Cell Surface Tissue Transglutaminase-induced Activation of Phosphoinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway / 체질인류학회지

Multifunctional tissue transglutaminase (tTGase) is found in the cytoplasm and cell surface, as well as in the extracellular matrix. However, it is difficult to determine the exact function of tTGase in each cell compartment. This study focused on the potential role of cell surface tTGase in the process of "outside-in" signal transduction. Immunofluorescence study and western blotting was performed to localize the overexpression of tTGase. tTGaseoverexpressed H9c2/tTGase cells were treated with anti-tTGase antibody to evaluate the potential functions of tTGase on the outside-in signal process. The tTGase level markedly increased in each cell compartment and the culture media of H9c2/tTGase cells that show overexpression of tTGases. Anti-tTGase monoclonal antibody reduced tTGase levels in the whole lysate of H9c2/tTGase cells, and concomitantly increased the activity of the Akt. The results suggest that the cell surface expression of tTGase may be associated with an intracellular signaling pathway via the phosphoinositol-3 kinase/Akt. Phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinase family, ERK1/2, and Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK), was also inhibited in the anti-tTGase antibody-treated H9c2/tTGase cells. These results suggest that cell surface tTGase may regulate intracellular signaling pathways in an autocrine or paracrine manner.

Tissue Transglutaminase Activates NF-kappaB Pathway in the Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery / 체질인류학회지

Molecular mechanism of nuclear factor-kappaB(NF-kappaB) in the atherosclerosis has been unclear. Recently, NF-kappaB activating function of tissue transglutaminase (tTGase), multifunctional calcium-dependent transamidation enzyme, have been reported in the various tissues like neuroglia. In this report, we investigated the immunoreactivity of tTGase at the human atherosclerotic coronary artery, and examined the effect of tTGase on the well-known proatherogenic NF-kappaB pathway using tTGase-overexpressed cells. Immunohistochemical studies on autopsy samples showed that immunoreactivity of tTGase was markedly elevated in the neointimal tissues of atherosclerotic coronary arteries with progression of disease. Immunohistochemical staining also demonstrated that phosphorylated I-kappaB was activated in the atherosclerotic vessel wall. In vitro study using rat cardiomyoblast (H9c2) and tTGase-overexpressed H9c2 showed that activated tTGase enhanced the phosphorylation of I-kappaB, and this activation was inhibited by tTGase specific inhibitors. These findings suggest that cytosolic tTGase may serve as an activator of NF-kappaB.

Activation of Nuclear Factor-kappaB in the Atherosclerotic Human Coronary Artery / 대한해부학회지

Paraffin sections of atherosclerotic vessels were classified into initial lesion, preatheroma and complicated severe lesion by classification method from American Heart Association. Activation of NF-kappaB was hardly detectable in the initial atherosclerotic lesion. In the preatheroma, activated NF-kappaB was enhanced in the neointimal smooth muscle cells and macrophages in the lipid core. In contrast, activated NF-kappaB increased markedly in the neointimal and medial smooth muscle cells in the severe atherosclerotic vessel wall. However, in the severe lesion, NF-kappaB activation was diminished in the macrophages of lipid core. Our findings show that NF-kappaB was activated in the smooth muscle cells with the progression of atherosclerosis in the human coronary artery.

Improvement of Spinal Central Pain by Brachial Plexus Block: A case report / 대한통증학회지

Central pain is defined as pain associated with lesions of the central nervous system, and is among the most intractable of chronic pain syndromes. A 47 year-old-female, who had right arm and shoulder pain, was diagnosed with syringomyelia of the Arnold Chiari malformation type I and received foramen magnum decompression and a syringo-subarachnoid shunt. After the operation, the evoked pain was improved, but she complained of a continuous burning pain, coupled with cold and tactile allodynia. This symptom failed to fully subside on administration of oral medicine; therefore, brachial plexus block was performed, which relieved her pain transiently. Through repeated trials, a gradual decrease in the pain intensity and frequency was found. However, the way in which brachial plexus block improves spinal central pain is not completely known.

High Fever Due to Sulprostone after Cesarean Section: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

A 30-year-old female underwent emergency cesarean section with general anesthesia. In the past history, she has no specific problem. After delivery of fetus and placenta, there was continuous uterine bleeding due to uterine atony. Surgeon injected 1 mg of sulprostone (prostaglandin E2) into the uterine muscle and 1 mg of sulprostone was injected intravenously. One hour after sulprostone injection, high fever was detected. Sulprostone has been known to have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, uterine rupture, pulmonary edema and fever. Therefore, when we inject sulprostone into the uterine atonic bleeding patient, it is necessary to pay attention to fever for it's complication, in giving overdose.