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Jo Sung-yoon

Korea University · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

About the Lab

Professor Jo Sung-yoon's research lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic regulation, aging-related diseases, and cancer progression, with a particular emphasis on oncometabolites, RNA epigenetics, and tumor microenvironment remodeling. The lab investigates how metabolic shifts—driven by factors such as mTORC1 signaling, m6A RNA modification, and aging-associated metabolites like methylmalonic acid—affect cellular homeostasis and disease pathogenesis. Key research directions include the role of signaling pathways (e.g., SPHK1/HIF-1α, AKT/GSK-3β) in cancer under hypoxia, the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism via natural compounds (e.g., linalool, lemon balm essential oil), and the crosstalk between adipose tissue, liver, and fibroblasts in metabolic and neoplastic disorders. The lab integrates molecular biology, metabolomics, and systems biology approaches to uncover novel therapeutic targets in metabolic and oncological diseases.

oncometabolitesm6A RNA modificationtumor microenvironmentmetabolic regulationnatural compounds in disease

Research Overview

Papers
46
Total Citations
1,571
Papers (5y)
14
Primary Field
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
14total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
460total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|209 citations·2017
Post-transcriptional Regulation of De Novo Lipogenesis by mTORC1-S6K1-SRPK2 Signaling
Gina Lee, Yu-Xiang Zheng, Sungyun Cho, Cholsoon Jang, Christina England, Jamie M. Dempsey, Yonghao Yu, Xiaolei Liu, Long He, Paola Cavaliere, Andre Chavez, Erik Zhang
SJR Q1Cell
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|153 citations·2009
Hypocholesterolemic effects of Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC3928 by increased bile acid excretion in C57BL/6 mice
Jungae Jeun, Su‐Kyung Kim, Sungyun Cho, Heejin Jun, Hyun‐Jin Park, Jae-Gu Seo, Myung-Jun Chung, Sung‐Joon Lee
SJR Q2Nutrition
OncologyMedicine
3
Article|147 citations·2018
mTORC1 Promotes Metabolic Reprogramming by the Suppression of GSK3-Dependent Foxk1 Phosphorylation
Long He, Ana P. Gomes, Xin Wang, Sang Oh Yoon, Gina Lee, Michal J. Nagiec, Sungyun Cho, Andre Chavez, Tasnia Islam, Yonghao Yu, John M. Asara, Bo Yeon Kim
SJR Q1Molecular CellOA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|136 citations·2010
Anti-diabetic effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil on glucose- and lipid-regulating enzymes in type 2 diabetic mice
Mi Ja Chung, Sungyun Cho, Muhammad Javidul Haque Bhuiyan, Kyoung Heon Kim, Sung‐Joon Lee
SJR Q2British Journal Of NutritionOA

The antioxidant activity of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil (LBEO) on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and its hypoglycaemic effect in db/db mice were investigated. LBEO scavenged 97 % of DPPH radicals at a 270-fold dilution. Mice administered LBEO (0.015 mg/d) for 6 weeks showed significantly reduced blood glucose (65 %; P < 0.05) and TAG concentrations, improved glucose tolerance, as assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test, and significantly higher serum insulin

Complementary and alternative medicineMedicine
5
Article|115 citations·2021
mTORC1 promotes cell growth via m6A-dependent mRNA degradation
Sungyun Cho, Gina Lee, Brian F. Pickering, Cholsoon Jang, Jin H. Park, Long He, Lavina Mathur, Seung-Soo Kim, Sunhee Jung, Hong-Wen Tang, Sébastien Monette, Joshua D. Rabinowitz
SJR Q1Molecular CellOA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
6
Article|86 citations·2011
Sphingosine kinase 1 pathway is involved in melatonin-induced HIF-1α inactivation in hypoxic PC-3 prostate cancer cells
Sungyun Cho, Hyo‐Jeong Lee, Soo‐Jin Jeong, Hyo‐Jung Lee, Hyunseok Kim, Chang Yan Chen, Eun‐Ok Lee, Sung‐Hoon Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Pineal Research

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) is a newly discovered modulator of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) with various biological activities such as cell growth, survival, invasion, angiogenesis, and carcinogenesis. Thus, in the present study, the biological mechanisms of melatonin were elucidated in association with SPHK1 pathway in PC-3 prostate cancer cells under hypoxia. Melatonin inhibited the stability of HIF-1α in a time- and concentration- dependent manners. Also, melatonin decreased SPHK1 ac

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
7
Article|71 citations·2021
mTORC1-chaperonin CCT signaling regulates m 6 A RNA methylation to suppress autophagy
Hong-Wen Tang, Jui–Hsia Weng, Wen Xing Lee, Yanhui Hu, Lei Gu, Sungyun Cho, Gina Lee, Richard Binari, Cathleen Li, Min Cheng, Ah‐Ram Kim, Jun Xu
SJR Q1Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOA

Significance N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) is the most prevalent modification in eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA) and affects RNA metabolism including splicing, stability, and translation. The m 6 A methyltransferase complex (MTC) is responsible for generating the m 6 A modifications in mRNA; however, the regulation of m 6 A modification is still unclear. We have identified Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) as a key regulator of MTC and demonstrate that mTORC1 can stabilize MTC via

