Molecular Biology and Genetics / Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/9

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 6
    Citation - Scopus: 5
    Epitranscriptomics M6a Analyses Reveal Distinct M6a Marks Under Tumor Necrosis Factor Α (tnf-Α) Apoptotic Conditions in Hela Cells
    (Wiley, 2024) Akçaöz Alasar, Azime; Tuncel, Özge; Sağlam, Buket; Gazaloğlu, Yasemin; Atbinek, Melis; Çağıral, Umut; İşcan, Evin; Özhan, Güneş; Akgül, Bünyamin
    Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a ligand that induces both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in HeLa cells by modulating complex gene regulatory mechanisms. However, the full spectrum of TNF-alpha-modulated epitranscriptomic m(6)A marks is unknown. We employed a genomewide approach to examine the extent of m(6)A RNA modifications under TNF-alpha-modulated apoptotic conditions in HeLa cells. miCLIP-seq analyses revealed a plethora of m(6)A marks on 632 target mRNAs with an enrichment on 99 mRNAs associated with apoptosis. Interestingly, the m(6)A RNA modification patterns were quite different under cisplatin- and TNF-alpha-mediated apoptotic conditions. We then examined the abundance and translational efficiencies of several mRNAs under METTL3 knockdown and/or TNF-alpha treatment conditions. Our analyses showed changes in the translational efficiency of TP53INP1 mRNA based on the polysome profile analyses. Additionally, TP53INP1 protein amount was modulated by METTL3 knockdown upon TNF-alpha treatment but not CP treatment, suggesting the existence of a pathway-specific METTL3-TP53INP1 axis. Congruently, METLL3 knockdown sensitized HeLa cells to TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis, which was also validated in a zebrafish larval xenograft model. These results suggest that apoptotic pathway-specific m(6)A methylation marks exist in cells and TNF-alpha-METTL3-TP53INP1 axis modulates TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis in HeLa cells.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 8
    Citation - Scopus: 8
    Canonical Wnt and Tgf-β/Bmp Signaling Enhance Melanocyte Regeneration but Suppress Invasiveness, Migration, and Proliferation of Melanoma Cells
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2023) Katkat, Esra; Demirci, Yeliz; Heger, Guillaume; Karagülle, Doğa; Papatheodorou, Irene; Brazma, Alvis; Özhan, Güneş
    Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and develops from the melanocytes that are responsible for the pigmentation of the skin. The skin is also a highly regenerative organ, harboring a pool of undifferentiated melanocyte stem cells that proliferate and differentiate into mature melanocytes during regenerative processes in the adult. Melanoma and melanocyte regeneration share remarkable cellular features, including activation of cell proliferation and migration. Yet, melanoma considerably differs from the regenerating melanocytes with respect to abnormal proliferation, invasive growth, and metastasis. Thus, it is likely that at the cellular level, melanoma resembles early stages of melanocyte regeneration with increased proliferation but separates from the later melanocyte regeneration stages due to reduced proliferation and enhanced differentiation. Here, by exploiting the zebrafish melanocytes that can efficiently regenerate and be induced to undergo malignant melanoma, we unravel the transcriptome profiles of the regenerating melanocytes during early and late regeneration and the melanocytic nevi and malignant melanoma. Our global comparison of the gene expression profiles of melanocyte regeneration and nevi/melanoma uncovers the opposite regulation of a substantial number of genes related to Wnt signaling and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)/(bone morphogenetic protein) BMP signaling pathways between regeneration and cancer. Functional activation of canonical Wnt or TGF-beta/BMP pathways during melanocyte regeneration promoted melanocyte regeneration but potently suppressed the invasiveness, migration, and proliferation of human melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the opposite regulation of signaling mechanisms between melanocyte regeneration and melanoma can be exploited to stop tumor growth and develop new anti-cancer therapies.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 14
    Citation - Scopus: 14
    Comparative Membrane Lipidomics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Reveals Diacylglycerol and Ceramide as Key Regulators of Wnt/Β-catenin Signaling and Tumor Growth
    (Wiley, 2023) Heger, Guillaume; Azbazdar, Yağmur; Demirci, Yeliz; İpekgil, Doğaç; Karabiçici, Mustafa; Özhan, Güneş
