• Oncology Letters
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.3464-3474
• /
• 2019

The EF-hand calcium binding protein tescalcin (TESC) is highly expressed in various human and mouse cancer tissues and is therefore considered a potential oncogene. However, the underlying mechanism that governs TESC expression remains unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that TESC expression is under epigenetic regulation. In the present study, the relationship between the epigenetic modification and gene expression of TESC in gastric cancer was investigated. To evaluate the relationship between the methylation and expression of TESC in gastric cancer, the methylation status of CpG sites in the TESC promoter was analyzed using microarray with the Illumina Human Methylation27 BeadChip (HumanMethylation27_270596_v.1.2), gene profiles from the NCBI Dataset that revealed demethylated status were acquired, and real-time methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in gastric cancer cells was conducted. In the present study, it was demonstrated that the hypermethylation of TESC led to the downregulation of TESC mRNA/protein expression. In addition, 5-aza-2c-deoxycytidine (5'-aza-dC) restored TESC expression in the tested gastric cancer cells except for SNU-620 cells. ChIP assay further revealed that the methylation of the TESC promoter was associated with methyl-CpG binding domain protein (MBD)1, histone deacetylase (HDAC)2, and Oct-1 and that treatment with 5'-aza-dC facilitated the dissociation of MBD1, HDAC2, and Oct-1 from the promoter of TESC. Moreover, silencing of TESC increased MBD1 expression and decreased the H3K4me2/3 level, thereby causing transcriptional repression and suppression of cell survival in NCI-N87 cells; conversely, overexpression of TESC downregulated MBD1 expression and upregulated the H3K4me2 level associated with active transcription in SNU-638 cells. These results indicated that the differential expression of TESC via the modification status of the promoter and histone methylation controled cell survival in gastric cancer cells. Overall, the present study provided a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.44 no.8
• /
• pp.580-590
• /
• 2021

Patients with severe asthma have unmet clinical needs for effective and safe therapies. One possibility may be mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy, which can improve asthma in murine models. However, it remains unclear how MSCs exert their beneficial effects in asthma. Here, we examined the effect of human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUC-MSC) on two mouse models of severe asthma, namely, Alternaria alternata-induced and house dust mite (HDM)/diesel exhaust particle (DEP)-induced asthma. hUC-MSC treatment attenuated lung type 2 (Th2 and type 2 innate lymphoid cell) inflammation in both models. However, these effects were only observed with particular treatment routes and timings. In vitro co-culture showed that hUC-MSC directly downregulated the interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-13 production of differentiated mouse Th2 cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asthma patients. Thus, these results showed that hUC-MSC treatment can ameliorate asthma by suppressing the asthmogenic cytokine production of effector cells. However, the successful clinical application of MSCs in the future is likely to require careful optimization of the route, dosage, and timing.

• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.735-750
• /
• 2018

BACKGROUND: The major challenge of tissue engineering is to develop constructions with suitable properties which would mimic the natural extracellular matrix to induce the proliferation and differentiation of cells. Poly(${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL, PCEC), chitosan (CS), nano-silica ($n-SiO_2$) and nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) are biomaterials successfully applied for the preparation of 3D structures appropriate for tissue engineering. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of n-HA and $n-SiO_2$ incorporated PCEC-CS nanofibers on physical properties and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle and mechanical test were applied to evaluate the physicochemical properties of nanofibers. Cell adhesion and proliferation of hDPSCs and their osteoblastic differentiation on nanofibers were assessed using MTT assay, DAPI staining, alizarin red S staining, and QRT-PCR assay. RESULTS: All the samples demonstrated bead-less morphologies with an average diameter in the range of 190-260 nm. The mechanical test studies showed that scaffolds incorporated with n-HA had a higher tensile strength than ones incorporated with $n-SiO_2$. While the hydrophilicity of $n-SiO_2$ incorporated PCEC-CS nanofibers was higher than that of samples enriched with n-HA. Cell adhesion and proliferation studies showed that n-HA incorporated nanofibers were slightly superior to $n-SiO_2$ incorporated ones. Alizarin red S staining and QRT-PCR analysis confirmed the osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs on PCEC-CS nanofibers incorporated with n-HA and $n-SiO_2$. CONCLUSION: Compared to other groups, PCEC-CS nanofibers incorporated with 15 wt% n-HA were able to support more cell adhesion and differentiation, thus are better candidates for bone tissue engineering applications.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.510-522
• /
• 2005

