In a search for proteins involved in cancer metastasis, we analyzed proteomes of the human gastric cancer cell OCUM-2M and its metastatic subline OCUM-2MLN. We observed that aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), D-site binding protein (DBP), and anterior gradient protein 2 (AGR2) are differentially expressed in metastatic OCUM-2MLN cells. Measurement of protein expression in clinical samples indicated that DBP and AAT are also down-regulated in metastatic adenocarcinoma. Additionally, urokinase-type tissue plasminogen activator is up-regulated in OCUM-2MLN cells and also in metastatic gastric cancer samples. Collectively, these results raise a possibility that AAT, DBP and AGR2 are functionally implicated in the invasiveness of gastric cancer cells.
Abstract In the present study, we have investigated the proteome changes associated with glutamate‐induced HT22 cell death, a model system to study oxidative stress‐mediated toxicity. Among a number of HT22 proteins exhibiting altered expression, several molecular chaperones demonstrated substantial changes. For example, the levels of Hsp90 and Hsp70 decreased as cell death progressed whereas that of Hsp60 increased dramatically. Interestingly, cytosolic Hsp60 increased more prominently than mitochondrial Hsp60. Concomitantly, the accumulation of poly‐ubiquitylated proteins and differential regulation of the peptidase activities and the subunits of 26S proteasomes were observed in glutamate‐treated HT22 cells. Our findings that the molecular chaperones and the ubiquitin‐proteasome system undergo changes during glutamate‐induced HT22 cell death may suggest the importance of a protein quality control system in oxidative damage‐mediated toxicity.
Tumor heterogeneity and evolutionary complexity may underlie treatment failure in spite of the development of many targeted agents. We suggest a novel strategy termed induced phenotype targeted therapy (IPTT) to simplify complicated targets because of tumor heterogeneity and overcome tumor evolutionary complexity.We designed a caspase-3 specific activatable prodrug, DEVD-S-DOX, containing doxorubicin linked to a peptide moiety (DEVD) cleavable by caspase-3 upon apoptosis. To induce apoptosis locally in the tumor, we used a gamma knife, which can irradiate a very small, defined target area. The in vivo antitumor activity of the caspase-3-specific activatable prodrug combined with radiation was investigated in C3H/HeN tumor-bearing mice (n = 5 per group) and analyzed with the Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test. All statistical tests were two-sided. We confirmed the basic principle using a caspase-sensitive nanoprobe (Apo-NP).A single exposure of radiation was able to induce apoptosis in a small, defined region of the tumor, resulting in expression of caspase-3. Caspase-3 cleaved DEVD and activated the prodrug. The released free DOX further activated DEVD-S-DOX by exerting cytotoxic effects on neighboring tumor or supporting cells, which repetitively induced the expression of caspase-3 and the activation of DEVD-S-DOX. This sequential and repetitive process propagated the induction of apoptosis. This novel therapeutic strategy showed not only high efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth (14-day tumor volume [mm(3)] vs radiation alone: 848.21 ± 143.24 vs 2511.50 ± 441.89, P < .01) but also low toxicity to normal cells and tissues.Such a phenotype induction strategy represents a conceptually novel approach to overcome tumor heterogeneity and complexity as well as to substantially improve current conventional chemoradiotherapy with fewer sequelae and side effects.
In Escherichia coli and mitochondria, the molecular chaperone DnaJ is required not only for protein folding but also for selective degradation of certain abnormal polypeptides. Here we demonstrate that in the yeast cytosol, the homologous chaperone Ydj1 is also required for ubiquitin-dependent degradation of certain abnormal proteins. The temperature-sensitive ydj1-151 mutant showed a large defect in the overall breakdown of short-lived cell proteins and abnormal polypeptides containing amino acid analogs, especially at 38 degrees C. By contrast, the degradation of long-lived cell proteins, which is independent of ubiquitin, was not altered nor was cell growth affected. The inactivation of Ydj1 markedly reduced the rapid, ubiquitin-dependent breakdown of certain beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) fusion polypeptides. Although degradation of N-end rule substrates (arginine-beta-gal and leucine-beta-gal) and the B-type cyclin Clb5-beta-gal occurred normally, degradation of the abnormal polypeptide ubiquitin-proline-beta-gal (Ub-P-beta-gal) and that of the short-lived normal protein Gcn4 were inhibited. As a consequence of reduced degradation of Ub-P-beta-gal, the beta-gal activity was four to five times higher in temperature-sensitive ydj1-151 mutant cells than in wild-type cells; thus, the folding and assembly of this enzyme do not require Ydj1 function. In wild-type cells, but not in ydj1-151 mutant cells, this chaperone is associated with the short-lived substrate Ub-P-beta-gal and not with stable beta-gal constructs. Furthermore, in the ydj1-151 mutant, the ubiquitination of Ub-P-beta-gal was blocked and the total level of ubiquitinated protein in the cell was reduced. Thus, Ydj1 is essential for the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of certain proteins. This chaperone may facilitate the recognition of unfolded proteins or serve as a cofactor for certain ubiquitin-ligating enzymes.
