• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.39-53
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• 2022

Ginsenoside Rb₁ (Rb₁), one of the most important ingredients in Panax ginseng Meyer, has been confirmed to have favorable activities, including reducing antioxidative stress, inhibiting inflammation, regulating cell autophagy and apoptosis, affecting sugar and lipid metabolism, and regulating various cytokines. This study reviewed the recent progress on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Rb₁ against cardiovascular and nervous system diseases, diabetes, and their complications, especially those related to neurodegenerative diseases, myocardial ischemia, hypoxia injury, and traumatic brain injury. This review retrieved articles from PubMed and Web of Science that were published from 2015 to 2020. The molecular targets or pathways of the effects of Rb₁ on these diseases are referring to HMGB1, GLUT4, 11β-HSD1, ERK, Akt, Notch, NF-κB, MAPK, PPAR-γ, TGF-β1/Smad pathway, PI3K/mTOR pathway, Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, Nrf2/ARE pathway, and MAPK/NF-κB pathway. The potential effects of Rb₁ and its possible mechanisms against diseases were further predicted via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and disease ontology semantic and enrichment (DOSE) analyses with the reported targets. This study provides insights into the therapeutic effects of Rb₁ and its mechanisms against diseases, which is expected to help in promoting the drug development of Rb₁ and its clinical applications.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.246-254
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• 2023

Background: Here, we aimed to assess the inhibitory effect of a new compound from Panax ginseng on the migration of human ovarian cancer cells and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: A new compound, ginsenglactone A (1), was isolated from ginseng roots, together with seven known compounds (2-8). Spectroscopic data were used to elucidate the chemical structure of 1. The tubular structure formation in HUVECs was assessed by Mayer's hematoxylin staining. The migration of A2780 cells was evaluated using the scratch wound healing assay. Results: HUVECs treated with 1 had the statistically significant decrease in tubular structure formation compared to the HUVECs treated with compounds 2-8. This effect was enhanced by co-treatment with inhibitors for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) (LY294002) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) (U0126). Treatment with 1 decreased the expression of phosphorylation of ERK, PI3K, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor2 (VEGFR2), Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In addition, the ability of A2780 cells to cover the scratched area were also decreased. This effect was enhanced by co-treatment with U0126. Lastly, treatment with 1 decreased the phosphorylation of ERK, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and MMP-2. Conclusion: These results suggest that ginsenglactone A is a potential inhibitor of HUVEC tubular structure formation and A2780 cellular migration, which may be helpful for understanding its anticancer mechanism.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.112-121
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• 2022

Calorie restriction (CR) and the activation of autophagy extend healthspan by delaying the onset of age-associated diseases in most living organisms. Because protein kinase CK2 (CK2) downregulation induces cellular senescence and nematode aging, we investigated CK2's role in CR and autophagy. This study indicated that CR upregulated CK2's expression, thereby causing SIRT1 and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. CK2α overexpression, including antisense inhibitors of miR-186, miR-216b, miR-337-3p, and miR-760, stimulated autophagy initiation and nucleation markers (increase in ATG5, ATG7, LC3BII, beclin-1, and Ulk1, and decrease in SQSTM1/p62). The SIRT1 deacetylase, AKT, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), AMPK, and forkhead homeobox type O (FoxO) 3a were involved in CK2-mediated autophagy. The treatment with the AKT inhibitor triciribine, the AMPK activator AICAR, or the SIRT1 activator resveratrol rescued a reduction in the expression of lgg-1 (the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of LC3B), bec1 (the C. elegans ortholog of beclin-1), and unc-51 (the C. elegans ortholog of Ulk1), mediated by kin-10 (the C. elegans ortholog of CK2β) knockdown in nematodes. Thus, this study indicated that CK2 acted as a positive regulator in CR and autophagy, thereby suggesting that these four miRs' antisense inhibitors can be used as CR mimetics or autophagy inducers.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.202-210
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• 2020

Fluoxetine is used widely as an antidepressant for the treatment of cancer-related depression, but has been reported to also have anti-cancer activity. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of fluoxetine to human gastric adenocarcinoma cells; as shown by the MTT assay, fluoxetine induced cell death. Subsequently, cells were treated with 10 or 20 µM fluoxetine for 24 h and analyzed. Apoptosis was confirmed by the increased number of early apoptotic cells, shown by Annexin V- propidium iodide staining. Nuclear condensation was visualized by DAPI staining. A significant increase in the expression of cleaved PARP was observed by western blotting. The pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK was used to detect the extent of caspase-dependent cell death. The induction of autophagy was determined by the formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs), which was visualized by acridine orange staining, and the increased expression of autophagy markers, such as LC3B, Beclin 1, and p62/SQSTM 1, observed by western blotting. The expression of upstream proteins, such as p-Akt and p-mTOR, were decreased. Autophagic degradation was evaluated by using bafilomycin, an inhibitor of late-stage autophagy. Bafilomycin did not significantly enhance LC3B expression induced by fluoxetine, which suggested autophagic degradation was impaired. In addition, the co-administration of the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine and fluoxetine significantly increased fluoxetine-induced apoptosis, with decreased p-Akt and markedly increased death receptor 4 and 5 expression. Our results suggested that fluoxetine simultaneously induced both protective autophagy and apoptosis and that the inhibition of autophagy enhanced fluoxetine-induced apoptosis through increased death receptor expression.

