Yi-Chao Lee

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Taipei Medical University

The precise organization of neural circuits requires highly specific axon guidance, facilitated by cell-surface guidance receptors on axonal growth cones that help neurons reach their target destinations. Despite a limited repertoire of known guidance receptors and ligands, neural systems achieve complex axonal networks, suggesting that additional...

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disease that causes benign tumors and dysfunctions in many organs, including the brain. Aside from the brain malformations, many individuals with TSC exhibit neuropsychiatric symptoms. Among these symptoms, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most common co-morbidities, affecting up to 60% of t...

Development of the mammalian central nervous system is an important process, which is accomplished through precise regulations of many different genes. Zinc finger protein 179 (Znf179) is one of the essential genes that plays a critical role in neuronal differentiation. In our previous study, Znf179 knockout mice displayed brain malformation and im...

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare hereditary disease, which results from the mutation of either TSC1 or TSC2 , and its clinical features include benign tumors and dysfunctions in numerous organs, including the brain. Many individuals with TSC manifest neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as learning impairments, cognitive deficits, and anxiety....

Background Promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (Plzf), a transcriptional regulator involved in a lot of important biological processes during development, has been implied to maintain neural stem cells and inhibit their differentiation into neurons. However, the effects of Plzf on brain structures and functions are still not clarified. Results We s...

Background: The brain predominantly expressed RING finger protein, Znf179, is known to be important for embryonic neuronal differentiation during brain development. Downregulation of Znf179 has been observed in motor neurons of adult mouse models for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet the molecular function of Znf179 in neurodegeneration has...

Background: According to Compendium of Materia Medica, Gastrodia elata (GE) Blume as a top grade and frequently prescribed herbal medicine has been used in treating dizziness, headaches, and epilepsy, indicating a neuroprotective effect. Because GE is capable of suppressing a hyperactive liver and thus calming endogenous wind, and because Huntingto...

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Paraquat (PQ) as an herbicide has been demonstrated to impair dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons and highly correlate with the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). WNT/β-CATENIN signaling is known for the specification and neurogenesis of midbrain DAergic neurons and implicated as a therapeutic target in treating many diseases, such as cancer and dege...

The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) commonly occurs during normal aging and during some acute/chronic progressive disorders. In order to avoid oxidative damage, scavenging of these radicals is important. Previously, we identified zinc finger protein 179 (Znf179) as a neuroprotector that increases antioxidant enzymes against superoxide...

Accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides is highly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression in prevailing studies. The successful development of an ultrasensitive detection assay for Aβ is a challenging task, especially from blood-based samples. Methods: We have developed a one-step electrophoresis/electropolymerization strategy for prep...

Background The development of a functioning nervous system requires precise assembly of neuronal connections, which can be achieved by the guidance of axonal growth cones to their proper targets. How axons are guided by signals transmitted to the cytoskeleton through cell surface‐expressed guidance receptors remains unclear. We investigated the fun...

Activated microglial cells are present in dengue virus (DENV)-infected brains; however, the possible effects of DENV on microglia remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated DENV caused infection, including viral entry, RNA replication, viral protein expression, and virus release, in the murine microglial cell line BV2. DENV infection caused an increase...

Dengue virus (DENV) infection in neuronal cells was speculated to trigger neuropathy. Herein, we determined the blockade of DENV infection by targeting endocytic pathways in vitro and in vivo. In DENV-infected mouse brains, we previously showed that viral proteins are expressed in neuronal cells around the hippocampus with accompanying neurotoxicit...

The canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway is constitutively activated in more than 90% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases in which β-catenin contributes to CRC cell growth and survival. In contrast to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, the non-canonical Wnt pathway can antagonize functions of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Wnt5a is a key factor in the non-ca...

Association of pan-Wnt-5a protein expression and clinical parameters in tumor tissues of colorectal cancer patients. (DOCX)

Association of pan-Wnt-5a protein expression and clinical parameters in tumor tissues of colorectal cancer patients. (DOCX)

Wnt5a-L isoform inhibits growth of CRC cancer cells. (A) MTT assay of Wnt5a-L isoform overexpreed in HCCT116 cells (B) Expression of Wnt5a-L isoform, Cyclin D1, CDk4, and PARP were detected in Wnt5a-L isoform-overexpressed HCT116 cells by Western blot. (TIF)

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Pan-Wnt5a protein expression by treatment with 5-azacytidine (5-Aza) at the indicated concentration. (TIF)

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The pan-Wnt5a protein analysis was conducted on protein isolated from eight CRC cell lines and one non-cancerous human CRL-1459 colon cell line. (TIF)

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Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are derived from arachidonic acid and metabolized by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). The role of EETs in synaptic function in the central nervous system is still largely unknown. We found that pharmacological inhibition of sEH to stabilize endogenous EETs and exogenous 14,15-EET significantly increased the field ex...

Malignant glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with strong local invasive growth and a poor prognosis. One probable way to manipulate GBM cells toward a less invasive status is to reprogram the most malignant GBM cells to a more differentiated and less oncogenic phenotype. Herein, we identified a novel role of a RING finger pr...

