Researcher: Gül, Zeynep Melis
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Gül, Zeynep Melis
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Publication Metadata only TW68, cryptochromes stabilizer, regulates fasting blood glucose levels in diabetic ob/ob and high fat-diet-induced obese mice(Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, 2023) Gul, Seref; Akyel, Yasemin Kubra; Ipek, Ozgecan Savlug; Akarlar, Busra Aytul; Taskin, Ali Cihan; Goren, Ahmet Ceyhan; Baris, Ibrahim; Ozturk, Nuri; Guzel, Mustafa; Aydin, Cihan; Okyar, Alper; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Sürme, Saliha; Ayva, Çağla Ergün; Gül, Zeynep Melis; Özcan, Onur; Türkay, Metin; College of Sciences; Graduate School of Sciences and EngineeringCryptochromes (CRYs), transcriptional repressors of the circadian clock in mammals, inhibit cAMP production when glucagon activates G-protein coupled receptors. Therefore, molecules that modulate CRYs have the po-tential to regulate gluconeogenesis. In this study, we discovered a new molecule called TW68 that interacts with the primary pockets of mammalian CRY1/2, leading to reduced ubiquitination levels and increased stability. In cell-based circadian rhythm assays using U2OS Bmal1-dLuc cells, TW68 extended the period length of the circadian rhythm. Additionally, TW68 decreased the transcriptional levels of two genes, Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) and Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC), which play crucial roles in glucose biosynthesis during glucagon-induced gluconeogenesis in HepG2 cells. Oral administration of TW68 in mice showed good tolerance, a good pharmacokinetic profile, and remarkable bioavailability. Finally, when administered to fasting diabetic animals from ob/ob and HFD-fed obese mice, TW68 reduced blood glucose levels by enhancing CRY stabilization and subsequently decreasing the transcriptional levels of Pck1 and G6pc. These findings collectively demonstrate the antidiabetic efficacy of TW68 in vivo, suggesting its therapeutic potential for controlling fasting glucose levels in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Publication Open Access Discovery of a small molecule that selectively destabilizes Cryptochrome 1 and enhances life span in p53 knockout mice(Nature Portfolio, 2022) Akyel, Yasemin Kübra; Korkmaz, Tuba; Selvi, Saba; Danış, İbrahim; İpek, Özgecan Savluğ; Aygenli, Fatih; Öztürk, Nuri; Öztürk, Narin; Ünal, Durişehvar Özer; Güzel, Mustafa; Okyar, Alper; N/A; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Industrial Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Industrial Engineering; Gül, Şeref; Gül, Zeynep Melis; Işın, Şafak; Özcan, Onur; Akarlar, Büşra; Taşkın, Ali Cihan; Türkay, Metin; Kavaklı, İbrahim Halil; Researcher; Other; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Translasyonel Tıp Araştırma Merkezi (KUTTAM); College of Engineering; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 291296; 105301; 24956; 40319Cryptochromes are negative transcriptional regulators of the circadian clock in mammals. It is not clear how reducing the level of endogenous CRY1 in mammals will affect circadian rhythm and the relation of such a decrease with apoptosis. Here, we discovered a molecule (M47) that destabilizes Cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) both in vitro and in vivo. The M47 selectively enhanced the degradation rate of CRY1 by increasing its ubiquitination and resulted in increasing the circadian period length of U2OS Bmal1-dLuc cells. In addition, subcellular fractionation studies from mice liver indicated that M47 increased degradation of the CRY1 in the nucleus. Furthermore, M47-mediated CRY1 reduction enhanced oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis in Ras-transformed p53 null fibroblast cells. Systemic repetitive administration of M47 increased the median lifespan of p53(-/-) mice by similar to 25%. Collectively our data suggest that M47 is a promising molecule to treat forms of cancer depending on the p53 mutation.