• 한국유가공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.41-61
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• 1997

젖산균의 유전자 연구를 촉진하기 위해 간단하고 신속한 plasmid DNA의 분리방법과 electro-poration을 이용하여 vector plasmid의 간단하고 신속한 전이방법을 얻기 위해 젖산균의 형질전환에 영향하는 요인에 대하여 연구하였으며 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 1. O'Sullivan과 Klaenhammer의 방법을 개선하여 젖산균 plasmid DNA의 분리에 좋은 결과를 얻을 수 있는 신속하고 쉬운 방법을 고안하였으며, genomic DNA 분리에 이용되는 guanidium thio-cyanate 처리방법을 plasmid의 분리에 적용할 수 있었다. 2. L. casei, L. acidophilus. L. delbruekii var. bulgaricus. L. brevis와 L. plantarum 균주에서 plasmid를 확인하였으며, 돼지 분에서 분리된 L. lactis ssp. lactis. L. fermentum과 L. plantarum에서도 plasmid를 분리 확인하였다. 3. Lactococci의 plasmid분리는 lactobacilli와는 달리 mutanolysin의 처리없이도 잘 되었으며, L. lactis ssp. lactis와 Ent. faecalis에서 plasmid를 확인하였다. 4. E. coli plasimd 분리에 이용되는 MPS membrane filter 방법으로 젖산균 plasmid pLZ12의 분리가 가능하였으나, 세포파편이 filter를 막아 사용에 어려움이 있는 것으로 확인되었다. 5. Plasmid 분리없이 electroporation을 이용한 세포 대 세포 전이법으로 간편하고 빠르게 E. coli DH5${\alpha}$에 E. coli Jm109의 plasmid pBX19, pBR322를 전이시켰다. 6. L. lactis ssp. lactis 균주에 lysozyme 처리시 30${\sim}$80%의 생존율을 보였으며, 대부분의 L. acidophilus 균주의 경우 약 70%의 생존율을 보였다. L. casei 102S의 경우는 45분간 처리 시에도 100%의 생존율을 보였다. 8. L. lactis ssp. lactis 균주에 pLZ12를 6.0kV에서 전이시킨 결과 12.5kV에서보다 형질전환 효율이 훨씬 높았으며 lysozyme 처리에 의해 형질전환 효율이 증가되었다. 9. L. acidophilus 균주에 pLZ12를 전이시 6.0kV에서는 전이가 모두 이루어졌으나, 12.5kV에서는 L. acidophilus WIESBY와 NCFM에서 전이가 이루어지지 않았으며, lysozyme 처리 후 pLZ12를 전이시켰을 때 12kV보다 6.0kV에서 형질전환 효율이 증가되었다. 10. Gene Pulser와 Progenitor II를 사용하여 pLZ12를 L. lactis ssp. lactis 균주에 전이하였을 때 Gene Pulser에 비해 Progenitor II의 형질전환 효율이 현저히 떨어졌다. L. acidophilus HY7008과 HY7001은 두 기기 모두 형질전환이 이루어졌으나, L. acidophilus WEISBY와 NCFM은 Progeni-tor II에서 전이가 일어나지 않았으며, Gene Pulser에서 전이균주를 얻어 두 electroporator간에 형질전환 효율의 차이를 보였다. 11. L. casei 102S에 pLZ12를 electroporation시 낮은 전압에서 형질전환 효율이 비교적 좋았으며, 배양 시기를 달리하여 전이시켰을 때 대수생장 말기의 세포가 형질전환 효율이 좋았다. 12. L. casei 102S세포를 각각 10% glycerol, EB, 2차 증류수 등에 녹여 electroporation을 실시하였을 때 각각 $3.8{\times}10^3$, $5.0{\times}10^2$,1.5${\times}10^2$cfu의 형질전환 효율을 보였으며, 1.0mM HEPES, TE buffer를 사용하였을 때에는 전이가 이루어지지 않았다. 13. Plasmid pLZ12의 농도를 달리하여 electroporation을 하였을 때 형질전환 효율이 농도에 비례하여 증가하였다. 14. L. casei 102S에 대수생장 말기의 세포를 채취하여 10% glycerol, 200 Ohms, 25 ${\mu}$FD, 10kV/cm로 plasmid pLZ12를 electroporation할 때 최대 형질전환 효율인 3.8${\times}$10$^{3}$cfu를 얻었으며, lysozyme 처리가 다른 젖산균과는 달리 형질전환 효율을 증가시키지 못하였다. 15. L. casei 102S 세포를 10% glycerol과 EB에 녹여 -20$^{\circ}C$에서 냉동시킨 다음 1일과 7일 후의 세포를 electroporation한 결과 냉동시 세포에 손상을 주는 것으로 인식되었다.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.167-171
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• 2000

