• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.278-284
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• 2008

The X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) is a member of a novel family of inhibitors of apoptosis and has several BIR domains (BIR1, BIR2, and BIR3) and a carboxy-terminal RING zinc-finger. Since suppressionof apoptosis is fundamentally important for carcinogenesis and tumor growth, we investigated the expression and function of XIAP in DEN-induced carcinogenesis using rat model. Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with DEN at a dose of 50 mg/kg in twice a week for 12 weeks (Group II) and 16 weeks (Group III) followed by the recovery periods, respectively. The evaluation of DEN-induced carcinogenesis carried out the blood, RT-PCR, histopathological and western blot analysis. The level of blood chemistry including GOT/GPT, albumin, and total bilirubin were significantly exchanged comparing to control and Group I/Group II. The expression of albumin and collagen mRNA were significantly exchanged (P<0.05) in both groups. In addition, AFP mRNA expression decreased more after recovery periods than Group II. XIAP was expressed constitutively in normal rat liver as well as DEN-induced Groups I and Group II. In addition, XIAP expression increased more in Group I with 4 weeks recovery periods than Group I. However, XIAP expression shown to increase in Group lI, otherwise, it was decreased in Group II with 10 weeks repair periods. Taken together, these results suggest the alteration of XIAP expression could be involved in hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.318-322
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• 2008

Obesity is an increasing worldwide health problem that is strongly related to the imbalance of food intake and energy metabolism. It was well-known that several substances in the hypothalamus regulate food intake and energy metabolism. We planned an integrative study to elucidate the mechanism of the development of obesity. Firstly, to find candidate genes with the marvelous effect, the different expression in the hypothalamus between ob/ob and 48-h fasting mice was investigated by using DNA microarray technology. As a result, we found 3 genes [peroxisome proliferator activated receptor, gamma, coactivator 1 alpha (Ppargc1a), calmodulin 1 (Calm1), and complexin 2 (Cplx2)] showing the different hypothalamic expression between ob/ob and 48-h fasting mice. Secondly, a genetic approach on PPARGC1A gene was performed, because PPARGC1A acts as a transcriptional coactivator and a metabolic regulator. Two hundred forty three obese female patients with body mass index (BMI)${\geq}$25 and 285 control female subjects with BMI 18 to<23 were recruited according to the Classification of Korean Society for the Study of Obesity. Among the coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (cSNPs) of PPARGC1A, 2 missense SNPs (rs8192678, Gly482Ser; rs3736265, Thr612Met) and 1 synonymous SNP (rs3755863, Thr528Thr) were selected, and analyzed by PCR-RFLP and pyrosequencing. For the analysis of genetic data, chi-square ($X^2$) test and EH program were used. The rs8192678 was significantly associated with obese women (P<0.0006; odds ratio, 1.5327; 95% confidence interval, 1.2006-1.9568). Haplotypes also showed significant association with obese women ($X^2$=33.28, P<0.0008). These results suggest that PPARGC1A might be related to the development of obesity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.299-305
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: Although the filamentous fungal pathogen Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose disease on various fruits including peach, apple, persimmon and grape, there is no report on Japanese plum in Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 2016, diseased fruits showing typical anthracnose symptoms of Japanese plum were collected in market and ochards. Diseased tissue was cut off and disinfected subsequently with 70% ethanol for 1 min, and in 1% sodium hypochloride solution for 1 min, followed by three washes with sterile distilled water. The disinfected tissues were placed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ in the dark for 5 to 7 days. For single-spore isolation, conidia were scraped off the plate using a loop, and suspended with 10 mL sterile distilled water. One hundred microliter of the conidial suspension was spread on PDA plates and incubated at $25^{\circ}C$. Finally, one germinated conidium was transferred onto PDA plates. Morphological and cultural characteries of colonies and spores of isolated Colletotrichum were observed after 7 to 10 days incubation on PDA. Molecular identification of isolates were analyzed by comparing rDNA-ITS gene sequences with NCBI GeneBank. CONCLUSION: Of eleven isolates of Colletotrichum isolated from anthracnose diseased Japanese plum fruits, six were identified as C. acutatum, and five as C. gloeosporioides based on diagnostic characteristics such as colony growth rate, shape and size of conidia, and rDNA-ITS sequences. This is the first report of Colletotrichum causing the anthracnose on Japanese plum in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2016

