• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.854-861
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• 1997

CYPRA 21-1 is known to be a cytokeratin 19 fragment, and it can be detected by using two specific monoclonal antibodies (KS 19-1 and BM 19-21) and can be clinically applied as a useful circulating tumor marker The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) expression was evaluated and characterized by its tyrosine protein kinase activity and by its ligand-stimulated autophosphorylation, a property shared with other peptide growth factor receptors. Autocrine or para'urine action was initiated by a growth factor, or by a transforming growth factor o, which had an extensive homology with EGP and which also stimulated tyrosine kinase activity on the EGF-R. The CYFRA 21-1 and the EGF-R levels in 30 patients with primary lung tumors were investigated. There were 24 patients with squamous cell carcinomas and 6 patients with adenocarcinomas. Specimen 5 mm3 in size were sampled at three different locations ; the main lesion, the boundary between the lesion and the unaffected tissue, and the unaffected tissue of the patients. The results were as follows 1. The CYPRA 21-1 concentration in the cancer boundary, the most malignant region,(348.6 : 89.9 ng/ml) was the lowest value. The CYFRA 21-1 concentration in unaffected tissue,(718.4$\pm$77.8 ng/ml) was higher than that in the main lesion. which had intact cellularity. 2. The EGF-R concentration in the main lesion was higher than that in the unaffected tissue, and the EGF-R concentration in a squamous cell cacinoma was higher than that in an adenocarcinoma. also, the EGF-R concentration in the cancer b undary was highest at stage 1, ll. The EGF-R concentration was higher in the main cancer lesion that in the unaffected tissue at stage 111, IV. 3. The CYFRA 21-1 was a cytoplasmic skeleton and the EGF-R was a cell-wall component; there was no correlation. In conclusion, CYFRA 21-1 was abundant in the cytoplasm but had a higher concentration in the unaffected tissue than in the main cancer lesion. The CYFRA 21-1 concentration of the tissue did not reflect the amount of cancer activity, the EGP-R was located in the cell membrane, the level of tissue that reflects cancer activity, so the main cancer lesion had a higher concentration than the unaffected tissue. CYFRA 21-1 is not a useful tumor maker at the tissue level. Because the EGF-R concentration re(looted the cancer activity, its a useful tumor marker for lung cancer.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2012

Five Korean Calanthe species, C. discolor, C. bicolor, C. sieboldii, C. reflexa, and C. aristulifera, were studied using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to assess their taxonomic and genetic relationships. Sixteen accessions belonging to five native Calanthe spp. and mutants with yellow tepal and white lip (YW mutants) were studied. We identified 50 putative markers using AFLP analysis. The results of AMOVA showed that genetic variance was higher between species than within species. Genetic dissimilarity when compared with the rest of the species was the lowest for individuals of the YW mutants and the highest for individuals of C. reflexa. The mutants clustered outside the major group. Calanthe bicolor clustered with C. discolor, suggesting that its genetic composition is closer to that of C. discolor. Though it is suggested to have originated as a result of natural hybridization between C. sieboldii and C. discolor, introgression is likely to have occurred in the direction of C. discolor based on the data of molecular marker, clustering and genetic dissimilarity. Calanthe reflexa and C. aristulifera were genetically the most diverse of the species studied. In conclusion, the results showed that there is genetic diversity in Korean Calanthe species, that C. bicolor introgressed in the direction of C. discolor and that the YW mutants are genetically closer to C. sieboldii.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3729-3734
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate expression of COX-1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its prognostic value. mRNA of COX-1 was detected in 42 paired RCC and adjacent normal tissues with quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Expression of COX-1 was also evaluated in 196 RCC sections and 91 adjacent normal tissues with immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed to assess COX-1 expression in RCC and its prognostic significance. The results of qRT-PCR showed mRNA levels of COX-1 in RCC tissues to be significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemical assays also revealed COX-1 to be overexpressed in RCC tissues (p < 0.001). Statistical analysis demonstrated high expression of COX-1 was correlated with tumour size (p = 0.002), pathological stage (p = 0.003), TNM stage (p = 0.003, 0.007, 0.027, respectively), and tumour recurrence (p < 0.001). Survival analysis indicated patients with high expression of COX-1 had shorter survival time (p < 0.001), and COX-1 was an independent predictor. This is the first study to reveal overexpression of COX-1 in RRC and point to use as a prognostic marker in affected patients.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.358-369
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• 2011