Analysis of Production of Thermostable Alkaline Protease using Thermoactinomyces sp. E79. Jung, Sang Won, Sung-Sik Park, Yong-Cheol Park" Tae Kwang Oh2, and Jin-Ho Seo*, Department of Food Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 441-744, Korea, 1lnterdisciplinary program [or Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Seoul National Univer5it}~ Seoul 151 "7421 Koreal 2Microbial Enzyme RU, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Po. Box 1151 Yusong, Taejon 305"6001 Korea - This research was undertaken to analyze fermentation properties of Thermoactinomyces sp. E79 for production of a thermostable alkaline protease, which is able to specifically hydrolyze defatted soybean meal (DSM) to amino acids. TIle optimum pH for cell growth and protease production was pH 6.7, Thermoactinomyces sp. E79 did not grow at pHlO Among carbon sources tested, soluble starch was the best for protease production, while glucose repressed protease production. Tryptone was found to be the best nitrogen source for cell growth and soytone was good tor protease production. Oxygen transfer rate played an important role in producing thermostable alkaline protease. Ma'<..imum values of 6.58 glL of dry cell weight and 43.0 UJmL of protease activity were obtained in a batch fermentation using a 2.5 L jar fermentor at 1.93 X 102 hr-l of volumetric oxygen transfer coeff'jcient (kLa). Addition of 200 mgIL humic acid to the growth medium resulted in 1.64 times higher protease activity and 1.77 times higher cell growth than the case without humic acid addition.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2015

Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that binds to the estrogen receptor (ER), and exhibits potent anti-tumor and autophagy-inducing effects in breast cancer cells. However, the mechanism of raloxifene-induced cell death and autophagy is not well-established. So, we analyzed mechanism underlying death and autophagy induced by raloxifene in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Treatment with raloxifene significantly induced death in MCF-7 cells. Raloxifene accumulated GFP-LC3 puncta and increased the level of autophagic marker proteins, such as LC3-II, BECN1, and ATG12-ATG5 conjugates, indicating activated autophagy. Raloxifene also increased autophagic flux indicators, the cleavage of GFP from GFP-LC3 and only red fluorescence-positive puncta in mRFP-GFP-LC3-expressing cells. An autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), suppressed the level of LC3-II and blocked the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta. Moreover, siRNA targeting BECN1 markedly reversed cell death and the level of LC3-II increased by raloxifene. Besides, raloxifene-induced cell death was not related to cleavage of caspases-7, -9, and PARP. These results indicate that raloxifene activates autophagy-dependent cell death but not apoptosis. Interestingly, raloxifene decreased the level of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and activated the AMPK/ULK1 pathway. However it was not suppressed the AKT/mTOR pathway. Addition of ATP decreased the phosphorylation of AMPK as well as the accumulation of LC3-II, finally attenuating raloxifene-induced cell death. Our current study demonstrates that raloxifene induces autophagy via the activation of AMPK by sensing decreases in ATP, and that the overactivation of autophagy promotes cell death and thereby mediates the anti-cancer effects of raloxifene in breast cancer cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.211-219
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• 2021

Alopecia is a distressing condition caused by the dysregulation of anagen, catagen, and telogen in the hair cycle. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) regulate the hair cycle and play important roles in hair growth and regeneration. Myristoleic acid (MA) increases Wnt reporter activity in DPCs. However, the action mechanisms of MA on the stimulation of anagen signaling in DPCs is not known. In this study, we evaluated the effects of MA on anagen-activating signaling pathways in DPCs. MA significantly increased DPC proliferation and stimulated the G2/M phase, accompanied by increasing cyclin A, Cdc2, and cyclin B1. To elucidate the mechanism by which MA promotes DPC proliferation, we evaluated the effect of MA on autophagy and intracellular pathways. MA induced autophagosome formation by decreasing the levels of the phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin (phospho-mTOR) and increasing autophagy-related 7 (Atg7) and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3II (LC3II). MA also increased the phosphorylation levels of Wnt/β-catenin proteins, such as GSK3β (Ser9) and β-catenin (Ser552 and Ser675). Treatment with XAV939, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, attenuated the MA-induced increase in β-catenin nuclear translocation. Moreover, XAV939 reduced MA-induced effects on cell cycle progression, autophagy, and DPC proliferation. On the other hand, MA increased the levels of phospho (Thr202/Tyr204)-extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK). MA-induced ERK phosphorylation led to changes in the expression levels of Cdc2, Atg7 and LC3II, as well as DPC proliferation. Our results suggest that MA promotes anagen signaling via autophagy and cell cycle progression by activating the Wnt/β-catenin and ERK pathways in DPCs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1811-1815
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• 2014