    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is largely associated with aberrant activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Nevertheless, how membrane lipid composition is altered in HCC cells with abnormal Wnt signaling remains elusive. Here, by exploiting comprehensive lipidome profiling, we unravel the membrane lipid composition of six different HCC cell lines with mutations in components of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, leading to differences in their endogenous signaling activity. Among the differentially regulated lipids are diacylglycerol (DAG) and ceramide, which were downregulated at the membrane of HCC cells after Wnt3a treatment. DAG and ceramide enhanced Wnt/b-catenin signaling by inducing caveolin-mediated endocytosis of the canonical Wnt-receptor complex, while their depletion suppressed the signaling activity along with a reduction of caveolin-mediated endocytosis in SNU475 and HepG2 cells. Moreover, depletion of DAG and ceramide significantly impeded the proliferation, tumor growth, and in vivo migration capacity of SNU475 and HepG2 cells. This study, by pioneering plasma membrane lipidome profiling in HCC cells, exhibits the remarkable potential of lipids to correct dysregulated signaling pathways in cancer and stop abnormal tumor growth.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 4
    Citation - Scopus: 4
    Mitigation Potential of Zingerone and Rutin on Toxicity Mechanisms of Nickel To Zebrafish Based on Morphological, Dna Damage and Apoptosis Outcome Analysis
    (Elsevier, 2023) Köktürk, Mine; Yıldırım, Serkan; Atamanalp, Muhammed; Kılıçoğlu, Metin; Uçar, Arzu; Özhan, Güneş; Alak, Gonca
    Although nickel (Ni) is an important cofactor for various enzymes in biological systems, it can cause serious problems when insufficient or excessive in an organism. Therefore, it is very important to investigate Ni in biological systems, especially in cells with its related pathogenic mechanism. This study was carried out to demonstrate the effects of zingerone (ZO) and rutin (RN) administration against nickel chloride (NiCl2) toxicity on neurobehavioral performance and brain oxidative status in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos/larvae on histological perspective. The experimental design of the study, which included twenty groups of fish, each containing 10 embryos, was prepared as semi-static and the trial continued for 96 hpf. In the obtained findings, it was determined that ZO and RN had a mitigating effect in this toxicity table where Ni caused oxidative stress in zebrafish larvae, induced DNA damage and apoptosis. A similar picture is valid for malformation processes as well as survival and hatching rates. These results showed that nickel is toxic to developing embryos via acting different mechanisms. In conclusion, we observed that ZO and RN have a greater effect on physiology, DNA damage and apoptosis than gross morphology, with a significant ameliorative effect.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 7
    Citation - Scopus: 8
    High-Fat Diet Feeding Triggers a Regenerative Response in the Adult Zebrafish Brain
    (Springer, 2023) Azbazdar, Yağmur; Poyraz, Yusuf Kaan; Özalp, Özgün; Nazlı, Dilek; İpekgil, Doğaç; Cucun, GÖkhan; Özhan, Güneş
    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a range of liver conditions ranging from excess fat accumulation to liver failure. NAFLD is strongly associated with high-fat diet (HFD) consumption that constitutes a metabolic risk factor. While HFD has been elucidated concerning its several systemic effects, there is little information about its influence on the brain at the molecular level. Here, by using a high-fat diet (HFD)-feeding of adult zebrafish, we first reveal that excess fat uptake results in weight gain and fatty liver. Prolonged exposure to HFD induces a significant increase in the expression of pro-inflammation, apoptosis, and proliferation markers in the liver and brain tissues. Immunofluorescence analyses of the brain tissues disclose stimulation of apoptosis and widespread activation of glial cell response. Moreover, glial activation is accompanied by an initial decrease in the number of neurons and their subsequent replacement in the olfactory bulb and the telencephalon. Long-term consumption of HFD causes activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the brain tissues. Finally, fish fed an HFD induces anxiety, and aggressiveness and increases locomotor activity. Thus, HFD feeding leads to a non-traumatic brain injury and stimulates a regenerative response. The activation mechanisms of a regeneration response in the brain can be exploited to fight obesity and recover from non-traumatic injuries.