To assess the clinical applicability of bio-artificial mucosa which was made with autologous oral keratinocytes and human acellular dermal matrix, the formation of basement membrane and stratification of oral keratinocytes were evaluated. Six New Zealand white rabbits (around 2kg in weight) were anesthetized and its buccal mucosa was harvested (1.0 $\times$ 0.5cm size). Oral keratinicytes were extracted and cultured primarily with the feeder layer of pretreated NIH J2 3T3 fibroblast. These confluent cells were innoculated on the human acellular dermal matrix and cultured in multiple layer by air-rafting method. After 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 days of culture, each cultured bio-artificial mucosa was investigated the number of epthelial layer of by H&E stain and toluidine blue stain. The immuhohistochemical methods were used to evaluate the cell division capacity, the formation of basement membrane, and it's property of specific cells (PCNA, cytokeratin 14, laminin). Transmission electromicroscopy was used for the attachment between cells and matrix with the number of hemidesmosome. In result, the numbers of layer of stratified growth of oral keratinocyte cultured on the human acellular dermal matrix and the number of hemidesomal attachment between epithelial cells and human acellular dermal matrix were similar to the layers of normal oral mucosa after 10 days of culture. The cell division rate, basement membrane formation and proliferation rate increased as culture period increased. With these results, bio-artificial mucosa with autologous oral epithelial cells cultured on the acellular dermal matrix had clinically adaptable properties after 10 days' culture and this new bio-artificial mucosa model with relatively short culture time can be expected clinical applicability.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2022

Objectives: Bee venom (BV) is a widely used therapy in Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM). We previously reported that BV was clinically effective for treating Parkinson's disease, that phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) was the main component of BV, and that it induced regulatory T cells (Tregs) by binding CD206 on dendritic cells (DCs). Therefore, we aimed to reconfirm our findings in human blood samples and investigate the relationship between CD206⁺ DCs and clinical syndrome differentiation in TEAM. Methods: We surveyed 100 subjects with questionnaires on cold-heat patternization and obtained their blood samples. The obtained human peripheral blood monocytes (hPBMCs) were washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). After resuspension with ex vivo media, numbers of cells were counted. Tregs were counted after culturing the samples in a 37℃ CO₂ incubator for 72 h. Results: We divided the subjects into a relatively high CD206⁺ group or a relatively low CD206⁺ group. The heat factor scores of high CD206⁺ group were significantly higher than that of low CD206⁺ group (high vs low: 239.2 ± 54.1 vs 208.4 ± 55.1, p=0.023). After culturing with PLA₂, Tregs increased in the high CD206⁺ group but decreased in the low CD206⁺ group. Conclusion: In this study, we reconfirm that CD206⁺ DCs induced Treg differentiation by incubating human blood samples with PLA₂ and that they showed an association with syndrome differentiation, especially with heat patterns, in TEAM. A heat pattern in TEAM might be one indication for PLA₂ therapy because its score was elevated in the high CD206⁺ group.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.117-124
• /
• 2005

Before twentieth centuries and during early twentieth centuries, communicable diseases were the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Korea. But reliable data are not available. After 1975, the overall morbidity and mortality from communicable diseases, rapidly declined. Recently many new pathogenic microbes were recognized: L. monocytogenes, Hantaan virus, Y. pseudotuberculosis, P. multocida, L. pneumophilia, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), G. seoi, H. capsulatum, C. burnetii, V. cholerae O139, C. parvum, F. tularensis, E. coli O157:H7, B. burgdorferi, S. Typhimurium DT104, Rotavirus, hepatitis C virus and so on. Since the first HIV infection recognized in 1985, the reported cases of infection and deaths from HIV/AIDS have been steady increased each year. Legionnaire's disease, E. coli O157:H7 colitis, listeriosis and crytosporidiasis have been occurring just sporadically among immunocompromized cases. Many re-emerging communicable diseases were occurred in Korea: leptospirosis, malaria, endemic typhus, cholera, tsutsugamushi disease, salmonellosis, hepatitis A, shigellosis, mumps, measles, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, brucellosis and so on. Leptospirosis and tsutsugamushi diseases have been noticed as major public health problems since 1980s. The malaria that had been virtually disappeared for a decade has reappeared from 1993 with striking increase of patients in recent 3-4 years. The distributions of salmonella and shigella serotypes have been changed a lot in recent few decades. Furthermore rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains induces more difficult and complex problems in control of communicable diseases. We must recognize on the importance of environment and ecosystem conservation and careful prescription of anti-microbial agent in order to prevent communicable diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.210-216
• /
• 1995

