E-mail: yklai@life.nthu.edu.tw
Professor

Research

The major goal of this laboratory is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of cellular and molecular response in stressed mammalian cells.  Cells in culture respond to suboptimal conditions by reprogramming a series of metabolic processes including reorganization of cytoskeletal systems, alteration of protein phosphorylation, and induction of stress (heat shock) proteins, etc.  We are particular interested in knowing the roles of various cell signaling systems leading to the initiation of stress response and/or apoptotic cell death.  We use heat-shock as well as a number of cytotoxic compounds as stressors and the metabolic responses are monitored in cells during and recovering from the stress treatment.  Currently, several related research projects are being undertaken in this laboratory.  1. Stress response in mammalian cells - Transactivation of Stress Seventies by Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells; 2. Molecular Mechanisms of Taxol-Induced Apoptosis in Human Leukemic HL-60 cells; and 3. Molecular Mechanism of Taxol Cytotoxicity in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer H460 cells.
 

Members

Principal Investigator:

Yiu-Kay Lai (¾¤Ä£°ò)
B.Sc. in Botany, National Taiwan University, 1974
Ph.D. in Genetics, North Carolina State University, 1980
Postdoctor, Yale University, 1980~1984
Associate Professor, 1984~1991
Professor, 1991~
 

Postdoctoral Fellow:

Whei-meih Chang (±i¼zª´)
B.Sc. in Medical Technology, National Taiwan University, 1986
Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics, University of Texas at Austin, 1998
 

Ph.D. Students:

Jao-Jia Chu (¦¶¥ü¹Å)
B.Sc. in Botany, Chinese Culture University, 1985
M.Sc. in Biology, Tung-Hai University, 1989

Chih-Chung Chao (»¯­P©¾)
B.Sc. in Bioengineering, Tatung Institute of Technology, 1996
M.Sc. in Marine Technology, National Taiwan Ocean University, 1998
 

M.Sc. Students:

Jun-Hung Cho (¨ô«T§»)
B.Sc. in Marine Resource, National Sun Yat-sen University, 1998

Chi-Hung Richard Weng (¯Î§ÓÂE)
B.Arg. in Animal Science, Tung Hai University, 1998

Yun Lai (¿à  ªå)
B.Sc. in Medical Technology, Kaohsiung Medical University, 1997

Yu-Fang Tseng (´¿­§¤è)
B.Sc. in Biology, National Cheng Kung University, 1998

Nai-Lin Cheng (¾G¤DµY)
B.Sc. in Medical Technology, Tzu-Chi Medical College, 1998

Hsin-I Hung (¬xªY©É)
B.Sc. in Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, 1998

Shou Wei (ÃQºÓ)
B.Sc. in Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, 1998
 

Undergraduate Students:

Huei-Chung Dai (À¹¼z¤¤)
Senior in Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University

Kai-Ling Huang (¶À³Í¬Â)
Junior in Biology, National Changhua Normal University

Jason Sih-Yu Lai (¾¤«ä¦t)
Freshman in Biology, National Taiwan Normal University
 

Recent Publications (1993~):

