• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.323-335
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• 2002

Object: The present study was accomplished to obtain a gene expression profile of the luminal epithelium during embryo apposition in comparison of implantation (1M) and interimplantation (INTER) sites. Material and Method: The mouse uterine luminal epithelium from IM and INTER sites were sampled on day 4.5 (Day of vaginal plug = day 0.5) by Laser Captured Microdissection (LCM). RNA was extracted from LCM captured epithelium, amplified, labeled and hybridized to microarrays. Results from microarray hybridization were analyzed by Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) method. Differential expression of some genes was confirmed by LCM followed by RT-PCR. Results: Comparison of IM and INTER sites by SAM identified 73 genes most highly ranked at IM, while 13 genes at the INTER sites, within the estimated false discovery rate (FDR) of 0.163. Among 73 genes at IM, 20 were EST/unknown function, and the remain 53 were categorized to the structural, cell cycle, gene/protein expression, immune reaction, invasion, metabolism, oxidative stress, and signal transduction. Of the 24 structural genes, 14 were related especially to extracellular matrix and tissue remodeling. Meanwhile, among 13 genes up-regulated at INTER, 8 genes were EST/unknown function, and the rest 5 were related to metabolism, signal transduction, and gene/protein expression. Among these 58 (53+5) genes with known functions, 13 genes (22.4%) were related with $Ca^{2+}$ for their function. Conclusions: Results of the present study suggest that 1) active tissue remodeling is occurring at the IM sites during embryo apposition, 2) the INTER sites are relatively quiescent than IM sites, and 3) the $Ca^{2+}$ may be a crucial for apposition. Search for human homologue of those genes expressed in the mouse luminal epithelium during apposition will help to understand the implantation process and/or implantation failure in humans.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.314-320
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• 2005

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared at various crosslinking temperatures using poly(acrylic acid-co-maleic acid) (PAM) containing different PAM contents. The thermal properties of these PVA/PAM membranes prepared at various reaction temperatures were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of PVA/PAM membranes were then investigated as PAM content was varied from 3 to 13 wt%. It was found that the proton and methanol transport were dependent on PAM content in their function both as crosslinking agent and as donor of hydrophilic -COOH groups. Both these properties decreased monotonously with increasing PAM concentration. The proton conductivities of these PVA/PAM membranes were in the range from $10^{-3}\;to\;10^{-2}S/cm$ and the methanol permeabilities from $10^{-7}\;to\;10^{-6}cm^{2}/sec$. In addition, the effect of operating temperature up to $80^{\circ}C$ on ion conductivity was examined for three selected membranes: 7, 9 and 11 wt% PAM membranes. Ion conductivity increased with increasing operating temperature and showed and S/cm at $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. The effects of crosslinking and ionomer group concentration were also examined in terms of water content, ion exchange capacity (IEC), and fixed ion concentration. In addition, the number of water molecules per ionomer site was calculated using both water contents and IEC values. With overall consideration for all the properties measured in this study, $7{\sim}9\;wt%$ PAM membrane prepared at $140^{\circ}C$ exhibited the best performance. These characteristics of PVA/PAM membranes are desirable in applications related to the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.411-418
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• 2004

Mercury, one of the most diffused and hazardous organ-specific environmental contaminants, exists in a wide variety of physical and chemical states. The murcury with the nature which evaporates easily can cause an acute or chronic mercury poisoning to workers at mercury-handling workplaces. Although many studies indicate that mercury induces a deleterious damage, little has been reported from the investigations of mercury effects at surrounding levels in living things. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biological effects of mercury chloride and ionizing radiation. Prepubertal male F344 rats were administered mercury chloride in drinking water throughout the experimental period or were given wholebody irradiation with a dose of 6.5 Gy. The amount changed of body weight during the experimental period showed a 4.9% rise in the mercury-treated group and 14.4% decline in the irradiated group compared with the level of the control group. The results of hematological analysis (red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit) indicated the differential effects of mercury chloride and ionizing radiation. However the concentration of cortisol as assessed by radioimmunoassay increased in both of the groups. Relative expressions of mRNA related to mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis were investigated using semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction on gonad and urinary organs of the experimental groups. While the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA exhibited different patterns depending on the organs or the experimental groups, both of the experimental groups showed a conspicuous expressions of Bax mRNA. In conclusion, the target organ of mercury chloride seems to be a urinary organ and the pattern of damage induced by mercury chloride differs from that by ionizing radiation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.402-406
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• 2007