Although chemical fertilizers have a quick effect and broad applicability to agricultural fields, they have caused many problems like increasing soil acidity or decreasing soil organic matters. Environmental-friendly agriculture has been attempted in various ways such as organic agriculture, natural farming, low input and sustainable agriculture. The common interest of all environmental-friendly systems is to decrease burden to agricultural environment by low input of agricultural labor and materials. This study was conducted to estimate overwintering capacity and genetic distance among Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus sinicus, CMV) collections based on morphological characteristics and AFLP (Amplified fragment length polymorphism) analysis. Furthermore, the effect of CMV as green manure was observed in mix-cultured paddy fields with rice, sesame and sweet-potato. An another objective of this study was also to compare the pattern of weed occurrence in paddy fields with or without CMV and different rice transplanting times. The CMV collected from Paju district in central region of Korea was successively occurring through self-reseeding without artificial management. However, there was no noticeable difference in growth habit between Paju native CMV and introduced CMV from China which is currently used in farm fields. On the basis of multi-dimensional scaling and tree analyses, there are no significant difference of agricultural growth characteristics among Paju and chinese collections only excepting leaf angle and root length. The flowering time of Gurye collection was fast for 1 week as compared to other collections. AFLP that was commonly used for plant classfication, was applied to exam the genetic variation of CMV collections. Total 579 PCR products and 336 polymorphic fragments were generated using 8 primer pairs.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.5-14
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• 2003

Objective : Recently, Herbal-acupuncture therapeutics has been used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Especially, we have been interested in chemical mediators concerned with inflammation such as prostaglandin, cytokine, nitric oxide. The purpose of this study is investigated that the effect of Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, performed several expeimental items : those are prostaglandin E. nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase-2. Method : The cytotoxicity of Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution in RAW 264.7 macrophages were measured by MTT-based cytotoxicity assay. In order to observe cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, RT-PCR was used. Prostaglandin $E_2$ formation and nitric oxide production was measured by competitive enzyme immunoassay and Griess assay. Results : 1. The MTT assay demonstrated that cytotoxic effect of Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution in RAW 264.7 macrophages were not appeared before concentration of 5mg/mL 2. Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. 3. Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. 4. Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution inhibited prostaglandin $E_2$ formation in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Conclusion : On the basis of these results, It was shown that Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution is significantly able to inhibit the production of $PGE_2$ and NO, as well as COX-2 mRNA expression. Our results may provide new mechanism by which Scutellariae Radix-acupuncture solution accounts for its beneficial effect on accelerating wound healing and anti-inflammation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and cancer, while a calorie-restricted diet can extend life span by reducing the risk of these diseases. It is known that health effects of diet are partially conveyed through epigenetic mechanism including DNA methylation. In this study, we investigated the genome-wide hepatic DNA methylation to identify the epigenetic effects of HFD-induced obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed control diet (CD), calorie-restricted control diet (CRCD), or HFD for 16 weeks (after one week of acclimation to the control diet). Food intake, body weight, and liver weight were measured. Hepatic triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels were determined using enzymatic colorimetric methods. Changes in genome-wide DNA methylation were determined by a DNA methylation microarray method combined with methylated DNA immunoprecipitation. The level of transcription of individual genes was measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The DNA methylation statuses of genes in biological networks related to lipid metabolism and hepatic steatosis were influenced by HFD-induced obesity. In HFD group, a proinflammatory Casp1 (Caspase 1) gene had hypomethylated CpG sites at the 1.5-kb upstream region of its transcription start site (TSS), and its mRNA level was higher compared with that in CD group. Additionally, an energy metabolism-associated gene Ndufb9 (NADH dehydrogenase 1 beta subcomplex 9) in HFD group had hypermethylated CpG sites at the 2.6-kb downstream region of its TSS, and its mRNA level was lower compared with that in CRCD group. CONCLUSIONS: HFD alters DNA methylation profiles in genes associated with liver lipid metabolism and hepatic steatosis. The methylation statuses of Casp1 and Ndufb9 were particularly influenced by the HFD. The expression of these genes in HFD differed significantly compared with CD and CRCD, respectively, suggesting that the expressions of Casp1 and Ndufb9 in liver were regulated by their methylation statuses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.925-931
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• 2006

