stimulated by TGF-beta. TGF-beta increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 through transcriptional activation while TGF-beta-stimulated MMP-9 up-regulation did not occur at transcription level. Activation of p38 MAPK pathway was required for TGF-beta-induced cell migration, invasion and MMP-2/-9 up-regulation, indicating a critical role of p38 MAPK signaling in TGF-beta-promoted tumor progression of H-ras-activated cells. ERKs signaling was also crucial for TGF-beta-enhanced invasive and migrative phenotypes but the up-regulation of MMP-2/-9 was not dependent on ERKs activity. Taken together, we show that TGF-beta promotes H-ras-mediated cell migration and invasive phenotypes in which p38 MAPK and ERKs signaling pathways are involved. Our findings revealing how H-ras and TGF-beta signal pathways interact with each other in MCF10A human breast cells may provide an insight into molecular mechanisms for contribution of TGF-beta to a malignant progression of breast cancer in collaboration with activated H-ras.

Cell Line↗

PubMed2004

TGF-beta-induced upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 depends on p38 MAPK, but not ERK signaling in MCF10A human breast epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta has been reported to exert growth inhibitory activity in normal epithelial cells whereas it induces cell proliferation and invasive phenotypes in advanced carcinomas. Our previous study showed that MCF10A, a spontaneously immortalized "normal" breast epithelial cell line, is resistant to TGF-beta-induced growth inhibition, suggesting that conversion of TGF-beta growth inhibitory signaling into an oncogenic pathway may occur at the early stage of tumor development/progression. To address this issue, we investigated the TGF-beta signaling pathway and its role in phenotypic transformation of MCF10A cells. TGF-beta treatment induced changes in the MCF10A cell morphology from cuboidal to an elongated spindle-like shape, accompanied with down-regulation of epithelial cell marker E-cadherin. TGF-beta treatment was sufficient to induce migrative and invasive phenotypes in these cells, an important phenotypic conversion during tumor progression. We also showed that TGF-beta treatment rapidly activated ERK-1/2 and p38 MAPK leading to upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Using chemical inhibitors and dominant negative mutants of MAPKs, we provide evidence that while both p38 MAPK and ERKs are required for TGF-beta-induced MCF10A cell migration and invasion, TGF-beta-induced MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression depends on p38 MAPK signaling, but is independent of ERK activity. This study demonstrates the roles of TGF-beta signaling pathways for induction of oncogenic signaling in preneoplastic human breast epithelial cells and will deepen our understanding of TGF-beta signaling in the progress of breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2003

Inhibition of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 by nitric oxide through a thiol redox mechanism.

Nitric oxide is an endogenous thiol-reactive molecule that modulates the functions of many regulatory proteins by a thiol-redox mechanism. NO has now been shown to inhibit the activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) in murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells through such a mechanism. Exposure of L929 cells to interferon-gamma resulted in the endogenous production of NO and in inhibition of the activation of ASK1 by hydrogen peroxide. The interferon-gamma-induced inhibition of ASK1 activity was blocked by N(G)-nitro-l-arginine, an inhibitor of NO synthase. Furthermore, the NO donor S-nitro-N-acetyl-dl-penicillamine (SNAP) inhibited ASK1 activity in vitro, and this inhibition was reversed by thiol-reducing agents such as dithiothreitol and beta-mercaptoethanol. SNAP did not inhibit the kinase activities of MKK3, MKK6, or p38 in vitro. The inhibition of ASK1 by interferon-gamma was not changed by 1H- (1,2,4)oxadiazolo[4,3-alpha]quinoxalin-1-one, an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase nor was it mimicked by 8-bromo-cyclic GMP. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that replacement of cysteine 869 of ASK1 by serine rendered this protein resistant to the inhibitory effects both of interferon-gamma in intact cells and of SNAP in vitro. Co-immunoprecipitation data showed that NO production inhibited a binding of ASK1, but not ASK1(C869S), to MKK3 or MKK6. Moreover, interferon-gamma induced the S-nitrosylation of endogenous ASK1 in L929 cells. Together, these results suggest that NO mediates the interferon-gamma-induced inhibition of ASK1 in L929 cells through a thiolredox mechanism.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Identification of a novel antiapoptotic protein that antagonizes ASK1 and CAD activities.