This study was performed to develop the molecular marker for sex determination of hare (Lepus coreanus) distributed in Korea which focused on sexual dimorphism between X and Y chromosomal homologous genes, zinc finger-X (ZFX) and -Y (ZFY). The intron 7 regions of ZFX and ZFY genes exhibited differential amplification patterns between male and female hares. The lengths of intron 7 region of ZFX and ZFY genes were 538 and 233-bp, respectively. Especially, the ZFX intron 7 contained a repetitive sequence identified as member of RNA-mediated transposable elements which was similar to CSINE2 commonly found in the rabbit genome. However, it was not present in intron 7 of ZFY gene. The molecular sex typing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also carried out to determine the sex of hare based on difference in lengths between the intron 7 regions of ZFX and ZFY genes. All DNA samples tested had common band amplified from ZFX. However, the male hare DNAs had two distinct bands which amplified from ZFX and ZFY genes, respectively. The results from ZFX-ZFY PCR sex typing were identical to those from phenotypic investigation and from amplification patterns using male-specific sex determining region Y (SRY) gene as well. Finally, this study suggested that the sexual dimorphism between intron 7 regions of ZFX and ZFY could be useful genetic marker to determine sex of hare.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.217-227
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• 2004

A new thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer(TLCP) containing a triad aromatic ester type mesogenic unit and butylene terephthalate unit(BT) in the main chain was synthesized by polycondensation reaction. The TLCP synthesized showed nematic mesophasic behavior and its transition temperature from solid to mesophase was $260^{\circ}C$. The TLCP/PBT blends were prepared by in-situ polymerization in PBT solution and characterized by differential scanning calorimeter(DSC), thermogavimetric analyzer(TGA), scanning electron microscope(SEM), x-ray diffractometer(XRD), and dynamic mechanical thermal analyze, (DMTA). The blends showed well dispersed TLCP phases with domain sizes $0.05{\sim}0.2{\mu}m$ in the PBT matrix. As the increasing TLCP content from 5 to 20 wt%, ${\Delta}Hm$ values of pure PBT in the blend were increased because TLCP acts as a nucleating agent in the PBT matrix. The mechanical properties of the blends depended on the TLCP contents because the TLCP acted effectively as a reinforcing material in the PBT matrix. The blends showed good interfacial adhesion between the TLCP phase and PBT matrix.The blends prepared by in-situ polymerization showed higher mechanical properties and well dispersed TLCP domains than those of the blends prepared by melt blending.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.468-480
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• 2021

Ubiquitin D (UBD) is highly upregulated in many cancers, and plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiological processes of cancers. However, its roles and underlying mechanisms in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of UBD in patients with OSCC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure the expression of UBD in OSCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the differential expressions of UBD in 244 OSCC patients and 32 cases of normal oral mucosae. In addition, CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effect of UBD on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in OSCC. Furthermore, a xenograft tumor model was established to verify the role of UBD on tumor formation in vivo. We found that UBD was upregulated in human OSCC tissues and cell lines and was associated with clinical and pathological features of patients. Moreover, the overexpression of UBD promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of OSCC cells; however, the knockdown of UBD exerted the opposite effects. In this study, our results also suggested that UBD promoted OSCC progression through NF-κB signaling. Our findings indicated that UBD played a critical role in OSCC and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OSCC treatment.

