• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.85-100
• /
• 2001

In this paper, an analytical procedure for solving several static and dynamic problems of non-uniform beams is proposed. It is shown that the governing differential equations for several stability, free vibration and static problems of non-uniform beams can be written in the from of a unified self-conjugate differential equation of the second-order. There are two functions in the unified equation, unlike most previous researches dealing with this problem, one of the functions is selected as an arbitrary expression in this paper, while the other one is expressed as a functional relation with the arbitrary function. Using appropriate functional transformation, the self-conjugate equation is reduced to Bessel's equation or to other solvable ordinary differential equations for several cases that are important in engineering practice. Thus, classes of exact solutions of the self-conjugate equation for several static and dynamic problems are derived. Numerical examples demonstrate that the results calculated by the proposed method and solutions are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data, and the proposed procedure is a simple, efficient and exact method.

• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.189-193
• /
• 2003

The effects of light on the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis during development of mung bean seedlings were investigated by monitoring the differential expression of seven 1-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylate (ACC) synthase and two ACC oxidase genes. Among them, only the expression of VR-ACS1, VR-ACS6, VR-ACS7, VR-ACO1 and VR-AC02 was observable in etiolated mung bean hypocotyls. When the seedlings were de-etiolated for 1 d under a light/dark cycle of 16 h/8 h, the expression of VR-ACS6, VR-ACS7 and VR-ACO2 was controlled negatively by light. The expression of VR-ACS1 showed a tendency to increase until 6 h after a dark-to-light transition and then decreased at 12 h. On the other hand, the expression of VR-ACO1 was mostly constitutive up to 12 h after the dark-to-light transition. The opening of hypocotyl hooks during de-etiolation in the light was stimulated by the inhibition of the action of endogenous ethylene in the presence of 1-MCP. These results suggest that the negative regulation of light on the expression of ACC synthase and ACC oxidase genes eventually results in the inhibition of ethylene production with an acceleration of the opening of apical hooks.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.131-139
• /
• 2007

The expression of genes responding to cold stress in a freshwater alga, Spirogyra varians, was studied by using differential expression gene (DEG) method. A gene strongly up-regulated in 4°C was isolated and designated as SVCR2 (Spirogyra varians cold regulated) gene. The cDNA encoding SVCR2 was cloned using λZAP cDNA library of Spirogyra varians. The deduced amino acid had a sequence similarity with trans-membrane protein in Arabidopsis thaliana (Q9M2D2, 52.7%). Northern blot analysis demonstrated that transcript level of SVCR2 increased about 10 fold under low temperature (4°C), compared with that cultured at warm (20°C) conditions. The expression of SVCR2 was also affected by light conditions. When the plants were exposed to high light (HL) (1200 μmol photon m–2 s–1), the expression of SVCR2 began within 2 hrs. This gene expression lasted for 4 hrs and decreased afterwards. Under the blue light (470 nm) condition, the expression of this gene was induced in same way as HL treatment, even under less than 100 μmol photon m–2 s–1. But red light (650 nm) and UV-A irradiation did not affect the expression of SVCR2.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.75-79
• /
• 2013

Evidence for immunoregulatory roles of prostaglandins (PGs) is accumulating. Since our observation of PG production by human follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), we investigated the regulatory mechanism of PG production in FDC and attempted to understand the functions of released PGs in the responses of adjacent lymphocytes. Here, using FDC-like cells, HK cells, we analyzed protein expression alterations in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the presence of IL-4 or histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Both IL-4 and HDAC inhibitors suppressed COX-2 expression in dose-dependent manners. Their effect was specific to COX-2 and did not reach to COX-1 expression. Interestingly, HDAC inhibitors gave rise to an opposing effect on COX-2 expression in peripheral blood monocytes. Our results suggest that IL-4 may regulate COX-2 expression in FDCs by affecting chromatin remodeling and provide insight into the role of cellular interactions between T cells and FDC during the GC reaction. Given the growing interests in wide-spectrum HDAC inhibitors, the differential results on COX-2 expression in HK cells and monocytes raise cautions on their clinical use.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.230-235
• /
• 2002

Gold sodium thiomalate (GST, gold compound) is a widely used anti-arthritic, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory drug that is considered a good alternative to sodium salicylate (NaSA) for individuals who cannot tolerate salicylates. Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been implicated as a mediator of inflammation. Recent evidence suggests that anti-inflammatory effect of NaSA lies in the inhibition of iNOS, but nothing has been reported about the direct effect of iNOS expression by GST. The present study was designed to elucidate sequentially the action mechanisms of GST and NaSA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus interferon-gamma (IFN-$\gamma$) induced iNOS expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Both GST and NaSA inhibited NO production and iNOS protein expression in a dose dependent manner. GST inhibited iNOS mRNA expression induced by LPS plus IFN-$\gamma$, whereas NaSA did not. These findings suggest that GST may exert anti-arthritic, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting iNOS expression induced by LPS plus IFN-$\gamma$ at transcriptional level, whereas NaSA exert its effect by inhibiting iNOS expression at the translational or posttranslational level.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.59-69
• /
• 2022

