• BMB Reports
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• 제55권7호
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• pp.342-347
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• 2022

Defense priming allows plants to enhance their immune responses to subsequent pathogen challenges. Recent reports suggested that acquired resistances in parental generation can be inherited into descendants. Although epigenetic mechanisms are plausible tools enabling the transmission of information or phenotypic traits induced by environmental cues across generations, the mechanism for the transgenerational inheritance of defense priming in plants has yet to be elucidated. With the initial aim to elucidate an epigenetic mechanism for the defense priming in plants, we reassessed the transgenerational inheritance of plant defense, however, could not observe any evidence supporting it. By using the same dipping method with previous reports, Arabidopsis was exposed repeatedly to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) during vegetative or reproductive stages. Irrespective of the developmental stages of parental plants that received pathogen infection, the descendants did not exhibit primed resistance phenotypes, defense marker gene (PR1) expression, or elevated histone acetylation within PR1 chromatin. In assays using the pressure-infiltration method for infection, we obtained the same results as above. Thus, our results suggest that the previous observations on the transgenerational inheritance of defense priming in plants should be more extensively and carefully reassessed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제65권3호
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• pp.167-172
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• 2022

Pathophysiological reaction of platelets in the blood vessel is an indispensable part of thrombosis and cardiovascular disease, which is the most common cause of death in the world. In this study, we performed in vitro assays to evaluate antiplatelet activity of artemether in human platelets and attempted to identify the mechanism responsible for protein phosphorylation. Artemether is a derivative of artemisinin, known as an active ingredient of Artemisia annua, which has been reported to be effective in treating malaria, and is known to function through antioxidant and metabolic enzyme inhibition. However, the role of artemether in platelet activation and aggregation and the mechanism of action of artemether in collagen-induced human platelets are not known until now. In this study, the effect of artesunate on collagen-induced human platelet aggregation was confirmed and the mechanism of action of artemether was clarified. Artemether inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and Mitogen-activated protein kinases, which are phosphoproteins that are known to act in the signal transduction process when platelets are activated. In addition, artemether decreased TXA₂ production and decreased granule secretion in platelets such as ATP and serotonin release. As a result, artemether strongly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by collagen, a strong aggregation inducer secreted from vascular endothelial cells, with an IC₅₀ of 157.92 μM. These results suggest that artemether has value as an effective antithrombotic agent for inhibiting the activation and aggregation of human platelets through vascular injury.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.344-353
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• 2022

Objectives: Auraptene is the most abundant natural prenyloxycoumarin. Recent studies have shown that it has multiple biological and therapeutic properties, including antioxidant properties. Erythrocytes are constantly subjected to oxidative damage that can affect proteins and lipids within the erythrocyte membrane and lead to some hemoglobinopathies. Due to the lack of sufficient information about the antioxidant effects of auraptene on erythrocytes, this study intended to evaluate the potential of this compound in protecting radical-induced erythrocytes damages. Methods: The antioxidant activity of auraptene was measured based on DPPH and FRAP assays. Notably, oxidative hemolysis of human erythrocytes was used as a model to study the ability of auraptene to protect biological membranes from free radical-induced damage. Also, the effects of auraptene in different concentrations (25-400 µM) on AAPH-induced lipid/protein peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) content and morphological changes of erythrocytes were determined. Results: Oxidative hemolysis and lipid/protein peroxidation of erythrocytes were significantly suppressed by auraptene in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Auraptene prevented the depletion of the cytosolic antioxidant GSH in erythrocytes. Furthermore, it inhibited lipid and protein peroxidation in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Likewise, FESEM results demonstrated that auraptene reduced AAPH-induced morphological changes in erythrocytes. Conclusion: Auraptene efficiently protects human erythrocytes against free radicals. Therefore, it can be a potent candidate for treating oxidative stress-related diseases.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제66권
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• pp.388-393
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• 2023

