신동민 교수

The "enhanced intracellular survival" (eis) gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is involved in the intracellular survival of M. smegmatis. However, its exact effects on host cell function remain elusive. We herein report that Mtb Eis plays essential roles in modulating macrophage autophagy, inflammatory responses, and cell death via a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent pathway. Macrophages infected with an Mtb eis-deletion mutant H37Rv (Mtb-Δeis) displayed markedly increased accumulati

RANKL (receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand) induces osteoclastogenesis by activating multiple signaling pathways in osteoclast precursor cells, chief among which is induction of long lasting oscillations in the intracellular concentration of Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)). The [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations activate calcineurin, which activates the transcription factor NFATc1. The pathway by which RANKL induces [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations and osteoclastogenesis is poorly understood. Here we report the discovery

Aggressive multimodal treatment is highly effective and may cure locally advanced, unresectable malignant thymoma.

The increasing of intracellular calcium concentration is a fundamental process for mediating osteoclastogenesis, which is involved in osteoclastic bone resorption. Cytosolic calcium binds to calmodulin and subsequently activates calcineurin, leading to NFATc1 activation, a master transcription factor required for osteoclast differentiation. Targeting the various activation processes in osteoclastogenesis provides various therapeutic strategies for bone loss. Diverse compounds that modulate calci

Because thymoma is a chemosensitive tumor and frequently recurs in patients with Stage II or greater disease, chemotherapy carries a potential survival benefit and should be incorporated into the multimodality approach to prolong disease-free survival.

The localization of various Ca(2+) transport and signaling proteins in secretory cells is highly restricted, resulting in polarized agonist-stimulated Ca(2+) waves. In the present work, we examined the possible roles of the Sec6/8 complex or the exocyst in polarized Ca(2+) signaling in pancreatic acinar cells. Immunolocalization by confocal microscopy showed that the Sec6/8 complex is excluded from tight junctions and secretory granules in these cells. The Sec6/8 complex was found in at least tw

Homers are scaffolding proteins that bind G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) receptors (IP3Rs), ryanodine receptors, and TRP channels. However, their role in Ca2+ signaling in vivo is not known. Characterization of Ca2+ signaling in pancreatic acinar cells from Homer2-/- and Homer3-/- mice showed that Homer 3 has no discernible role in Ca2+ signaling in these cells. In contrast, we found that Homer 2 tunes intensity of Ca2+ signaling by GPCRs to regulate the f

In the present work we examined localization and behavior of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in polarized exocrine cells to address the questions of how luminal to basal Ca(2+) waves can be generated in a receptor-specific manner and whether quantal Ca(2+) release reflects partial release from a continuous pool or an all-or-none release from a compartmentalized pool. Immunolocalization revealed that expression of GPCRs in polarized cells is not uniform, with high levels of GPCR expression at

Reactive oxygen species, such as the superoxide anion, H2O2, and the hydroxyl radical, have been considered as cytotoxic by-products of cellular metabolism. However, recent studies have provided evidence that H2O2 serves as a signaling molecule modulating various physiological functions. Here we investigated the effect of H2O2 on the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ signaling in rat cortical astrocytes. H2O2 triggered the generation of oscillations of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) i

ABSTRACT Lysosomal Ca2+ emerges as a critical component of receptor-evoked Ca2+ signaling and plays a crucial role in many lysosomal and physiological functions. Lysosomal Ca2+ release is mediated by the transient receptor potential (TRP) family member TRPML1, mutations that cause the lysosomal storage disease mucolipidosis type 4. Lysosomes play a key role in osteoclast function. However, nothing is known about the role of lysosomal Ca2+ signaling in osteoclastogenesis and bone metabolism. In t

Mutations in TRPML1 cause the lysosomal storage disease mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV). The role of TRPML1 in cell function and how the mutations cause the disease are not well understood. Most studies focus on the role of TRPML1 in constitutive membrane trafficking to and from the lysosomes. However, this cannot explain impaired neuromuscular and secretory cells' functions that mediate regulated exocytosis. Here, we analyzed several forms of regulated exocytosis in a mouse model of MLIV and, oppo

RANKL is essential for the terminal differentiation of monocytes/macrophages into osteoclasts. RANKL induces long-lasting oscillations in the intracellular concentration of Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) only after 24 h of stimulation. These Ca(2+) oscillations play a switch-on role in NFATc1 expression and osteoclast differentiation. Which Ca(2+) transporting pathway is induced by RANKL to evoke the Ca(2+) oscillations and its specific role in RANKL-mediated osteoclast differentiation is not known. This

Homer proteins are scaffold molecules with a domain structure consisting of an N-terminal Ena/VASP homology 1 protein-binding domain and a C-terminal leucine zipper/coiled-coil domain. The Ena/VASP homology 1 domain recognizes proline-rich motifs and binds multiple Ca(2+)-signaling proteins, including G protein-coupled receptors, inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors, ryanodine receptors, and transient receptor potential channels. However, their role in Ca(2+) signaling in nonexcitable cells is