Biomedical subjects

Woonyoung Choi

Publications and source records attributed to Woonyoung Choi.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Transcriptional activation of the carboxylesterase 2 gene by the p53 pathway.

The p53 tumor suppressor is an important regulator of cellular response to chemotherapeutic agents by virtue of the protein's ability, upon activation by phosphorylation, to transcriptionally activate a number of genes involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism. Transcriptome analysis following introduction of a constitutively active form of p53 (p53T18D/S20D) into colon carcinoma cell lines identified transcriptional activation of the carboxylesterase 2 (CES-2) gene, which is involved in drug metabolism. We examined whether p53 activated by the DNA-damaging drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) also induces CES-2 expression. Our experiments showed that 5-FU induced CES-2 expression in two colon carcinoma cell lines that express wild-type p53 (HCT116 p53(+/+) and RKO) but not in five lines that are p53-null (HCT116 p53(-/- )) or express mutated p53 (HT29, KM12C, KM12SM, and KM12L4A). Sequence analysis revealed a putative p53-binding element in the first intron of CES-2 that differed from consensus by one nucleotide. A reporter gene assay showed that the luciferase construct with the p53-binding element responded to 5-FU treatment, whereas the reporter construct without the binding element did not. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed that p53 bound the CES-2 fragment containing the p53-binding element after 5-FU treatment, whereas p21 binding to p53 was present with or without chemotherapy. Knockdown of expression of CES-2 and p53 by small interference RNA in RKO and HCT116 p53(+/+) cells attenuated the anti-proliferation effects of CPT11. These results taken together show that activated p53 directly regulates CES-2 expression via a p53-binding site, representing a novel mechanism through which the p53 pathway modulates drug metabolism. In addition, the degree of homology in the p53-binding element may determine the strength of p53 regulation.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

Inactivation of IkappaB contributes to transcriptional activation of spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase.

Spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase (SSAT) is a key enzyme in polyamine catabolism. We recently reported that the combination of N(1), N(11)-diethylnorspermine (DENSPM) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) synergistically induces SSAT expression, depletes polyamine levels and causes apoptosis in colon cancer cells. To determine whether new RNA and protein synthesis is required for SSAT induction, we examined the effect of actinomycin D (ActD) and cycloheximide (CHX). ActD alone blocked the induction of SSAT expression; however, the combination of CHX and DENSPM markedly induced SSAT expression and caused mitochondrial damage, suggesting that an inhibitory labile protein is involved in SSAT transactivation. SSAT promoter analysis identified two putative Rel/Nuclear Factor kappaB (NFkappaB) binding sites. Thus, we hypothesized that IkappaB is the labile inhibitory protein and that its removal contributes to the activation of NFkappaB. CHX quickly eliminated the IkappaB protein in the cells and increased the levels of the two subunits of NFkappaB, p65 and p50, in the nucleus. Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that SSAT promoter constructs containing the two putative NFkappaB binding elements responded to CHX as well as TNFalpha, whereas the promoter without the two sites did not. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay showed that NFkappaB was indeed bound to the SSAT promoter after CHX treatment. Further, dominant negative IkappaB attenuated the CHX and DENSPM-induced SSAT expression and mitochondria damage. These results taken together suggest that the inhibition of IkappaB and activation of NFkappaB activate SSAT.

Acetyltransferases↗

PubMed2005

Robust estimation of protein expression ratios with lysate microarray technology.

MOTIVATION: The protein lysate microarray is a developing proteomic technology for measuring protein expression levels in a large number of biological samples simultaneously. A challenge for accurate quantification is the relatively narrow dynamic range associated with the commonly used chromogenic signal detection system. To facilitate accurate measurement of the relative expression levels, each sample is serially diluted and each diluted version is spotted on a nitrocellulose-coated slide in triplicate. Thus, each sample yields multiple measurements in different dynamic ranges of the detection system. This study aims to develop suitable algorithms that yield accurate representations of the relative expression levels in different samples from multiple data points. RESULTS: We evaluated two algorithms for estimating relative protein expression in different samples on the lysate microarray by means of a cross-validation procedure. For this purpose as well as for quality control we designed a 1440-spot lysate microarray containing 80 identical samples of purified bovine serum albumin, printed in triplicate with six 2-fold dilutions. Our analysis showed that the algorithm based on a robust least squares estimator provided the most accurate quantification of the protein lysate microarray data. We also demonstrated our methods by estimating relative expression levels of p53 and p21 in either p53(+/+) or p53(-/-) HCT116 colon cancer cells after two drug treatments and their combinations on another lysate microarray. AVAILABILITY: http://www.cs.tut.fi/~mirceanc/lysate_array_bioinformatics.htm

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

Combination of 5-fluorouracil and N1,N11-diethylnorspermine markedly activates spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase expression, depletes polyamines, and synergistically induces apoptosis in colon carcinoma cells.

The thymidylate synthase inhibitor 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is used widely for chemotherapy of colorectal carcinoma. Recent studies showed that 5-FU affects polyamine metabolism in colon carcinoma cells. We therefore examined whether combinations of 5-FU with drugs that specifically target polyamine metabolism, i.e. N1,N11-diethylnorspermine (DENSPM) or alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), have synergistic effects in killing HCT116 colon carcinoma cells with wild-type or absent p53. Our results showed that simultaneous 5-FU and DENSPM, a spermine analogue, synergistically increased transcript levels of the polyamine catabolism enzyme spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase, depleted spermine and spermidine, increased acetylated spermidine, and produced synergistic tumor cell apoptosis in both p53 wild-type and p53-null variants. By contrast, simultaneous combination of 5-FU with DFMO, an inhibitor of the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme ornithine decarboxylase, depleted putrescine but did not produce synergistic cell killing. Some pre-treatment and post-treatment regimens of DENSPM and DFMO were antagonistic to 5-FU depending on cellular p53 status. Protein and transcriptome expression analysis showed that combined 5-FU and DENSPM treatment activated caspase 9, but not caspase 3, and significantly suppressed NADH dehydrogenases and cytochrome c oxidases, consistent with the observed increase in hydrogen peroxide, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and release of cytochrome c. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the polyamine pathway in 5-FU effects and suggest that the combination of 5-FU with DENSPM has potential for development as therapy for colorectal carcinoma.

Acetyltransferases↗

PubMed2002

Understanding cancer through proteomics.

Proteomics is a rapidly expanding discipline that aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the expressions, modification, interactions, and regulation of proteins in cells. New high-throughput technologies, such as protein chips and isotope-coded affinity tag peptide labeling, coupled with classic technologies such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, complement genomic technologies, providing cancer researchers with powerful tools for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and for the identification of targets for therapy.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