• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.237-243
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• 2018

Hedgehog (Hh) pathway plays a key role in development from invertebrate to vertebrate. It is known to be involved in cell differentiation, polarity, proliferation, including the development of vertebrate limb and the establishment of flies' body plan. To investigate how the regulation of Hh pathway affects the development of parthenogenetic murine embryos, the parthenogenetically activated murine embryos were treated with either cyclopamine (Cyc), an antagonist of Hh pathway, or purmorphamine, an agonist of Hh pathway. While Cyc did not affect the blastocyst formation and its total cell number, the chemical reduced the hatching rate of embryos and the expression levels of Fn1 mRNA. The results of the present study show the possibility that Cyc may affect the development of embryos at blastocyst stage by blocking Hh pathway and this may cause detrimental effect to the embryos at peri-, and post-implantation stages.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.267-277
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• 2008

Benzene and ethylbenzene (BE), the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common constituents of cleaning and degreasing agents, paints, pesticides, personal care products, gasoline and solvents. VOCs are evaporated at room temperature and most of them exhibit acute and chronic toxicity to human. Chronic exposure of benzene is responsible for myeloid leukemia and also ethylbenzene is also recognized as a possible carcinogen. To evaluate the BE effect on human, whole human genome 35 K oligonucleotide microarray were screened for the identification of the differential expression profiling. We identified 280 up-regulated and 201 down-regulated genes changed by more than 1.5 fold by BE exposure. Functional analysis was carried out by using DAVID bioinformatics software. Clustering of these differentially expressed genes were associated with immune response, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, toll-like signaling pathway, small cell lung cancer, immune response, apoptosis, p53 signaling pathway and MAPKKK cascade possibly constituting alternative or subordinate pathways of hematotoxicity and immune toxicity. Gene ontology analysis methods including biological process, cellular components, molecular function and KEGG pathway thus provide a fundamental basis of the molecular pathways through BEs exposure in human lymphoma cells. This may provides a valuable information to do further analysis to explore the mechanism of BE induced hematotoxicity.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.162-163
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• 2017

RNA polymerase II-interacting the Set2 methyltransferase co-transcriptionally methylates histone H3 at lysine 36 within the body of genes. This modification facilitates histone deacetylation by Rpd3S HDAC in 3' transcribed regions to suppress cryptic initiation and slow elongation. Although this pathway is important for global deacetylation, no strong effects have been seen on genome-wide transcription under optimized laboratory conditions. In contrast, this pathway slows the kinetics of mRNA induction when target genes are induced upon environmental changes. Interestingly, a majority of Set2-repressed genes are overlapped by a lncRNA transcription that targets H3K36 methylation and deacetylation by Rpd3S HDAC to mRNA promoters. Furthermore, this pathway delays the induction of many cryptic transcripts upon environmental changes. Therefore, the Set2-Rpd3S HDAC pathway functions to fine-tune expression dynamics of mRNAs and ncRNAs.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.183-191
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• 2008

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common constituents of cleaning and degreasing agents, paints, pesticides, personal care products, gasoline and solvents. And VOCs are evaporated at room temperature and most of them exhibit acute and chronic toxicity to human. Benzene is the most widely used prototypical VOC and the toxic mechanisms of them are still unclear. The multi-step process of toxic mechanism can be more fully understood by characterizing gene expression changes induced in cells by toxicants. In this study, DNA microarray was used to monitor the expression levels of genes in HepG2 cells and HL-60 cells exposed to the benzene on IC20 and IC50 dose respectively. In the clustering analysis of gene expression profiles, although clusters of HepG2 and HL-60 cells by benzene were divided differently, expression pattern of many genes observed similarly. We identified 916 up-regulated genes and 1,144 down-regulated genes in HepG2 cells and also 1,002 up-regulated genes and 919 down-regulated genes in HL-60 cells. The gene ontology analysis on genes expressed by benzene in HepG2 and HL-60 cells, respectively, was performed. Thus, we found some principal pathways, such as, focal adhesion, gap junction and signaling pathway in HepG2 cells and toll-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction in HL-60 cells. And we also found 16 up-regulated and 14 down-regulated commonly expressed total 30 genes that belong in the same biological process like inflammatory response, cell cycle arrest, cell migration, transmission of nerve impulse and cell motility in two cell lines. In conclusion, we suggest that this study is meaningful because these genes regarded as strong potential biomarkers of benzene independent of cell type.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.81-84
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• 2021

Salivary glands are exocrine glands that secrete saliva into the oral cavity, and secreted saliva plays essential roles in oral health. Therefore, maintaining the salivary glands in an intact state is required for proper production and secretion of saliva. To investigate a specific signaling pathway that might affect the maintenance of mouse submandibular gland (SMGs), RNA sequencing was performed. In SMGs, downregulated expression patterns of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway-related genes, including Rhoa, Rhob, Rhoc, Rock1, and Rock2, were observed. Gene expression profiling analyses of these genes indicate that the ROCK signaling pathway is a potential signal for SMG maintenance.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.144-151
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• 2019