• Journal of Breast Cancer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2018

Purpose: Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer among women worldwide, and therefore, improved approaches for its early detection are urgently needed. As microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized as critical regulators in tumorigenesis and possess excellent stability in plasma, this study focused on using miRNAs to develop a method for identifying noninvasive biomarkers. Methods: To discover critical candidates, differential expression analysis was performed on tissue-originated miRNA profiles of 409 early breast cancer patients and 87 healthy controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. We selected candidates from the differentially expressed miRNAs and then evaluated every possible molecular signature formed by the candidates. The best signature was validated in independent serum samples from 113 early breast cancer patients and 47 healthy controls using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The miRNA candidates in our method were revealed to be associated with breast cancer according to previous studies and showed potential as useful biomarkers. When validated in independent serum samples, the area under curve of the final miRNA signature (miR-21-3p, miR-21-5p, and miR-99a-5p) was 0.895. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 97.9% and 73.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The present study established a novel and effective method to identify biomarkers for early breast cancer. And the method, is also suitable for other cancer types. Furthermore, a combination of three miRNAs was identified as a prospective biomarker for breast cancer early detection.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.86-92
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• 2019

Polymers with various compositions of azobenzene and hexamethylene groups in the main chain were synthesized by a Schotten-Baumann reaction and their properties were investigated. The chemical structures and physical properties of the synthesized polymers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarized optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The polymers showed an inherent viscosity of 1.28-1.36 dl/g and were relatively insoluble in most organic solvents. The melt transition temperature increased rapidly with increasing number of azobenzene groups in the polymer. When the azobenzene monomer content was more than 50 mol%, no melting transition occurred below the decomposition temperature. Among the polymers with a melt transition temperature, the MP-A3C7 and MP-A5C5 polymers were liquid crystalline materials and exhibited a nematic phase with weak liquid crystallinity over a wide liquid crystal temperature range. This difference in the properties of the synthesized polymers is likely due to the changes in intermolecular forces resulting from the linearity and polarity of the trans-form of azobenzene.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2019

There have been a total tenth FMD outbreaks in Korea and for the first time, type O and A were detected simultaneously in 2017, which led to difficulties in FMD control. For the effective prevention of FMD, the importance of discrimination of serotypes became greater. Therefore, the most urgent requirement in case of FMD outbreak is differential diagnosis of serotypes. In this study, we developed a PNA probe-mediated multiplex real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay using the peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe, which is known to be stable to nucleotide mutation and that could specifically detect the all FMDV serotype A, FMDVA Yeoncheon strain which was occurred in Korea in 2017, and FMDV A viruses shown 96% similarity with FMDVA/Yeoncheon strain, at the same time. Therefore, It is believed that the newly introduced FMDVA will be effectively diagnosed using the PNA probe multiplex RT-PCR developed in this study, and ultimately contribute to the prevention of FMD.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.1739-1748
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• 2021

Objective: In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified in many species, and some of them have been shown to play important roles in muscle development and myogenesis. However, the differences in lncRNAs between Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle remain undefined; therefore, we aimed to confirm whether lncRNAs are differentially expressed in the longissimus dorsi between these two types of cattle and whether differentially expressed lncRNAs regulate muscle differentiation. Methods: We used RNA-seq technology to identify lncRNAs in longissimus muscles from these cattle. The expression of lncRNAs were analyzed using StringTie (1.3.1) in terms of the fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads values of the encoding genes. The differential expression of the transcripts in the two samples were analyzed using the DESeq R software package. The resulting false discovery rate was controlled by the Benjamini and Hochberg's approach. KOBAS software was utilized to measure the expression of different genes in Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways. We randomly selected eight lncRNA genes and validated them by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: We found that 182 lncRNA transcripts, including 102 upregulated and 80 downregulated transcripts, were differentially expressed between Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle. The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with the sequencing results. Enrichment analysis and functional annotation of the target genes revealed that the differentially expressed lncRNAs were associated with the mitogen-activated protein kinase, Ras, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3k)/Akt signaling pathways. We also constructed a lncRNA/mRNA coexpression network for the PI3k/Akt signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our study provides insights into cattle muscle-associated lncRNAs and will contribute to a more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying muscle growth and development in cattle.