  1. Hou, M.-C., C.-H. Shen, W.-C. Lee and Y.-K. Lai (1993) Okadaic Acid as an Inducer of the 78-kDa Glucose-Regulated Protein in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 51: 91-101.
  2. Lai, Y.-K., C.-H. Shen, T.-J. Cheng, M.-C. Hou and W.-C. Lee (1993) Enhanced Phosphorylation of a 65 kDa Protein is Associated with Induction of Stress Protein in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell Biochem. 51: 369-379.
  3. Lee, W.-C., Y.-C. Lee, M.-D. Perng and Y.-K. Lai (1993) Induction of Vimentin Modification and Vimentin-HSP72 Association by Withangulatin A in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 52: 253-265.
  4. Lai, Y.-K., W.-C. Lee and K.-D. Chen (1993) Vimentin Serves as a Phosphate Sink During the Apparent Activation of Protein Kinases by Okadaic Acid in Mammalian Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 53: 161-168.
  5. Hsu, C.-M., W.-P. Yang, C.-C. Chen, Y.-K. Lai and T.-Y. Lin (1993) A Point Mutation in the Chloroplast rps12 Gene from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Confers Streptomycin Resistance. Plant Mol. Biol. 23:179-183.
  6. Hung, C.-Y., Y.-K. Lai, T.-Y. Feng and C.-C. Chen (1993) Chloroplast Segregation in Somatic Hybrids of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and N. sylvestris having Different Ratios of Parental Nuclear Genomes. Plant Cell Rep. 113: 83-86.
  7. Cheng, T.-J. and Y.-K. Lai (1994) Transient Increase in Vimentin Phosphorylation and Vimentin-HSC70 Association in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells Experiencing Heat-Shock. J. Cell. Biochem. 54: 100-109.
  8. Huang, T.-J., T.-T. Lee, W.-C. Lee, Y.-K. Lai, J.-S. Yu and S.-D. Yang (1994) Autophosphorylation-Dependent Protein Kinase Phosphorylates Ser25, Ser38, Ser65, Ser71, and Ser411 in Vimentin and Thereby Inhibits Cytoskeletal Intermediate Filament Assembly. J. Prot. Chem. 13: 517-525.
  9. Perng, M.-D., T.-J. Cheng, C.-M. Chen and Y.-K. Lai (1994) Induction of Aggregation and Augmentation of Protein Kinase-Mediated Phosphorylation of Purified Vimentin Intermediate Filaments by Withangulatin A. Mol. Pharmacol. 46: 612-617.
  10. Lee, Y.-C. and Y.-K. Lai (1995) The Integrity of Intermediate Filaments is Associated with the Development of Acquired Thermotolerance in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 57: 150- 160.
  11. Chen, K.-D., J.-J. Chu and Y.-K. Lai (1996) Modulation of Protein Phosphorylation and Stress Protein Expression by Okadaic Acid on Heat-Shock Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 61: 255-265.
  12. Lai, Y.-K., W.-C. Lee, C.-H. Hu and G. L. Hammond (1996) The Mitochondria are Sensory Organelles for Cell Stress Recognition. J. Surgical Res. 62: 90-94.
  13. Lieu, C.-H., Y.-N. Chang and Y.-K. Lai (1997) Dual Cytotoxic Mechanisms of Submicromolar Taxol on Human Leukemia HL-60 Cells. Biochem. Pharmacol. 53: 1587-1596
  14. Hwu, J. R., G. H. Hakimelahi, T. Sambaiah, H. V. Patel, S.-C. Tsay, Y.-K. Lai and C.-H. Lieu (1997) Design and Synthesis of New Taxol-Containing Aminophosphates as Protaxols. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 7: 545-548.
  15. Chen, K.-D., J.-J. Hung, H.-L. Huang, D.-T. Chang, and Y.-K. Lai (1997) Rapid Induction of Grp78 Gene by Cooperative Actions of Okadaic Acid and Heat-Shock in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells: Involvement of a cAMP Responsive Element-Like Promoter Sequence and a Protein Kinase A Signaling Pathway. Eur. J. Biochem. 248: 120-129.
  16. Chen, K.-D., L.-Y. Chen, H.-L. Huang, C.-H. Lieu, Y.-N. Chang, M. D.-T. Chang, and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Involvement of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Pathway in the Rapid Induction of the 78 kDa Glucose-Regulated Protein in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Biol. Chem. 273: 749-755.
  17. Chu, J.-J., K.-D. Chen, Y.-L. Lin, C.-Y. Fei, A.-S. Chiang, C.-D. Chiang, Y.-K. Lai (1998) Taxol Induces Concomitant Hyperphosphorylation and Reorganization of Vimentin Intermediate Filaments in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 68: 472-483.
  18. Cheng, T.-J., T.-M. Chen, C.-H. Chen and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Induction of Stress Response and Differential Expression of 70 kDa Stress Proteins by Sodium Fluoride in HeLa and Rat Brain Tumor 9L Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 69: 221-231.
  19. Wang, T.-T., A.-S. Chiang, J.-J. Chu, T.-J. Cheng, T.-M. Chen, and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Concomitant Alterations in Distribution of 70 kDa Heat Shock Proteins, Cytoskeleton, and Organelles in Heat Shocked 9L Cells. Intl. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 30: 745-759.
  20. Hung, J.-J., T.-J. Cheng, M. D.-T. Chang, K.-D. Chen, H.-L. Huang, and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Involvement of Heat-Shock Elements and Basal Transcription Elements in the Differential Induction of the 70 kDa Heat-Shock Protein and Its Cognate by Cadmium Chloride in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 71: 21-35.
  21. Lieu, C.-H., C.-C. Liu, T.-H. Yu, K.-D. Chen, Y.-N. Chang and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Role of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase in Taxol-Induced Apoptosis on Human Leukemic U937 Cells. Cell Growth Differ. 9: 767-776.
  22. Cheng, T.-J. and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Identification of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activated Protein Kinase-2 as a Vimentin Kinase Activated by Okadaic Acid in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 71:169-181.
  23. Hung, J.-J., T.-J. Cheng, Y.-K. Lai and M. D.-T. Chang (1998) Differentiation Activation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Extracellular-Regulated Protein Kinases Confers the Cadmium-Induced HSP70 Expression in 9L Rat Brain Tumor Cells. J. Biol. Chem. 273:31924-31931.
  24. Rao, C.S., J.-J. Chu, R.-S. Liu and Y.-K. Lai (1998) Synthesis and Evaluation of [14C]-Labeled and Fluorescent-Tagged Taxol Derivatives as New Biological Probes. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 6:2193-2204.
  25. Chen, K.-D., M.-T. Lai, J.-J. Hung, L.-Y. Chen and Y.-K. Lai (2000) Activation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Mitochondrial Ca2+-Mediated Oxidative Stress Are Essential for the Enhanced Expression of grp78 Induced by the Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors Okadaic Acid and Calyculin A. J. Cell. Biochem., in press.

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