Biomedical subjects

Young-Gyu Ko

Publications and source records attributed to Young-Gyu Ko.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Amyloid beta oligomerization is induced by brain lipid rafts.

Detergent-resistant lipid rafts are required for the generation of Abeta as they concentrate not only amyloid precursor protein (APP), but also the beta- and gamma-secretase that convert APP to Abeta. Recently, Abeta has been shown to be oligomerized, which results in neuronal cytotoxicity and synaptic failure. In this study, we have demonstrated that Abeta oligomers appeared immediately after the incubation of Abeta with lipid rafts isolated from the brain tissues of rats, and were converted into few Abeta fibrils, even after longer periods of incubation. The oligomerization of Abeta was not abolished after the brain lipid rafts were treated with heat, or with protease K, implying that the lipid raft proteins were determined not to be prerequisites for Abeta oligomerization. The cholesterol present in the lipid rafts might not be essential to Abeta oligomerization because Abeta oligomerization was not prevented after the cholesterol was removed from the lipid rafts with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD). The Abeta oligomerization was accelerated by the application of lipid rafts isolated from ganglioside-rich cells, C2C12 cells, whereas this was not observed with the lipid rafts isolated from ganglioside-poor cells SK-N-MC and HeLa cells. In addition, lipid raft-induced Abeta oligomerization was shown to be inhibited in CHO-K1 cells which were defective with regard to ganglioside biosynthesis. This indicates that Abeta oligomerization requires gangliosides that are enriched in the lipid rafts.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗

PubMed2006

Phospholipase D1 is associated with amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a widely expressed transmembrane protein of unknown function that is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the involvement of phospholipase D (PLD) in the pathophysiology of AD. We showed dramatic upregulation of PLD1 immunoreactivity in reactive astroglial cells in brain tissue sections from authentic AD patients. Expression and activity of PLD1 were up-regulated in brain tissues from AD patients, especially caveolae membrane fraction, compared with those of control brains. Interestingly, PLD1 physically interacts and colocalizes with APP and caveolin-3. We found that APP was associated with the pleckstrin homology domain of PLD1, and the amyloid region of APP interacted with PLD. Elevated expression of APP stimulated PLD activity in human astroglioma cells. These results suggest that up-regulation of PLD might have a role in the neuronal pathology associated with AD.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Oxidation-reduction respiratory chains and ATP synthase complex are localized in detergent-resistant lipid rafts.

In order to detect and identify ubiquitous lipid raft marker proteins, we isolated lipid rafts from different mouse organs, including the liver, lung, large brain, and kidney, and analyzed their proteins via 2-DE. Many protein spots were determined to be ubiquitous in all of the lipid rafts, and were annotated via LC and MS/MS. Twelve proteins were identified as ubiquitous raft proteins, and most of these were determined to be mitochondrial proteins, including mortalin, prohibitin, voltage-dependent anion channel, ATP synthase, NADH dehydrogenase, and ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase. Via immunoblotting, these proteins were shown to exist in detergent-resistant lipid rafts prepared using different organ tissues. Since these oxidation-reduction respiratory chains and ATP synthase complex were detected in detergent-resistant lipid raft fractions which had been isolated from the plasma membrane but not from the mitochondria, and found in the cell surface when determined by immunofluoresence and immunohistochemistry, we conclude that plasma membrane lipid rafts might contain oxidation-reduction respiratory chains and ATP synthase complex.

ATP Synthetase Complexes↗

PubMed2006

Expression, purification, and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the complex of G(alphai3)-RGS5 from human with GDP/Mg2+)/AlF4-.

Regulator of G-protein signaling 5 (RGS5), an inhibitor of Gq and Gi activation, is a member of the small RGS protein subfamily. However, despite significant process in the investigation of RGS5, no structure is yet available. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the RGS5 in G protein signaling pathway, we have overexpressed the RGS5 and Galphai(3) from human in Escherichia coli and crystallized the complex of RGS5 and Galphai(3) proteins with GDP/Mg(2+)/AlF(4)(-) at 3.0 A resolution using a synchrotron radiation source. The complex crystals belong to the tetragonal space group P4(1)2(1)2 or P4(3)2(1)2, with unit cell parameters a=b=95.9 A, and c=138.8 A. Assuming one complex protein in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, the calculated Matthews parameter (V(M)) is 2.57 A(3)/Da and solvent content is 52.2 %.

