• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2003

Acanthopanax senticosus was grown by a novel, proprietary method, of culturing isolated cells in a bioreactor. An extract from the cells was evaluated for its effect on lipid metabolism in rats fed a high fat diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n＝6) were fed either an AIN-76 diet (control, NDCon), control diet plus Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ND＋Ex), a modified AIN-76 diet supplemented with 20% beef tallow (high fat, HFCon), or a high fat diet plus Acanthopanax senticosus extract (HF＋Ex), for 5weeks. Body weight gain was significantly higher in the HFCon group than the NDCon group. Feed consumption was significantly lower, but energy intake higher, in the groups fed high fat diets compared with the groups fed control diets. Serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly increased but serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations were decreased in the groups fed the Acanthopanax senticosus extract. Abdominal fat accumulation and serum leptin levels were significantly higher in the HFCon group than the other groups. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I) mRNA levels were increased in the groups fed Acanthopanx senticosus extract. These results suggest that supplementation of cell cultured Acanthopanax senticosus extract regulates CPT-I mRNA levels in liver and has an effect on the normalization of lipids in rats fed a high fat diet.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.235-243
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• 2012

Objectives: Nail has been a substitute DNA source for genotyping. To investigate the integrity and consistency of nail DNA amplification for biomarker study, nail clippings from 12 subjects were collected at monthly intervals. The possibility of longer amplification and existence of GAPDH RNA/protein, were also investigated with three nail samples. Methods: Three primer sets were designed for quantitative amplification of nuclear and mitochondrial genes and analysis of their consistency. The mean threshold cycles in amplification of the target genes were compared to test the consistency of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performance among individual factors including age groups, sex, family, the nail source, and by the size of the amplification segments. Results: The amplification of the target genes from nail DNA showed similar integrity and consistency between the nail sources, and among the serial collections. However, nail DNA from those in their forties showed earlier threshold cycles in amplification than those in their teens or seventies. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed better DNA integrity and consistency in amplification of all three targets than did nuclear DNA (nucDNA). Over 9 kb of mtDNA was successfully amplified, and nested quantitative PCR showed reliable copy numbers (%) between the two loci. Reverse transcription PCR for mRNA and immunoblotting for GAPDH protein successfully reflected their corresponding amounts. Regarding the existence of RNA and protein in nails, more effective extraction and detection methods need to be set up to validate the feasibility in biomarker study. Conclusions: Nail DNA might be a feasible intra-individual monitoring biomarker. Considering integrity and consistency in target amplification, mtDNA would be a better target for biomarker research than nucDNA.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 2014

Sudden cardiac death (SCD), which is primarily caused by lethal heart disorders resulting in structural and arrhythmogenic abnormalities, is one of the prevalent modes of death in most developed countries. Myocardial ischemia, mainly due to coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease leading to SCD. However, postmortem diagnosis of SCD is frequently complicated by obscure histological evidence. Here, we show that certain mRNA species, namely those encoding hemoglobin A1/2 and B (Hba1/2 and Hbb, respectively) as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4), exhibit distinct postmortem expression patterns in the left ventricular free wall of SCD subjects when compared with their expression patterns in the corresponding tissues from control subjects with non-cardiac causes of death. Hba1/2 and Hbb mRNA expression levels were higher in ischemic SCD cases with acute myocardial infarction or ischemic heart disease without recent infarction, and even in cardiac death subjects without apparent pathological signs of heart injuries, than control subjects. By contrast, Pdk4 mRNA was expressed at lower levels in SCD subjects. In conclusion, we found that altered myocardial Hba1/2, Hbb, and Pdk4 mRNA expression patterns can be employed as molecular signatures of fatal cardiac dysfunction to forensically implicate SCD as the primary cause of death.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.41.1-41.16
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• 2022

The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 has chemotactic and modulatory activities in various immune cells, including dendritic cells. Because of its characteristics, LL-37 can be considered an adjuvant for vaccine development. In this study, we confirmed the possible adjuvant activity of LL-37 in mucosal vaccine development against Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) by means of intranasal immunization in C57BL/6 and human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4)-transgenic (hDPP4-Tg) mice. Intranasal immunization using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of MERS-CoV spike protein (S-RBD) recombined with LL-37 (S-RBD-LL-37) induced an efficient mucosal IgA and systemic IgG response with virus-neutralizing activity, compared with S-RBD. Ag-specific CTL stimulation was also efficiently induced in the lungs of mice that had been intranasally immunized with S-RBD-LL-37, compared with S-RBD. Importantly, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to reduced immune cell infiltration into the lungs after infection with MERS-CoV. Finally, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to enhanced protective efficacy, with increased survival and reduced body weight loss after challenge infection with MERS-CoV. Collectively, these results suggest that S-RBD-LL-37 is an effective intranasal vaccine candidate molecule against MERS-CoV infection.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.166-172
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• 2008