이 논문은 서울 한강물에서 분리한 방사선 내성 세균군집과 분리된 신종 세균의 UV 내성 특성에 관한 내용이다. 세균은 R2A agar와 1/10 R2A agar를 사용하여 3 kGy가 조사된 한강물에서 분리되었다. 그 결과 방사선에 내성을 가지는 것으로 추측되는 균주를 60주 분리하였고, 본 연구 분석 자료로 사용하였다. 16S rRNA 유전자 염기서열 분석을 통해 분리균주 60개의 계통수를 파악한 결과, 3개의 문(4개의 속)이 확인되었고, Deinococcus-Thermus (Deinococcus)가 61.7%, Firmicutes(Exiguobacterium)는 15%, Bacteroidetes (Hymenobacter, Spirosoma)는 23.4%의 비중을 나타냈다. 분리균주 중 29개 균주가 Deinococcus, Hymenobacter, Spirosoma에 속하는 신종 또는 다른 신속으로 분류될 가능성을 보였으며, 앞으로 추가적인 신종 실험이 진행될 예정이다. 그리고 신종 예상균주를 9개 선정하여 UV 내성 실험을 진행한 결과, 9개 균주 모두 D. radiodurans $R1^T$ 균주 만큼 높은 UV 내성을 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 분리된 Firmicutes (Exiguobacterium) 균주는 아직까지 방사선 내성 연구 보고가 되어 있지 않아서 추가적인 방사선 내성 연구가 필요하다. The aim of this study was to investigate the UV-resistance of radiation-resistant bacteria isolated from the water of Han River, South Korea. The water sample was irradiated with 3 kGy gamma radiation prior to isolation. Radiation-resistant bacterial strains were isolated by standard serial dilution method on R2A and 1/10 diluted R2A agar. The resulting purely isolated 60 cultures of bacteria were analysed for UV resistance and used in further studies. Based on the comparative analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences, the bacterial isolates were divided into 3 phyla (4 genera): the phylum Deinococcus-Thermus (the genus Deinococcus) was 61.7%, Bacteroidetes (Hymenobacter and Spirosoma) was 23.4%, and Firmicutes (Exiguobacterium) was 15%. The results suggested that twenty-nine isolates are candidates new species belonging to Deinococcus, Hymenobacter, and Spirosoma, or other new genera. Nine bacterial strains were selected among the novel candidates and the UV-resistance analysis was conducted. All the candidate bacterial strains showed high UV resistance, similar to that of D. radiodurans R1.
Polyglutamine-repeat, Ataxin-1, Dual-specificity phosphatase, DUSP8, DegradationDual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs), which constitutetype I cysteine-based protein tyrosine phosphatases, are asubfamily of protein phosphatases that can dephosphorylateboth tyrosine and serine/threonine residues within the samesubstrate.
ABSTRACTAn accumulation in cells of unfolded proteins is believed to be the common signal triggering the induction of heat shock proteins (hsps). Accordingly, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, inhibition of protein breakdown at 30°C with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 caused a coordinate induction of many heat shock proteins within 1 to 2 h. Concomitantly, MG132, at concentrations that had little or no effect on growth rate, caused a dramatic increase in the cells' resistance to very high temperature. The magnitude of this effect depended on the extent and duration of the inhibition of proteolysis. A similar induction of hsps and thermotolerance was seen with another proteasome inhibitor, clasto-lactacystin β-lactone, but not with an inhibitor of vacuolar proteases. Surprisingly, when the reversible inhibitor MG132 was removed, thermotolerance decreased rapidly, while synthesis of hsps continued to increase. In addition, exposure to MG132 and 37°C together had synergistic effects in promoting thermotolerance but did not increase hsp expression beyond that seen with either stimulus alone. Although thermotolerance did not correlate with hsp content, another thermoprotectant trehalose accumulated upon exposure of cells to MG132, and the cellular content of this disaccharide, unlike that of hsps, quickly decreased upon removal of MG132. Also, MG132 and 37°C had additive effects in causing trehalose accumulation. Thus, the resistance to heat induced by proteasome inhibitors is not just due to induction of hsps but also requires a short-lived metabolite, probably trehalose, which accumulates when proteolysis is reduced. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe thank Proscript, Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.), and S. Omura for providing MG101, MG132, the β-lactone, and lactacystin and S. Lindquist, M. Douglas, K. A. Arndt, M. H. Hochstrasser, and J. C. Wang for supplying antibodies and yeast strains.This study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Health (NIGMS), the Human Frontier Science Program, and Proscript, Inc.