Jin Hyuk Jung

Akt is negatively regulated by the MULAN E3 ligase

The serine/threonine kinase Akt functions in multiple cellular processes, including cell survival and tumor development. Studies of the mechanisms that negatively regulate Akt have focused on dephosphorylation-mediated inactivation. In this study, we identified a negative regulator of Akt, MULAN, which possesses both a RING finger domain and E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Akt was found to directly interact with MULAN and to be ubiquitinated by MULAN in vitro and in vivo. Other molecular assays demonstrated that phosphorylated Akt is a substantive target for both interaction with MULAN and ubiquitination by MULAN. The results of the functional studies suggest that the degradation of Akt by MULAN suppresses cell proliferation and viability. These data provide insight into the Akt ubiquitination signaling network.

Triad 1 induces apoptosis by p53 activation.

Triad 1 (2 RING [really interesting new gene] fingers and DRIL [double RING finger linked] 1) is an E3 ligase that induces apoptosis and clonogenic inhibition in myeloid cells through Gfi‐1 stabilization. Here we demonstrate that Triad 1 induces apoptosis in several cancer cell lines including MCF7, A549, U2OS, and HCT 116 p53+/+ cells via its RING ligase activity. Interestingly, in these cancer cells, Triad 1‐induced apoptosis is not mediated by Gfi‐1 stabilization but is instead p53‐dependent. Moreover, Triad 1 promotes transactivation of p53. These results suggest that Triad 1 can induce apoptosis through its ligase activity via p53 activation.

TRIAD1 is negatively regulated by the MDM2 E3 ligase.

Two RING fingers and DRIL1 (TRIAD1) is a proapoptotic protein that promotes p53 activation in several cancer cell lines, including MCF7, U2OS and A549 cells. In this study, we demonstrated that TRIAD1 is a novel ubiquitination target for proteasome-dependent degradation by murine double minute 2 (MDM2). TRIAD1 was found to interact with and be ubiquitinated by MDM2. RNA interference against MDM2 increased endogenous TRIAD1 protein stability. The functional study results suggested that TRIAD1 degradation by MDM2 suppresses TRIAD1-mediated cell growth. These data suggested a novel negative regulatory mechanism of TRIAD1 via MDM2 E3 ligase ubiquitination.

The Protective Effect of Violaxanthin from Nannochloropsis oceanica against Ultraviolet B-Induced Damage in Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts

Skin photoaging, which is mainly induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, is prevented by the application of UV‐protective agents. The microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica (N. oceanica) has been primarily reported as a potential biofuel; however, in this study, we investigated whether N. oceanica extracts exerted photoprotective effects against UVB‐irradiated human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and which single component was responsible for the protective effect of the extracts. Two extracts—pigment and nonpigment—were prepared from N. oceanica biomass. WST‐1 assay and expression analysis of interleukin genes showed that the pigment extracts were not significantly cytotoxic to HDFs. Further experiments revealed that treatment with the pigment extract upregulated the expression of collagen genes and significantly blocked UVB‐induced damage such as decreased cell viability and increased ROS production. Next, to investigate the pigment composition of the extracts, HPLC analysis was conducted and violaxanthin was identified as the major pigment. The UVB photoprotective effect of the pigment extracts was confirmed in violaxanthin‐treated HDFs. In addition, violaxanthin significantly attenuated UVB‐induced G1 phase arrest, senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activation, p16 and p21 upregulation, ERK phosphorylation and the downregulation of ECM molecules in HDFs. Therefore, we concluded that violaxanthin was a potential antiphotoaging agent.