부산대학교 도서관

Background: Activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases ERK1 and ERK2 in hepatocytes by prostaglandin (PG)F2α was recently found to be inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTX) suggesting a role for Gi proteins. Results: Targeting the Gi2α expression by a specific ribozyme inhibited the PGF2α -induced ERK1/2 activation in hepatocytes. On the other hand a non-cleaving form of the Gi2α ribozyme did not significantly decrease the ERK1/2 activation. In ribozyme-treated cells the Gi2α protein level was reduced, while the Gqα level was not affected thus confirming the specificity of the ribozyme. Conclusion: The present data suggest an important role of Gi2 in PGF2α -induced ERK1/2 signaling in hepatocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]