• Journal of Breast Cancer
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.363-370
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• 2018

Purpose: Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer among women worldwide, and therefore, improved approaches for its early detection are urgently needed. As microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized as critical regulators in tumorigenesis and possess excellent stability in plasma, this study focused on using miRNAs to develop a method for identifying noninvasive biomarkers. Methods: To discover critical candidates, differential expression analysis was performed on tissue-originated miRNA profiles of 409 early breast cancer patients and 87 healthy controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. We selected candidates from the differentially expressed miRNAs and then evaluated every possible molecular signature formed by the candidates. The best signature was validated in independent serum samples from 113 early breast cancer patients and 47 healthy controls using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The miRNA candidates in our method were revealed to be associated with breast cancer according to previous studies and showed potential as useful biomarkers. When validated in independent serum samples, the area under curve of the final miRNA signature (miR-21-3p, miR-21-5p, and miR-99a-5p) was 0.895. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 97.9% and 73.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The present study established a novel and effective method to identify biomarkers for early breast cancer. And the method, is also suitable for other cancer types. Furthermore, a combination of three miRNAs was identified as a prospective biomarker for breast cancer early detection.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.20.1-20.10
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• 2023

Aromatase inhibitors (AI) are drugs that are widely used in treating estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer patients. Drug resistance is a major obstacle to aromatase inhibition therapy. There are diverse reasons behind acquired AI resistance. This study aims at identifying the plausible cause of acquired AI resistance in patients administered with non-steroidal AIs (anastrozole and letrozole). We used genomic, transcriptomic, epigenetic, and mutation data of breast invasive carcinoma from The Cancer Genomic Atlas database. The data was then separated into sensitive and resistant sets based on patients' responsiveness to the non-steroidal AIs. A sensitive set of 150 patients and a resistant set of 172 patients were included for the study. These data were collectively analyzed to probe into the factors that might be responsible for AI resistance. We identified 17 differentially regulated genes (DEGs) among the two groups. Then, methylation, mutation, miRNA, copy number variation, and pathway analyses were performed for these DEGs. The top mutated genes (FGFR3, CDKN2A, RNF208, MAPK4, MAPK15, HSD3B1, CRYBB2, CDC20B, TP53TG5, and MAPK8IP3) were predicted. We also identified a key miRNA - hsa-mir-1264 regulating the expression of CDC20B. Pathway analysis revealed HSD3B1 to be involved in estrogen biosynthesis. This study reveals the involvement of key genes that might be associated with the development of AI resistance in ER-positive breast cancers and hence may act as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for these patients.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.215-233
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: MYC, also known as an oncogenic reprogramming factor, is a multifunctional transcription factor that maintains induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Although MYC is frequently upregulated in various cancers and is correlated with a poor prognosis, MYC is downregulated and correlated with a good prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. MYC and two other MYC family genes, MYCN and MYCL, have similar structures and could contribute to tumorigenic conversion both in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Results: We systematically investigated whether MYC family genes act as prognostic factors in various human cancers. We first evaluated alterations in the expression of MYC family genes in various cancers using the Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and their mutation and copy number alterations using the TCGA database with cBioPortal. Then, we investigated the association between the expression of MYC family genes and the prognosis of cancer patients using various prognosis databases. Multivariate analysis also confirmed that co-expression of MYC/MYCL/MYCN was significantly associated with the prognosis of lung, gastric, liver, and breast cancers. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MYC family can function not only as an oncogene but also as a tumor suppressor gene in various cancers, which could be used to develop a novel approach to cancer treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권10호
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• pp.4905-4908
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• 2012

Aim: Glioma cancer is the most common type of adult brain tumor. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified various new susceptibility regions and here we conducted an extensive analysis of associations between 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and glioma risk. Methods: A total of 197 glioma cases and 197 health controls were selected, and 9 SNPs in 8 genes were analyzed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform and Sequenom Assay Design 3.1 software. Results: We found the MAF among selected controls were consistent with the MAF from the NCBI SNP database. Among 9 SNPs in 8 genes, we identified four significant SNP genotypes associated with the risk of glioma, C/C genotype at rs730437 and T/T genotype at rs1468727 in ERGF were protective against glioma, whereas the T/T genotype at rs1799782 in XRCC1 and C/C genotype at rs861539 in XRCC3 conferred elevated risk. Conclusion: Our comprehensive analysis of nine SNPs in eight genes suggests that the rs730437 and rs1468727 in ERGF, rs1799782 in XRCC1 gene, and rs861539 in XRCC3 gene are associated with glioma risk. These findings indicate that genetic variants of various genes play a complex role in the development of glioma.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• 제50권12호
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• pp.8.1-8.12
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• 2018

