Ewha Womans University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Professor Young-Ho Ahn's research lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression, particularly in lung and breast carcinomas, with a central emphasis on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. The lab investigates the roles of transcription factors (e.g., ZEB1), microRNAs (e.g., miR-200 family), tumor suppressor kinases (e.g., MAP2K4), and long non-coding RNAs in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis, and tumor microenvironment modulation. They also explore signaling pathways such as p38 MAPK and PKC in response to anticancer agents like 8-Cl-cAMP, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer and other malignancies.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Metastatic cancer is extremely difficult to treat, and the presence of metastases greatly reduces a cancer patient's likelihood of long-term survival. The ZEB1 transcriptional repressor promotes metastasis through downregulation of microRNAs (miRs) that are strong inducers of epithelial differentiation and inhibitors of stem cell factors. Given that each miR can target multiple genes with diverse functions, we posited that the prometastatic network controlled by ZEB1 extends beyond these process
The microRNA-200 (miR-200) family plays a major role in specifying epithelial phenotype by preventing expression of the transcription repressors ZEB1 and ZEB2, which are well-known regulators of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial tumors including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Here, we elucidated whether miR-200 family members control RNA-binding protein quaking (QKI), a newly identified tumor suppressor that is regulated during EMT. We predicted that miR-200a and
MAP2K4 encodes a dual-specificity kinase (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4, or MKK4) that is mutated in a variety of human malignancies, but the biochemical properties of the mutant kinases and their roles in tumorigenesis have not been fully elucidated. Here we showed that 8 out of 11 cancer-associated MAP2K4 mutations reduce MKK4 protein stability or impair its kinase activity. On the basis of findings from bioinformatic studies on human cancer cell lines with homozygous MAP2K4 loss,
8-Chloro-cyclic AMP (8-Cl-cAMP), which is known to induce growth inhibition, apoptosis, and differentiation in various cancer cell lines, has been studied as a putative anticancer drug. However, the mechanism of anticancer activities of 8-Cl-cAMP has not been fully understood. Previously, we reported that the 8-Cl-cAMP-induced growth inhibition is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) activation. In this study, we found that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) also plays important roles dur
microRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous suppressors of target mRNAs, are deeply involved in every step of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development, from tumor initiation to progression and metastasis. They play roles in cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, migration, invasion, and metastatic colonization, as well as immunosuppression. Due to their versatility, numerous attempts have been made to use miRNAs for clinical applications. miRNAs can be used a
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate diverse physiological and pathological processes via post-transcriptional, post-translational, and epigenetic mechanisms. They are also involved in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis by functioning as key players in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, drug resistance, and immunosuppression, which can be modulated by lncRNAs. LncRNAs regulate the intrinsic properties
Cells exposed to environmental stress rapidly activate the MAPK cascade (MKKK/MKK/MAPK). The transient nature of stress signaling is a consequence of negative feedback signals that lead to kinase dephosphorylation, degradation, and sequestration, which have not been fully elucidated for MKK family members. Here, we investigated the signals that negatively regulate MKK4/SEK1, an upstream activator of the MAPKs JNK and p38/HOG1. Following exposure of cells to sorbitol, MKK4 underwent ubiquitinatio
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) reside within the tumor microenvironment, facilitating cancer progression and metastasis via direct and indirect interactions with cancer cells and other stromal cell types. CAFs are composed of heterogeneous subpopulations of activated fibroblasts, including myofibroblastic, inflammatory, and immunosuppressive CAFs. In this study, we sought to identify subpopulations of CAFs isolated from human lung adenocarcinomas and describe their transcriptomic and funct
Previously, we reported that chelation of intracellular zinc with N, N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN)-induced macromolecule synthesis-dependent apoptosis of cultured cortical neurons. According to the current theory of apoptosis, release of mitochondrial cytochrome C into the cytosol is required for caspase activation. In the present study, we examined whether cytochrome C release is dependent on macromolecule synthesis. Exposure of cortical cultures to 2 microM TPEN for 2
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