• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.257-266
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• 2016

Subtropical insect pests expand their habitats by migration to temperate zones along with global climate change. A subtropical insect pest, Maruca vitrata, is infesting leguminous crops including azuka beans in Korea and gives significant economic damages. Its great genetic variation raised an issue of the origin of a Korean M. vitrata population. To understand the genetic character of the Korean population, its cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox 1) gene was sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed with other regional populations. The world populations of M. vitrata were grouped into three clusters: Asia-African, American, and Oceanian. The Korean population was classified into Asia-African cluster. To characterize the insecticide susceptibility of the Korean population, seven different insecticides (4 neutoxic insecticides, 1 insect growth regulator, 2 biopesticides) were assessed. Young larvae of M. vitrata were relatively susceptible to all tested insecticides. However, old larvae were much less susceptible than young larvae. No test insecticides effectively (> 50%) killed the old larvae of M. vitrata within 7 days.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.363-368
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• 2017

Methylotrophy is able to use reduced one-carbon compound, such as methanol and methylamine, as a sole carbon source. Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 is the most extensively studied methylotroph utilizing serine-isocitrate lyase cycle. Because the Poly 3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthesis pathway in M. extorquens AM1 is likely to interlink with EMCP (ethylmalonyl-CoA pathway), glyoxylate, and TCA cycles, regulation of PHB production is needed to produce EMCP-derived acid or TCA acids. To adjust carbon flux to PHB production, PhaR, which seems to have function of regulator of PHB synthesis and acetyl-CoA flux, was knocked out in M. extorquens AM1 by using markerless gene deletion methods. As a result, PHB granules were remarkably reduced in the knockout strain ${\Delta}phaR$ compared to parental strain. Although lag phase was extended for 12h, ${\Delta}phaR$ showed similar cell growth and methanol consumption rate compared to wild type.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2016

The endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is known to be involved in the transformation of vascular endothelial cells to mesenchymal cells. EndMT has been confirmed that occur in various pathologic conditions. Transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$) is a potent stimulator of the vascular endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 (AT-RvD1) has been known to be involved in the resolution of inflammation, but whether it has effects on TGF-${\beta}1$-induced EndMT is not yet clear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of AT-RvD1 on the EndMT of human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells line (HUVECs). Treatment with TGF-${\beta}1$ reduced the expression of Nrf2 and enhanced the level of F-actin, which is associated with paracellular permeability. The expression of endothelial marker VE-cadherin in HUVEC cells was reduced, and the expression of mesenchymal marker vimentin was enhanced. AT-RvD1 restored the expression of Nrf2 and vimentin and enhanced the expression of VE-cadherin. AT-RvD1 did also affect the migration of HUVEC cells. Inhibitory ${\kappa}B$ kinase 16 (IKK 16), which is known to inhibit the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway, had an ability to increase the expression of Nrf2 and was associated with the inhibition effect of AT-RvD1 on TGF-${\beta}1$-induced EndMT, but it had no effect on TGF-${\beta}1$-induced EndMT alone. Smad7, which is a key regulator of TGF-${\beta}$/Smads signaling by negative feedback loops, was significantly increased with the treatment of AT-RvD1. These results suggest the possibility that AT-RvD1 suppresses the TGF-${\beta}1$-induced EndMT through increasing the expression of Smad7 and is closely related to oxidative stress.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4031-4036
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• 2012