FAM46B is a member of the family with sequence similarity 46. Little is known about the expression and functional role (s) of FAM46B in prostate cancer (PC). In this study, the expression of FAM46B expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas, GSE55945, and an independent hospital database was measured by bioinformatics and real-time PCR analysis. After PC cells were transfected with siRNA or a recombinant vector in the absence or presence of a ${\beta}$-catenin signaling inhibitor (XAV-939), the expression levels of FAM46B, C-myc, Cyclin D1, and ${\beta}$-catenin were measured by western blot and realtime PCR. Cell cycle progression and cell proliferation were measured by flow cytometry and the CCK-8 assay. The effects of FAM46B on tumor growth and protein expression in nude mice with PC tumor xenografts were also measured. Our results showed that FAM46B was downregulated but that ${\beta}$-catenin was upregulated in patients with PC. FAM46B silencing promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in PC, which were abrogated by XAV-939. Moreover, FAM46B overexpression inhibited PC cell cycle progression and cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. FAM46B silencing promoted ${\beta}$-catenin protein expression through the inhibition of ${\beta}$-catenin ubiquitination. Our data clearly show that FAM46B inhibits cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in PC through ubiquitination of ${\beta}$-catenin.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.91-94
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• 2008

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant form of human genetic variation and are a resource for mapping complex genetic traits. A genome is covered by millions of these markers, and researchers are able to compare which SNPs predominate in people who have a certain disease. The International HapMap Project, launched in October, 2002, motivated us to start the Korean HapMap Project in order to support Korean HapMap infrastructure development and to accelerate the finding of genes that affect health, disease, and individual responses to medications and environmental factors. A Korean SNP and haplotype database system was developed through the Korean HapMap Project to provide Korean researchers with useful data-mining information about disease-associated biomarkers for studies on complex diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and stroke. Also, we have developed a series of software programs for association studies as well as the comparison and analysis of Korean HapMap data with other populations, such as European, Chinese, Japanese, and African populations. The developed software includes HapMapSNPAnalyzer, SNPflank, HWE Test, FESD, D2GSNP, SNP@Domain, KMSD, KFOD, KFRG, and SNP@WEB. We developed a disease-related SNP retrieval system, in which OMIM, GeneCards, and MeSH information were integrated and analyzed for medical research scientists. The kHapMap Browser system that we developed and integrated provides haplotype retrieval and comparative study tools of human ethnicities for comprehensive disease association studies (http://www.khapmap.org). It is expected that researchers may be able to retrieve useful information from the kHapMap Browser to find useful biomarkers and genes in complex disease association studies and use these biomarkers and genes to study and develop new drugs for personalized medicine.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.146-159
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• 2021

DNA methylation, and consequent down-regulation, of tumour suppressor genes occurs in response to epigenetic stimuli during cancer development. Similarly, human oncoviruses, including human papillomavirus (HPV), up-regulate and augment DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) activities, thereby decreasing tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) expression. Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domain 1 (UHRF1), an epigenetic regulator of DNA methylation, is overexpressed in HPV-induced cervical cancers. Here, we investigated the role of UHRF1 in cervical cancer by knocking down its expression in HeLa cells using lentiviral-encoded short hairpin (sh)RNA and performing cDNA microarrays. We detected significantly elevated expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), a known TSG, in UHRF1-knockdown cells, and this gene is hypermethylated in cervical cancer tissue and cell lines, as indicated by whole-genome methylation analysis. Up-regulation of UHRF1 and decreased TXNIP were further detected in cervical cancer by western blot and immunohistochemistry and confirmed by Oncomine database analysis. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we identified the inverted CCAAT domain-containing UHRF1-binding site in the TXNIP promoter and demonstrated UHRF1 knockdown decreases UHRF1 promoter binding and enhances TXNIP expression through demethylation of this region. TXNIP promoter CpG methylation was further confirmed in cervical cancer tissue by pyrosequencing and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. Critically, down-regulation of UHRF1 by siRNA or UHRF1 antagonist (thymoquinone) induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7), which stabilises and promotes UHRF1 function, is increased by HPV viral protein E6/E7 overexpression. These results indicate HPV might induce carcinogenesis through UHRF1-mediated TXNIP promoter methylation, thus suggesting a possible link between CpG methylation and cervical cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.780-787
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• 2012