Diverse stimuli initiate the activation of apoptotic signaling pathways that often causes nuclear DNA fragmentation. Here, we report a new antiapoptotic protein, a caspase-activated DNase (CAD) inhibitor that interacts with ASK1 (CIIA). CIIA, by binding to apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), inhibits oligomerization-induced ASK1 activation. CIIA also associates with CAD and inhibits the nuclease activity of CAD without affecting caspase-3-mediated ICAD cleavage. Overexpressed CIIA reduces H2O2- and tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis. CIIA antisense oligonucleotides, which abolish expression of endogenous CIIA in murine L929 cells, block the inhibitory effect of CIIA on ASK1 activation, deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation, and apoptosis. These findings suggest that CIIA is an endogenous antagonist of both ASK1- and CAD-mediated signaling.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

p38 kinase is a key signaling molecule for H-Ras-induced cell motility and invasive phenotype in human breast epithelial cells.

Ras expression has been suggested as a marker for tumor aggressiveness of breast cancer,including the degrees of invasion and tumor recurrence.We showed previously that H-ras, but not N-ras, up-regulates matrix metalloproteinase 2 expression and induces invasive phenotype in MCF10A human breast epithelial cells (A. Moon, et al. Int. J. Cancer, 85: 176-181, 2000). In this study, we show that H-ras also promotes cell motility more effectively than N-ras in MCF10A cells. We have investigated H-ras-specific signaling pathway(s) critical for H-ras-mediated cell motility and invasive phenotype. Whereas neither H-ras nor N-ras activated c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase 1, both H-ras and N-ras effectively activated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) -1,2. Importantly, prominent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase was shown only in H-ras-activated cells but not in N-ras-activated MCF10A cells. Functional significance of H-ras-activated p38 in invasiveness and cell motility was evidenced by studies using SB203580, a chemical inhibitor of p38, and a dominant-negative construct of p38. Whereas inhibition of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase 1 activity had no effect on H-ras-induced MCF10A cell invasion and motility, the inhibition of the ERK pathway using a chemical inhibitor PD98059 or dominant-negative mutant of mitogen-activated protein/ERK kinase 1, an activator of ERKs, significantly reduced H-ras-induced invasion and migration. We also provide evidence that p38 and, to a lesser degree, ERKs, are critical for H-ras-mediated up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 2. Taken together, the present study shows that H-ras activation of both p38 and ERKs induces cell invasion and motility, whereas N-ras activation of ERKs alone is not sufficient. This study reveals the p38 kinase as a key signaling molecule differentially regulated by H-ras and N-ras, leading to H-ras-specific cell invasive and migrative phenotypes in human breast epithelial cells.

Breast↗

PubMed2003

Roles of JNK-1 and p38 in selective induction of apoptosis by capsaicin in ras-transformed human breast epithelial cells.

Efforts have been made to develop a chemoprevention strategy that selectively triggers apoptosis in malignant cancer cells. Previous studies showed that capsaicin, the major pungent ingredient of red pepper, had differential effect between normal and transformed cells. As an approach to unveil the molecular mechanism by which capsaicin selectively induces apoptosis in transformed cells, we investigated the effect of capsaicin in nontransformed and ras-transformed cells of a common origin: parental (MCF10A) and H-ras-transformed (H-ras MCF10A) human breast epithelial cells. Here, we show that capsaicin selectively induces apoptosis in H-ras-transformed cells but not in their normal cell counterparts. The capsaicin-induced apoptosis, which is dependent on ras transformation, involves the activity of DEVDase (caspase-3 like). In H-ras MCF10A cells, capsaicin treatment markedly activated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK)-1 and p38 matigen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) while it deactivated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs). The use of kinase inhibitors and overexpression of dominant-negative forms of MAPKs demonstrated a role of JNK-1 and p38, but not that of ERKs, in apoptosis induced by capsaicin in H-ras-transformed MCF10A cells. Based on the present study, we propose that capsaicin selectively induces apoptosis through modulation of ras-downstream signaling molecules in ras-activated MCF10A cells. Taken in conjunction with the fact that uncontrolled ras activation is probably the most common genetic defect in human cancer cells, our finding may be critical to the chemopreventive potential of capsaicin and for developing a strategy to induce tumor cell-specific apoptosis.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2002

In vitro bioassay for transforming growth factor-beta using XTT method.