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8
Article|68 citations·2016
CREBH-FGF21 axis improves hepatic steatosis by suppressing adipose tissue lipolysis
Jong‐Gil Park, Xu Xu, Sungyun Cho, Kyu Yeon Hur, Myung‐Shik Lee, Sander Kersten, Ann–Hwee Lee
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Adipose tissue lipolysis produces glycerol and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) that serve as energy sources during nutrient scarcity. Adipose tissue lipolysis is tightly regulated and excessive lipolysis causes hepatic steatosis, as NEFA released from adipose tissue constitutes a major source of TG in the liver of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases. Here we show that the liver-enriched transcription factor CREBH is activated by TG accumulation and induces FGF21, which suppresses ad

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|66 citations·2022
Tumor-produced and aging-associated oncometabolite methylmalonic acid promotes cancer-associated fibroblast activation to drive metastatic progression
Zhongchi Li, Vivien Low, Valbona Luga, Janet Sun, Ethan M. Earlie, Bobak Parang, Kripa Shobana Ganesh, Sungyun Cho, Jennifer E. Endress, Tanya Schild, Mengying Hu, David Lyden
SJR Q1Nature CommunicationsOA

The systemic metabolic shifts that occur during aging and the local metabolic alterations of a tumor, its stroma and their communication cooperate to establish a unique tumor microenvironment (TME) fostering cancer progression. Here, we show that methylmalonic acid (MMA), an aging-increased oncometabolite also produced by aggressive cancer cells, activates fibroblasts in the TME, which reciprocally secrete IL-6 loaded extracellular vesicles (EVs) that drive cancer progression, drug resistance an

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
10
Article|59 citations·2011
Linalool reduces the expression of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase via sterol regulatory element binding protein-2- and ubiquitin-dependent mechanisms
Sungyun Cho, Heejin Jun, Ji Hae Lee, Yaoyao Jia, Kyoung Heon Kim, Sung‐Joon Lee
SJR Q1FEBS LettersOA

We investigated hypocholesterolemic mechanisms of linalool, an aromatic anti-oxidative monoterpene, which is abundant in teas and essential oils. Oral administration of linalool to mice for 6 weeks significantly lowered total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, and HMG-CoA reductase protein expression (-46%; P<0.05) by both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. Linalool suppressed the gene expression of HMG-CoA reductase by reducing the binding of SREBP-2 to its

SurgeryMedicine
11
Article|49 citations·2022
Suppression of nuclear GSK3 signaling promotes serine/one-carbon metabolism and confers metabolic vulnerability in lung cancer cells
Long He, Jennifer E. Endress, Sungyun Cho, Zhongchi Li, Yuxiang Zheng, John M. Asara, John Blenis
SJR Q1Science AdvancesOA

Serine/one-carbon metabolism provides critical resources for nucleotide biosynthesis and epigenetic maintenance and is thus necessary in cancer cell growth, although the detailed regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. We uncover a critical role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) in regulating the expression of serine/one-carbon metabolic enzymes. Nuclear enrichment of GSK3 significantly suppresses genes that mediate de novo serine synthesis, including PHGDH, PSAT1, PSPH, and one-carbon metaboli

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Review|38 citations·2024
mTORC1, the maestro of cell metabolism and growth
Long He, Sungyun Cho, John Blenis
SJR Q1Genes & DevelopmentOA

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway senses and integrates various environmental and intracellular cues to regulate cell growth and proliferation. As a key conductor of the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes, mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) orchestrates the symphonic regulation of glycolysis, nucleic acid and lipid metabolism, protein translation and degradation, and gene expression. Dysregulation of the mTOR pathway is linked to numerous human diseases, including cancer, neu

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|36 citations·2014
Coumestrol suppresses hypoxia inducible factor 1α by inhibiting ROS mediated sphingosine kinase 1 in hypoxic PC-3 prostate cancer cells
Sungyun Cho, Sun-Mi Cho, Eunkyung Park, Bonglee Kim, Eun Jung Sohn, Bumsuk Oh, Eun‐Ok Lee, Hyo‐Jeong Lee, Sung‐Hoon Kim
SJR Q2Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|34 citations·2025
Direct sensing of dietary ω-6 linoleic acid through FABP5-mTORC1 signaling
Nikos Koundouros, Michal J. Nagiec, Nayah Bullen, Evan Noch, Guillermo Burgos-Barragan, Zhongchi Li, Long He, Sungyun Cho, Bobak Parang, Dario Leone, Eleni Andreopoulou, John Blenis
SJR Q1Science

Diet influences macronutrient availability to cells, and although mechanisms of sensing dietary glucose and amino acids are well characterized, less is known about sensing lipids. We defined a nutrient signaling mechanism involving fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5) and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) that is activated by the essential polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ω-6 linoleic acid (LA). FABP5 directly bound to the regulatory-associated protein of mTOR (Raptor) to enhan

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|33 citations·2013
Specific Inhibition Of Ectodomain Shedding Of GPIba By Targeting Its Shedding Cleavage Site
Xin Liang, Susan Russell, Sandra Estelle, Limei H. Jones, Sungyun Cho, Mark L. Kahn, Michael C. Berndt, Silvia T. Bunting, Jerry Ware, Renhao Li
SJR Q1Blood

Abstract Background Ectodomain shedding of GPIbα, a proteolytic event in which metalloprotease ADAM17 cleaves the Gly464-Val465 bond and releases glycocalicin to the plasma, is considered a critical step in mediating clearance of stored platelets. Supporting evidence has been obtained from animal studies using ADAM17 inhibitors. However, the definitive proof is lacking due to the broad substrate specificity of ADAM17. We report herein novel monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that specifically inhibit

HematologyMedicine

Research Areas

Molecular BiologyCancer ResearchSurgeryOncologyImmunology and AllergyComplementary and alternative medicine

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