• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.215-223
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• 2012

Recently it has been reported that immunization with heat-killed tumor cells (HK vaccine) induces anti-tumor immune responses in mice. To investigate how HKvaccine elicits anti-tumor specific adaptive immunity, we examined the effect of HK vaccination on innate immune cells such as dendritic cells (DCs), which are essential for the generation of adaptive immunity. Upon stimulation with HK vaccine, DCs matured to promote not only the upregulation of co-stimulatory molecules but also secretion of cytokine IL12. Furthermore, HK vaccine-treated DCs migrated more efficiently to draining lymph nodes compared with untreated ones. Taken together, HK vaccine can be useful as an adjuvant to activate DCs for anti-tumor immune responses.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2019

Cells must fine-tune their gene expression programs for optimal cellular activities in their natural growth conditions. Transcriptional memory, a unique transcriptional response, plays a pivotal role in faster reactivation of genes upon environmental changes, and is facilitated if genes were previously in an active state. Hyper-activation of gene expression by transcriptional memory is critical for cellular differentiation, development, and adaptation. TREM (Transcriptional REpression Memory), a distinct type of transcriptional memory, promoting hyper-repression of unnecessary genes, upon environmental changes has been recently reported. These two transcriptional responses may optimize specific gene expression patterns, in rapidly changing environments. Emerging evidence suggests that they are also critical for immune responses. In addition to memory B and T cells, innate immune cells are transcriptionally hyperactivated by restimulation, with the same or different pathogens known as trained immunity. In this review, we briefly summarize recent progress in chromatin-based regulation of transcriptional memory, and its potential role in immune responses.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2021

Traditional medicinal practices have used natural products such as adaptogens to treat inflammatory, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, bacterial, and viral diseases since the early days of civilization. Panax ginseng Myer is a common herb used in East Asian countries for millennia, especially in Korea, China, and Japan. Numerous studies indicate that ginseng can modulate the immune system and thereby prevent diseases. Although the human immune system comprises many different types of cells, multiple studies suggest that each type of immune cell can be controlled or stimulated by ginseng or its derivatives. Provisional lists of ginseng's potential for use against viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms suggest it may prove to be a valuable pharmaceutical resource, particularly if higher-quality evidence can be found. Here, we reviewed the role of ginseng as an immune-modulating agent in attempt to provide a valuable starting point for future studies on the herb and the human immune system.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2022

Adiponectin (Ad), a 30 kDa molecule, is an anti-diabetic adipokine; although derived from adipose tissue, it performs numerous activities in various other tissues. It binds to its own receptors, namely adiponectin receptor 1(AdipoR1), adiponectin receptor 2 (AdipoR2), and T-cadherin (CDH13). Ad plays several roles, especially as a regulator. It modulates lipid and glucose metabolism and promotes insulin sensitivity. This demonstrates that Ad has a robust correlation with fat metabolism. Furthermore, although Ad is not in direct contact with other tissues, including the skin, it can be delivered to them by diffusion or secretion via the endocrine system. Recently it has been reported that Ad can impact skin cell biology, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic biomarker of skin diseases. In the present review, we have discussed the association between skin cell biology and Ad. To elaborate further, we described the involvement of Ad in the biology of various types of cells in the skin, such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes, and immune cells. Additionally, we postulated that Ad could be employed as a therapeutic target to maintain skin homeostasis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.20
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• 2020

IL-17 is produced by RAR-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt)-expressing cells including Th17 cells, subsets of γδT cells and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). The biological significance of IL-17-producing cells is well-studied in contexts of inflammation, autoimmunity and host defense against infection. While most of available studies in tumor immunity mainly focused on the role of T-bet-expressing cells, including cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells, and their exhaustion status, the role of IL-17-producing cells remains poorly understood. While IL-17-producing T-cells were shown to be anti-tumorigenic in adoptive T-cell therapy settings, mice deficient in type 17 genes suggest a protumorigenic potential of IL-17-producing cells. This review discusses the features of IL-17-producing cells, of both lymphocytic and myeloid origins, as well as their suggested pro- and/or anti-tumorigenic functions in an organ-dependent context. Potential therapeutic approaches targeting these cells in the tumor microenvironment will also be discussed.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.23-25
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• 2008

