Gencer Akçok, Emel Başak
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Akcok, E. Basak Gencer
Akcok, Emel Basak Gencer
Akcok, Emel Gencer
Emel Başak Akçok
Gencer Akcok, Emel Basak
Gencer Akçok, Emel Başak
Akcok, Emel Basak Gencer
Akcok, Emel Gencer
Emel Başak Akçok
Gencer Akcok, Emel Basak
Gencer Akçok, Emel Başak
Job Title
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi
Email Address
emelbasak.gencerakcok@agu.edu.tr
Main Affiliation
04.02. Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik
Status
Current Staff
Website
ORCID ID
Scopus Author ID
Turkish CoHE Profile ID
Google Scholar ID
WoS Researcher ID
Sustainable Development Goals
3
GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
12
Research Products
12
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
1
Research Products
This researcher does not have a Scopus ID.
Documents
21
Citations
242
Scholarly Output
14
Articles
11
Views / Downloads
401/14
Supervised MSc Theses
0
Supervised PhD Theses
0
WoS Citation Count
31
Scopus Citation Count
38
WoS h-index
3
Scopus h-index
3
Patents
0
Projects
0
WoS Citations per Publication
2.21
Scopus Citations per Publication
2.71
Open Access Source
6
Supervised Theses
0
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| Journal | Count |
|---|---|
| Molecular Biology Reports | 2 |
| Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 1 |
| Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics | 1 |
| Chemistryselect | 1 |
| Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma & Leukemia | 1 |
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Scholarly Output Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
Article Citation - WoS: 13Citation - Scopus: 13Ethacrynic Acid and Cinnamic Acid Combination Exhibits Selective Anticancer Effects on K562 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells(Springer, 2022) Yenigul, Munevver; Akcok, Ismail; Gencer Akcok, Emel BasakBackground Despite the recent advances in chemotherapy, the outcomes and the success of these treatments still remain insufficient. Novel combination treatments and treatment strategies need to be developed in order to achieve more effective treatment. This study was designed to investigate the combined effect of ethacrynic acid and cinnamic acid on cancer cell lines. Methods The anti-proliferative effect of ethacrynic acid and cinnamic acid was investigated by MTT cell viability assay in three different cancer cell lines. Combination indexes were calculated using CompuSyn software. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometric Annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining. The effect of the inhibitors on cell cycle distribution was measured by propidium iodide staining. Results The combination treatment of ethacrynic acid and cinnamic acid decreased cell proliferation significantly, by 63%, 75% and 70% for K562, HepG2 and TFK-1 cells, respectively. A 5.5-fold increase in the apoptotic cell population was observed after combination treatment of K562 cells. The population of apoptotic cells increased by 9.3 and 0.4% in HepG2 and TFK-1 cells, respectively. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis shows significant cell cycle arrest in S and G2/M phase for K562 cells and non-significant accumulation in G0/G1 phase for TFK-1 and HepG2 cells. Conclusions Although there is a need for further investigation, our results suggest that the inhibitors used in this study cause a decrease in cellular proliferation, induce apoptosis and cause cell cycle arrest.Article Cytotoxic and Cytostatic Effects of Targeting mTOR and Hedgehog Pathways in Acute Myeloid Leukemia(Istanbul Univ, 2022) Cicek, Enes; Kucuktas, Fulya Mina; Yenigul, Munevver; Akcok, Emel Basak GencerObjectives: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive heterogeneous hematopoietic malignancy characterized by a rapid and abnormal proliferation of immature myeloid leukemia cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Aberrant alterations in signal transduction pathways are strongly associated with the progression of AML. This study aimed to investigate cell viability and the cell cycle in AML cells by targeting the Hedgehog and mTOR signaling pathways with rapamycin and GANT61. Materials and Method: The antiproliferative effect of rapamycin and GANT61 was assessed by the MTT cell viability assay in two AML cell lines: CMK and MOLM-13. The effect of the inhibitors on cell-cycle distribution was determined using propidium iodide staining and measured with flow cytometry. Results: Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, and GANT61, a Gli-1 inhibitor, decreased the cell proliferation of CMK and MOLM-13 cells. The IC20 values, which is the drug concentration that inhibits cell growth by 20%, were combined and administered to the cells. The results show the drugs to have a combinatorial inhibitory effect on CMK cells but not on MOLM-13 cells. In addition, the combination of drugs arrested the cells during the G0/G1 phase. Conclusion: This study suggests a novel combination therapy approach for AML via mTOR and Hedgehog signaling pathway inhibition using rapamycin and GANT61, respectively. It also suggest further studies be performed to reveal the mechanism of action.Article Discovery of New Candidates Targeting the SH2 Domains of Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (Syk) Through in Silico Studies(Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 2025) Sansacar, Merve; Sari, Ceyhun; Yucel, Muhsin Samet; Akcok, Emel Basak Gencer; Akcok, IsmailSrc homology 2 (SH2) domains have become an increasingly popular candidate for researchers to search for novel therapeutics to target different diseases. Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) is one of the proteins with two SH2 domains that has a role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Here, we report the discovery of a promising natural product (NP) inhibitor that targets the N-terminal SH2 (N-SH2) and C-terminal SH2 (C-SH2) domains of Syk simultaneously, through structure-based drug discovery approach. Molecular docking studies, followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculations, were utilized to reveal the interactions between NPs from "the COlleCtion of Open NatUral producTs (COCONUT)" database and Syk enzyme. Five natural products that have lowest Scoring and Minimization with AutoDock Vina (SMINA) scores against both SH2 domains of Syk were selected for further studies and compound CNP0265345 has the best binding free energies toward both C-SH2 and N-SH2 of Syk enzyme with -44.54 and -55.98 kcal/mol, respectively. Drug-likeness properties, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and carcinogenicity predictions were also studied. In conclusion, our work highlights a novel drug candidate to target the Syk enzyme of SH2 domains using in silico methods.Article Citation - WoS: 2Citation - Scopus: 3Rapamycin and Niacin Combination Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest Through Autophagy Activation on Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells(Springer, 2025) Subay, Lale Beril; Akcok, Emel Basak Gencer; Akcok, IsmailBackgroundAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy caused by disorders in stem cell differentiation and excessive proliferation resulting in clonal expansion of dysfunctional cells called myeloid blasts. The combination of chemotherapeutic agents with natural product-based molecules is promising in the treatment of AML. In this study, we aim to investigate the anti-cancer effect of Rapamycin and Niacin combination on THP-1 and NB4 AML cell lines.Methods and ResultsThe anti-proliferative effects of Rapamycin and Niacin were determined by MTT cell viability assay in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The combination indexes were calculated by isobologram analysis. Furthermore, apoptosis was investigated by Annexin-V/Propidium Iodide(PI) double staining and cell cycle distribution was measured by PI staining. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins were detected by western blotting. The combination of Rapamycin and Niacin synergistically decreased cell viability of AML cell lines. The combination treatment induced the apoptotic cell population of THP-1 and NB4 by 4.9-fold and 7.3-fold, respectively. In THP-1 cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G2/M phase by 10% whereas the NB4 cells were accumulated at the G0/G1 phase. The combination treatment decreased Akt and p-Akt expression. Besides, the ATG7 expression was reduced by combination treatment on THP-1 cells. Similarly, the ATG5 level was downregulated in NB4 cells. The level of LC3B-II/LC3B-I, which is an indicator of autophagy flux, was upregulated in THP-1 and NB4 cells.ConclusionAlthough further studies are required, the combination of Rapamycin and Niacin combats cell proliferation by inducing cellular apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and autophagy activation.Article Citation - WoS: 6Citation - Scopus: 8Histone Deacetylase Inhibition and Autophagy Modulation Induces a Synergistic Antiproliferative Effect and Cell Death in Cholangiocarcinoma Cells(Amer Chemical Soc, 2023) Yenigul, Munevver; Akcok, Emel Basak GencerCholangiocarcinoma, also known