• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2007

By comparing the proteins from the workers exposed to styrene with the ones from controls, it may be possible to identify proteins that play a role in the occurrence and progress of occupational disease and thus to study the molecular mechanisms of occupational disease. In order to find the biomarkers for assessing the styrene effects early, before clinical symptoms develop and to understand the mechanisms of adverse health effects, we surveyed 134 employees, among whom 52 workers(30 male and 22 female) were chronically exposed to styrene in 10 glass-reinforced plastic boat manufacturing factories in Korea and 82 controls had never been occupationally exposed to hazardous chemicals including styrene. The age and drinking habits and serum biochemistry such as total protein, BUN and serum creatinine in both groups were significantly different. Exposed workers were divided into three groups according to exposure levels of styrene(G1, below 1/2 TLV; G2, 1/2 TLV to TLV; G3, above TLV). The mean concentration of airborne styrene in G1 group was $10.93{\pm}11.33ppm$, and those of urinary mandelic acid(MA) and phenylglyoxylic acid(PGA) were $0.17{\pm}0.21$ and $0.13{\pm}0.11g/g$ creatinine, respectively. The mean concentration of airborne styrene in G2 and G3 groups were $47.54{\pm}22.43$ and $65.33{\pm}33.47ppm$, respectively, and levels of urinary metabolites such as MA and PGA increased considerably as expected with the increase in exposure level of styrene. The airborne styrene concentration were significantly correlated to the urinary concentration of MA(r=0.784, p=0.000) and PGA(r=0.626, p<0.001). In the 2D electrophoresis, the concentration of five proteins including complement C3 precursor, alpha-1-antitrypsin(AAT), vitamin D binding protein precursor(DBP), alpha-1-B-glycoprotein(A1BG) and inter alpha trypsin inhibitor(ITI) heavy chain-related protein were significantly altered in workers exposed to styrene compared with controls. While expression of complement C3 precursor and AAT increased by exposure to styrene, expression of DBP, A1BG and ITI heavy chain-related protein decreased. These results suggest that the exposure of styrene might affects levels of plasma proteinase, carriers of endogenous substances and immune system. In particular, increasing of AAT with the increase in exposure level of styrene can explain the tissue damage and inflammation by the imbalance of proteinase/antiproteinase and decrease of DBP, A1BG and ITI heavy chain-related protein in workers exposed to styrene is associated with dysfunction and/or declination in immune system and signal transduction

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.5-25
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• 2004

Objectives : To observe changes in the serum proteins before and after intravenous injection of wild ginseng herbal acupuncture. Methods : Blood was collected before and after the administration of wild ginseng herbal acupuncture and only the serum was centrifuged. Then differences in the spots on the scanned image after running 2-Dimensionl electrophoresis were located and conducted mass analysis and protein identification. Results : Following results were obtained from the comparative analysis of serum proteins before and after the administration of wild ginseng herbal acupuncture. 1. 28 spots were identified before and after the administration. 2. In confirming manifestation degree, spots with more than two-times increase were 204, 803, 1505, 2205, 3105, 7104, 9001 spots, with more than one-time increase were 1101, 1302, 2013, 3009, 3010, 4002, 4009, 6706, 7103, 8006, 8101, and spots with decrease were 205, 801, 3205, 5202, 6105. 3. After conducting protein identification, proteins 205, 804, 1302, 4009, 6105, 6106 are unidentified yet, and 1101 is unnamed protein. Protein 204 is identified as complement receptor CR2-C3d, 801 as YAP1 protein, 803 as antitrypsin polymer, 1505 as PRO0684, 2013 and 3010 as proapolipoprotein, 2205 as USP48, 2403 as vitamin D binding protein, 3009 as complement component 4A preprotein, 3105 as immunoglobulin lambda chain, 3205 as transthyretin, 4002 as Ras-related protein Ral-A, 4204 as beta actin, 5202 and 7104 as apolipoprotein L1, 6704 as alpha 2 macroglobulin precursor, 7103 as complement component 3 precursor, 8006 as testis-specific protein Y, 8101 as Transferrin, 9001 as(Alpha-Oxy, Beta-(C112g)deoxy) T-State Human Hemoglobin, and 9003 as human hemoglobin. 4. Immune protein CR2-C3d, which acts against microbes and pathogenic organisms, and Antitrypsin(803), which is secreted with inflammatory response in the lungs, were increased by more than 200% after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 5. Immunoglobulin lambda chain(3105), Alpha-Oxy, Beta-(C112g)deoxy T-State Human Hemoglobin(9001), and human hemoglobin(9003) were increased by more than two-times after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 6. Proapolipoprotein(2013, 3010) and apolipoprotein(7104), key components of the HDL-cholesterol which plays an important role in preventing arteriosclerosis, were increased after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 7. Vitamin D binding protein(DBP, 2403), protecting the lung at the time of inflammatory response, was increased after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 8. Transthyretin(TTR, 3205), which is the main protein causing familial aimyloid polyneuropathy(FAP), was decreased after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 9. Ras-related protein Ral-A(4002) that controls phospholipid metabolism, cytoskeletal formation, and membrane traffic, was increased after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 10. Testis-specific protein Y(8006), which takes part in determination of the gender, was increased by more than two-times after the administration of herbal acupuncture. 11. Transferrin(8101), T-State Human Hemoblobin(9001), and Human Hemoblobin(9003) which balances the iron level in the body, were increased after the administration of herbal acupuncture. Conousion : Above results support the notion that intravenous injection of cultivated wild ginseng herbal acupuncture induce changes in serum proteins and this research can be a pioneer work in finding biomarkers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.62-62
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• 2003