Many efforts have been made to study the expression of aquaporins (AQP) in the mammalian reproductive system, but there are not enough data available regarding their localized expression to fully understand their specific roles in male reproduction. The present study investigated the expression and localization patterns of different AQP subtypes in the adult mouse testes and testicular spermatozoa using an immunofluorescence assay. All the studied AQPs were expressed in the testes and revealed subtype-specific patterns in the intensity and localization depending on the cell types of the testes. AQP7 was the most abundant and intensive AQP subtype in the seminiferous tubules, expressing in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells as well as all stages of germ cells, especially the spermatids and testicular spermatozoa. The expression pattern of AQP3 was similar to that of AQP7, but with higher expression in the basal and lower adluminal compartments rather than the upper adluminalcompartment. AQP8 expression was limited to the spermatogonia and Leydig cells whereas AQP9 expression was exclusive to tails of the testicular spermatozoa and elongated spermatids. Taken together, the abundance and distribution of the AQPs across the different cell types in the testes indicating to their relavance in spermatogenesis, as well as in sperm maturation, transition, and function.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.99-103
• /
• 2010

The Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, a model of spontaneous type 2 diabetes (T2D), develops hyperglycemic obesity with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance after the age of 25 weeks, similar to patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM). In the present study, we determined whether there are differences in the pattern of gene expression related to glucose and lipid metabolism between OLETF rats and their control counterparts, Long-Evans Tokushima (LETO) rats. The experiment was done using 35-week-old OLETF and LETO rats. At week 35 male OLETF rats showed overt T2D and increases in blood glucose, plasma insulin, plasma triglycerides (TG) and plasma total cholesterol (TC). Livers of diabetic OLETF and LETO rats also showed differences in expression of mRNA for glucose and lipid metabolism related genes. Among glucose metabolism related genes, GAPDH mRNA was significantly higher and FBPase and G6Pase mRNA were significantly lower in OLETF rats. For lipid metabolism related genes, HMGCR, SCD1 and HL mRNA were substantially higher in OLETF rats. These results indicate that gluconeogenesis in OLETF rats is lower and glycolysis is higher, which means that glucose metabolism might be compensated for by a lowering of the blood glucose level. However, lipid synthesis is increased in OLETF rats so diabetes may be aggravated. These differences between OLETF and LETO rats suggest mechanisms that could be targeted during the development of therapeutic agents for diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.40-47
• /
• 2017

Granulosa cells, which surround the oocyte within the ovarian follicle, play an essential role in creating conditions required for the development of oocytes and follicles. The solute carrier family (SLC) is comprised of influx transporters of steroidal hormones, various drugs, and several other substrates. The differential expression of selected DEGs was confirmed using in situ hybridization analysis. SLC23A3 and SLC39A10 were highly expressed in the ovary. The SLC39A10 gene was expressed in the primordial follicle stage, but SLC23A3 was expressed in the growing follicle stage. Contrastingly, the expression of SLC23A3 was increased in granulosa cells at the growing follicle stage. The differential expressions of SLC23A3 and SLC39A10 between the primordial and primary follicles were additionally confirmed by using follicle isolations. The gene expression profile from the present study may provide insight for future studies on the mechanism(s) involved in primordial-primary follicular transition and suggestions to promote follicular development in ovarian dysfunction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.1667-1674
• /
• 2012

Objective: To explore the differential protein expression profile in EC304 gastric cancer cells induced by alphastatin. Methods: Cultured EC304 cells in the exponential phase of growth were randomly divided into alphastatin and control groups. Total proteins were extracted and the two dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) technique was applied to analyze differences in expression with ImageMaster 2D Platinum 5.0 software. Proteins were identified using the MASCOT database and selected differently expressed proteins were characterised by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results: $1350{\pm}90$ protein spots were detected by the ImageMaster software in the 2-DE gel images from the control and alphastatin groups. The match rate was about 72-80% for the spectrum profiles, with 29 significantly different protein spots being identified, 10 upregulated, 16 downregulated, two new and one lost. The MASCOT search scores were 64-666 and the peptide matching numbers were 3-27 with sequence coverage of 8-62%. Twenty-three proteins were checked by mass spectrometry, including decrease in Nm23 and profilin-2 isoform b associated with the regulation of actin multimerisation induced by extracellular signals. Conclusion: The proteome in EC304 cells is dramatically altered by alphastatin, which appears to play an important role in modulating cellular activity and anti-angiogenesis by regulating protein expression and signal transduction pathways through Nm23 and profilin-2 isoform b, providing new research directions for anti-angiogenic therapy of gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.323-333
• /
• 2016

Background: Ovarian cancer remains a major worldwide health care issue due to the lack of satisfactory diagnostic methods for early detection of the disease. Prior studies on the role of serum cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in detecting ovarian cancer presented conflicting results. New tools to improve the accuracy of identifying malignancy are urgently needed. We here aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of tissue CA125 and HE4 gene expression in comparison to serum CA125 and HE4 in discriminating benign from malignant pelvic masses. Materials and Methods: One-hundred Egyptian women were enrolled in this study, including 60 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients and 20 benign ovarian tumor patients, as well as 20 apparently healthy women. Preoperative serum levels of CA125 and HE4 were measured by immunoassays. Tissue expression levels of genes encoding CA125 and HE4 were determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The diagnostic performance of CA125 and HE4, measured either as mRNA or protein levels, was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The serum CA125+HE4 combination and serum HE4, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.935 and 0.932, respectively, performed significantly better than serum CA125 (AUC=0.592; P<0.001). Tissue CA125 and HE4 (AUC=1) performed significantly better than serum CA125 (P<0.001), serum HE4 (P=0.016) and the serum CA125+HE4 combination (P=0.018). Conclusions: Measurement of tissue CA125 and HE4 gene expression not only improves discriminatory performance, but also broadens the range of differential diagnostic possibilities in distinguishing EOC from benign ovarian tumors.