Culture of osteoblast is extremely valuable in analyzing biological features that are specific to bone. ENA-A, ENA actimineral resource A, is a seaweed origin alkaline water. To investigate the bioactivity of ENA which act on bone metabolism, we studied the effects of a ENA on the activity of osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. ENA (1, 2, 4%) dose-dependently increased survival (p<0.05) and alkaline phosphatase activity (p<0.05) on MC3T3-E1 cell. And examined histochemistry and nodule formation according to the time course. To determine the expression patterns of bone-related proteins during the MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cell differentiation by using RT-PCR. This study suggest that ENA may promote the function of osteoblastic cells and play an important role in bone formation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.501-508
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• 2017

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are multifunctional cytokines that play important roles in a variety of cellular functions. Among BMP family members, BMP2 efficiently promotes osteoblast differentiation through Smad-mediated runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) expression. Several recent studies suggest that BMPs are associated with clock genes, in particular Bmal1. Bmal1 protein heterodimerizes with Clock protein and then induces period 1 (Per1) expression. However, the role of Per1 on osteoblast differentiation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether Per1 is involved in osteoblast differentiation. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with BMP2 for induction of osteoblastic differentiation. Osteogenic maker gene and Per1 mRNA expression were measured using real-time PCR. Interestingly, BMP2 treatment induced Per1 mRNA expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. To further investigate the function of Per1 on osteoblast differentiation, MC3T3-E1 cells were transiently transfected with pCMV-Per1. Per1 overexpression increased Runx2 mRNA and protein levels. Also, mRNA expression and promoter activity of osteocalcin were upregulated by Per1 overexpression. To investigate the effect of interaction between Per1 and osteogenic condition, MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in osteogenic medium containing ascorbic acid and ${\beta}$-glycerophosphate. Osteogenic medium-induced ALP staining level and mineralization were synergistically increased by overexpression of Per1. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Per1 is a positive regulator of osteoblast differentiation.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.195-205
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• 2011

Objectives : Ecklonia cava is brown alga(Laminariaceae) which grows is sea, it has antioxidant, diarrhea and anticoagulant effect. In this study, the effect of ethanol extract of Ecklonia cava (EC) on peptidoglycan(PGN) -induced NO production in RAW 264.7 cells was investigated. Methods : In the present study, IL-6 production was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), prostaglandin $\E_2$($\PGE_2$) production was measured using the EIA kit, and inducible NO synthase(iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2), and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) activation, as determined by western blot analysis and reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results : EC inhibited PGN-induced NO and IL-6 production. Consistent with these observations, the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 were inhibited by EC. Moreover, EC suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK) 1/2 in PGN-induced RAW 264.7. Conclusions : These results suggest that EC has inhibitory effects on PGN-induced $\PGE_2$, NO, and IL-6 production, as well as the expressions of iNOS and COX-2 in the murine macrophage. These inhibitory effects occur through blockades on the MAPKs phosphorylation.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2011

Recently, the number of multi-cultural families have been on the rise for years in Korea. Although social concerns are on the increase, there is still no basic data of their oral health state. In this study, we examined the caries prevalence of mother-child pairs from some korean families and multi-cultural families, and collected some saliva from them. We evaluated Streptococcus mutans level and investigated the serotype distribution of Streptococcus mutans of them to confirm the transmission in mother-child pairs. As a results, to the Korean families, the percentages of serotype c, e, f, k were 95%, 10%, 10%, and 10%. And to the multi-cultural families, the percentages of serotype c, e, f, k were 68.8%, 31.25%, 43,75%, 18.8%. But, there is no significant relationship between the number of serotype per person, caries prevalence, and Streptococcus mutans level(p>0.05). In conclusion, there are differences of serotype distribution of Streptococcus mutans between the two families. Nevertheless, matching rate of more than one serotype between mother and their child was high (92.86%). So, vertical transmission of Streptococcus mutans in mother-child pairs could be demonstrated.