This study evaluated the in vitro nematicidal activity of Glycyrrhiza uralensis root extracts (GuRE) on Meloidogyne incognita eggs and juveniles. The results showed that treatment of M. incognita eggs with 2.0 mg/mL GuRE for 5 and 10 d resulted in 64.0 and 68.1% hatch inhibition, respectively. Furthermore, the relative mortality of J2 was 96.2% after treatment with 2.0 mg/mL GuRE for 48 h. Changes in the shape of the eggs and juveniles were determined after incubation with 2.0 mg/mL GuRE for 5 d and 48 h, respectively. These preliminary results suggest that GuRE can be used as an environment-friendly bio-nematicide to control root-knot nematodes. In the future, in vivo assays should be conducted using GuRE to ascertain its potential for widespread application as a nematicide.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제66권
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• pp.144-152
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• 2023

Two different extraction methods were used to evaluate the medical value of common rue, Ruta graveolens L. (RGL). The results of our 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid assays indicated that the antioxidant activity of RGL essential oil extract obtained through steam distillation was very low, whereas ethanol (EtOH) extracts of RGL showed higher antioxidant activity. RGL essential oil was extracted by steam distillation and characterized by GC/MS analysis. Furthermore, EtOH extracts of RGL were obtained under reflux and analyzed by HPLC/PDA. The GC/MS results indicated that the ketone compounds 2-undecanol acetate, nonyl cyclopropanecarboxylate, and 2-nonanone accounted for more than 70% of the composition of RGL essential oil. The HPLC/PDA analyses indicated that the RGL extracts were rich in phenolic compounds such as protocatechuic acid, rutin, psoralen, xanthotoxin, and bergapten, among which rutin was the most abundant. Collectively, our results demonstrated that RGL contains high levels of phenolic compounds and could thus be commercialized as a valuable plant-derived antioxidant.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.398-407
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• 2020

Objective: The Yip1 domain family (YIPF) proteins were proposed to function in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi transport and maintenance of the morphology of the Golgi, which were homologues of yeast Yip1p and Yif1p. YIPF3, the member 3 of YIPF family was a homolog of Yif1p. The aim of present study was to investigate the expression and regulation mechanism of porcine YIPF3. Methods: Quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to analyze porcine YIPF3 mRNA expression pattern in different tissues and pig kidney epithelial (PK15) cells stimulated by polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (poly [I:C]). Site-directed mutations combined with dual luciferase reporter assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) were employed to reveal transcription regulation mechanism of porcine YIPF3. Results: Results showed that the mRNA of porcine YIPF3 (pYIPF3) was widely expressed with the highest levels in lymph and lung followed by spleen and liver, while weak in heart and skeletal muscle. Subcellular localization results indicated that it expressed in Golgi apparatus and plasma membranes. Upon stimulation with poly (I:C), the level of this gene was dramatically up-regulated in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. pYIPF3 core promoter region harbored three cis-acting elements which were bound by ETS proto-oncogene 2 (ETS2), zinc finger and BTB domain containing 4 (ZBTB4), and zinc finger and BTB domain containing 14 (ZBTB14), respectively. In which, ETS2 and ZBTB4 both promoted pYIPF3 transcription activity while ZBTB14 inhibited it, and these three transcription factors all played important regulation roles in tumorigenesis and apoptosis. Conclusion: The pYIPF3 mRNA expression was regulated by ETS2, ZBTB4, and ZBTB14, and its higher expression in immune organs might contribute to enhancing ER to Golgi transport of proteins, thus adapting to the immune response.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dna2 helicase/endonuclease는 진핵세포 DNA 복제과정의 Okazaki fragment processing에서 RNA primer를 제거하는데 필수적인 역할을 한다. Genome-wide scale의 면역침전 실험결과, 기능이 알려져 있지 않은 단백질인 YHR122W가 Dna2 단백질과 상호작용한다고 예측되었다 (1). 본 연구에서는 이를 확인하기 위하여 YHR122W 유전자를 효모에서 과량발현시킨 결과, $dna2\Delta405N$ 돌연변이의 온도감수성 표현형이 억제되는 유전학적 상호작용을 관찰하였다. YHR122W 단백질이 Dna2 단백질과 직접적인 삼호작용을 하는지 확인하기 위하여 YHR122W를 대장균에서 재조합 단백질로 발현시키고 단백질을 정제하였다. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay를 통한 분석에서 YHR122W 단백질과 Dna2 단백질 사이의 상호작용을 확인하였다. 뿐만 아니라 YHR122W-Dna2 상호작용은 생리적 염도인 150 mM NaCl농도에서 가장 강한 결합을 보였다. 이러한 유전학적 상호작용과 물리적인 상호작용은 YHR122W가 생체내에서 Dna2의 기능과 밀접한 연관이 있을 가능성을 제시하고 있다.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제65권2호
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