Aluminum Compounds↗

PubMed2005

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multi-functional protein, p43, is imported to endothelial cells via lipid rafts.

An aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase subunit, p43, was previously demonstrated to be released from mammalian cells, and to function as an extracellular regulator of both angiogenesis and inflammatory responses (Ko et al., [2001] J Biol Chem, 276; 23028; Park et al.[2002], J Biol Chem 277; 45243). Here, we report that p43 is internalized to the endothelial cells via lipid rafts. Exogenous p43 was co-localized on bovine aorta endothelial cells with cholera toxin B (CTB), which binds to cholesterol-enriched lipid rafts. The p43 was rapidly internalized to the cells, as early as 5 min after binding to the surfaces of the cells. p43 bound to the isolated lipid rafts, and its interaction with the lipid rafts, was prevented by high salt content, but not by detergent. This suggests that ionic bonds are involved in the molecular association of p43 with the lipid rafts. Taken together, we conclude that p43 binds to the endothelial cell surface via lipid rafts.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

PubMed2005

Lipid rafts are required for efficient signal transduction by CD1d.

Plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells are not uniform, possessing distinct cholesterol- and sphingolipid-rich lipid raft microdomains which constitute critical sites for signal transduction through various immune cell receptors and their co-receptors. CD1d is a conserved family of major histocompatibility class I-like molecules, which has been established as an important factor in lipid antigen presentation to natural killer T (NKT) cells. Unlike conventional T cells, recognition of CD1d by the T cell receptor (TCR) of NKT cells does not require CD4 or CD8 co-receptors, which are critical for efficient TCR signaling. We found that murine CD1d (mCD1d) was constitutively present in the plasma membrane lipid rafts on antigen presenting cells, and that this restricted localization was critically important for efficient signal transduction to the target NKT cells, at low ligand densities, even without the involvement of co-receptors. Further our results indicate that there may be additional regulatory molecule(s), co-located in the lipid raft with mCD1d for NKT cell signaling.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Extracellular ATP is generated by ATP synthase complex in adipocyte lipid rafts.

Mitochondrial biogenesis is known to accompany adipogenesis to complement ATP and acetyl-CoA required for lipogenesis. Here, we demonstrated that mitochondrial proteins such as ATP synthase alpha and beta, and cytochrome c were highly expressed during the 3T3-L1 differentiation into adipocytes. Fully-differentiated adipocytes showed a significant increase of mitochondria under electron microscopy. Analysis by immunofluorescence, cellular fractionation, and surface biotinylation demonstrated the elevated levels of ATP synthase complex found not only in the mitochondria but also on the cell surface (particularly lipid rafts) of adipocytes. High rate of ATP (more than 30 microM) synthesis from the added ADP and P(i) in the adipocyte media suggests the involvement of the surface ATP synthase complex for the extracellular ATP synthesis. In addition, this ATP synthesis was significantly inhibited in the presence of oligomycin, an ATP synthase inhibitor, and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), an ATP synthase uncoupler. Decrease of extracellular ATP synthesis in acidic but not in basic media further indicates that the surface ATP synthase may also be regulated by proton gradient through the plasma membrane.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Lipid raft proteome reveals ATP synthase complex in the cell surface.

