Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive and lethal brain tumor, with limited treatment options. Abnormal activation of the neddylation pathway is observed in glioblastoma, and the NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor, MLN4924, was previously shown to be effective in glioblastoma cell line models. However, its effect has not been tested in patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells. We first analyzed public data to determine whether NEDD8 pathway proteins are important in glioblastoma development and patient survival. NAE1 and UBA3 levels increased in glioblastoma patients; high NEDD8 levels were associated with poor clinical outcomes. Immunohistochemistry results also supported this result. The effects of MLN4924 were evaluated in 4 glioblastoma cell lines and 15 patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells using high content analysis. Glioblastoma cell lines and patient-derived stem cells were highly susceptible to MLN4924, while normal human astrocytes were resistant. In addition, there were various responses in 15 patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells upon MLN4924 treatment. Genomic analyses indicated that MLN4924 sensitive cells exhibited enrichment of Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase (ERK) and Protein kinase B (AKT, also known as PKB) signaling. We verified that MLN4924 inhibits ERK and AKT phosphorylation in MLN4924 sensitive cells. Our findings suggest that patient-derived glioblastoma stem cells in the context of ERK and AKT activation are sensitive and highly regulated by neddylation inhibition.

Saewhan Park, Kyung-Hee Kim, Yun-Hee Bae, Young Taek Oh, Hyemi Shin, Hyung Joon Kwon, Chan Il Kim, Sung Soo Kim, Hwan-Geun Choi, Jong Bae Park, Byoung Dae Lee. IJSC 2024;17:319-29. https://doi.org/10.15283/ijsc24032

Lee HS, et al. Korean J Parasitol. 1994 Dec;32(4):259-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.3347/kjp.1994.32.4.259

Taste is a critical sensory modality in food and pharmaceutical development, where early assessment of sweet and bitter is important. Here, we propose a deep learning framework for taste prediction that integrates three-dimensional (3D) molecular structures with physicochemical properties and extends beyond binary classification to include tasteless compounds. Structural information is learned from 3D molecular representations generated from SMILES, while physicochemical descriptors are incorporated as conditional inputs to modulate structural embeddings. The framework was evaluated on both binary (sweet, bitter) and multiclass (sweet, bitter, tasteless) tasks using a molecule-level data splitting strategy to prevent information leakage. To address class imbalance, particularly for tasteless compounds, 3D-based data augmentation was applied to enhance structural diversity. The integrated model outperformed a 3D-only baseline and showed improved prediction stability. Interpretation analyses further identified key physicochemical factors and substructural patterns associated with taste outcomes, demonstrating the benefit of jointly leveraging 3D structural and physicochemical information.

This study examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM) in a Confucian context. We conceptualize the CSR–HRM nexus as an institutionally embedded translation mechanism shaped by community and family logics. Drawing on qualitative data from Korean SMEs, we develop a three-level framework—macro-level societal logics, meso-level CSR–HRM arrangements, and micro-level managerial discretion—to show how institutional logics are materialized and enacted in employment relations. We contribute by showing how institutional logics structure CSR–HRM integration, how CSR and HRM co-evolve through embedded value systems, and how family logic can extend beyond family ownership. We further show how family logic is expressed through paternalistic employment relations in which care and managerial discretion coexist, creating a largely aligned CSR–HRM configuration while leaving latent power asymmetries. This specifies a boundary condition for more conflict-oriented accounts of multiple logics and CSR–HRM.