• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2016

Objective: Autophagy contributes to the clearance and recycling of macromolecules and organelles in response to stress. We previously reported that vitrified mouse oocytes show acute increases in autophagy during warming. Herein, we investigate the potential role of Atg7 in oocyte vitrification by using an oocyte-specific deletion model of the Atg7 gene, a crucial upstream gene in the autophagic pathway. Methods: Oocyte-specific Atg7 deficient mice were generated by crossing Atg7 floxed mice and Zp3-Cre transgenic mice. The oocytes were vitrified-warmed and then subjected to in vitro fertilization and development. The rates of survival, fertilization, and development were assessed in the Atg7 deficient oocytes in comparison with the wildtype oocytes. Light chain 3 (LC3) immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine whether this method effectively evaluates the autophagy status of oocytes. Results: The survival rate of vitrified-warmed $Atg7^{f/f}$;Zp3-Cre ($Atg7^{d/d}$) metaphase II (MII) oocytes was not significantly different from that of the wildtype ($Atg7^{f/f}$) oocytes. Fertilization and development in the $Atg7^{d/d}$ oocytes were significantly lower than the $Atg7^{f/f}$ oocytes, comparable to the $Atg5^{d/d}$ oocytes previously described. Notably, the developmental rate improved slightly in vitrified-warmed $Atg7^{d/d}$ MII oocytes when compared to fresh $Atg7^{d/d}$ oocytes. LC3 immunofluorescence staining showed that this method can be reliably used to assess autophagic activation in oocytes. Conclusion: We confirmed that the LC3-positive signal is nearly absent in $Atg7^{d/d}$ oocytes. While autophagy is induced during the warming process after vitrification of MII oocytes, the Atg7 gene is not essential for survival of vitrified-warmed oocytes. Thus, induction of autophagy during warming of vitrified MII oocytes seems to be a natural response to manage cold or other cellular stresses.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 1995

pRLYS1 containing intact rbcL gene of maize (Zea mays L. cv Golden X Bantam T-51; Zm-A) was digested with several restriction enzymes to construct subcones carrying promoter region of rbcL. The DNA fragments of 0.20, 0.19, 0.92 and 1.55 kb among the EcoRI digests, the EcoRI-DdeI digests, the AvaI digests and the EcoRI-BamHI digests of pRLYS1 were subcloned into pBluscriptSK＋and named pRLPS2, pRLPS3, pRLPS14 and pRLPS35, respectively. Four subclones contain the 1.92 kb portion from 136 nucleotide downstream to 1780 nucleotide upstream from the ATG initiation codon of rbcL gene. pRLPS2 (-29 to -229) and pRLPS3 (-239 to -420 from the ATG) were sequenced. When nucleotide sequence of Zm-A was compared with sequence of rbcL promoter region of a different cultivar of maize (Zea mays L. cv WFG TMS X BS7; Zm-B), the difference rate between two cultivars was 4.3%. The mean of sequence divergence between Zm-A and three grass species in the same tribe, Andropogoneae, in the upstream region from 29 to 420 of ATG was 1.8%, whereas between Zm-B and above-mentioned three species was 5.4%. Therefore, Zm-A seems to evolutionarily closer to three other species in Andropogoneae tribe than Zm-B is.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7537-7542
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• 2013

Background: Terpinen-4-ol, a monoterpene, is found as the main component of essential oil extracts from many plants. In this study apoptotic and autophagic types of cell death induced by terpinen-4-ol and associated mechanisms were investigated in human leukemic HL-60 cells. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity of human leukemic U937 and HL-60 cells was determined by MTT assay. Cytochrome c release, expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl and cleaved Bid were determined by Western blotting. Cell morphology was examined under a transmission electron microscope. LC3-I/II, ATG5 and Beclin-1 levels were detected by immunoblotting. Results: Terpinen-4-ol exhibited cytotoxicity to human leukemic HL-60 but not U937 cells. The apoptotic response to terpinen-4-ol in HL-60 cells was due to induction of cytochrome c release from mitochondria and cleavage of Bid protein after the stimulation of caspase-8. There was a slightly decrease of Bcl-xl protein level. The characteristic cell morphology of autophagic cell death was demonstrated with multiple autophagosomes in the cytoplasm. At the molecular level, the results from Western blot analysis showed that terpinen-4-ol significantly induced accumulation of LC3-I/II, ATG5 and Beclin-1, regulatory proteins required for autophagy in mammalian cells. Conclusions: Terpinen-4-ol induced-human leukemic HL-60 cell death was via both autophagy and apoptosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.723-735
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• 2024