Rnf112 is a member of the RING finger protein family. The expression of Rnf112 is abundant in the brain and is regulated during brain development. Our previous study has revealed that Rnf112 can promote neuronal differentiation by inhibiting the progression of the cell cycle in cell models. In this study, we further revealed the important functions...

After sudden traumatic brain injuries, secondary injuries may occur during the following days or weeks, which leads to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since ROS exacerbate brain damage, it is important to protect neurons against their activity. Zinc finger protein 179 (Znf179) was shown to act as a neuroprotective factor, but the...

Background In the central nervous system regions of the sporadic and familial FTLD and ALS patients, TDP-43 has been identified as the major component of UBIs inclusions which is abnormally hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated, and cleaved into C-terminal fragments to form detergent-insoluble aggregates. So far, the effective drugs for FTLD and ALS n...

The nucleolus is the cellular site of ribosomal (r)DNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis. The 58-kDa microspherule protein (MSP58) is a nucleolar protein involved in rDNA transcription and cell proliferation. However, regulation of MSP58-mediated rDNA transcription remains unknown. Using a yeast two-hybrid system with MSP58 as bait, we isolated...

Patients with dengue virus (DENV) infection may also present acute viral encephalitis through an unknown mechanism. Here, we report that encephalitic DENV-infected mice exhibited progressive hunchback posture, limbic seizures, limbic weakness, paralysis, and lethality 7 days post-infection. These symptoms were accompanied by CNS inflammation, neuro...

The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have implicated the pathogenesis of several human diseases including neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury, hence protecting neurons against ROS is very important. In this study, we focused on sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R), a chaperone at endoplasmic reticulum, and investigated...

Ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis. Most patients are diagnosed with ovarian cancer when the disease has reached an advanced stage and cure rates are generally under 30%. Hence, early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is the best means to control the disease in the long term and abate mortality. So far, cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and human epididymis pr...

Background: The soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an important enzyme chiefly involved in the metabolism of fatty acid signaling molecules termed epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). sEH inhibition (sEHI) has proven to be protective against experimental cerebral ischemia, and it is emerging as a therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of isc...

Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1)-associated protein 2-like 1 (BAIAP2L1), also known as insulin receptor tyrosine kinase substrate (IRTKS), is involved in plasma membrane protrusion and actin formation during cell morphogenesis and migration. BAIAP2L1 is recently reported to promote cell proliferation through activation of the EGFR-ERK...

The data in this article is related to the research article entitled, “Targeting of Multiple Oncogenic Signaling Pathways by Hsp90 Inhibitor Alone or in Combination with Berberine for Treatment of Colorectal Cancer”[1]. Overexpression of survivin induces resistance to various anticancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy in colore...

Background MSP58 is a nucleolar protein associated with rRNA transcription and cell proliferation. Its mechanism of translocation into the nucleus or the nucleolus, however, is not entirely known. In order to address this lack, the present study aims to determine a crucial part of this mechanism: the nuclear localization signal (NLS) and the nucleo...

There is a wide range of drugs and combinations under investigation and/or approved over the last decade to treat colorectal cancer (CRC), but the 5-year survival rate remains poor at stages II~IV. Therefore, new, more-efficient drugs still need to be developed that will hopefully be included in first-line therapy or overcome resistance when it app...

Paraquat (PQ) as a Parkinsonian mimetic has been demonstrated to impair dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons and is highly correlated with the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) where the death of DAergic neurons has been mainly attributed to impaired mitochondrial functioning. In this study, PQ-induced cytotoxicity focusing on mitochondrial membrane p...

CD47 is involved in neurite differentiation in cultured neurons, but the function of CD47 in brain development is largely unknown. We determined that CD47 mRNA was robustly expressed in the developing cerebellum, especially in granule cells. CD47 protein was mainly expressed in the inner layer of the external granule layer (EGL), molecular layer, a...

The metal nickel (Ni2+) is found everywhere in our daily lives, including coins, costume jewelry, and even nuts and chocolates. Nickel poisoning can cause inflammatory reactions, respiratory diseases, and allergic contact dermatitis. To clarify the mechanism by which nickel induces mediators of inflammation, we used the human acute monocytic leukem...

Reactive astrogliosis is a cellular manifestation of neuroinflammation and occurs in response to all forms and severities of the central nervous system (CNS)’s injury and disease. Both astroglial proliferation and antiapoptotic processes are aspects of astrogliosis. However, the underlying mechanism of this response remains poorly understood. In ad...

Zinc finger protein 179 (Znf179), also known as ring finger protein 112 (Rnf112), is a member of the RING finger protein family and plays an important role in neuronal differentiation. To investigate novel mechanisms of Znf179 regulation and function, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify Znf179-interacting proteins. Using a yeast two-...

58-kDa microspherule protein (MSP58) plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes including transcriptional regulation, cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation. Currently, the mechanisms underlying the oncogenic effect of MSP58 are not fully understood. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, which encodes an...

The A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR) is a G protein-coupled receptor and a major target of caffeine. The A2AR gene encodes alternative transcripts that are initiated from at least two independent promoters. The different transcripts of the A2AR gene contain the same coding region and 3'-untranslated region and different 5'-untranslated regions that ar...