The maize pathogen Gibberella moniliformis produces fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins associated with several disorders in animals and humans, including cancer. The current focus of our research is to understand the regulatory mechanisms involved in fumonisin biosynthesis. In this study, we employed a proteomics approach to identify novel genes involved in the fumonisin biosynthesis under nitrogen stress. The combination of genome sequence, mutant strains, EST database, microarrays, and proteomics offers an opportunity to advance our understanding of this process. We investigated the response of the G. moniliformis proteome in limited nitrogen (N0, fumonisin-inducing) and excess nitrogen (N+, fumonisin-repressing) conditions by one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis. We selected 11 differentially expressed proteins, six from limited nitrogen conditions and five from excess nitrogen conditions, and determined the sequences by peptide mass fingerprinting and MS/MS spectrophotometry. Subsequently, we identified the EST sequences corresponding to the proteins and studied their expression profiles in different culture conditions. Through the comparative analysis of gene and protein expression data, we identified three candidate genes for functional analysis and our results provided valuable clues regarding the regulatory mechanisms of fumonisin biosynthesis.

• 정보관리학회지
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.117-135
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• 2019

데이터 학술지와 데이터 논문이 오픈과학 패러다임에서 데이터 공유와 재이용이라는 학술활동이 등장하여 지속적으로 성장하고 있다. 본 논문은 영향력있는 다학제적 분야의 데이터 학술지인 Scientific Data에 게제된 총 713건의 논문을 대상으로 저자, 인용, 주제분야 측면을 분석하였다. 그 결과 저자의 주된 주제 영역은 생명공학, 물리학 등으로 나타났으며, 공저자 수는 평균 12명이다. 공저 형태를 네트워크로 살펴보면, 특정 연구자 그룹이 패쇄적으로 공저활동을 수행하는 것으로 나타났다. 인용의 주제영역을 살펴보면, 데이터 논문 저자의 주제영역과 크게 다르지 않게 나타났으나, 방법론을 주로 다루는 학술지의 인용 비중이 높은 것은 데이터 논문의 특징으로 볼 수 있다. 데이터 논문 저자의 키워드를 사용하여 동시출현단어분석 네트워크로 살펴본 데이터 논문의 주제영역은 생물학이 중심이며, 구체적으로 해양생태, 암, 게놈, 데이터베이스, 기온 등의 세부 주제 영역을 확인할 수 있다. 이러한 결과는 다학제학문 분야를 다루는 데이터 학술지이지만, 데이터 학술지 출간에 관한 논의를 일찍부터 시작해온 생명공학 분야에 집중된 현상을 보여준다.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.22.1-22.15
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• 2023

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is one of the most aggressive cancer type of the urinary system. Metastatic KIRC patients have poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Ankyrin 3 (ANK3) is a scaffold protein that plays important roles in maintaining physiological function of the kidney and its alteration is implicated in many cancers. In this study, we investigated differential expression of ANK3 in KIRC using GEPIA2, UALCAN, and HPA databases. Survival analysis was performed by GEPIA2, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and OS-kirc databases. Genetic alterations of ANK3 in KIRC were assessed using cBioPortal database. Interaction network and functional enrichment analyses of ANK3-correlated genes in KIRC were performed using GeneMANIA and Shiny GO, respectively. Finally, the TIMER2.0 database was used to assess correlation between ANK3 expression and immune infiltration in KIRC. We found that ANK3 expression was significantly decreased in KIRC compared to normal tissues. The KIRC patients with low ANK3 expression had poorer survival outcomes than those with high ANK3 expression. ANK3 mutations were found in 2.4% of KIRC patients and were frequently co-mutated with several genes with a prognostic significance. ANK3-correlated genes were significantly enriched in various biological processes, mainly involved in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, in which positive correlations of ANK3 with PPARA and PPARG expressions were confirmed. Expression of ANK3 in KIRC was significantly correlated with infiltration level of B cell, CD8+ T cell, macrophage, and neutrophil. These findings suggested that ANK3 could serve as a prognostic biomarker and promising therapeutic target for KIRC.