Research in the cytokine field has grown exponentially in recent years, and the validity of such studies relies heavily on the appropriate measurement of levels of cytokines in various biological samples. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, a hormonally active polypeptide found in normal and transformed tissue, is a potent regulator of cell growth and differentiation. The most widely used bioassay for TGF-beta is the inhibition of the proliferation of mink lung epithelial cells. Though detection of [3H]thymidine incorporation is more sensitive than the MTT assay, it presents some disadvantages due to the safety and disposal problems associated with radioisotopes. In this study, we attempted to ascertain the experimental conditions which could be used for measuring the in vitro biological activity of TGF-beta in a safer and more sensitive way compared with the currently available methods. We compared the commonly used method, the MTT assay, to the XTT assay using different parameters including cell number, incubation time and the wave length used for detecting the product. We examined the anti-proliferative activities of TGF-beta in three different cell lines: Mv-1-Lu mink lung epithelial cells, MCF10A human breast epithelial cells and H-ras-transformed MCF10A cells. Herein, we present an experimental protocol which provides the most sensitive method of quantifying the biological activity of TGF-beta, with a detection limit of as low as 10 pg/ml: Mv-1-Lu or H-ras MCF10 A cells (1 x 10(5)/well) were incubated with TGF-beta at 37 degrees C in a humidified CO2 incubator for 24 hr followed by XTT treatment and determination of absorbance at 450 or 490 nm. Our results may contribute to the establishment of an in vitro bioassay system, which could be used for the satisfactory quantitation of TGF-beta.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Heat shock protein hsp72 is a negative regulator of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1.

Heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72) is thought to protect cells against cellular stress. The protective role of Hsp72 was investigated by determining the effect of this protein on the stress-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Prior exposure of NIH 3T3 cells to mild heat shock (43 degrees C for 20 min) resulted in inhibition of H(2)O(2)-induced activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Overexpression of Hsp72 also inhibited H(2)O(2)-induced activation of ASK1 as well as that of downstream kinases in the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade. Recombinant Hsp72 bound directly to ASK1 and inhibited ASK1 activity in vitro. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation analysis revealed a physical interaction between endogenous Hsp72 and ASK1 in NIH 3T3 cells exposed to mild heat shock. Hsp72 blocked both the homo-oligomerization of ASK1 and ASK1-dependent apoptosis. Hsp72 antisense oligonucleotides prevented the inhibitory effects of mild heat shock on H(2)O(2)-induced ASK1 activation and apoptosis. These observations suggest that Hsp72 functions as an endogenous inhibitor of ASK1.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2001

Akt (protein kinase B) negatively regulates SEK1 by means of protein phosphorylation.

The protein serine-threonine kinase Akt mediates cell survival signaling initiated by various growth-promoting factors such as insulin. Here we report that SEK1 is a target of Akt in intact cells. Insulin inhibited the anisomycin-induced stimulation of both endogenous SEK1 and its substrate c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), but not that of the upstream kinase MEKK1, in 293T cells. The inhibitory action of insulin on SEK1 or JNK1 activation was prevented by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. Expression of a constitutively active form of Akt also inhibited both SEK1 and JNK1 activation, but not that of MEKK1, in transfected 293T cells. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that endogenous Akt physically interacted with endogenous SEK1 in cells and that this interaction was promoted by insulin. In vitro and in vivo (32)P labeling indicated that Akt phosphorylated SEK1 on serine 78. The SEK1 mutant SEK1(S78A) was resistant to Akt-induced inhibition. Finally, activated Akt inhibited SEK1-mediated apoptosis, and this effect of Akt was prevented by overexpression of SEK(S78A). Taken together, these results suggest that Akt suppresses stress-activated signaling by targeting SEK1.

Anisomycin↗