Serum complement proteins comprise an important system that is responsible for several innate and adaptive immune defence mechanisms. There were three well described pathways known to lead to the generation of a C3 convertase, which catalyses the proteolysis of complement component C3, and leads to the formation of C3 opsonins (C3b, iC3b and C3d) that fix to bacteria. A pivotal step in the complement pathway is the assembly of a C3 convertase, which digests the C3 complement component to form microbial-binding C3 fragments recognized by leukocytes. The spleen clears microorganisms from the blood. Individuals lacking this organ are more susceptible to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Innate resistance to S. pneumoniae has previously been shown to involve complement components C3 and C4, however this resistance has only a partial requirement for mediators of these three pathways, such as immunoglobulin, factor B and mannose-binding lectin. Therefore it was likely that spleen and complement system provide resistance against blood-borne S. pneumoniae infection through unknown mechanism. To better understand the mechanisms involved, we studied Specific intracellular adhesion molecule-grabbing nonintegrin (SIGN)-R1. SIGN-R1, is a C-type lectin that is expressed at high levels by spleen marginal-zone macrophages and lymph-node macrophages. SIGN-R1 has previously been shown to be the main receptor for bacterial dextrans, as well as for the capsular pneumococcal polysaccharide (CPS) of S. pneumoniae. We examined the specific role of this receptor in the activation of complement. Using a monoclonal antibody that selectively downregulates SIGN-R1 expression in vivo, we show that in response to S. pneumoniae or CPS, SIGN-R1 mediates the immediate proteolysis of C3 and fixation of C3 opsonins to S. pneumoniae or to marginal-zone macrophages that had taken up CPS. These data indicate that SIGN-R1 is largely responsible for the rapid C3 convertase formation induced by S. pneumoniae in the spleen of mice. Also, we found that SIGN-R1 directly binds C1q and that C3 fixation by SIGN-R1 requires C1q and C4 but not factor B or immunoglobulin. Traditionally C3 convertase can be formed by the classical C1q- and immunoglobulin-dependent pathway, the alternative factor-B-dependent pathway and the soluble mannose-binding lectin pathway. Furthermore Conditional SIGN-R1 knockout mice developed deficits in C3 catabolism when given S. pneumoniae or its capsular polysaccharide intravenously. There were marked reductions in proteolysis of serum C3, deposition of C3 on organisms within SIGN-$R1^+$ spleen macrophages, and formation of C3 ligands. The transmembrane lectin SIGN-R1 therefore contributes to innate resistance by an unusual C3 activation pathway. We propose that in the SIGN-R1 mediated complement activation pathway, after binding to polysaccharide, SIGN-R1 captures C1q. SIGN-R1 can then, in association with several other complement proteins including C4, lead to the formation of a C3 convertase and fixation of C3. Therefore, this new pathway for C3 fixation by SIGN-R1, which is unusual as it is a classical C1q-dependent pathway that does not require immuno globulin, contributes to innate immune resistance to certain encapsulated microorganisms.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Poultry Science Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.7-16
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• 2006

Poultry products including meat and eggs constitute a major protein source in the American diet and disease - causing pathogens represent major challenges to the poultry industry. More than 95 % of pathogens enter the host through the mucosal surfaces of the respiratory, digestive and reproductive tracts and over the past few decades, the two main mechanisms used to control diseases have been the use of vaccines and antibiotics. However, in the poultry industry, there are mounting concerns over the ability of current vaccines to adequately protect against emerging hyper - virulent strains of pathogens and a lack of suitable, cost effective adjuvants. Thorough investigation of the immunogenetic responses involved in host-pathogen interactions will lead to the development of new and effective strategies for improving poultry health, food safety and the economic viability of the US poultry industry. In this paper, I describe the development of immunogenomic and proteomic tools to fundamentally determine and characterize the immunological mechanisms of the avian host to economically significant mucosal pathogens such as Eimeria. Recent completion of poultry genome sequencing and the development of several tissue-specific cDNA libraries in chickens are facilitating the rapid application of functional immunogenomics in the poultry disease research. Furthermore, research involving functional genomics, immunology and bioinformatics is providing novel insights into the processes of disease and immunity to microbial pathogens at mucosal surfaces. In this presentation, a new strategy of global gene expression using avian macrophage (AMM) to characterize the multiple pathways related to the variable immune responses of the host to Eimeria is described. This functional immunogenomics approach will increase current understanding of how mucosal immunity to infectious agents operates, and how it may be enhanced to enable the rational development of new and effective strategies against coccidiosis and other mucosal pathogens.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.191-202
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• 2020

We evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of phytosterol on the growth, feed utilization, immunity, digestibility, wound healing ability and disease resistance of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. We conducted two consecutive feeding trials at different growth stages of the fish: EXP-1 (68.9 g) and EXP-2 (16.5 g). The experimental diets were supplemented with graded levels of phytosterol (1% ecdysteroid extracted from Achyranthis radix) at 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% (designated as Con, PHY0.025, PHY0.05, PHY0.1, PHY0.2 and PHY0.4, respectively). Dietary phytosterol did not significantly affect growth and cholesterol concentration. Feed utilization was higher in fish fed phytosterol-supplemented diets than in fish fed the control diet. Dietary phytosterol increased innate immunity and digestibility of protein and dry matter. Wound healing ability was also increased by the phytosterol supplementation. The survival against Edwardsiella tarda challenge was higher in fish fed low-phytosterol diets than in fish fed the control diet. The optimum dietary level of phytosterol seems to be approximately 0.05%. The results in this study indicate that the phytosterol could be used as a functional supplement in diets to improve feed utilization, immunity, digestibility and wound healing ability of olive flounder.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.638-649
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• 2016

In the previous study, the rhizome mixture of Anemarrhena asphodeloides and Coptis chinensis (DW2007), improved TNBS-, oxazolone-, or DSS-induced colitis in mice by regulating macrophage activation. Therefore, to understand the effect of DW2007 on the T cell differentiation involved in the adaptive immunity, we measured its effect on both Th17 and Treg cell differentiation in splenocytes, in the lamina propria of mice with DSS-induced colitis (DIC), and in the spleens of mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Results showed that DW2007 potently inhibited the differentiation of splenocytes into Th17 cells, but increased Treg cell differentiation in vitro. In the colon of wild type and $TLR4^{-/-}$ mice with DIC, DW2007 potently suppressed DSS-induced colon shortening and myeloperoxidase activity. DW2007 also suppressed collagen-induced paw thickening, clinical index, and myeloperoxidase activity in CIA mice. Overall, DW2007 potently suppressed Th17 cell differentiation in mice with CIA and DIC, but increased Treg cell differentiation. Moreover, DW2007 strongly inhibited the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$, as well as the activation of NF-${\kappa}B$. Based on these findings, DW2007 may ameliorate inflammatory diseases by regulating the innate immunity via the inhibition of macrophage activation and the adaptive immunity via the correction of disturbed Th17/Treg cells.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.300-308
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• 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the utilization of low fish meal (LFM) diet and black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens meal supplementation in LFM diet as a fish meal (FM) replacer or functional additive for juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Three LFM diets were prepared to contain 30, 25, and 20% FM, respectively (designated as F30, F25, and F20). Three BSF diets were prepared by adding 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0% BSF in the LFM diets, respectively (designated as F30B2.0, F25B2.5, and F20B3.0). A total of 540 fish (initial mean body weight: 22.3±0.01g) were randomly distributed into 18 tanks (240 L) in triplicate groups and fed the experimental diets twice daily for 12 weeks. Results showed that there were no significant differences in the growth performance, feed utilization and survival among all the groups. Lysozyme activity significantly increased in F30B2.0 and F25B2.5 groups compared to their respective LFM groups. Total immunoglobulin was significantly higher in F30 group than in F20 group. Anti-protease and myeloperoxidase activities were significantly higher in F30B2.0 group than in F20 group. Innate immunity gradually decreased with decreasing FM level in all the groups. BSF supplementation significantly improved immunity compared to their respective LFM diets. Therefore, BSF could be used as an immuno-stimulant supplement in LFM diets for P. olivaceus.