Since detergent-resistant lipid rafts are involved in pathogen invasion, cholesterol homeostasis, angiogenesis, neurodegenerative diseases and signal transduction, protein identification in the rafts could provide important information to study their function. Here, we analyzed detergent-resistant raft proteins isolated from rat liver by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Out of 196 proteins identified, 32% belonged to the raft or plasma membrane, 24% to mitochondrial, 20% to microsomal, 7% to miscellaneous, and 17% are unknown proteins. For example, membrane-bound receptors, trimeric GTP-binding proteins, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins were identified in this analysis. Unexpectedly, there were many mitochondrial proteins, raising a new issue for the presence of mitochondrial rafts or the localization of mitochondrial proteins into plasma membrane rafts. We confirmed that ATP synthase alpha and beta were expressed on the surface of the plasma membrane in HepG2 hepatocytes by immunofluorescence, cell surface biotinylation, and cellular fractionation. They had two distinct biochemical properties, detergent insolubility and low density, suggesting that the ATP synthase complex might be located in plasma membrane rafts as well as in the mitochondria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis reveals that lipid rafts are intact at physiological temperature.

Different proteins are found in lipid rafts depending on the isolation method. For example, insulin receptor was predominantly found in lipid raft fractions prepared from HepG2 cells with Brij 35, but were not present in lipid rafts isolated with Triton X-100. In order to assess the effect of detergent type and temperature on raft isolation, raft proteins from HepG2 cells were analyzed by two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis. More raft protein spots appeared when rafts were isolated by Brij 35 than by Triton X-100. In addition, more raft proteins were found when isolated at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C, indicating that lipid rafts are much more stable at physiological temperature (37 degrees C) in the presence of detergents. Indeed, lipid-modified proteins, such as Src and Lyn, were found in raft fractions even when detergent-resistant rafts were isolated at room or physiological temperature. The 2-D gel profile of raft proteins isolated with detergent-free (high-pH/carbonate) method was considerably similar to that of detergent-resistant raft proteins but contained a greater number of distinct protein spots. Whereas many detergent-resistant raft proteins disappeared upon cellular exposure to methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, high pH/carbonate-resistant raft proteins did not, suggesting that many of proteins isolated by high pH/carbonate could be contaminants. Considering these data, we conclude that liquid-ordered state of detergent-resistant lipid rafts is not destroyed at physiological temperature.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗

PubMed2003

Learning to coordinate redundant degrees of freedom in a dynamic balance task.

The present study investigated Bernstein's [The co-ordination and regulation of movements, 1967] proposal regarding the three stages of learning in the changing coordination and control of redundant joint-space degrees of freedom. Six participants practiced maintaining balance on a moving platform that was sinusoidally translated in the anterior-posterior direction for 30 trials on day 1 and 10 trials on day 2. At the beginning of practice, the motion of the torso and limb segments was less coherent in the attempt to compensate for the movement of the support surface in retaining a balanced posture. However, with practice, the organization of a compensatory postural coordination mode became highly coherent and also progressively utilized the passive, inertial forces generated by the movement of the support surface. The findings support the propositions that: (a) the pathway of change over time in the coordination pattern of the torso and joint motions depends on the task goal and constraints to action and (b) the changes in limb and torso motion are in support of the learning of a global body center of mass/platform dynamic.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Organization of compensatory postural coordination patterns.

The authors investigated whether compensatory postural coordination patterns are organized according to the same dynamical principles as are nonequilibrium phase transitions. Eight participants were asked to maintain upright balance on a moving platform that was sinusoidally translated in the anterior-posterior direction and was systematically increased and decreased 0.19 Hz as a step function every 10 platform cycles through the frequency range 0.19-1.46 Hz. At low platform frequencies, all participants exhibited small joint angular motions with high variability, and the relative phase between the joint motions exhibited drifting patterns and large fluctuations. As platform frequency increased, the amplitude of joint motion increased systematically and joint-specific oscillatory patterns emerged. The findings provided no evidence for a Hopf bifurcation or hysteresis in the transitions of postural coordination modes, however, or, more generally, a basis for distinguishing the relevance of linear versus nonlinear models of postural control.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Signaling pathways for TNF production induced by human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-associating factor, p43.

