• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Previous studies showed that Cdc7 kinase of Schizosaccharomyces pombe phosphorylated the minichromosome maintenance (Mcm) complex efficiently in the presence of spMcm10 protein. The biochemical properties of the phosphorylated Mcm complexes were examined to understand the activation mechanism of the Mcm complex by Cdc7 kinase. The phosphorylation of Mcm complex in the presence of spMcm10 by Cdc7 kinase did not affect the stability of the Mcm complex containing all six subunits, and the changes in the sedimentation properties were not observed after the phosphorylation. The reconstitution of the Mcm complex using the purified proteins showed that the phosphorylation of Mcm2 proteins did not affect the interactions between Mcm proteins. The phosphorylation of the Mcm2-7 complex at the same condition also did not activate the other biochemical activities such as DNA helicase and single stranded (ss) DNA binding activities. On the other hand, spMcm10 protein that was used for the stimulation of Mcm phosphorylation showed single stranded DNA binding activity, and inhibited the DNA helicase activity of the Mcm4/6/7 complex. These inhibitory effects were reduced by the addition of Cdc7 kinase, suggesting that the phosphorylation by Cdc7 kinase decreased the interactions between spMcm10 and the Mcm complex. Taken together, these results suggested that the phosphorylation by Cdc7 kinase alone is not sufficient for the remodeling and the activation of the Mcm complex, and the additional factors or the phosphorylations might be required for the activation of the Mcm complex.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.201-211
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• 2005

Cdc2 kinase is a prototypical cyclin-dependent kinase critical for G2 to M phase cell cycle transition. Yet, its function in the nervous system is largely unknown. Here, we investigated possible role of Cdc2 in axonal regeneration using sciatic nerve system in rat. Cdc2 protein levels and activity were increased in the injured sciatic nerves 3 and 7 days after crush injury and then decreased to basal level 14 days later. Administration of Cdc2 kinase inhibitor roscovitine in vivo at the time of crush injury significantly inhibited axonal regeneration when regrowing axons were analyzed using retrograde tracers. Cdc2 protein levels in cultured Schwann cells which were prepared from sciatic nerves 7 days after crush injury were much higher compared with those from uninjured sciatic nerves, suggesting that Cdc2 protein expression was primarily induced in the Schwann cells. To further investigate Cdc2 function in Schwann cell, we examined changes in cultured Schwann cell proliferation and migration in culture system. Both the number of proliferating Schwann cells and the extent of neurite outgrowth from co-cultured DRG neurons were significantly decreased by Cdc2 inhibitor roscovitine treatment in DRG culture which was prepared from animals with sciatic nerve injury for 7 days. Also, Schwann cell migration in the injured sciatic nerve explant was significantly inhibited by roscovitine treatment. Taken together, the present data suggest that Cdc2 may be involved in peripheral nerve regeneration via Schwann cell proliferation and migration.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.436-443
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• 2018

The actin cytoskeleton plays a key role in the entry of mitosis as well as in cytokinesis. In a previous study, we showed that actin disruption delays mitotic entry at G2/M by sustained activation of extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in primary cells but not in transformed cancer cell lines. Here, we examined the mechanism of cell cycle delay at G2/M by actin dysfunction in IMR-90 normal human fibroblasts. We observed that de-polymerization of actin with cytochalasin D (CD) constitutively activated ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) and induced inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2 (Tyr 15) in IMR-90 cells. In the presence of an actin defect in IMR-90 cells, activating phosphorylation of Wee1 kinase (Ser 642) and inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc25C (Ser 216) was also maintained. However, when kinase-dead RSK (DN-RSK) was overexpressed, we observed sustained activation of ERK1/2, but no delay in the G2/M transition, demonstrating that RSK functions downstream of ERK in cell cycle delay by actin dysfunction. In DN-RSK overexpressing IMR-90 cells treated with CD, phosphorylation of Cdc25C (Ser 216) was blocked and phosphorylation of Cdc2 (Tyr 15) was decreased, but the phosphorylation of Wee1 (Ser 642) was maintained, demonstrating that RSK directly controls phosphorylation of Cdc25C (Ser 216), but not the activity of Wee1. These results strongly suggest that actin dysfunction in primary cells activates ERK1/2 to inhibit Cdc2, delaying the cell cycle at G2/M by activating downstream RSK, which phosphorylates and blocks Cdc25C, and by directly activating Wee1.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.421-425
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• 2003

