• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2016

Astrocytes play a critical role in normal brain functions and maintaining the brain microenvironment, and defects in astrocytogenesis during neurodevelopment could give rise to severe mental illness and psychiatric disorders. During neuro-embryogenesis, astrocytogenesis involves astrocytic differentiation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) induced by signals from ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) or pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP). However, in contrast to the CNTF signaling pathway, the exact mechanism underlying astrocytic differentiation induced by PACAP is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to verify a signaling pathway specific to PACAP-induced astrocytogenesis, using exchange protein directly activated by cAMP2 (Epac2)-knockout mice. We found that PACAP could trigger astrocytic differentiation of NPCs via Epac2 activation and an increase in the intracellular calcium concentration via a calcium ion influx. Taken together, we concluded that astrocytogenesis stimulated by PACAP occurs through a novel signaling pathway independent from CNTF-JAK/STAT signaling, that is the well-known pathway of astrocytogenesis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.566-571
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• 2017

Weight loss ${\geq}5$ percent is sufficient to significantly reduce health risks for obese people; therefore, development of novel weight loss compounds with reduced toxicity is urgently required. After screening of natural compounds with anti-adipogenesis properties in 3T3-L1 cells, we determined that kahweol, a coffee-specific diterpene, inhibited adipogenesis. Kahweol reduced lipid accumulation and expression levels of adipogenesis and lipid accumulation-related factors. Levels of phosphorylated AKT and phosphorylated JAK2, that induce lipid accumulation, decreased in kahweol-treated cells. Particularly, kahweol treatment significantly increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. We revealed that depletion of AMPK alleviated reduction in lipid accumulation from kahweol treatment, suggesting that inhibition of lipid accumulation by kahweol is dependent on AMPK activation. We detected more rapid reduction in blood glucose levels in mice administrated kahweol than in control mice. We suggest that kahweol has anti-obesity effects and should be studied further for possible therapeutic applications.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2012

This study is aimed to measure the cause and effect relationship on observation on KS evaluation by surveys related to KS certification, opinions and satisfaction on KS certification, expected effect through KS certification, profitability performance, financial performance, and productivity performance based on department heads and acting chiefs working on KS certification, to SMEs which have acquired KS certification mark in Korea. This study also aims to examine how KS certification is impacting on companies' expected effects, management performance and development by examining the realistic effects of KS certification in various aspects and expected effects on companies.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.283-296
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• 2003

Actiniarians were collected from the sandy mud flat of Deokjeokdo, Jak-yakdo, Yeoungjongdo and Hupo of Korean waters from 1962 to 1998. They are identified into three species of two families, which are newly recorded to Korean athenarian fauna: Synandwakiu multitentaculata n. sp., Edwardsioides japonica (Carlgren, 1931) and Metedwardsia akkeshi (Uchida, 1932). They are described in detail with figures and tables. Synandwakia multitentaculata n. sp. is easily distinguished from S. hozawai by having up to 200 in the number of tentacles and by the peculiar macrobasic amastigophores of tentacles and the larger microbasic p-mastigophores of acontia in the macrocnidae.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.1276-1276
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• 2001

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) are widely distributed in the environment and are often implicated as potential carcinogens. The chromatographic methods of detection and quantitative determination of PAHs in environmental samples are costly, time consuming, and do not account for all kinds of PAHs. This work describes a quantitative spectroscopic method for the analysis of mixtures of eight PAHs using multivariate calibration models for Fourier transform near infrared(FT-NIR) spectral data. The NIR spectra of mixtures of PAHs (anthracene, pyrene, 1,2-benzanthracene, perylene, chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene, 1-methylanthracene and benzo(ghi)perylene) were measured in the wavelength range from 1100 nm to 2500 nm. The spectral data were processed using a partial least squares regression. We have studied the spectral characteristics of NIR spectra of mixtures of PAHs. It was possible to determine each PAM used in this study at the environmental level(mg L-1) in the laboratory samples. Further development may lead to the rapid determination of more PAHs in typical environmental samples.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.4106-4106
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• 2001