VPS34 is a crucial protein in cells, essential for handling cellular stress through its involvement in autophagy and endocytosis. This protein functions as a Class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, producing phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, which is necessary for autophagy and vesicle trafficking. Additionally, VPS34 forms two mutually exclusive complexes, each playing a vital role in autophagy and endocytic sorting. These complexes share common subunits, including VPS15, VPS34, and Beclin 1, with complex I having ATG14 as a specific subunit. Due to its association with various human diseases, regulation of the VPS34 complex I has garnered significant interest, emerging as a potential therapeutic target for drug discovery. Summaries of the structure, function of VPS34 complexes, and developed VPS34 inhibitors have been provided, along with discussions on the regulation mechanism of VPS34, particularly in relation to the initiation complex I of autophagy. This offers valuable insights for treating autophagy-related diseases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.377-380
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• 2016

Background: Epidemiological data on thyroid cancer and associated risk factors are scarce in our setting. The present study was therefore designed to gather data which could be helpful in providing insights to thyroid physicians and surgeons for better management of affected patients. Purpose: To determine the frequency of carcinoma thyroid among patients presenting with goiter and its association with TSH, Tg/ATg and other demographic factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 73 adult patients of either gender with solitary solid cold nodules and/or multi-ndoular goiter (MNG) with predominant solid cold nodules were enrolled. All surgically resected samples were sent for histopathology. The frequency of thyroid cancer and its subtypes was noted and tested for association with gender, age (< or ${\geq}40years$), recent increase in swelling size, TSH, Tg and ATg. Results: Thyroid cancer was diagnosed in 26% (n=19) of the patients, 14 (73.7%) being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer and 5 (26.3%) with follicular thyroid cancer. No other subtypes were noted. Presence of thyroid cancer was significantly associated with recent increase in swelling size and higher TSH Values mean TSH values (P<0.05). No significant association was found with gender, age, Tg and ATg values (P>0.05). Conclusions: Overall percentage of thyroid cancer in our study sample was found to be 26%, with a predominance of papillary over follicular lesions. Rates were significantly higher in patients who had history of recent increase in swelling size and higher and higher pre-surgery TSH values.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.478-489
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Morusin, a marker component of Morus alba L., possesses anti-cancer activity. The objective of this study was to determine autophagy-inducing effect of morusin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and investigate the underlying mechanism. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Autophagy induction and the expression of autophagy-related proteins were analyzed by LC3 immunofluorescence and western blot, respectively. The role of autophagy and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was determined by treating NSCLC cells with bafilomycin A1, an autophagy inhibitor, and compound C, an AMPK inhibitor. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction were determined by MTT assay, trypan blue exclusion assay, annexin V-propidium iodide (PI) double staining assay, and cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: Morusin increased the formation of LC3 puncta in the cytoplasm and upregulated the expression of autophagy-related 5 (Atg5), Atg12, beclin-1, and LC3II in NSCLC cells, demonstrating that morusin could induce autophagy. Treatment with bafilomycin A1 markedly reduced cell viability but increased proportions of sub-G1 phase cells and annexin V-positive cells in H460 cells. These results indicate that morusin can trigger autophagy in NSCLC cells as a defense mechanism against morusin-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that AMPK and its downstream acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) were phosphorylated, while mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its downstream p70S6 kinase (p70S6K) were dephosphorylated by morusin. Morusin-induced apoptosis was significantly increased by treatment with compound C in H460 cells. These results suggest that morusin-induced AMPK activation could protect NSCLC cells from apoptosis probably by inducing autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that combination treatment with morusin and autophagy inhibitor or AMPK inhibitor might enhance the clinical efficacy of morusin for NSCLC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4981-4985
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• 2015