The serine/threonine protein kinase family is a large and diverse group of enzymes that are involved in the regulation of multiple cellular pathways. Elevated kinase activity has been implicated in many diseases and frequently targeted for the development of pharmacological inhibitors. Therefore, non-radioactive antibody-based kinase assays that allow high throughput screening of compound libraries have been developed. However, they require a generation of antibodies against the phosphorylated form of a specific substrate. We report here a time-resolved fluorescence assay platform that utilizes a commercially-available generic anti-phosphothreonine antibody and permits assaying kinases that are able to phosporylate threonin residues on protein substrates. Using this approach, we developed an assay for Cdc7/Dbf4 kinase activity, determined the $K_m$ for ATP, and identified rottlerin as a non-ATP competitive inhibitor of this enzyme.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.72-81
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• 2006

Wee1 is a kinase regulator of the M-phase promoting factor (MPF; a complex of cdc2 and cyclin B1). The present study was undertaken to determine the role(s) of wee1 in the early stages of mouse ovarian follicles. The expression of wee1 and the correlated cell-cycle components, namely cdc2, cyclin B1, and cdc25C, were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the expression of Tyr15-phosphorylated cdc2 (cdc2-p) was also examined to determine whether wee1 kinase phosphorylates cdc2 existed. Each component except cdc25C was found cytoplasmic in the oocytes at all stages of follicles, while cdc25C was not detected in primordial follicles. It was found primarily in ovarian somatic cells and to a small extent in granulosa cells of the growing follicles. To further confirm the expression of cell-cycle components in the primordial follicular oocytes, day1 ovaries were enzymatically and mechanically dissociated, then oocytes were isolated from somatic including pre-granulosa cells, and we confirmed that cdc2-p was expressed in oocytes of primordial follicles. From the results of the present study, we concluded wee1, without the counteracting cdc25C, would cause meiotic arrest of oocytes by the inhibitory phosphorylation of cdc2. The expression of all these proteins in the granulosa cells of growing follicles may regulate their mitosis concurrently with the growth of oocytes and follicles.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2001

The success of nuclear transplantation with mammalian oocytes depends critically on the potential of oocytes activation, which mainly caused to prevent the re-accumulation of maturation promoting factor (MPF). This study was conducted to compare the effect of combined treatment of lonomycin with a Hl-histone kinase inhibitor (dimethylaminopurine, DMAP) or cdc2 kinase inhibitor (sodium pyrophosphate, SPP) on activation of bovine oocytes. In vitro matured bovine oocytes with the first polar body (PB) and dense cytoplasm were assigned to 3 experimental groups. For activation treatment, oocytcs were exposed to 5 $\mu$M lonomycin for 5 min (Group 1), and followed by 1.9 mM dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) for 3 h (Group 2) or followed by 2 mM sodium pyrophosphate (SPP) for 3 h (Group 3). The activation effects in the three treatments and the control group (untreated) were judged by the extrusion of the second PB and formation of a pronucleus (PN). Differences among groups were analysed using one-way ANOVA after arc-sine transformation of proportional data. All three treatments led to high activation rates (90% to 95%), with significant difference from the control. However, the extrusion of the second PB and the rate of PN formation differed remarkably among treatments. In Group I and 3, about 95% of the oocytes had extruded the second polar body, but one PN had formed in a higher proportion of oocytes in Group 3 than in Group 1 (90% vs. 5%). In experiment 2, the rates of cleavage and development into blastocysts in Group 1 were significantly lower than those of Group 2 and 3 (8.7% and 0% vs. 50.5% and 11.6%, and 44.6% and 7.2%, respectively, P<0.05). In experiment 3, ~80% of parthenotes in Group 1 were developed with haploid chromosomal sets. However, when ionomycin was followed immediately by DMAP (Group 2). only 20% of parthenotes were haploid. In Group 3, combined treatment with ionomycin and SPP, the appearance of abnormal chromosomal tracts was significantly (P〈0.05) reduced and the proportion of haploid parthenotes was increased to 85% (17/20) than in Group 2. These results demonstrate that SPP acted as a cdc2 kinase inhibitor and formed the haploidy in oocyte activation. Thus, the present study suggests that cdc2 kinase inhibitor, such as sodium pyrophosphate, may have an effective role in oocyte activation for the production of cloned embryos/animals by nuclear transplantation.