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA from genus Chrysosplenium were sequenced to address phylogenetic relationship. ITS including 5.8S sequence varied in length from 647 bp to 653 bp. Among them, 219 sites were variable sites with parsimony-informative. The aligned sequences were analyzed by maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbor-joining (NJ) methods. In the strict consensus trees of parsimony analysis, the monophyly of Chrysosplenium was supported by 100% bootstrap value. The first clade, C. pseudofauriei was at the basal position of the genus, and others formed two clades with high bootstrap support. The second clade included Ser. Pilosa and Ser. Oppositifolia and third clade included Ser. Alternifolia and Ser. Flagellifera. The NJ trees showed essentially the same topology. Finally, DNA sequences of ITS regions were useful phylogenetic marker in this genus. Based on the ITS and ridge seed morphological results, C. sphaerospermum Maxim. and C. valdepilosum (Ohwi) S.H. Kang & J.W. Han were discussed their scientific names and taxonomic positions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7085-7088
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• 2015

Background: The high incidence of prostate cancer as the most common malignancy in males in many countries raises the question of developing reliable detection tests. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is the most widely used for screening for prostate cancer; however, its low specificity elevates the number of unnecessarily biopsies. Serum human kallikrein-2 (hK2) is considered as a promising marker, and especially its ratio to fPSA, for predicting the presence of malignancy to select the best choice referring to biopsy or surveillance. In this study, we investigated the role of hK2 and its combinations with other markers to discriminate prostate cancer from benign diseases in Syrian patients. Materials and Methods: In this prospective oriented cross-sectional cohort study, serum samples were collected from patients referred to many Hospitals in Damascus, Syria, between May 2011 and March 2012, and diagnosed with biopsy proven benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate cancer (PCa). Serum was analyzed for hK2, PSA and fPSA, and the ratios of fPSA/PSA and hK2/fPSA were calculated. Results: We found that mean hK2/fPSA ratios were significantly higher (P=0.01) in prostate cancer patients than in the BPH or control groups. Also the ratio hk2/fPSA gave the largest area under the curve (AUC:0.96) which was significantly larger than for fPSA/PSA (AUC:0.41) indicative of higher specificity. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the ratio of hK2/fPSA might be superior to the use of fPSA/PSA alone. The hK2 could be shown to enhance the early detection of prostate cancer; especially the ratio hK2/fPSA improves specificity and hence may reduce the number of negative biopsies.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2006

Twenty isolates of Didymella bryoniae were isolated from infected cucurbit plants in various growing areas of southern Korea in 2001 and 2002. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) group [RG] I of D. bryoniae was more virulent than RG IV to watermelon. Virulence of the RG I isolate was strong to moderate to cucumber, whereas that of the RG IV varied from strong, moderate to weak. Two hundred seventy-three amplified fragments were produced with 40 primers, and were analyzed by a cluster analysis using UPGMA method with an arithmetic average program of NTSYSPC. At the distance level of 0.7, two major genomic DNA RAPD groups were differentiated among 20 isolates. The RG I included 7 isolates from watermelon and one isolate from melon, whereas the RG IV included 12 isolates from squash, cucumber, watermelon and melon. Amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and small subunit rRNA region from the 20 isolates yielded respectively a single fragment. Restriction pattern with 12 restriction enzymes was identical for all isolates tested, suggesting that variation in the ITS and small subunit within the D. bryoniae were low. Amplification of the genomic DNAs of the tested isolates with the sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) primer RG IF-RG IR specific for RG I group resulted in a single band of 650bp fragment for 8 isolates out of the 20 isolates. Therefore, these 8 isolates could be assigned into RG I. The same experiments done with RG IIF-RG IIR resulted in no amplified PCR product for the 20 isolates tested. An about 1.4 kb-fragment amplified from the RG IV isolates was specifically hybridized with PCR fragments amplified from genomic DNAs of the RG IV isolates only, suggesting that this PCR product could be used for discriminating the RG IV isolates from the RG I isolates as well other fungal species.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.232-238
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• 2013

Water temperature is key factor influencing growth and reproduction of fish and its increase give rise to various physiological changes including gene expression. Heat shock protein (Hsp), one of the molecular chaperones, is highly conserved throughout evolution and its expression is induced by various stressors such as temperature, oxidative, physical and chemical stresses. Here, we isolated partial cDNA clones encoding 70-kDa Hsp (Hsp70) and $\beta$-actin using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) from gut of Rhynchocypris kumgangensis, a Korean indigenous species and cold-water fish, and investigated expression profiles of Hsp70 under an increase of water temperature using $\beta$-actin as an internal control for RT-PCR. Cloned Hsp70 cDNA of R. kumgangensis showed homology to Ctenopharyngodon idella (96%), Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (96%), Danio rerio (93%) and Oncorhynchus mykiss (81%) Hsp70. Cloned $\beta$-actin cDNA of R. kumgangensis showed homology to D. rerio (98%), H. molitrix (97%), C. idella (97%) and O. mykiss (90%) $\beta$-actin. Both mRNA of Hsp70 and $\beta$-actin were expressed in gut, brain, and liver in R. kumgangensis. Futhermore, expression of Hsp70, in brain, was highly augmented by an increase of water temperature. These results suggest that Hsp70 mRNA expression level in brain can be used as a biological molecular marker to represent physiological stress against an increase of water temperature.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.918-927
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• 2016