as biliary tract cancer,is an aggressiveadenocarcinoma arising from epithelial cells lining the intra- andextrahepatic biliary system. The effects of autophagy modulators andhistone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in cholangiocarcinoma are notfully known. It is essential to understand the molecular mechanismsand the effects of HDAC inhibitors in the context of cholangiocarcinoma.The antiproliferative effect of different HDAC inhibitors and autophagymodulation was investigated by the MTT cell viability assay in TFK-1and EGI-1 cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Combination indexes werecalculated using CompuSyn software. Consequently, apoptosis was detectedby Annexin V/PI staining. The effect of the drugs on the cell cyclewas measured by the propidium iodide staining. The HDAC inhibitionwas confirmed via acetylated histone protein levels by western blotting.HDAC inhibitors, MS-275 and romidepsin, showed a better synergisticeffect with the nocodazole combination. The combination treatmentexerted its growth inhibitory effect by cell cycle arrest and inductionof apoptosis. The cell cycle analysis of the combination treatmentshowed that the S phase and G2/M phase were achieved. Moreover, thenecrotic and apoptotic cell population increased after single HDACinhibitors and combination treatment. The anti-cancer effect of HDACinhibitors is revealed by acetylation levels of histones. While acetylationlevels were increased in response to HDAC inhibitors and autophagymodulator combinations, the HDAC expression decreased. This studyhighlights the importance of the combination of HDAC inhibition andautophagy modulators and demonstrates a synergistic effect, whichcould be a promising therapy and novel treatment approach for cholangiocarcinoma.Article Efficacy of Combinatorial Inhibition of Hedgehog and Autophagy Pathways on the Survival of AML Cell Lines(Academic Press inc Elsevier Science, 2025) Sansacar, Merve; Pepe, Nihan Aktas; Akcok, Emel Basak Gencer; El Khatib, MonaAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common hematopoietic disease that results from diverse genetic abnormalities. Dysregulation of important signaling pathways, including the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Wnt and Hedgehog pathways, plays crucial roles in the development of AML. Hedgehog pathway (Hh) is a conserved signaling pathway that is crucial throughout embryogenesis. Hh plays an important role in the regulation of autophagy, known as the cellular recycling process of organelles and unwanted proteins. Many studies have noted that the modulation of autophagy could act as a survival mechanism in AML. Considering the pivotal role of autophagy and Hh signaling in AML, understanding the relationship between these pathways is important for overcoming leukemia. Therefore, we examined the efficacy of Hh inhibition by GLI-ANTagonist 61 (GANT61) in MOLM-13 and CMK cells via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenil-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell viability assays. GANT61 resulted in decreased cell viability in both cell lines. Therefore, we focused on the outcome of autophagy modulation in AML cells. We observed that the autophagy inhibitors ammonium chloride (NH4CI), chloroquine (CQ), and nocodazole led to a significant reduction in the proliferation of both cell lines. Cotreatment with autophagy pathway inhibitors and GANT61 synergistically affected both AML cell lines. Moreover, dual targeting of these pathways resulted in arrest at the G0/G1 phase in MOLM-13 cells but not in CMK cells. Furthermore, the combination of nocodazole and GANT61 increased the expression level of LC3B-II in both cell lines. Compared with that in the untreated control cells, the GLI1 gene expression level in both cell lines was significantly lower after GANT61 and autophagy cotreatment. In conclusion, targeting Hh and autophagy could be a favorable option to combat AML.Book Part Citation - Scopus: 1Measurement of Autophagic Activity in Cancer Cells With Flow Cytometric Analysis Using Cyto-Id Staining(Humana Press Inc., 2025) Şansaçar, Merve; Gencer Akçok, Emel BaşakAutophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process providing the energy that cells need to survive, especially in stress situations, through catabolic processes. Considering the dual role of autophagy in cancer cells depending on the cellular context, it is crucial to comprehend the effect of drug candidates put forward to prevent cancer through the autophagy pathway. The CYTO-ID® Autophagy Detection Kit allows a rapid, specific and quantitative measurement of autophagic activity at the cellular level using a 488 nm-excitable green fluorescent detection reagent via flow cytometer. In this chapter, we present the CYTO-ID® Autophagy Detection method with a stepwise protocol to monitor the autophagy flux after the application of any compound to suspension cancer cell lines with flow cytometric analysis. