Ki-Young Kim
Kyung Hee University · Agricultural and Biological Sciences
About the Lab
Professor Ki-Young Kim's research lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular stress responses and tissue repair, with a strong emphasis on signaling pathways in yeast and their translational relevance to human disease. The lab investigates the non-catalytic roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in transcriptional regulation, particularly in the yeast cell wall integrity pathway, and explores the therapeutic potential of natural compounds—such as sakuranetin and tracheloside—in modulating inflammation and promoting wound healing. These studies bridge fundamental cell biology with translational applications in diabetes-related retinal degeneration and anti-inflammatory drug development. The lab integrates advanced imaging techniques like OCTA with molecular and cellular assays to understand disease mechanisms at the cellular and subcellular levels.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15AIM: To evaluate the correlation between inner retinal layer thinning and the foveal microvasculature in type 2 diabetes using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: A cross-sectional study involved 155 diabetic eyes. All patients were divided into two groups based on diabetic retinopathy (DR) grade: no DR (NDR, n=80) and mild-to-moderate non-proliferative DR (NPDR, n=75). Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ circularity index, FAZ perimeter, vessel density and perfusion inde
The cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade of Saccharomyces cerevisiae drives changes in gene expression in response to cell wall stress. We show that the MAPK of this pathway (Mpk1) and its pseudokinase paralog (Mlp1) use a noncatalytic mechanism to activate transcription of the FKS2 gene. Transcriptional activation of FKS2 was dependent on the Swi4/Swi6 (SBF) transcription factor and on an activating signal to Mpk1 but not on protein kinase activity. Activated (pho
The yeast SBF transcription factor is a heterodimer comprised of Swi4 and Swi6 that has a well defined role in cell cycle-specific transcription. SBF serves a second function in the transcriptional response to cell wall stress in which activated Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase of the cell wall integrity signaling pathway forms a complex with Swi4, the DNA binding subunit of SBF, conferring upon Swi4 the ability to bind DNA and activate transcription of FKS2. Although Mpk1-Swi4 complex form
Sakuranetin is flavonoid phytoalexin that serves as a plant antibiotic and exists in Prunus and several other plant species. Recently, we identified the anti-inflammatory effect of Prunus yedoensis and found that there were few studies on the potential anti-inflammatory activity of sakuranetin, one of the main constituents of Prunus yedoensis. Here, we isolated peritoneal macrophages from thioglycollate-injected mice and examined whether sakuranetin affected the response of the macrophages in re
The Mpk1 MAP kinase of the cell wall integrity (CWI) signalling pathway induces transcription of the FKS2 gene in response to cell wall stress through a non-catalytic mechanism that involves stable association of Mpk1 with the Swi4 transcription factor. This dimeric complex binds to a Swi4 recognition site in the FKS2 promoter. The Swi6 transcription factor is also required to bind this ternary complex for transcription initiation to ensue. In this context, the Mlp1 pseudokinase serves a redunda
Research Areas
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