구슬말(Nostoc commune Vaucher ex Bornet & Flahault)은 이형세포를 갖는 특징으로 다른 목들과 구분되는 남조류의 일종으로 극지방에서 열대지역까지 광범위한 지역에 분포하며 단세포가 연결되어 형성된 수많은 trichome들이 점액질에 둘러 쌓인 형태로 커다란 군체를 형성한다. 주로 토양, 암반, 잔디 위 등에 서식한다고 알려져 있으나 흔히 관찰되지 않기 때문에 현재 연구가 거의 없는 실정이다. 이에 본 연구에서는 토양 남조류인 N. commune HCW0811을 분리 및 동정하였으며 항염증 활성을 조사 하고자 하였다. 그 결과 N. commune HCW0811는 LPS로 유도된 RAW 264.7세포에서 80%이상의 세포 생존율을 나타내었으며 NO, PGE2 및 TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β의 생성을 효과적으로 억제하였다. 또한 western blot assay를 통해 iNOS, COX-2 및 MAP kinase (p38, ERK1/2, JNK)와 NF-κB 세포내 신호전달 경로에서의 단백질 발현을 조사한 결과 이들의 발현이 유의하게 억제됨을 확인하였다. 본 연구에서는 이러한 결과를 근거하여 HCW0811가 다양한 염증 인자를 표적으로 하는 피부 면역 질환을 포함한 염증성 질환의 예방과 치료를 위한 항염증 기능성 화장품 및 식품소재로의 개발가능성을 제시한다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권11호
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• pp.554-559
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• 2017

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~22nt-long single-stranded RNA molecules that form a RNA-induced silencing complex with Argonaute (AGO) protein to post-transcriptionally downregulate their target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). To understand the regulatory mechanisms of miRNA, discovering the underlying functional rules for how miRNAs recognize and repress their target mRNAs is of utmost importance. To determine functional miRNA targeting rules, previous studies extensively utilized various methods including high-throughput biochemical assays and bioinformatics analyses. However, targeting rules reported in one study often fail to be reproduced in other studies and therefore the general rules for functional miRNA targeting remain elusive. In this review, we evaluate previously-reported miRNA targeting rules and discuss the biological impact of the functional miRNAs on gene-regulatory networks as well as the future direction of miRNA targeting research.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2000

The rapid progress of molecular genetic methods over the past two decades has necessitated the development of methods to detect and quantify genetic activity within living bodies. Reporter genes provide a rapid and convenient tool to monitor gene expression by yielding a readily measurable phenotype upon expression when introduced into a biological system. Conventional reporter systems, however, are limited in their usefulness for in vivo experiments or human gene therapy because of its invasive nature which requires cell damage before assays can be performed. This offers an unique opportunity for nuclear imaging techniques to develope a novel method for imaging both the location and amount of gene expression noninvasively. Current developments to achieve this goal rely on utilizing either reporter enzymes that accumulate radiolabeled substrates or reporter receptors that bind specific radioligands. This overview includes a brief introduction to the background for such research, a summary of published results, and an outlook for future directions.