Alopecia has emerged as one of the biggest interests in modern society. Many studies have focused on the treatment of alopecia, such as transplantation of hair follicles or inhibition of the androgen pathway. Hair growth is achieved through proper proliferation of the components such as keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells (DPCs), movement, and interaction between the two cells. The present study examined the effect of the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is an important and fundamental signal in the cell, on the morphology and the viability of human keratinocytes and DPCs. Upregulation of Hh signaling caused a morphological change and an increase in epithelium-mesenchymal transition-related gene expression but reduced the viability of keratinocytes, while the alteration of Hh signaling did not cause any change in DPCs. The results show the possibility that the regulation of Hh signaling can be applied for the treatment of alopecia.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.138-144
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• 2007

Previously we showed that the human GM3 synthase gene was expressed during the induction of megakaryocytic differentiation in human leukemia K562 cells by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). In this study we found that treatment of PMA-induced K562 cells with $G{\ddot{o}}6976$, a specific inhibitor of PKC, and U0126, an inhibitor of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) reduced expression of GM3 synthase, whereas wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) did not. Moreover, activation of ERK and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) was prevented by pretreatment with $G{\ddot{o}}6976$ and U0126. PMA stimulated the promoter activity of the 5'-flanking region from -177 to -83 region of the GM3 synthase gene, and mutation or deletion of a CREB site located around -143 of the promoter reduced PMA-stimulated promoter activity, as did the inhibitors $G{\ddot{o}}6976$ and U0126. Our results demonstrate that induction of GM3 synthase during megakaryocytic differentiation in PMA-stimulated human leukemia K562 cells depends upon the PKC/ERK/CREB pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.139-143
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• 2004

The antioxidant responsive element (ARE) is a cis-acting regulatory element of genes encoding phase II detoxification enzymes and antioxidant proteins, such as NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutathione S-transferases, and glutamate-cysteine ligase. Interestingly, it has been reported that Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) regulates a wide array of ARE-driven genes in various cell types. Nrf2 is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor, which was originally identified as a binding protein of locus control region of ss-globin gene. The DNA binding sequence of Nrf2 and ARE sequence are very similar, and many studies demonstrated that Nrf2 binds to the ARE sites leading to up-regulation of downstream genes. The function of Nrf2 and its downstream target genes suggests that the Nrf2-ARE pathway is important in the cellular antioxidant defense system. In support of this, many studies showed a critical role of Nrf2 in cellular protection and anti-carcinogenicity, implying that the Nrf2-ARE pathway may serve as a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases and cancers, in which oxidative stress is closely implicated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.126-140
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• 2022

Stem cells can be applied usefully in basic research and clinical field due to their differentiation and self-renewal capacity. The aim of this study was to establish an effective novel therapeutic cellular source and create its molecular expression profile map to elucidate the possible therapeutic mechanism and signaling pathway. We successfully obtained a mesenchymal stem cell population from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) cultured on chemically defined feeder-free conditions and treated with connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and performed the expressive proteomic approach to elucidate the molecular basis. We further selected 12 differentially expressed proteins in CTGF-induced hESC-derived mesenchymal stem cells (C-hESC-MSCs), which were found to be involved in the metabolic process, immune response, cell signaling, and cell proliferation, as compared to bone marrow derived-MSCs(BM-MSCs). Moreover, these up-regulated proteins were potentially related to the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These results suggest that C-hESC-MSCs are a highly proliferative cell population, which can interact with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway; thus, due to the upregulated cell survival ability or downregulated apoptosis effects of C-hESC-MSCs, these can be used as an unlimited cellular source in the cell therapy field for a higher therapeutic potential. Overall, the study provided valuable insights into the molecular functioning of hESC derivatives as a valuable cellular source.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.241-245
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• 2011

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic multisystem disorder that results from mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, and is associated with hamartomas in several organs, including subependymal giant cell tumors. The neurological manifestations of TSC are particularly challenging and include infantile spasms, intractable epilepsy, cognitive disabilities, and autism. The TSC1- and TSC2-encoded proteins modulate cell function via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascade, and are key factors in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. The mTOR pathway provides an intersection for an intricate network of protein cascades that respond to cellular nutrition, energy levels, and growth factor stimulation. In the brain, TSC1 and TSC2 have been implicated in cell body size, dendritic arborization, axonal outgrowth and targeting, neuronal migration, cortical lamination, and spine formation. The mTOR pathway represents a logical candidate for drug targeting, because mTOR regulates multiple cellular functions that may contribute to epileptogenesis, including protein synthesis, cell growth and proliferation, and synaptic plasticity. Antagonism of the mTOR pathway with rapamycin and related compounds may provide new therapeutic options for TSC patients.