Partially purified water-soluble extract mixture from Ricini and Coptidis (named as RIC) showed to be a potent inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) replication. RIC was evaluated for in vitro anti-HIV activity using SupTl and H9 cells infected by a recombinant virus (pSVCAT) containing chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene substituted for nef gene in the HIV-1 genome. RIC inhibited syncytiaformation of SupTl cells with a half maximal effective concentration, $IC_{50}$/, of 2.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mι and showed marked inhibition of CAT activity in the infected H9 cells and also suppressed reverse transcriptase (RT) activity in the supernatant of the infected H9 culture. However, RIC did not inhibit the activity of reverse transcriptase directly when it was mixed with the enzyme or with viral particles. Berberine, one of components of RIC, also showed similar anti-HIV activity as RIC did. The data suggest that there are active ingredients which mediate anti-HIV activity in RIC.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2008

The efficient soluble expression of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) was achieved by using functional fusion partners in cytoplasm and periplasm of Escherichia coli (E. coli). hEGF was over-expressed in inactive inclusion body form in cytoplasm of E. coli due to improper disulfide bond formation and hydrophobic interaction, yielding about 5.9 mg/L in flask culture. Six functional fusion partners were introduced by linking to N-terminal part of hEGF gene for the high-level expression of soluble and active hEGF in cytoplasm and peri plasm region. Three fusion partners for cytoplasmic expression such as acidic tail of synuclein (ATS), thioredoxin (Trx) and lipase, and three fusion partners for periplasmic expression such as periplasmic cystein oxidoreductases (DsbA and DsbC) and maltose binding protein (MBP) were investigated. hEGF fused with ATS and DsbA showed over 90% of solubility in cytoplasm and periplasm, respectively. Especially DsbA was found to be an efficient fusion partner for soluble and high-level expression of hEGF, yielding about 18.1 mg/L and three-fold higher level compared to that of insoluble non-fusion hEGF in cytoplasm. Thus, heterologous proteins containing complex disulfide bond and many hydrophobic amino acids can effectively be produced as an active form in E. coli by introducing a suitable peptide or protein.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.35-41
• /
• 1981

The radioimmunoassay of human thyrtropin was performed in various thyroid diseases, using the antin-h-TSH antibody (Daiichi, Japan) and purified h-TSH(Biodata, Italy). $^{125}I$ labelling of h-TSH was performed using a small amount $(1.8{\mu}g)$ of chloramin-T as an oxidant at room temperature. This new method facilitated uniform labelling and reduced to damage of h-TSH by chloramin-T, and satisfactory radioimmunoasasy results were obtained with $^{125}I-TSH$ prepared by the new method until at least 7 weeks after preparation, The assay sensitivity was $1.0{\mu}u/ml$. The coefficient of variances in within assay and interrun assay were all less than 10% among the range of $1.25{\mu}u/ml$ and $160{\mu}u/ml$. The serum TSH values by this new method were colsely related to those by commercial kit (r= 0.996).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.566-572
• /
• 1997

A major obstacles to evaluation of newly-developed treatment strategy for human lung cancer has been the lack of appropriate experimental animal models. We describe a new experimental model of orthotopically-developed non-small cell lung cancer in nude rat, involving inoculation of tumor cell suspension by thoracotomy. Over 40 direct implantation to the periphery of the lung has been performed to date, each requiring less than'1 hour for completion. This model has been used to perform a series of experiments to investigate whether the rat lung and surrounding structures trapped tumor cells with 2 different non-small cell lung cancer cell lines(NCI-H46O and NCI-H1299). Every animal showed development of tumor masses, which were loculated at the periphery of the lung karenchyma and identified also by radiography. After 3 weetu of the inoculation, tumor develop meat at the mediastinal strutures were identified. The life expectancies of the victims were different between the cell lines, but were approximately 5 weeks when NCI-H46O cell line was used. This new orthotopic lung cancer model may be facilitate future studies of the new therapeutics of localized non-small cell lung cancer .