• The Microorganisms and Industry
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.2-10
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• 1993

이 총론에서는 cell cycle의 조절에 관계하는 p34cdc kinase의 특성과 기질 그리고 cell cycle에서의 역할을 살펴보고, 또 cell cycle에서와 여러가지 세포내의 현상에 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려진 casein kinase II의 특성과 기질 그리고 cell cycle에서의 역할을 살펴보고자 한다. 그리고 이런 효소들을 연구하는 데 필수적인 방법이나 시약들로 소개하고자 한다.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.319-327
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• 2011

This study investigated whether the addition of porcine sperm cytosolic factor (SCF) at fusion/activation affects in vitro development of porcine parthenogenetic(PA) and nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. To determine the optimum concentration of SCF, control group of oocytes was activated with 0.3M mannitol (1.0 mM $CaCl_2{\cdot}2H_2O$), other three groups of oocytes were parthenogentically activated with the fusion medium (0.1mM $CaCl_2{\cdot}2H_2O$) supplemented with 100, 200 or 300 ${\mu}$g/ml SCF, respectively. Matured oocytes were activated with two electric pulses (DC) of 1.2 kv/cm for 30 ${\mu}$sec. The activated embryos were cultured in PZM-3 under 5% $CO_2$ in air at $38.5^{\circ}C$ for 6 days. Oocytes activated in the presence of SCF showed a significantly higher blastocyst rate than control (p<0.05). Apoptosis rate was significantly lower in 100 ${\mu}$g/ml SCF group than other groups (p<0.05). Cdc2 kinase activity in control and SCF treatment group of oocytes was determined using MESACUP cdc2 kinase assay kit at 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after activation. Cdc2 kinase activity was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in SCF group than MII oocytes or control within 5 min. For NT embryo production, reconstructed oocytes were fused in the fusion medium supplemented with 0.1 mM $CaCl_2{\cdot}2H_2O$ (T1), 1.0 mM $CaCl_2{\cdot}2H_2O$ (T2) and 0.1 mM $CaCl_2{\cdot}2H_2O$ with 100 ${\mu}$g/ml SCF (T3). Fused embryos were cultured in PZM-3 under 5% $CO_2$ in air at $38.5^{\circ}C$ for 6 days. Developmental rate to blastocyst stage was significantly higher in T3 than other groups (23.0% vs. 13.5 to 15.2%) (p<0.05). Apoptosis rate was significantly lower in T3 than T1 or T2 (p<0.05). The relative abundance of Bax-${\alpha}$/Bcl-xl was significantly lower in in vivo or SCF group than that of control (p<0.05). Moreover, the expression of p53 and caspase3 mRNA was significantly lower in in vivo or SCF group than that of control (p<0.05). These results indicate that the addition of SCF at fusion/activation might improve in vitro development of porcine NT embryos through regulating cdc2 kinase level and expression of apoptosis related genes.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.178-183
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• 2010

Costunolide is an active compound isolated from the stem bark of Magnolia sieboldii, and is considered a potential therapeutic for the treatment of various cancers. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism whereby costunolide induces the apoptosis of human leukemia cells. Using apoptosis analysis and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results obtained during this study show that costunolide is a potent inducer of apoptosis and that it is triggered due to the premature activation of Cdc2. $G_1$-synchronized cells, which cannot undergo mitosis, were found to be more sensitive to costunolide, and Cdc2 mRNA levels were increased by costunolide treatment. Furthermore, the Cdk inhibitors, olomucine and butyrolactone I, were found to suppress costunolide-induced apoptosis. In addition, the PKC activator TPA rescued cells from cell death by costunolide, and this was prevented by the PKC inhibitor staurosporin. The present study suggests that costunolide induces the apoptosis of HL-60 leukemic cells by modulating cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc2.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.71.1-71.1
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• 2003

We show that Cdc6, an essential initiation factor for DNA replication, undergoes caspase-3-mediated cleavage in the early stages of apoptosis in HeLa cells and SK-HEP-1 cells induced by etoposide, paclitaxel, ginsenoside Rh2, or TRAIL. The cleavage occurs at the SEVD$\^$442//G motif and generates an N-terminal truncated Cdc6 fragment (p49-tCdc6) that lacks the carboxy-terminal nuclear export sequence (NES). Cdc6 is known to be phosphorylated by cyclin A-Cyclin A-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2), an event that promotes its exit from the nucleus and probably blocks it from initiating inappropriate DNA replication. (omitted)