Cryptococcus neoformans is a life-threatening pathogenic yeast that causes devastating meningoencephalitis. The mechanism of cryptococcal brain invasion is largely unknown, and recent studies suggest that its extracellular microvesicles may be involved in the invasion process. The 14-3-3 protein is abundant in the extracellular microvesicles of C. neoformans, and the 14-3-3-GFP fusion has been used as the microvesicle's marker. However, the physiological role of 14-3-3 has not been explored. In this report, we have found that C. neoformans contains a single 14-3-3 gene that apparently is an essential gene. To explore the functions of 14-3-3, we substituted the promoter region of the 14-3-3 with the copper-controllable promoter CTR4. The CTR4 regulatory strain showed an enlarged cell size, drastic changes in morphology, and a decrease in the thickness of the capsule under copper-enriched conditions. Furthermore, the mutant cells produced a lower amount of total proteins in their extracellular microvesicles and reduced adhesion to human brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. Proteomic analyses of the protein components under 14-3-3-overexpressed and -suppressed conditions revealed that the 14-3-3 function(s) might be associated with the microvesicle biogenesis. Our results support that 14-3-3 has diverse pertinent roles in both physiology and pathogenesis in C. neoformans. Its gene functions are closely relevant to the pathogenesis of this fungus.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.492-501
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• 2006

Since differentiation therapy is one of the promising strategies for treatment of leukemia, universal efforts have been focused on finding new differentiating agents. In that respect, we used guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) to study its effects on K562 cell line. GTP, at concentrations between 25-200 ${\mu}M$, inhibited proliferation (3-90%) and induced 5-78% increase in benzidine-positive cells after 6-days of treatments of K562 cells. Flow cytometric analyses of glycophorine A (GPA) showed that GTP can induce expression of this marker in more mature erythroid cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. These effects of GTP were also accompanied with inhibition of DNA synthesis (measured by [$^3H$]-thymidine incorporation) and early S-phase cell cycle arrest by 96 h of exposure. In contrast, no detectable effects were observed when GTP administered to unstimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). However, GTP induced an increase in proliferation, DNA synthesis and viability of mitogen-stimulated PBL cells. In addition, growth inhibition and differentiating effects of GTP were also induced by its corresponding nucleotides GDP, GMP and guanosine (Guo). In heat-inactivated medium, where rapid degradation of GTP via extracellular nucleotidases is slow, the anti-proliferative and differentiating effects of all type of guanine nucleotides (except Guo) were significantly decreased. Moreover, adenosine, as an inhibitor of Guo transporter system, markedly reduced the GTP effects in K562 cells, suggesting that the extracellulr degradation of GTP or its final conversion to Guo may account for the mechanism of GTP effects. This view is further supported by the fact that GTP and Guo are both capable of impeding the effects of mycophenolic acid. In conclusion, our data will hopefully have important impact on pharmaceutical evaluation of guanine nucleotides for leukemia treatments.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1332-1338
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• 2003

This study was undertaken to examine the influence of soluble non-starch polysaccharides on growth performance, mucin secretion, and endogenous amino acid flows in weaner pigs. Different levels (0, 4 and 7.5%) of purified corn arabinoxylan (AX) or barley $\beta$-glucan extract (BG) were substituted for cellulose in a purified diet based on starch, sucrose and enzymatically hydrolyzed casein. All diets contained titanium oxide as an indigestible marker. Each experimental diet was fed to five, 6-wk old weaner pigs for 21 days. Average daily gain (p<0.05) and feed conversion ratio (p<0.01) were improved with dietary inclusion of 7.5% AX and BG, indicating high degradation rates of AX and BG in pigs. Crude mucin contents and endogenous nitrogen flow were increased (p<0.05) with increased levels of AX, but not with BG. Numerical increases in endogenous amino acid flow (EAAF) were observed with increased levels of AX but no definite trend with BG. Endogenous amino acid flow in pigs fed mixed NSP diets (4% BG and 3.5% cellulose) was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those fed 7.5% BG diets. Among diets containing pure sources of soluble non-starch polysaccharides, endogenous amino acid flows were highest in 7.5% AX (p<0.05), intermediate in BG, and lowest in control diet. Increased flows (p<0.01) of threonine, proline and serine in pigs fed 7.5% AX diets are consistent with the increased flow of crude mucin determined in this treatment. In conclusion, mucin and endogenous amino acid flows were increased with dietary inclusion of AX, which could be related to its physicochemical property, particularly its high water-holding capacity. In contrast, $\beta$-glucan, due to its high degradation rate in pig, may be considered as unimportant factor in inducing mucin and endogenous amino acid secretions, at least at levels such as those used in this study.