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Targeting autophagic cell death is emerging as a novel strategy in cancer chemotherapy. Aldose reductase (AR) catalyzes the rate limiting step of the polyol pathway of glucose metabolism; besides reducing glucose to sorbitol, AR reduces lipid peroxidation-derived aldehydes and their glutathione conjugates. A complex interplay between autophagic cell death and/or survival may in turn govern tumor metastasis. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the potential role of AR inhibition using a novel inhibitor Fidarestat in the regulation of autophagy in CRC cells. Materials and Methods: For glucose depletion (GD), HT-29 and SW480 CRC cells were rinsed with glucose-free RPMI-1640, followed by incubation in GD medium +/- Fidarestat ($10{\mu}M$). Proteins were extracted by a RIPA-method followed by Western blotting ($35-50{\mu}g$ of protein; n=3). Results: Autophagic regulatory markers, primarily, microtubule associated protein light chain (LC) 3, autophagy-related gene (ATG) 5, ATG 7 and Beclin-1 were expressed in CRC cells; glyceraldehyde-3 phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was used as an internal reference. LC3 II (14 kDa) expression was relatively high compared to LC3A/B I levels in both CRC cell lines, suggesting occurrence of autophagy. Expression of non-autophagic markers, high mobility group box (HMG)-1 and Bcl-2, was comparatively low. Conclusions: GD +/- ARI induced autophagy in HT-29 and SW-480 cells, thereby implicating Fidarestat as a promising therapeutic agent for colorectal cancer; future studies with more potent ARIs are warranted to fully dissect the molecular regulatory networks for autophagy in colorectal carcinoma.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 1993

The nucleotide sequence of the xylanase gene (xynS) from alkali-tolerant Bacillus sp. YA.14 was determined and analyzed. A 639 base pairs open reading frame for xynS gene was observed and encoded for a protein of 213 amino acids with a molecular weight of 23, 339. S1 nuclease mapping showed that the transcription initiation site of the xynS gene did not exist in the cloned DNA. Ribosome binding site sequence with the free energy of -18.8 Kcal/mol was observed 8 base pairs upstream from the initiation codon, ATG. The proposed signal sequence consisted of 28 amino acids, of which 3 were basic amino acid residues and 21 were hydrophobic amino acid residues. When the amino acid sequences of xylanases were compared, Bacillus sp. YA-14 xylanase showed 48% homology with Bacillus sp. YC-335 xylanase and 96% homology with xylanases from B. subtilis and B. circulans.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2013

We already reported four groups which contains some similar strains based on URP-PCR in the previous paper. The objective of this study was to confirm those strains by the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and vegetative compatibility group (VCG). AFLP analysis showed no difference among these strains except ASI 2595 and 2183 in Weonhyeong group and ASI 2829 in Suhan group. They showed specific DNA bands only in the result of P + AG/M + AAG and P + GT/M + ATG primer combinations out of eight different combinations. The AFLP primers produced a total of 330 fragments between 80 and 1000 bp in length for 31 Pleurotus ostreatus strains. At a genetic similarity of 0.96, the UPGMA analysis separated the isolates into four distinct clusters. Each group was classified by similar strains. Confrontation test by vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) also showed distinct line between strains from different groups, but no line between similar strains within the cluster. Our results indicate that most of similar strains was not distinctness. Thus, similar strains are considered to be very close on the genealogy of their parent or same strain with different name.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.158-166
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• 2022

The complete mitochondrial genome of Tremoctopus violaceus was sequenced to analyze its organization and phylogenetic status within the order Octopoda. The mitochondrial genome of T. violaceus had a structure and organization similar to that of other Octopoda. The content of the nucleotides A, C, G, and T was 31.68 %, 7.71 %, 20.02 %, and 40.58 %, respectively. All protein-coding genes (PCG) began with the ATG codon, excluding ND4 and ATP6, which began with ATC and ATT, respectively, and terminated with TAG, TAA, TA, or T. Codons for isoleucine were the most used codons, whereas those for arginine were used the least. Two extra tRNAs, trnN and trnL, were found in the control region. These tRNAs have a D-armless structure. The control region had excess A + T content (83.16 %) and a stem-loop structure with two elements, which is reported for the first time in Octopoda by our study. Bayesian inference using 13 PCG revealed that Octopus and Octopodidae were polyphyletic, and that Tremoctopodidae diverged relatively earlier within Octopoda. The mitochondrial genome of T. violaceus and its characteristics may help to understand the evolutionary history of Octopoda and establish a marine biodiversity conservation strategy.