• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.275-286
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• 2023

Cancer immunotherapy has been acknowledged as a new paradigm for cancer treatment, with notable therapeutic effects on certain cancer types. Despite their significant potential, clinical studies over the past decade have revealed that cancer immunotherapy has low response rates in the majority of solid tumors. One of the key causes for poor responses is known to be the relatively low immunogenicity of solid tumors. Because most solid tumors are immune desert 'cold tumors' with antitumor immunity blocked from the onset of innate immunity, combination therapies that combine validated T-based therapies with approaches that can increase tumor-immunogenicity are being considered as relevant therapeutic options. This review paper focuses on immunogenic cell death (ICD) as a way of enhancing immunogenicity in tumor tissues. We will thoroughly review how ICDs such as necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis can improve anti-tumor immunity and outline clinical trials targeting ICD. Finally, we will discuss the potential of ICD inducers as an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2021

Objectives: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an easily recurrent inflammatory skin disease. Since AD has complex pathology, people have been investigating it on different aspects with various experimental models. One of them is in vivo model which has spontaneously developed AD-like skin lesions by various inducers. Methods: In this study, two kinds of mouse species were applied in the experiment; BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. We compared features among the animal species making AD mouse model with protein allergen, ovalbumin. AD-like skin lesions were induced by ovalbumin on two kinds of scheme and were evaluated with the histological results and size of spleen which is a critical immunological organ. Also, we measured the level of immunoglobulin E in serum. In addition, we investigated the results of ovalbumin induced-AD-like skin lesions along with obesity. Results and Conclusion: We evaluated weight of organs and thickness of epidermis. These results suggest the possibility of the appropriate in vivo experimental model for AD or the comorbidity with obesity.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.6-10
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• 2018

The importance of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling in gastric carcinogenesis was firmly evaluated in the previous studies. Fully activated STAT3 induces various target genes involving tumor invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and mediates interaction between cancer cells and microenvironmental immune cells. Thus, suppression of STAT3 activity is an important issue for inhibition of gastric carcinogenesis and invasion. Unfortunately, data from clinical studies of direct inhibitor targeting STAT3 have been disappointing. SH2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP-1) effectively dephosphorylates and inhibits STAT3 activity, which has not been extensively studied gastric cancer research field. However, by summarizing recent data, it is evident that protein and gene expression of SHP-1 are minimal in gastric cancer cells, and induction of SHP-1 effectively downregulates phosphorylated STAT3 and inhibits cellular invasion in gastric cancer cells. Several SHP-1 inducers have been investigated in the experimental studies, including proton pump inhibitor, arsenic trioxide, and other natural compounds. Taken together, we suggest that modulation of SHP-1/STAT3 signaling axis may present a new way for treatment of gastric cancer, and development of effective SHP-1 inducer may be an important task in the future search field of gastric cancer.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.451-455
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• 1997

The effects of nalidixic acid, mitomycin C, and cadmium chloride $(CdCI_2)$ on the activity of 8-hydroxyguanine $(oh^8Gua)$ endonuclease, a DNA repair enzyme for oxidatively modified guanine, $(oh^8Gua$ were studied. Nalidixic acid and mitomycin C, typical inducers of the S0S DNA repair response in E. coli, showed different effects. Nalidixic acid raised the activity of this enzyme, but mitomycin C did not show such an effect. Cadmium chloride also induced the enzyme activity, These results show that the expression of $oh^8$ Gua endonuclease is regulated by multiple factors and can be induced under stressful conditions. In an attempt to demonstrate the importance of this enzyme in defense against DNA damage and mutagenesis, we also characterized mutM mutant for its oh8 Gua endonuclease activity. The mutM mutant showed no detectable $oh^8$ Gua endonuclease activity, unlike its wild type showing high activity. In addition, paraquat, a superoxide producing compound, failed to elevate $oh^8Gua$ endonuclease activity in this mutant. These results suggest that the mutM gene is identical to the $oh^8Gua$ endonuclease gene of E. coli. Taken together with previous reports, these results suggest that $oh^8Gua$ endonuclease plays a crucial role in the protection of aerobically growing organisms from threats of oxidative DNA damage and mutation.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2001

Background: The human mic2 gene is a pseudoautosomal gene that encodes a cell surface antigen, CD99. High levels of CD99 constitute a tumor marker in Ewing s sarcoma (ES). We have recently demonstrated that CD99-induced apoptosis occurs only in undifferentiated ES cells, not in differentiated ES cells, raising the possibility of the involvement of CD99 in neural ontogeny. Methods: To elucidate the relations between the expression of CD99 and the differentiation of neural cells and the mechanism by which the expression of CD99 is regulated, we analyzed the differential patterns of CD99 expression in SH-SY5Y by treatment of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA) and retinoic acid. In addition, to explore the transcriptional activity of CD 99 during neural cell differentiation, SH-SY5Y cells were transiently transfected with a CD99 promoter-driven luciferase construct, and treated with the inducers. Results: In immunoblotting and flow cytometry, the expression level of CD99 was increased on differentiated SH-SY5Y cells induced by TPA and retinoic acid. The luciferase activity was elevated by the treatment with TPA, known to mature SH-SY5Y cells toward a sympathetic neuronal lineage, whereas retinoic acid inducing a sympathetic chromaffin lineage displayed little effect. Conclusion: The result indicates that CD99 might be expressed only on cells maturing toward a neuronal lineage among differentiating primitive neuronal cells. In addition, the expression of CD99 seems to be regulated at the transcriptional level during the differentiation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.18-29
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• 2015