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Article Tomatidine, a Steroidal Alkaloid, Synergizes With Cisplatin to Inhibit Cell Viability and Induce Cell Death Selectively on FLT3-ITD+ Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells(Humana Press inc, 2024) Ayvaz, Havva Berre; Yenigul, Munevver; Akcok, Emel Basak GencerBackgroundAcute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a hematological cancer that frequently presents with a range of side effects and drug resistance during anticancer drug treatment. The current study aims to achieve increased efficacy by combining lower doses of cisplatin with increasing concentrations of tomatidine in AML cells to increase efficacy.MethodsAnti-proliferative effects of single and combination of cisplatin and tomatidine were assessed via MTT cell viability assay. The Annexin V/Propidium Iodide Double Staining method was used to measure the apoptotic effects of combined tomatidine and cisplatin treatment. Then, Western Blot analysis was performed to measure Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and Caspase-3 protein expression levels.ResultsCisplatin treatment with lower concentrations displayed high cytotoxic effects on AML cells, compared with tomatidine. The combination of the Inhibitory Concentration (IC) 20 value of cisplatin and increasing doses of tomatidine exhibited a significant decrease in cell viability relative to single treatments. The combination index analysis revealed a mild synergistic effect of cisplatin IC20 and varying tomatidine doses. The apoptosis induced when cisplatin was combined with 500 mu M tomatidine by almost 20%, while the percentage of apoptosis in combination with 1 mM tomatidine was measured by 50% for both cell lines. The upregulation of proapoptotic cleaved-PARP (3.2 and 1.08-fold for THP-1 and MOLM-13, respectively) and downregulation in Caspase-3 (0.23 and 0.13-fold for THP-1 and MOLM-13, respectively) was detected.ConclusionsTogether, the study indicated that when tomatidine combined with cisplatin on AML cell lines, a combinatorial anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect is observed. The combination of cisplatin with tomatidine may be a promising approach.Conference Object Investigation of the Antitumor Effect of Targeting PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway and Histone Deacetylase Enzymes on Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells(Cig Media Group, Lp, 2021) Sansacar, Merve; Sagir, Helin; Akcok, Emel GencerArticle Citation - Scopus: 1Targeting HDAC Enzymes by SAHA Enhances the Cytotoxic Effects of Cisplatin on Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells(Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi, 2024) Şansaçar, Merve; Pekin, Özge; Gencer Akçok, Emel BaşakChemotherapy is a widely used therapeutic approach to combat hematopoietic malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although cisplatin is known as the first-generation platinum-based chemotherapy inhibitor, the wide use of cisplatin eventually leads to drug resistance, which is the biggest impediment to cancer chemotherapy. Histone deacetylase enzyme (HDAC) inhibitors have the ability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in different types of cancer, which stands as a promising alternative for those cancer patients not appropriate for intensive chemotherapy. This study concluded that there was a significant decrease in the proliferation of MOLM-13 and MV4-11 FLT3-ITD+ AML cell lines with the increasing SAHA and cisplatin concentrations in 48 hours using MTT cell proliferation assay. Moreover, the combination of SAHA and cisplatin led to a reduction in the proliferation of both cell lines correlated with the synergistic effect of the two drugs depending on the combination index (CI). Furthermore, investigating apoptosis for combined administration resulted in increased induction of apoptosis by Annexin-V/PI double staining. In conclusion, although additional studies are needed to fully elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this combination, we propose a new approach to targeting AML, as AML increases over time with drug resistance and the consequent year-on-year increase in patient mortality. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