Background: The negative signaling provided by interactions of the co-inhibitory molecule, programmed death-1 (PD-1), and its ligands, B7-H1 (PD-L1) and B7-DC (PD-L2), is a critical mechanism contributing to tumor evasion; blockade of this pathway has been proven to enhance cytotoxic activity and mediate antitumor therapy. Here we evaluated the anti-tumor efficacy of AAV-mediated delivery of the extracellular domain of murine PD-1 (sPD-1) to a tumor site. Material and Methods: An rAAV vector was constructed in which the expression of sPD-1, a known negative regulator of TCR signals, is driven by human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (CMV-P), using a triple plasmid transfection system. Tumor-bearing mice were then treated with the AAV/sPD1 construct and expression of sPD-1 in tumor tissues was determined by semi quantitative RT-PCR, and tumor weights and cytotoxic activity of splenocytes were measured. Results: Analysis of tumor homogenates revealed sPD-1 mRNA to be significantly overexpressed in rAAV/sPD-1 treated mice as compared with control levels. Its use for local gene therapy at the inoculation site of H22 hepatoma cells could inhibit tumor growth, also enhancing lysis of tumor cells by lymphocytes stimulated specifically with an antigen. In addition, PD-1 was also found expressed on the surfaces of activated CD8+ T cells. Conclusion: This study confirmed that expression of the soluble extracellular domain of PD-1 molecule could reduce tumor microenvironment inhibitory effects on T cells and enhance cytotoxicity. This suggests that it might be a potential target for development of therapies to augment T-cell responses in patients with malignancies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6605-6611
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• 2013

Background: WEE1 is a G2/M checkpoint regulator protein. Various studies have indicated that WEE1 could be a good target for cancer therapy. The main aim of this study was to asssess the tumor suppressive potential of WEE1 silencing in two different breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 which carries the wild-type p53 and MDA-MB468 which contains a mutant type. Materials and Methods: After WEE1 knockdown with specific shRNAs downstream effects on cell viability and cell cycle progression were determined using MTT and flow cytometry analyses, respectively. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were conducted to assess the effect of WEE1 inhibition on the expression of apoptotic (p53) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl2) factors and also a growth marker (VEGF). Results: The results showed that WEE1 inhibition could cause a significant decrease in the viability of both MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines by more than 50%. Interestingly, DNA content assays showed a significant increase in apoptotic cells following WEE1 silencing. WEE1 inhibition also induced upregulation of the apoptotic marker, p53, in breast cancer cells. A significant decrease in the expression of VEGF and Bcl-2 was observed following WEE1 inhibition in both cell lines. Conclusions: In concordance with previous studies, our data showed that WEE1 inhibition could induce G2 arrest abrogation and consequent cell death in breast cancer cells. Moreover, in this study, the observed interactions between the pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins and decrease in the angiogenesis marker expression confirm the susceptibility to apoptosis and validate the tumor suppressive effect of WEE1 inhibition in breast cancer cells. Interestingly, the levels of the sensitivity to WEE1 silencing in breast cancer cells, MCF7 and MDA-MB468, seem to be in concordance with the level of p53 expression.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2013

All tested Korean populations of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, are known to be resistant especially against pyrethroid insecticides by mutation in its molecular target, para-sodium channel. Moreover, P. xylostella is able to develop resistance against most commercial insecticides. This study was performed to develop an efficient control technique against P. xylostella by a combined treatment of an endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia plutellae, and a microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis. To investigate any parasitism preference of C. plutellae against susceptible and resistant P. xylostella, five different populations of P. xylostella were compared in insecticide susceptibilities and parasitism by C. plutellae. These five P. xylostella populations showed a significant variation against three commercial insecticides including pyrethroid, organophosphate, neonicotinoid, and insect growth regulator. However, there were no significant differences among five P. xylostella populations in their parasitic rates by C. plutellae. Moreover, parasitized larvae of P. xylostella showed significantly higher susceptibility to B. thuringiensis. As an immunosuppressive agent, viral ankyrin genes (vankyrins) encoded in C. plutellae were transiently expressed in nonparasitized larvae. Expression of vankyrins significantly enhanced the efficacy of B. thuringiensis against the third instar larvae of P. xylostella. Thus an immunosuppression induced by C. plutellae enhanced the insecticidal efficacy of B. thuringiensis. These results suggest that a combined treatment of C. plutellae and B. thuringiensis may effectively control the insecticide-resistant populations of P. xylostella.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2004