Background: In clinical trials with no upper age limit, the proportion of older patients is usually small, probably reflecting the more conservative approach adopted by clinicians when treating the elderly. An exploratory analysis of elderly patients in the RECORD-1 Trial showed that patients ${\geq}$ 65 y.o. had superior median PFS than overall RECORD-1 population (5.4 months and 4.9 months, respectively). We investigated the efficacy, relative benefit and safety of Everolimus (EVE) as sequential therapy after failure of VEGFr-TKI therapy for older patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC), in daily practice. Materials and Methods: 172 consecutive IRB approved patients with mRCC (median age 65, M:F 135/37, 78% clear cell) who received salvage EVE at 39 tertiary institutions between October 2009 and August 2011 were included in this analysis. Some 31% had progressed on sunitinib, 22% on sorafenib, 1% on axitinib, 41% on sequential therapy, and 5% had received other therapy. Patients with brain metastases were not included and 95% of the patients had a ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status (PS) of 0 or 1. Previous radiotherapy was an exclusion criterion, but prior chemotherapy was permitted. Adequate organ function and hematologic parameters were mandatory. EVE administration was approved by the institutional review board at each participating institution and signed informed consent was obtained from all patients. Results: Median time of the whole cohort to last follow-up was 3.5 months (range 0.4-15.2 months). Forty four percent were continuing to take EVE at last followup. There were 86 (50%) patients ${\geq}$ 65 y.o. and 86 (50%) <65 y.o. The percentage of patients who showed PR/SD was higher in the older group than in the younger one (5.9%/61.2% vs 1.2%/46.5%, respectively). Median survival of older patients was also significantly longer (3.5 +/- 0.31 vs 3.1 +/- 0.34, hazard ratio=0.45, CI; 0.255-0.802). Analysis using Cox regression model adjusted for gender, PS, number of metastases, site of metastases, histology, smoking history and age detected an association between age and PFS (p=0.011). The frequency of adverse events in elderly patients treated with EVE was no greater than that in younger patients, although such toxicity may have had a greater impact on their quality of life. Conclusions: Older patients should not generally be excluded from accepted therapies (mTOR inhibitors after failure of VEGFr-TKI therapy) for mRCC.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.442-450
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• 1997

The chemical properties of water masses were investigated at 33 stations of the southeastern last Sea in February, 1995 on board R/V Tam-Yang. The water masses were not clearly distinguished due to the vortical mixing in winter. However, on the basis of the T-S and $T-O_2$ diagrams, water masses in the study area were divided into five groups (Type I, Type II, Type III, Type IV, Type V). (1) $>9.0^{\circ}C,\;>34.35\;psu,\;5.08\~5.60m\ell/\ell$ at Type I, (2) $6.0\~9.0^{\circ}C,\;34.15\~34.35\;psu,\;5.60\~5.90\;m\ell/\ell$ at Type II, (3) $4.0\~6.0^{\circ}C,\;34.00\~34.15\;psu,\;>5.90m\ell/\ell$ at Type III, (4) $1.5\~4.0^{\circ}C,\;34.00\~34.05\;psu,\;5.40\~5.90\;m\ell/\ell$ at Type IV, (5) $<1.5^{\circ}C,\;34.05\~34.07\;psu,\;4.80\~5.40\;m\ell/\ell$ at Type V. In the vertical profiles of nutrients, the concentrations were very low in the surface layer and increased rapidly with depth. The highest concentrations occurred in Type IV, while the concentrations in Type I were the lowest. The N/P ratios were less than Redfield ratio, indicating that nitrogenous nutrients were the limiting factor tor phytoplankton growth. The concentrations of POC and PON were in the range of $0.49\~20.03\;{\mu}g-at/\ell\;and\;0.09\~5.34\;{\mu}g-at/\ell$, respectively. The relatively high concentration occured in the surface layer of inner shore, showing that the concentration at each water mass followed the order Type I > Type II > Type III > Type IV > Type V, respectively. The C:N ratio in particulate organic matter was lower than the values reported in other region due to relatively high concentrations of PON in the study area. Relatively high ratios of POC to chlorophyll $\alpha$ during the study periods indicate that non-living detritus comparised most of the POC in the study area.