A method to discriminate human gallstones by nea. infrared(NIR) spectrometry using a soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) has been studied. The fifty NIR spectra of gallstones in the wavenumber range from 4500 to 10,000 cm$\^$-1/ were measured. The forty samples were classified to three classes, cholesterol stone, calcium bilirubinate stone and calcium carbonate stone according to the contents of major components in each gallstone. The training set which contained objects of the different known class was constructed using forty NIR spectra and the test set was made with ten different gallstone spectra. The number of important principal components(PCs) to describe the class was determined by cross validation in order to improve the decision criterion of the SIMCA for the training set. The score plots of the class training set whose objects belong to the other classes were inspected. The critical distance of each class was computed using both the Euclidean distance and the Mahalanobis distance at a proper level of significance(${\alpha}$). Two methods were compared with respect to classification and their robustness towards the number of PCs selected to describe different classes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.583-589
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• 2002

The signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1 is a cytoplasmic-transcription factor that is phosphorylated by Janus kinases (Jak) in response to interferon $\gamma$ (IFN-$\gamma$). The phosphorylated STAT1 translocates to the nucleus, where it turns on specific sets of IFN-$\gamma$-inducible genes, such as the interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-1. We show here that gamma irradiation reduces the IFN-$\gamma$ mRNA expression. The inhibition of the STAT1 phosphorylation and the IRF-1 expression by gamma irradiation was also observed. In contrast, the mRNA levels of IL-5 and transcription factor GATA-3 were slightly induced by gamma irradiation when compared to the non-irradiated sample. Furthermore, we detected the inhibition of cell-mediated immunity by gamma irradiation in the allogenic-mixed lymphocytes' reaction (MLR). These results postulate that gamma irradiation induces the polarized-Th2 response and interferes with STAT1 signals, thereby causing the immunosuppression of the Th1 response.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.4-9
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• 2013

Leptin, a 16-kDa cytokine, is secreted by adipose tissue in response to the surplus of fat store. Thereby, the brain is informed about the body's energy status. In the hypothalamus, leptin triggers specific neuronal subpopulations (e.g., POMC and NPY neurons) and activates several intracellular signaling events, including the JAK/STAT, MAPK, PI3K, and mTOR pathway, which eventually translates into decreased food intake and increased energy expenditure. Leptin signal is inhibited by a feedback inhibitory pathway mediated by SOCS3. PTP1B involves another inhibitory pathway of leptin. Leptin potently promotes fat mass loss and body weight reduction in lean subjects. However, it is not widely used in the clinical field because of leptin resistance, which is a common feature of obesity characterized by hyperleptinemia and the failure of exogenous leptin administration to provide therapeutic benefit in rodents and humans. The potential mechanisms of leptin resistance include the following: 1) increases in circulating leptin-binding proteins, 2) reduced transport of leptin across the blood-brain barrier, 3) decreased leptin receptor-B (LRB), and/or 4) the provocation of processes that diminish cellular leptin signaling (inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, feedback inhibition, etc.). Thus, interference of the cellular mechanisms that attenuate leptin signaling improves leptin action in cells and animal models, suggesting the potential utility of these processes as points of therapeutic intervention. Various experimental trials and compounds that improve leptin resistance are introduced in this paper.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1706-1710
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• 2006

Leptin receptor (OBR) is a member of the class I cytokine receptor family. It signals mainly via the JAK/STAT pathway and plays an important role in regulating body energy storage and metabolism. This study was designed to investigate the effects of the OBR gene on chicken growth and body composition. Broiler lines selected divergently for or against abdominal fat were used. Primers for the exon9-region in the OBR gene were designed using chicken genomic sequences from the public genome domain. A C/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found and its three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) were identified in this population. The results showed that the OBR polymorphism was associated with fatness traits, such as abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage. This research suggests that OBR or a linked gene has effect on fat deposition in the chicken.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.148-154
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• 2012

Previously, we have reported that high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a proinflammatory mediator in sepsis, is released via the IFN-${\beta}$-mediated JAK/STAT pathway. However, detailed mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we dissected upstream signaling pathways of HMGB1 release using various molecular biology methods. Here, we found that calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase, CaMK) is involved in HMGB1 release by regulating IFN-${\beta}$ production. CaMK inhibitor, STO609, treatment inhibits LPS-induced IFN-${\beta}$ production, which is correlated with the phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Additionally, we show that CaMK-I plays a major role in IFN-${\beta}$ production although other CaMK members also seem to contribute to this event. Furthermore, the CaMK inhibitor treatment reduced IFN-${\beta}$ production in a murine endotoxemia. Our results suggest CaMKs contribute to HMGB1 release by enhancing IFN-${\beta}$ production in sepsis.