A multitude of protein-coding sequence variations (CVs) in the human genome have been revealed as a result of major initiatives, including the Human Variome Project, the 1000 Genomes Project, and the International Cancer Genome Consortium. This naturally has led to debate over how to accurately assess the functional consequences of CVs, because predicting the functional effects of CVs and their relevance to disease phenotypes is becoming increasingly important. This article surveys and compares variation databases and in silico prediction programs that assess the effects of CVs on protein function. We also introduce a combinatorial approach that uses machine learning algorithms to improve prediction performance.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2011

X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a process that enables mammalian females to ensure the dosage compensation for X-linked genes. Investigating the mechanism of XCI might provide deeper understandings of chromosomal silencing, epigenetic regulation of gene expressions, and even the course of evolution. Studies on mammalian XCI conducted with mice have revealed many fundamental findings on XCI. However, difference of murine and human XCI necessitates the further investigation in human XCI. Recent success in reprogramming of differentiated cells into pluripotent stem cells showed the reversibility of XCI in vitro, X chromosome reactivation (XCR), which provides another tool to study the change in X chromosome status. This review summarizes the current knowledge of XCI during early embryonic development and describes recent achievements in studies of XCI in reprogramming process.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.587-596
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• 2001

In the last decade, rapid developments in molecular biotechnology and of genomic tools have enabled the creation of dense linkage maps across whole genomes of human, plant and animals. Successful development and implementation of interval mapping methodologies have allowed detection of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for economically important traits in experimental and commercial livestock populations. The candidate gene approach can be used in any general population with the availability of a large resource of candidate genes from the human or rodent genomes using comparative maps, and the validated candidate genes can be directly applied to commercial breeds. For the QTL detected from primary genome scans, two incipient fine mapping approaches are applied by generating new recombinants over several generations or utilizing historical recombinants with identity-by-descent (IBD) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping. The high resolution definition of QTL position from fine mapping will allow the more efficient implementation of breeding programs such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) or marker-assisted introgression (MAI), and will provide a route toward cloning the QTL.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.184-189
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• 2012

Keloid disease is a fibroproliferative dermal tumor with an unknown etiology that occurs after a skin injury in genetically susceptible individuals. Increased familial aggregation, a higher prevalence in certain races, parallelism in identical twins, and alteration in gene expression all favor a remarkable genetic contribution to keloid pathology. It seems that the environment triggers the disease in genetically susceptible individuals. Several genes have been implicated in the etiology of keloid disease, but no single gene mutation has thus far been found to be responsible. Therefore, a combination of methods such as association, gene-gene interaction, epigenetics, linkage, gene expression, and protein analysis should be applied to determine keloid etiology.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.197-206
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• 2000

This paper summarizes recent developments in the field of molecular biology and its application to plant breeding, particularly in rice. Plant breeding in the past mostly depended on the time-consuming crossing of known genomes limited to certain traits. Plant breeding has now benefited from marker-assisted selection and genetic engineering to widen the gene pool, improve plant protection, and increase yield. Future plant breeding will expand based on functional and nutritional genomics, in which gene discovery and high-throughput transformation will accelerate crop design and benefits will accrue to human health, in the form of nutritional food for poor people to reduce malnutrition, or food enriched with antioxidants and with high food value for rich people. Agricultural biotechnology for food is no longer a dream but a reality that will dominate the 21st century for agriculture and human welfare.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 1999

We have investigated the genetic variation in the human apo B mRNA editing protein (apobec-1) gene. Exon 3 of the apobec-1 gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. After detection of an additional band by single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, sequencing of the SSCP-shift sample revealed a single-base mutation. The mutation was a CGG transversion at codon 80 resulting in a lleRMet substitution. This substitution was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis since a Pvull site is abolished by the substitution. Population and family studies confirmed that the inheritance of the genotypes for apobec-1 gene polymorphism is controlled by two codominant alleles (P1 and P2). A significant difference in plasma triglyceride was detected among the different apobec-1 genotypes in the CAD patients (P<0.05). Our study could provide the basis for elucidating the interaction between genetic variation of the apobec-1 gene and disorders related to lipid metabolism.