Erythropoietin is a main regulator of human erythropoiesis. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) is one of the glycoproteins produced in animal cells, and it has oligo saccharides chains which comprise about 40％ of its molecular mass. Because the content of sialic acid can extend circulatory lifetime, the high degree of sialylation is often a desirable feature of therapeutic glycoproteins. In this study, the sialylation of rhEPO produced by chinese hamster ovary cell culture was maximized by supplementing the culture medium with N-acetylm-annosamine (ManNAc), a direct intracellular precursor for sialic acid synthesis and 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc2en), a sialidase inhibitor. Feeding of 20 mM ManNAc/0.5 mM NeuAc2en into culture medium increased the sialic acid content by nearly tenfold compared with unsupplemented medium. This effect was achieved without affecting the cell growth or product yield. Six erythropoietin fractions differing in sialic acid content, ranging from 11∼15％ of EPO, were identified from chinese hamster ovary cell-derived rhEPO by mono Q column chromatography. It was found that, at 20 mM ManNAc/0.5 mM NeuAc2en feeding, productivity of hyper-glycosylated EPO increased up to 50％, compared with the unsupplemented medium.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.288-294
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• 2012

In order to establish an efficient adventitious shoot regeneration conditions from leaf explants for Asian pear 'Whangkeumbae', the effect of concentration and kinds of plant growth regulator and carbon source was investigated. Leaf explants of cultures grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 8 g/L plant agar were used. When the medium contained 0.25 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ) and 0.3 mg/L indolebutyric acid (IBA), the adventitious shoot regeneration rate (ASRR) was greater as 61.1% than others treated and higher TDZ concentrations (2.5 and 5 mg/L) treatment significantly reduced the ASRR. As the effect of IBA and indoleacetic acid (IAA) concentration on the ASRR, 0.5 mg/L TDZ plus different concentration of IAA exhibited relatively high ASRR and 0.5 mg/L TDZ plus 0.3 mg/L IAA showed the highest ASRR of 76.7%. Also the effect of sucrose and sorbitol as carbon source on regeneration was examined. The highest ASRR and the most shoots per explants averaged 94.4% and 3.49 by treatment of 30 mg/L sorbitol, respectably. Sorbitol is considered better carbon source than sucrose for shoot regeneration of 'Whangkeumbae' pear.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.259-264
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• 2001

It has been well known that the expression of S. typhimurium cadBA operon requires at least two extracellular signals: low pH and high concentration of lysine. To better understand the nature of pH-dependent and lysine dependent signal transduction, mutants were isolated in JF2238(cadA-lacZ) by Tn10 insertion, spontaneous mutagenesis, and EMS treatment. Two mutants were isolated from JF2238, expressed as a cadA-lacZ operon fusion in various growth conditions, and analyzed to have mutations in cadC, a gene encoding a function necessary for transcriptional activation of cadBA. One isolate (cadC6) conferred pH-independent and lysine-independent cadBA expression and the other(cadC4) showed pH-independent and lysine-dependent cadBA expression. cadR::Tn10 and cadR4 mutants were expressed in the absence of exogenously added lysine. They were also resistant to thiosine and complemented by lysP clone from E. coli. Thus, in the absence of exogenous lysine, cadR is a negative regulator of cadBA expression. Cadaverine, the product of lysine decarboxylation, was shown to inhibit expression of cadA-lacZ fusion in cad $C^+$ cell.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.252-258
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of timing of collecting date and concentration of IBA and NAA, in order to enhance initial activity and seedling quality of domestic strawberry. Strawberry cuttings were separately taken twice, in June 7 and in July 5, and IBA and NAA were treated with the concentrations of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1% at cutting date, respectively. The seedlings were evaluated for the percentage of survival during 18 days at 6 times after tunnel cultivation. The NAA treatment was inappropriate for strawberry cutting due to the high rate of seedling mortality, regardless of the collecting date. The vitality of the seedlings was highest at IBA 0.1% in June collecting and at IBA 0.05% in July collecting. The seedlings from June collecting had a higher quantum yield at IBA 0.1% and the seedlings from July collecting at IBA 0.05%. Therefore, IBA could be more effectively applied than NAA to promote the vitality and quality with the appropriate concentration of 0.1% at June collecting and 0.05% at July collecting, respectively.