• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.276-282
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• 2004

Marginal Zn deficiency is prevalent through the world and yet human zinc status has not been properly assessed due to the lack of a reliable diagnostic indicator. One potential possibility for zinc status assessment using Zn-binding protein, metallothionein (MT)-mRNA, has been proposed. The purpose of the present study was aimed to show whether measurement of mononuclear cell (MNC) MT mRNA, using a competitive-reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (competitive-RT-PCR) assay, could indicate zinc status in human subjects. In this study, MNC MT-mRNA expression was measured using a competitive-RT-PCR to compare before and after 14 days of zinc supplementation (50 mg Zn/das zinc gluconate). RT-PCR oligonucleotide primers which were designed to amplify both a 278 bp segment of the human MT-2A cDNA and a 198 bp mutant competitor cDNA template from MNCs, were prepared. MT-2A mRNA was normalized by reference to the housekeeping gene, $\beta$-actin, mRNA for which was also measured by competitive-RT-PCR. There was considerable inter-individual variation in MT-mRNA concentration and yet, the mean MT-2A mRNA level increased 4.7-fold after Zn supplementation, as compared to before Zn supplementation. This MT-2A mRNA level was shown as the same pattern and, even more sensitive assay, compared to the conventional plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) Zn assessment in which plasma and RBCs zinc levels increased 2.3- and 1.2-fold, respectively (p<0.05). We suggest that MT competitive-RT-PCR can be a useful assessment tool for evaluating human zinc status.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.285-287
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• 1999

Changes in the expression level of splenocyte $IFN-{\gamma}$mRNA of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats infected with Paragonimus westermani were analyzed by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by southern blot. The template RNA was extracted from the splenocytes of rats infected with 20 metacercariae of P. westermani. The products of competitive RT-PCR were subjected to southern blot and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL), and analyzed with a densitometer. In comparison with that of uninfected control rat splenocytes (value of 1), the levels of mRNA expression of $IFN-{\gamma}$had changed to 0.747 at 1 week post infection (PI), 0.00175 at 2 week PI, 0.0217 at 3 week PI, 0.194 at 4 week PI and then to 0.537 at 5 week PI. The level at 7 week PI had returned to 1.25, comparable with that of uninfected rats. These results show that, when infected with p. westermani, the levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ mRNA of SD rat splenocytes were remarkably reduced by more than 500 times at 2 week PI and restored to normal level at 7 week PI.

• 한국동물학회:뉴스레터
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.95.1-95
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• 1995

No Abstract, See Full Text

• 한국동물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국동물학회 1995년도 한국생물과학협회 학술발표대회
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• pp.223.1-223
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• 1995

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.103-109
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• 1999

Objective: Heat shock protein 70-2 (Hsp70-2) gene knockout mice are found to have premeiotic arrest at the primary spermatocyte stage with a complete absence of spermatids and spermatozoa. This observation led to the hypothesis that hspA2 may be disrupted in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we studied the mRNA expression of hspA2 in infertile men with azoospermia. Design: The mRNA expression were analyzed by competitive RT-PCR among testes with normal spermatogenesis, pachytene spermatocyte arrest, and sertoli-cell only syndrome. Materials and methods: Testicular biopsy was performed in men with azoospermia (n=15). Specimens were subdivided into three groups: (group 1) normal spermatogenesis (n=5), (group 2) spermatocyte arrest (n=5), (group 3) Sertoli-cell only syndrome (n=5). Total RNA was extracted by Trizol reagent. Total extracted RNA was reverse transcribed into cDNA and amplified by PCR using specific primers for hspA2 target cDNAs. A competitive cDNA fragment was constructed by deleting a defined fragment from the target cDNA sequence, and then coamplified with the target cDNA for competitive PCR. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene was used as an internal control. Results: On Competitive RT-PCR analyses for hspA2 mRNA, significant amount of hspA2 expression was observed in group 1, whereas a constitutively low level of hspA2 was expressed in groups 2 and 3. Conclusion(s): The study demonstrates that the hspA2 gene expression is down-regulated in human testes with abnormal spermatogenesis, which in turn suggests that hspA2 gene may play a specific role during meiosis in human testes.

• 한국동물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국동물학회 1994년도 한국생물과학협회 학술발표대회
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• pp.155.1-155
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• 1994

No Abstract, See Full Text

• 한국영양학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국영양학회 2003년도 연합학술대회
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• pp.132.2-132.2
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• 2003

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.131-136
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• 2001

초파리 발생과정에서 세포사멸에 관여하는 유전자인 reaper(rpr), grim, dcp-1, diap1, diap1, diap2의 발현양상을 경제적 RT-PCR 방법으로 분석하였다. 세포사멸 유도 유전자인 rpr, grim의 발현양상은 발생단계에 따른 ecdysone titer 변화 양상과 매우 유사하였다. Effector caspase인 dcp-1 전사체는 초기 배와 암컷 성체에서 높은 발현을 보였다. 반면에 세포사멸 억제인자인 diap1과 diap2 전사체는 세포사멸 유도 인자인 rpr과 girm 전사체와 서로 상반적인 양상으로 발현되었다. 또한, 유주 3령 유충의 발생단계 별로 침샘조직과 성체원기조직에서 rpr, diap2, dcp-1의 전사체의 양적 변동을 분석하였다. rpr, diap2의 전사체양은 두 조직에서 서로 상반적으로 변화하였다. 이 결과는 정상 발생과정에서 세포죽음 관련유전자들의 발현이 ecdysone 신호에 의해 조절됨을 암시해 주었다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.29-38
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• 1999

자궁내막증은 흔한 부인과적 질병이며 여성 불임의 한 원인이 되나 그 발생 원인에 대하여서는 아직 논란의 여지가 많다. 최근 월경혈의 역류가 한 원인이며 자궁내막증 환자가 정상여성에서 보다 역류되는 월경혈의 양이 많거나 침습성이 강한 것이 자궁내막증의 발생 원인이 될 수 있다는 이론들이 소개되었다. 종양이나 자궁내막 조직의 침습이나 전이에는 세포막외 기질 및 기저막의 파괴가 일어나야 하는데 이 과정에 plasminogen activators (PAs)나 matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs)같은 proteolytic enzyme이 관여한다. 이에 자궁 내막증환자와 대조군의 자궁내막에서 PA나 MMP를 억제하는 plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)나 tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-3)의 mRNA 발현의 차이를 quantitative competitive RT PCR로 연구하였으며, 그 결과 자궁내막증 환자의 황체기 자궁내막에서는 정상 대조군 환자에서 보다 PAI-1과 TIMP-3 mRNA발현이 낮음을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 자궁내막증 환자의 자궁내막에서는 PA와 MMP의 활성도가 증가할 수 있으며 이 증가된 proteolytic activity로 인하여 역류된 자궁내 막 조직의 복강내 침습이 보다 쉽게 일어날 가능성이 있다.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2005년도 International Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea
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• pp.210.2-210
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• 2005