• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.361-365
• /
• 2012

Anti-tumor activity of the proteins from Gecko (GP) on cervical cancer cells, and its signaling mechanisms were assessed by viable cell counting, propidium iodide (PI) staining, and Western blot analysis. GP induced the cell death of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner while it did not affect the viability of normal cells. Western blot analysis showed that GP decreased the activation of Akt, and co-administration of GP and Akt inhibitors synergistically exerted anti-tumor activities on HeLa cells, suggesting the involvement of PI3-kinase/Akt pathway in GP-induced cell death of the cancer cells. Indeed, the cytotoxic effect of GP against HeLa cells was inhibited by overexpression of constituvely active form of Akt in HeLa cells. The candidates of the functional proteins in GP were analyzed by Mass-spectrum. Taken together, our results suggest that GP elicits anti-tumor activity against HeLa cells by inhibition of PI3-kinase/Akt pathway.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.332-340
• /
• 2019

Background: Studies of morphological variation within and among populations provide an opportunity to understand local adaptation and potential patterns of gene flow. To study the evolutionary divergence patterns of Schlegel's Japanese gecko (Gekko japonicus) across its distribution, we analyzed data for 15 morphological characters of 324 individuals across 11 populations (2 in China, 4 in Japan, and 5 in Korea). Results: Among-population morphological variation was smaller than within-population variation, which was primarily explained by variation in axilla-groin length, number of infralabials, number of scansors on toe IV, and head-related variables such as head height and width. The population discrimination power was 32.4% and in cluster analysis, populations from the three countries tended to intermix in two major groups. Conclusion: Our results indicate that morphological differentiation among the studied populations is scarce, suggesting short history for some populations after their establishment, frequent migration of individuals among the populations, and/or local morphological differentiation in similar urban habitats. Nevertheless, we detected interesting phenetic patterns that may predict consistent linkage of particular populations that are independent of national borders. Additional sampling across the range and inclusion of genetic data could give further clue for the historical relationship among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean populations of G. japonicus.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.53.3-54
• /
• 2021

We present optical follow-up observation results of three binary black hole merger (BBH) events, GW190408 181802, GW190412, and GW190503 185404, which were detected by the Advanced Ligo and Virgo gravitational wave (GW) detectors. Electromagnetic (EM) counterparts are generally not expected for BBH merger events, however, some theoretical models suggest that EM counterparts of BBH can possibly arise in special environments. To identify EM counterparts of the three BBH merger events, we observed high-credibility regions of the sky with telescopes of the Gravitational-wave EM Counterpart Korean Observatory (GECKO), including the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet). Our observation started as soon as 100 minutes after the GW event alert and covered roughly 29 - 63 deg2 for each event with a depth of 22.5 mag in R-band within hours of observation. No plausible EM counterparts were found for these events. Our result gives a great promise for the GECKO facilities to find EM counterparts within few hours from GW detection in future GW observation runs.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.373-380
• /
• 2018

We examined activities of adult (n=9, 3 females and 6 males) and juvenile (n=4) Schlegel's Japanese gecko (Gekko japonicus) in an indoor vivarium for 47 days to study the preference and competition for shelters at day and night. The result showed the strong correlation between the temperature inside the shelter and the body temperature of Schlegel's Japanese gecko and more individuals observed outside the shelters at nighttime than daytime. Both adults and juveniles showed a preference for certain shelters. The adults preferred the warmer shelters in the daytime while the juveniles preferred the same shelter in both daytime and nighttime. Both adults and juveniles observed outside the shelter at the nighttime had higher body temperature than those found inside. In the daytime, the body temperature of adults was higher than that of juveniles, but there was no significant difference in the nighttime. The results imply that G. japonicus, which is the nocturnal lizard, prefers the shelters with higher temperature and that there is the competition for shelters between adults and juveniles. This study provides the reference data on the relationships between the body temperature and the activities of G. japonicus.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2013.05a
• /
• pp.149-150
• /
• 2013

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
• /
• 1999.10b
• /
• pp.70.1-70
• /
• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.565-570
• /
• 2015

Breast and colorectal cancers rank high in Iran as causes of mortality. Most of the current treatments are expensive and non-specific. The potential anticancer properties of common home gecko, Cyrtopodion scabrum, were investigated in this study. The effects of C. scabrum extract on proliferation, viability and migration of the colorectal cancer (SW-742), breast cancer (MCF-7) and normal (MSC) cell lines were investigated using MTT and in vitro wound healing assay. $IC_{50}$ values calculated for the extract were $559{\pm}28.9{\mu}g/mL$ for MCF-7 and $339{\pm}11.3{\mu}g/mL$ for SW-742. No toxic effects on the normal control cells were observed. MCF-7 and SW-742 cell growth was inhibited by 32.6% and 62%, under optimum conditions, compared to the untreated control cells. The extract also decreased the motility and migration ability of both cancer cell lines, with no significant effects on the normal control cells. Data suggest C. scabrum extract as a useful natural resource for targeting cancer cells specifically.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.40 no.7
• /
• pp.673-677
• /
• 2016

Recently, engineering applications have started to adopt solutions inspired by nature. The peculiar adhesive properties of gecko skin are an example, as they allow the animal to move freely on vertical walls and even on ceilings. The high adhesive forces between gecko feet and walls are due to the hierarchical microscopical structure of the skin. In this study, the effect of metal coatings on the adhesive strength of synthetic, hierarchically structured, dry adhesives was investigated. Synthetic dry adhesives were fabricated using PDMS micro-molds prepared by photolithography. Metal coatings on synthetic dry adhesives were formed by plasma sputtering. Adhesive strength was measured by pure shear tests. The highest adhesion strengths were found with coatings composed of 4 nm thick layers of Indium, 8 nm thick layers of Zinc and 6 nm thick layers of Gold, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 2015.11a
• /
• pp.199-200
• /
• 2015

실리콘 기판위에 Gecko의 피부를 모사한 다층의 나노, 마이크로 구조표면에서 일어나는 응결된 water vapor droplets의 coalescence에 기인하는 surface energy의 kinetic energy의 변환을 통하여 발생하는 water droplets의 self-propelling을 이용한 빙점하에서 dynamic wetting 성질의 관찰을 통해서 얼음 방지, 지연, 또는 얼음 부착성 최소화 표면의 구현 가능성을 보여준다.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.272-276
• /
• 2022

An 8 month old leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) with a large nodule was referred to our hospital. During the physical examination, the nodule had an unclear boundary from the top of the left eye to the front of the left ear and prevented the opening of the left eye. A hard, cheese-like, yellow, pus-filled nodule was observed. A cytological examination of a pus swab sample revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation with rod-shaped bacteria. Ofloxacin was chosen as the empirical topical antimicrobial drug for treatment. The swab samples were inoculated in trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep blood and incubated at 37℃ for 24 h. Gram-negative bacteria were identified via Gram staining, and the Kirby-Bauer antimicrobial susceptible disk diffusion test against 24 antibiotics according to protocol M100-Ed32 of CLSI showed that the fluoroquinolone group (ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin) was susceptible to the isolated bacteria. Molecular identification based on 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing confirmed that the isolated bacteria had a 99.85% nucleotide similarity with Serratia surfactantfaciens (GenBank accession no. CP014948). After 1 week, the boundaries of the nodule became clear; thus, the abscess was physically removed by expanding the hole formed above the eye for drainage, and flushing was repeated. After another 1 week, new tissue restoration without scarring was observed. This is a rare case report of the successful management of a subcutaneous abscess and scar-free healing in a lizard.