The purposes of this research and development are as follows: first, to provide pleasant driving environments inside tunnels; second, to improve the current illumination environments lacking in diffusion luminance meters to meet tunnel lighting standards; and, third, to reduce the consumption of tunnel lighting energy accounting for approximately 65% of tunnel maintenance costs because of inadequate visual environments and tunnel operations. Further details are listed below. Firstly, an image luminance meter for tunnels that can implement the L20-method which is a tunnel luminance method that follows the international standards of CIE88, which was developed in order to improve and change the existing illumination-based tunnel lighting operation system to a luminance-based system. (The margin of error of below 5% according to the results of a test by an authorized agency and field test). Secondly, early illumination control is possible since the lighting control system that can be operated based on luminance enables interlocking control of the inside and outside of a tunnel using ethernet communication. Thirdly, guidelines for field application of the system are proposed. In addition, the luminance inducers of tunnels are found and the reflexibility of each facility that may reduce luminance of the boundaries is also proposed. Fourthly, as a result of a test bed, power consumption of luminance-based lighting operations decreased by 15.6% compared to illumination-based operations. Applying the feedback controls and maintenance factors of internal/external luminance meters, it reduced by 36.4%. Therefore, we became able to provide a luminance-based lighting operation system that complies with tunnel lighting design standards and provides a visual environment for drivers.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 1993

The possible tumor-promoting activities of sodium chloride (NaCl) and dimethyl itaconate (DMI), one of the quinone reductase inducers, were examined on stomach of male Wistar rats treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Administrations of NaCl and DMI after the initiation by MNNG resulted in various sized masses in the rat forestomach. Histopathologic studies showed that the combination of NaCl and DMI made an enhancing effect on the MNNG-induced carcinogenesis, resulting in papilloma in 5 weeks and squamous cell carcinoma in 20 weeks in submucosal area of forestomach. We also used an in vivo shortterm method for evaluating possible tumor-promoting activity with ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) as a marker. The markable inductions of the ODC activities by MNNG, NaCl, and DMI were found in the pyloric mucosa of rat stomach in time-dependent manners. A single administration of MNNG induced ODC activity up to 288 pmol $CO_2$/hr/mg protein at 24 hr after the administration. NaCl caused induction of ODC with a maximum of 179 pmol $CO_2$/hr/mg protein at 8 hr after the administration. ODC was induced up to 539 pmol $CO_2$/hr/mg protein at 16 hr after the administration of DMI. Additional treatment of NaCl and NaCl plus DMl caused 2 fold and 7 fold increases, respectively, in the ODC activity of the MNNG-alone group at 24 hr after the administration. These results suggest that NaCl and DMI have promoting activities in the rat gastric carcinogenesis initiated by MNNG.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.402-406
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• 2000

In order to understand the role of AGP on the differentiation of promyelocytic leukemia cells, the AGP expression and its relation to cytokines were investigated during granulocytic or monocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells. When HL-60 cells were treated with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) for 5 days, the cells were fully differentiated into granulocytes, and the AGP mRNA and protein levels were continuously increased up to 5 days in a dose- and time- dependent manner. However, in the case of the monocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells by tetradeanoyl phorbol acetate (TPA), the AGP gene expression was not induced. In addition, $IL-1{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNAs were also enhanced during granulocytic differentiation. These cytokine transcripts showed a peak level 3 days after the ATRA treatment. It decreased gradually thereafter. However, direct addition of recombinant cytokines ($IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$) and dexamethasone to the HL-60 cell cultures showed no AGP induction. These findings suggest that the AGP and proinflammatory cytokines are expressed in ATRA-treated promyelocytic cells. However, these cytokines do not act as autocrine inducers on AGP expression. This fact implies that the AGP expression during granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells is induced through a signal pathway different from hepatocyte signaling in inflammation.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.253-259
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• 2019

Objectives: It is reported that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) contribute to cancer progression by promoting tumor growth and metastasis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different fractions of Adenophora triphylla var. japonica (AT) on the polarization of macrophages into the M2 phenotype, a major phenotype of TAMs. Methods: We isolated hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions from crude ethanol extract of AT. The cytotoxicity of AT in RAW264.7 cells was examined by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RAW264.7 cells were polarized into the M2 phenotype by treatment with interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. The expression of M2 macrophage marker genes was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The phosphorylation level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) was investigated by western blot analysis. The migration of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells was examined by transwell migration assay using conditioned media (CM) collected from RAW264.7 cells as a chemoattractant. Results: Among various fractions of AT, the ethyl acetate fraction of AT (EAT) showed the most significant suppressive effect on the mRNA expression of M2 macrophage markers, including arginase-1, interleukin (IL)-10 and mannose receptor C type 1 (MRC-1), up-regulated by treatment of IL-4 and IL-13. In addition, EAT suppressed the phosphorylation of STAT6, a critical regulator of IL-4 and IL-13-induced M2 macrophage polarization. Finally, the increased migration of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells by CM from M2-polarized RAW264.7 cells was reduced by CM from RAW264.7 cells co-treated with EAT and M2 polarization inducers. Conclusion: We demonstrated that EAT attenuated cancer cell migration through suppression of macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype. Additional preclinical or clinical researches are needed to evaluate its regulatory effects on macrophage polarization and anti-cancer activities.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.463-475
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• 2018

Salinity and extreme temperature stresses affect growth and productivity of crops negatively. Beneficial bacteria, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) induce growth promotion and tolerance of plants under abiotic stress conditions. In the present study, 20 strains were selected from 1944 isolated bacteria based on three plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity, phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid production, and growth ability under salinity and extreme temperature stress conditions. Seven among the 20 strains were selected based on growth-promoting effects on plants under saline or temperature stresses in tomato plants. It was expected that the seven strains could induce tolerance of tomato plants under salinity or extreme temperature stresses, which implies that these seven strains can act as potential inducers of multiple stresses tolerance in tomato plants.