Divalent lead (Pb2+) is a common industrial pollutant epidemiologically associated with gastric cancers. Pb2+ was found to promote tumorigenesis, which may include interleukin (IL)-8, a pro-inflammatory chemokine that promotes angiogenesis and tumor metastasis. Given that the gastrointestinal tract is a major route of Pb2+ exposure, we investigated...

MicroRNA-494 mediates apoptosis and necrosis in several types of cells, but its renal target and potential role in AKI are unknown. Here, we found that microRNA-494 binds to the 3'UTR of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and decreases its transcription. In mice, overexpression of microRNA-494 significantly attenuated the level of ATF3 and in...

It is well known that cytokinins are a class of phytohormones that promote cell division in plant roots and shoots. However, their targets, biological functions, and implications in mammalian systems have rarely been examined. In this study, we show that one cytokinin, zeatin riboside, can prevent pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells from serum deprivatio...

CGS, db-cAMP, FK, and NGF prevent serum deprivation-induced PARP cleavage. Serum-contained or -deprived cells in the presence or absence of CGS (0.1 µM), db-cAMP (100 µM), FK (10 µM), or NGF (50 ng/ml) were harvested and subjected to the Western blot analysis. (DOC)

Zeatin riboside prevents mutant Htt (109Q)-induced aggregations. (A) After pretreatment with ZM or H-89 for 30 min, cells over-expressing normal Htt-25Q-mKate and mutant Htt-109Q-mKate were treated with or without 100 µM zeatin riboside for 24 h. The images of cells in red fluorescence (mKate) and bright field (BF) were taken by a fluorescence micr...

The Ki of cytokinin on molecular modeling of A2A-R. Purple and cyan circles respectively represent hydrogen and bond donor. (DOC)

Zeatin riboside activates the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) through a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent pathway. (A) Cells deprived of serum were pretreated with 5 µM H-89 or 1 µM ZM for 30 min and then treated in the presence or absence of zeatin riboside or 10 µM FK for 1 h. Cells were harvested and subjected to a Western blot analy...

The nucleolar 58-kDa microspherule protein (MSP58) protein is a candidate oncogene implicated in modulating cellular proliferation and malignant transformation. In this study, we show that knocking down MSP58 expression caused aneuploidy and led to apoptosis, whereas ectopic expression of MSP58 regulated cell proliferation in a context-dependent ma...

Over-expression of AURKC has been detected in human colorectal cancers, thyroid carcinoma and several cancer cell lines. However, the regulation and clinical implications of over-expressed AURKC in cancer cells are unclear. Here we show that elevated AURKC increases the proliferation, transformation and migration of cancer cells. Importantly, the k...

Gastrodia elata Blume (Fam. Orchidaceae) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating headaches, dizziness, tetanus, epilepsy, and numbness of the limbs, which suggests that it has neuroprotective effect. To validate the neuroprotection of Gastrodia elata in preventing neurodegenerations, such as Huntington's disease (HD). MTT assay was us...

Znf179 is a member of the RING finger protein family. During embryogenesis, Znf179 is expressed in a restricted manner in the brain, suggesting a potential role in nervous system development. In this report, we show that the expression of Znf179 is upregulated during P19 cell neuronal differentiation. Inhibition of Znf179 expression by RNA interfer...

The 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium ion (MPP(+)), an active metabolite of the neurotoxin, N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), induces death in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, suggesting a cell model of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, most of the toxic mechanisms remain illusive. In this study, we have found that MPP(+) induced a...

Abnormal expression of Aurora-A and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is observed in different kinds of cancer and associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. However, the relationship between Aurora-A and EGFR in tumour development was not clear. In previous reports, we found that EGFR translocates to nucleus to activate Aurora-A expr...

Although ginseng root possesses dominant central therapeutic effects and has recently undergone investigations for treating different neuronal diseases, most of its mechanisms are still unknown. Therefore, the neuroprotective mechanisms of ginseng were studied. The protection afforded by different methanol extracts of Panax ginseng (PG) was tested...

Ligusticum chuanxiong (LC) as a common component in many traditional Chinese medicinal formulas and decoctions has been used to treat different central nervous diseases, suggesting a neuroprotective function. To investigate the functional roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in mediating the neuroprotection of LC. Different extraction...

CEBPB, one of the CEBP family members, is a crucial regulator of gene expression during innate immunity, inflammatory responses and adipogenesis. In this study, the EGF-induced increase of CEBPB mRNA is shown to be coincident with the decrease of COX-2 mRNA. We identified that all of the individual CEBPB isoforms, LAP1, LAP2 and LIP, attenuate EGF-...

CCAAT/Enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARG) play critical roles in the regulation of lipid metabolism genes. Overexpression of CEBPdelta (CEBPD) enhances lipid accumulation and specifically activates PPARG2 transcription in HepG2 cells. By using 5'-serial deletion reporter analysis, we show...

Loss of the maintenance of genetic material is a critical step leading to tumorigenesis. It was reported that overexpression of Aurora-A and the constitutive activation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) are implicated in chromosome instability. In this study, we examined that when cells treated with EGF result in centrosome ampli...