The native form of serpin (serine protease inhibitor) is kinetically trapped in metastable state. Metastability in these proteins is critical to their biological function. Serpins inhibit target proteases by forming a stable covalent complex in which the cleaved reactive site loop of the serpin is inserted into $\beta$-sheet A of the serpin with concomitant translocation of the protease to the opposite of the initial binding site. Despite recent determination of the crystal structures of a Michaelis protease-serpin complex as well as a stable covalent complex, details on the kinetic mechanism remain unsolved. In this study we constructed several $\alpha$$_1$-antitrypsin variants and examined their kinetic mechanism of loop translocation and formation of protease-serpin complex by stopped-flow experiments of fluorescence resonance energy transfer as well as quenched-flow experiment. We report here the relationship of serpin's conformational switch mechanism with Inhibitory activity. There is little direct correlation between loop insertion rate and inhibitory activity. Rather, disrupting a salt bridge between R196 and E354 accelerates loop translocation even though it impairs the inhibitory activity. Moreover, the serpin's reactive site loop is translocated, at least partially, prior to loop cleavage.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.285-291
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• 2008

Background: We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the potential association between SERPINA1 genotypes ($M1_{Val}$, $M1_{Ala}$, S, and Z) and the risk COPD. Methods: The study population consisted of 93 patients with COPD and 112 healthy controls. The polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism for detecting the SERPINA1 variants. Results: The M2 allele of the SERPINA1 gene was significantly associated with the risk of COPD in Koreans. The effect of the M2 allele on the risk of COPD was more pronounced in the subgroup<64 years. Conclusion: These results suggest that SERPINA1 polymorphisms may contribute to a genetic predisposition for COPD. However, additional studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm our findings.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.88-97
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• 1993

Anterior abdominal scintigraphy after intravenous injection of $^{99m}Tc$-human serum albumin ($^{99m}Tc$-HSA 20 mCi) was done in 16 patients with connective tissue diseases and 15 healthy control patients. Patients with proteinuria or hepatopathy were excluded. 1) 7 (44%) patients among 16 connective tissue disease patients without the apparent evidence of external protein loss showed abnormal intestinal accumulation of albumin. 6 patients with positive albumin scintigraphy showed bypoalbuminemia. 2) There was no false positive scintigraphic finding in control group. 3) The serum albumin level in connective tissue disease patients ($3.1{\pm}0.6 g/dl$, n=16) was lower than control patients ($3.9{\pm}0.3 g/dl$, n=15) (p<0.0001). 4) The serum albumin level was lower in connective tissue disease patients with positive $^{99m}Tc$-HSA scan ($2.8{\pm}0.6 g/dl$, n=7) than the connective tissue disease patients with negative scan ($3.3{\pm}0.3 g/dl$, n=9) (p<0.05). 5) The hemoglobin level in connective tissue disease patients with positive nan ($10.6{\pm}2.91 g/dl$) was lower than that of the control group ($13.6{\pm}1.5 g/dl$) (p<0.05). Mypoalbuminemia is frequently involved in chronic connective tissue diseases. Protein losing enteropathy (PLE) is also responsible for the majority of the bypoalbuminemia in these patients. But it has been ignored because the conventional method for the diagnosis of PLE was difficult to perform. $^{99m}Tc$-HSA scan also must be validated by more extended study and comparison with the quantitative study such as stool ${\alpha}-1$ antitrypsin measurement. There must be a reevaluation of PLE in various diseases especially in connective tissue diseases with easy, fast, economical, and non-invasive method.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.295-299
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• 2007

The detrimental effects of gene transfection on embryo development and the molecular mechanism behind the differential expression of genes related to early embryo development were assessed in the production of transgenic cow embryos through somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT). Parthenogenetic, IVF, and transgenic NT embryos derived from ${\alpha}_1$-antitrypsin transfected ear fibroblast cells was produced. To investigate the molecular mechanism behind lower developmental competence of transgenic NT embryos, the differential mRNA expression of three genes ($IFN-{\tau}$, Oct4, Fgf4) in the 3 types of embryo (Parthenogenetic, IVF, transgenic NT) was examined. RNA was extracted from ten blastocysts derived from 3 types of embryos and reverse-transcripted for synthesis of the first cDNA. The quantification of 3 gene transcripts ($IFN-{\tau}$, Oct4, and Fgf4) was carried out in three replicate by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. Expression level of $IFN-{\tau}$ mRNA was significantly higher in transgenic NT embryos than parthenogenetic and IVF embryos (P<0.05). However, expression level of Oct4 and Fgf4 of transgenic NT embryos was significantly lower than IVF embryos (P<0.05). Altered levels of these three mRNA transcripts may explain some of the embryonic/fetal/neonatal abnormalities observed in offspring from transgenic NT embryos.