The p43 protein is associated with human macromolecular aminoacyl tRNA synthetase complex and secreted to up-regulate diverse proinflammatory genes including TNF. Here we focused on the p43-induced TNF production and determined its responsible signal pathway. The p43-induced TNF production was mediated by the activation of MAPK family members, ERK and p38 MAPK, and by IkappaB degradation leading to the activation of NFkappaB. We also studied the upstream molecules for ERK and p38 MAPK by using a variety of inhibitors. The inhibitors for protein kinase C (PKC) and phospholipase C (PLC) prevented the p43-induced TNF production. Interestingly, all of the effective drugs inhibited the ERK activity, while the drugs had no effects on p38 MAPK activity and IkappaB degradation. Together, the p43-induced TNF production was controlled by NFkB, p38 MAPK, and ERK that is dependent on the activities of PLC and PKC.

Cytokines↗

PubMed2002

Dose-dependent biphasic activity of tRNA synthetase-associating factor, p43, in angiogenesis.

Mammalian aminoacyl tRNA synthetases form a macromolecular protein complex with three non-enzymatic cofactors. Among these factors, p43 is also secreted to work as a cytokine on endothelial as well as immune cells. Here we investigated the activity of p43 in angiogenesis and determined the related mediators. It promoted the migration of endothelial cells at low dose but induced their apoptosis at high dose. p43 at low concentration activated extracellular signal-regulating kinase, which resulted in the induction and activation of matrix metalloproteinase 9. In contrast, p43 at high concentration activated Jun N-terminal kinase, which mediated apoptosis of endothelial cells. These results suggest that p43 is a novel cytokine playing a dose-dependent biphasic role in angiogenesis.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

PubMed2002

p38 is essential for the assembly and stability of macromolecular tRNA synthetase complex: implications for its physiological significance.

Mammalian tRNA synthetases form a macromolecular complex with three nonenzyme factors: p43, p38, and p18. Here we introduced a mutation within the mouse p38 gene to understand its functional significance for the formation of the multi-tRNA synthetase complex. The complex was completely disintegrated by the deficiency of p38. In addition, the protein levels and catalytic activities of the component enzymes and cofactors were severely decreased. A partial truncation of the p38 polypeptide separated the associated components into different subdomains. The mutant mice showed lethality within 2 days of birth. Thus, this work provides the first evidence, to our knowledge, that p38 is essential for the structural integrity of the multi-tRNA synthetase complex and mouse viability.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

PubMed2002

Novel regulatory interactions and activities of mammalian tRNA synthetases.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) catalyze the attachment of specific amino acids to their cognate tRNAs, thereby ensuring the faithful translation of genetic code. In addition to their enzymatic function, these enzymes have been discovered to regulate various cellular functions such as tRNA export, ribosomal RNA synthesis, apoptosis, inflammation and angiogenesis in mammalian. The insights into the noncanonical activities of these enzymes have been obtained from their unique cellular localization, interacting partners, isoform generation and expression control. Mammalian ARSs also form a macromolecular protein complex with a few auxiliary factors. Although the physiological significance of this complex is poorly understood, it also supports the potential of mammalian ARSs as sophisticated multifunctional proteins for regulating various cellular procedures. In this review, the novel regulatory activities of mammalian ARSs will be discussed in different biological processes.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

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↗

PubMed2002

Monocyte cell adhesion induced by a human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-associated factor, p43: identification of the related adhesion molecules and signal pathways.

An aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-associated factor, p43, was recently shown to be secreted to induce a proinflammatory response. Because a proinflammatory response involves the cell-cell adhesion between endothelial and immune cells, we first examined the mechanism of p43-induced cell-cell adhesion of myelomonocytic leukemia cells. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was up-regulated by p43 and mediated p43-induced cell-cell adhesion via the interaction with LFA-1 or Mac-1. We also investigated p43-stimulated signaling pathways involved in the homotypic THP-1 cell adhesion. Because the specific inhibitors for PI3-K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), ERK (extracellular signal-regulating kinase), and p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) blocked p43-stimulated ICAM-1 expression and homotypic THP-1 cell adhesion, these kinases were responsible for p43-induced cell-cell adhesion. p43-Dependent activation of ERK was inhibited by PI3-K inhibitors, and the activation of p38 MAPK was not. Thus, the results of this work suggest that p43 should induce cell-cell adhesion via the PI3-K/ERK- and p38 MAPK-dependent up-regulation of ICAM-1.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