• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.399-403
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• 2011

Species identification of Taenia tapeworms was performed using morphologic observations and multiplex PCR and DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cox1 gene. In 2008 and 2009, a total of 1,057 fecal samples were collected from residents of Kongwa district of Dodoma region, Tanzania, and examined microscopically for helminth eggs and proglottids. Of these, 4 Taenia egg positive cases were identified, and the eggs were subjected to DNA analysis. Several proglottids of Taenia solium were recovered from 1 of the 4 cases. This established that the species were T. solium (n=1) and T. saginata (n=3). One further T. solium specimen was found among 128 fecal samples collected from Mbulu district in Arusha, and this had an intact strobila with the scolex. Phylegenetic analysis of the mtDNA cox1 gene sequences of these 5 isolates showed that T. saginata was basal to the T. solium clade. The mitochondrial cox1 gene sequences of 3 of these Tanzanian isolates showed 99% similarity to T. saginata, and the other 2 isolates showed 100% similarity to T. solium. The present study has shown that Taenia tapeworms are endemic in Kongwa district of Tanzania, as well as in a Previously identified Mbulu district. Both T. solium isolates were found to have an "African/Latin American" genotype (cox1).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.107-107
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.107-107
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• 2005

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.633-638
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• 2005

Biosynthesis of prostanoids is regulated by three sequential enzymatic steps, namely phospholipase $A_2$ enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, and various lineage-specific terminal prostanoid synthases. Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES), which isomerizes COX-derived $PGH_2$ specifically to $PGE_2$, occurs in multiple forms with distinct enzymatic properties, expressions, localizations and functions. Two of them are membrane-bound enzymes and have been designated as mPGES-1 and mPGES-2. mPGES-1 is a perinuclear protein that is markedly induced by proinflammatory stimuli, is down-regulated by anti inflammatory glucocorticoids, and is functionally coupled with COX-2 in marked preference to COX-1. Recent gene targeting studies of mPGES-1 have revealed that this enzyme represents a novel target for anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs. mPGES-2 is synthesized as a Golgi membrane-associated protein, and the proteolytic removal of the N-terminal hydrophobic domain leads to the formation of a mature cytosolic enzyme. This enzyme is rather constitutively expressed in various cells and tissues and is functionally coupled with both COX-1 and COX-2. Cytosolic PGES (cPGES) is constitutively expressed in a wide variety of cells and is functionally linked to COX-1 to promote immediate $PGE_2$ production. This review highlights the latest understanding of the expression, regulation and functions of these three PGES enzymes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.228-236
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• 2006

Objectives : Macrophage has an important innate defense role in the immune system. When we are infected with pathogens, macrophage ingests them through phagocytosis or endocytosis, and then secretes many cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6 and $TGF{\alpha}$, which are regulators of immune responses. The aim of this study is to determine how Samjunghwan effects the expression of cytokine and other immune-related genes in macrophages. Methods : Cells were treated directly with Samjunghwan and/or LPS at regular intervals. Total RNA of cells was isolated using TRIzol reagent, and the changes in cytokine gene expressions were investigated using RT-PCR, western blot and ELISA. Results : $IL-1{\alpha},\;IL-1{\beta}$ and COX-2 genes were inducibly expressed specifically by Samjunghwan in macrophage. Especially, $IL-1{\beta}$ gene was induced most strongly by treatment with Samjunghwan. Over time, treatment with Samjunghwan showed that the expression levels of $IL-1{\alpha}\;and\;$IL-1{\beta}$ genes increased from 1 to 4h, and then decreased from 4 to ISh. However, the expression level of COX-2 gene increased continuously up to 11h. $IL-1{\alpha},\;IL-1{\beta}$ and COX-2 genes were expressed synergistically by a simultaneous treatment of both Samjunghwan and LPS in macrophages. Secretion levels of translated $IL-1{\beta}$ increased continuously up to 11h. Conclusions : Though this study is only a start in the investigation of the efficasy of Samjunghwan, these results suggest that Samjunghwan has positive effects on immune responses.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.471-474
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• 2013

Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense has been reported in Korea as Diphyllobothrium latum because of their close morphologic resemblance. We have identified a human case of D. nihonkaiense infection using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene sequence analysis. On 18 February 2012, a patient who had consumed raw fish a month earlier visited our outpatient clinic with a long tapeworm parasite excreted in the feces. The body of the segmented worm was 2 m long and divided into the scolex (head) and proglottids. It was morphologically close to D. nihonkaiense and D. latum. The cox1 gene analysis showed 99.4% (340/342 bp) homology with D. nihonkaiense but only 91.8% (314/342 bp) homology with D. latum. The present study suggested that the Diphyllobothrium spp. infection in Korea should be analyzed with specific DNA sequence for an accurate species identification.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2016

We report here a human case of Taenia asiatica infection which was confirmed by genetic analyses in Dali, China. A patient was found to have symptoms of taeniasis with discharge of tapeworm proglottids. By sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, we observed nucleotide sequence identity of 99% with T. asiatica and 96% with T. saginata. Using the cytochrome b (cytb) gene, 99% identity with T. asiatica and 96% identity with T. saginata were found. Our findings suggest that taeniasis of people in Dali, China may be mainly caused by T. asiatica.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.62-67
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• 2004

Trauma remains one of the important sources leading to systemic inflammatory response anti sub-sequent multiple organ failure. Although hepatic microvascular dysfunction occurs during trauma, the mechanism responsible remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of trauma on hepatic vascular stress gene expression. Femur fracture (EFx) was induced by torsion to the femur at midshaft. Liver samples were taken for RT-PCR analysis of mRNA for gtenes of interest: endothelin-1 (ET-1), its receptors $ET_A$ and $ET_B$, nitric oxide synthases (iNOS and eNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and tumor necrosis tactor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$). The expression of ET-1 mRNA was significantly increased by FFx. Expression of mRNA in FFx group showed no change in $ET_A$, $ET_B$, iNOS and HO-1 and showed a slight increase of 2.2-fold and 2.7-fold for eNOS tll1d COX-2, respectively. The level of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA significantly increased in FFx group. In conclusion, mild trauma alone causes little change in expression of vasoactive mediators.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2005

The present study examined the effects of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor celecoxib or soy-isoflavones in the presence of estrogen on apoptosis related gene expression, COX-2 and mapkinase in 48-week old female rats. Expressions of bel-2 and bax proteins, which are known to be involved in the regulation of apoptosis, were investigated in mammary glands and heart tissues. The elevated expression of bel-2 expression was observed in mammary glands of celecoxib supplemented rats as well as soy-isoflavones. The mammary glands bel-2/bax ratio was found to be higher in celecoxib or soy-isoflavones supplemented rats. However, in heart tissues, expression of bel-2 and bax was in the order of control, celecoxib and soy-isoflavones. The up-regulation of COX-2 was observed in celecoxib or soy-isoflavones in mammary glands. 'The similar trend was not displayed with the mapkinase expression. In heart tissues, the down-regulation of COX-2 as well as mapkinase was observed in celecoxib or soy-isoflavones supplemented rats. Soy-isoflavones and celecoxib both had a similar regulatory pattern of bel-2, bax and COX-2 in mammary glands, and in heart tissues, only COX-2 exhibited a similar down-regulatory properly. These findings revealed that in estrogen sufficient state, celecoxib and soy-isoflavones might not exhibit proapoptotic potential or COX-2 inhibition in normal mammary glands.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.479-489
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• 1999

Invasion of enteric bacteria, such as Salmonella and invasive E. coli, into intestinal epithelial cells induces proinflammatory gene responses and finally epithelial cell apoptosis. In this study, we asked whether invasive bacterial infection of human intestinal epithelial cells could upregulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression and whether increased COX-2 expression could influence intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. Expression of COX-2 mRNA and prostaglandin (PG) $E_2$ production were upregulated in HT-29 colon epithelial cells which were infected with S. dublin or invasive E. coli, as examined by quantitative RT-PCR and radioimmunoassay. Inhibition of COX-2 expression and $PGE_2$ production using NS-398, a specific COX-2 inhibitor, showed a significant increase of epithelial cell apoptosis and caspase-3 activation in HT-29 cells infected with invasive bacteria. However, the addition of valerylsalicylate, a specific COX-1 inhibitor, did not change apoptosis in S. dublin-infected HT-29 cells. These results suggest that up regulated COX-2 expression and $PGE_2$ production in response to invasive bacterial infection could contribute to host defense by inhibiting apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells.