• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.177-193
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• 2016

After more than half of century since the Warburg effect was described, this atypical metabolism has been standing true for almost every type of cancer, exhibiting higher glycolysis and lactate metabolism and defective mitochondrial ATP production. This phenomenon had attracted many scientists to the problem of elucidating the mechanism of, and reason for, this effect. Several models based on oncogenic studies have been proposed, such as the accumulation of mitochondrial gene mutations, the switch from oxidative phosphorylation respiration to glycolysis, the enhancement of lactate metabolism, and the alteration of glycolytic genes. Whether the Warburg phenomenon is the consequence of genetic dysregulation in cancer or the cause of cancer remains unknown. Moreover, the exact reasons and physiological values of this peculiar metabolism in cancer remain unclear. Although there are some pharmacological compounds, such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose, dichloroacetic acid, and 3-bromopyruvate, therapeutic strategies, including diet, have been developed based on targeting the Warburg effect. In this review, we will revisit the Warburg effect to determine how much scientists currently understand about this phenomenon and how we can treat the cancer based on targeting metabolism.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2010

The Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, a model of spontaneous type 2 diabetes (T2D), develops hyperglycemic obesity with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance after the age of 25 weeks, similar to patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DM). In the present study, we determined whether there are differences in the pattern of gene expression related to glucose and lipid metabolism between OLETF rats and their control counterparts, Long-Evans Tokushima (LETO) rats. The experiment was done using 35-week-old OLETF and LETO rats. At week 35 male OLETF rats showed overt T2D and increases in blood glucose, plasma insulin, plasma triglycerides (TG) and plasma total cholesterol (TC). Livers of diabetic OLETF and LETO rats also showed differences in expression of mRNA for glucose and lipid metabolism related genes. Among glucose metabolism related genes, GAPDH mRNA was significantly higher and FBPase and G6Pase mRNA were significantly lower in OLETF rats. For lipid metabolism related genes, HMGCR, SCD1 and HL mRNA were substantially higher in OLETF rats. These results indicate that gluconeogenesis in OLETF rats is lower and glycolysis is higher, which means that glucose metabolism might be compensated for by a lowering of the blood glucose level. However, lipid synthesis is increased in OLETF rats so diabetes may be aggravated. These differences between OLETF and LETO rats suggest mechanisms that could be targeted during the development of therapeutic agents for diabetes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.641-649
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• 2009

Pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of fructose-6-phosphate and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, a key step in the regulation of the metabolic flux toward glycolysis or gluconeogenesis. To examine the role of PFP in plant growth, we have generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants that either overexpress or repress Arabidopsis PFP subunit genes. The overexpressing lines displayed increased PFP activity and slightly faster growth relative to wild type plants, although their photosynthetic activities and the levels of metabolites appeared not to have significantly changed. In contrast, the RNAi lines showed significantly retarded growth in parallel with the reduced PFP activity. Analysis of photosynthetic activity revealed that the growth retardation phenotype of the RNAi lines was accompanied by the reduced rates of $CO_2$ assimilation. Microarray analysis of our transgenic plants further revealed that the altered expression of $AtPFP{\beta}$ affects the expression of several genes involved in diverse physiological processes. Our current data thus suggest that PFP is important in carbohydrate metabolism and other cellular processes.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.190-196
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• 2008

Deoxypodophyllotoxin (DPT) is a medicinal herb product isolated from Anthriscus sylvestris. DPT possesses beneficial activities in regulating immediate-type allergic reaction and anti-inflammatory activity through the dual inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 and 5-lipoxygenase. In the present study, the metabolism of DPT was further characterized in rat liver microsomes isolated from male Sprague Dawley rats. The metabolism of DPT was NADPH-dependent. In addition, when liver microsomes were incubated with SKF-525A, a well-known CYP inhibitor, in the presence of $\beta$-NADPH, the metabolism of DPT was significantly inhibited. Using enriched rat liver microsomes, the anticipated isoforms of cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in the metabolism of DPT were partially characterized. Phenobarbital-induced microsomes increased in the formation of metabolite M1. The metabolite M3 was only produced in the enriched microsomes isolated from dexamethasone-treated rats. The results indicated that the metabolism of DPT would be CYP-dependent and that CYP2B and CYP3A might be important in the metabolism of DPT in rats.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of duration and timing of glucocorticoid treatment on the expansion and differentiation of porcine neonatal pancreas cell clusters (NPCCs) into ${\beta}$-cells. After transplantation of NPCCs, the ductal cyst area and ${\beta}$-cell mass in the grafts both showed positive and negative correlations with duration of dexamethasone (Dx) treatment. Pdx-1 and HNF-3${\beta}$ gene expression was significantly downregulated following Dx treatment, whereas PGC-1${\alpha}$ expression increased. Pancreatic duct cell apoptosis significantly increased following Dx treatment, whereas proliferation did not change. Altogether, transdifferentiation of porcine NPCCs into ${\beta}$-cells was influenced by the duration of Dx treatment, which might have been due to the suppression of key pancreatic transcription factors. PGC-1${\alpha}$ plays an important role in the expansion and transdifferentiation of porcine NPCCs, and the initial 2 weeks following transplantation of porcine NPCCs is a critical period in determining the final ${\beta}$-cell mass in grafts.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.9-21
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• 2005

To study the biochemical and physiological role of the plastidic glucose transporter (pGlcT) in carbohydrate metabolism, we characterized transgenic plants with mutations in the pGlcT gene (GT), gt-1 and gt-2, as well double mutants of GT and the maltose transporter (MEX1) and GT and the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT), GT and the cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene (cFBP), and MEX1 and TPT, gt-1/mex2, gt-1/tpt-2, gt-1/cfbp-1, mex1-1/tpt-2, respectively. Compared to the wild type, all mutants except the gt-1/cfbp-1 mutant lines displayed higher starch accumulation and higher levels of maltose. Starch accumulation is due to a decrease in starch turnover, leading to an imbalance between the rates of synthesis and degradation. Sucrose levels of gt alleles were higher than those in wild-type plants during the light period, suggesting possible nightly supplementation via the maltose transport pathway to maintain proper carbohydrate partitioning in the plant leaves. The gt plants displayed less growth retardation than mex1-1 mutant and gt-1/mex2 double mutant displayed accumulativesevere growth retardation as compared to individual gt-1 and mex1-1 mutants, implying that the maltose transporter-mediated pathway is a major route for carbohydrate partitioning at night. The gt-1/tpt-2, mex1-1/tpt-2 and gt-1/cfbp-1 double mutants had retarded growth and low chlorophyll content to differing degrees, indicating that photosynthetic capacity had diminished. Interestingly, the gt-1/tpt-2 line displayed a glucose-insensitive phenotype and higher germination rates than wild type, suggesting its involvement not only in carbon partitioning, but also in the sugar signaling network of the pGlcT and TPT.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.713-718
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• 2011

In this study, the effects of sitagliptin analogue (SITA) or pioglitazone (PIO) treatment on glucose homeostasis and ${\beta}$-cell dynamics in animal models of type 2 diabetes-Akita and db/db mice were evaluated. After 4-6 weeks of treatment, both SITA and PIO were shown to lower non-fasting glucose levels and reduced glycemic excursion in the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. In addition, both drugs preserved normal islet structure and the proportion of ${\beta}$-cells in the islets. Compared to the controls, SITA treatment induced a higher ${\beta}$-cell proliferation rate in Akita mice and a lower rate of apoptosis in db/db mice, whereas PIO treatment induced a lower rate of apoptosis in db/db mice and reduced proliferation rates in Akita mice. In conclusion, both SITA and PIO appear to exert some beneficial effects on the islet structure in addition to glycemic control via different mechanisms that involve ${\beta}$-cell dynamics in Akita and db/db mice.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2009

Rho-related GTPase of plants (ROP) plays an important role in plant growth and development as a signaling protein. Plant RopGEFs are recently identified ROP activator proteins in Arabidopsis. In this study, we cloned 14 RopGEFs in Arabidopsis and characterized their expression patterns in response to abiotic stresses. Fourteen RopGEF genes were categorized into three groups based on their amino acid homologies and molecular sizes. Most RopGEFs were expressed predominantly in flower but some RopGEFs displayed a tissue-specific expression pattern. RopGEF1, 4, 5, and 11 were expressed in all tissues including root and leaves whereas RopGEF7, 8, 9, and 13 were expressed only in flowers. The transcript levels of 14 RopGEFs were changed significantly depending upon abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, drought and salts. RopGEF5 transcription was up-regulated by salt and drought treatment but down-regulated by heat. RopGEF14 transcript level was also increased by salt but decreased by heat stress. The transcript levels of RopGEF1, 7, 9, and 12 were enhanced in response to heat stress but showed no changes in response to cold stresses. Drought stress activated Group 3 RopGEFs such as RopGEF5 and 7. Taken together, 14 RopGEFs are responding to the abiotic stresses individually or as a group.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.70-79
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of using herbal medicine for the management of psoriasis focusing on lipid metabolism. Methods : We reviewed studies about pathophysiology, and medical treatment of psoriasis, the relationship between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome and lipid metabolism, and herbal medicine on Pubmed and Google scholar. Results : Psoriasis is a chronic multi-organ inflammatory disease not limited to skin, and steroids, immuno-suppressants, and biological agents are used. It is known that psoriasis and metabolic syndrome act as mutual risk factors, and lipid metabolism are involved in psoriasis. The effects of various single herbal preparations and complex herbal extract, decoction on improving lipid metabolism have been consistently reported, and there was an improvement of psoriatic skin lesions and improvement of blood lipid levels through herbal medicine. Conclusions : Herbal medicine research in psoriasis has focused on the anti-inflammatory effect and the suppression effect of certain immune mediators. However, considering that psoriasis is affected by lipid metabolism and side effects of Western medicines, the use of herbal medicines for the purpose of controlling lipid metabolism in psoriasis is useful in aspects of reducing side effects of concurrent Western medicine, improving the severity of psoriasis, and managing metabolic risk factors.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.247-259
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of age and diet forms on growth-development patterns, serum metabolism indicators, and parameters of body fat deposition in Cherry Valley ducks. Methods: According to the hatching age and initial weight, a total of 150 1-day-old male SM3 Cherry Valley ducks were randomly assigned to two diet forms (pellet vs powder form). Each treatment had with 5 replicates per treatment and 15 meat ducks per replicate. The study lasted 42 d, which was divided into two periods (1 to 21 vs 22 to 42 d). Results: Our results showed that compared with powder group, ducks in pellet group had greater growth performance during different period (p<0.05). The inflection point was 24 d and was not numerically affected by diet forms. Increasing age (42 vs 21 d) significantly increased the weight of body fat and hepatic fat metabolism related enzyme activities in ducks (p<0.05), meanwhile, increasing age (42 vs 21 d) improved serum metabolism indicators and decreased mRNA expression levels of fat metabolism-related genes in liver (p<0.05). Ducks fed different diets (pellet vs powder form) increased growth performance as well as the weight of body fat and improved serum metabolism indicators (p<0.05). In addition, interactions were found between age and diet forms on the levels of serum metabolism indicators in ducks (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, powder feed reduced growth performance of ducks, and the day of inflection point was 24 days old. Ducks with higher age or fed with pellet diet showed higher fat deposition. The effect of age and feed forms on body fat deposition might result from changes in the contents of serum metabolism indicators, key enzyme activity of lipid production, and hepatic gene expressions.