• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.867-873
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• 2015

1,4-Dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA), a precursor of menaquinone (vitamin K2), has an effect on growth stimulation of bifidobacteria and prevention of osteoporosis, making it a promising functional food material. Therefore, we tried to clone the menB gene encoding DHNA synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides CJNU 0147. Based on the genome sequence of Leu. mesenteroides ATCC 8293 (GenBank accession no., CP000414), a primer set (Leu_menBfull_F and Leu_menBfull_R) was designed for the PCR amplification of menB gene of CJNU 0147. A DNA fragment (1,190 bp), including the menB gene, was amplified, cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector, and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of MenB (DHNA synthase) protein of CJNU 0147 had a 98% similarity to the corresponding protein of ATCC 8293. The menB gene was subcloned into pCW4, a lactic acid bacteria - E. coli shuttle vector, and transferred to CJNU 0147. The transcription of menB gene of CJNU 0147 (pCW4::menB) was increased, when compared with those of CJNU 0147 (pCW4) and CJNU 0147 (−). The DHNA was produced from it at a detectable level, indicating that the cloned menB gene of CJNU 0147 encoded a DHNA synthase which is responsible for the production of DHNA, resulting in an increase of bifidogenic growth stimulation activity.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 1997

Spermatogenesis is known to be regulated by a number of genes and several factors such as hormones, growth factors, cytokines and others. This study was done to evaluate the relationship between HSPs and DAZ genes in human spermatogenesis; we observed the expression pattern of HSP gene in azoospermia men with DAZ gene that regulated the gene expression related with human spermatogenesis. RT-PCR method was used to detect DAZ, HSP70A, and HSP70B transcripts in all RNA samples. Total RNA was extracted from 21 testis tissues using TRIZOL reagent. cDNAs were synthesized with reverse transcriptase, AMV. All PCR reaction were performed on a PCR themocycler with DAZ, HSP70A, and HSP70B-specific primers. Semen analysis, karyotyping and testis histology were performed. DAZ gene, known as a candidate gene of azoospermia factor(AZF), was deleted in 2 of 21 patients. To evaluate the only effects of HSPs in this patients, 2 DAZ deleted cases were removed. We observed the mRNA of HSP70B in 5 whereas none could be seen with regard to HSP70A. Furthermore, the sperm of these 5 men were discovered to be immature. In conclusion, HSP70B as well ad DAZ gene seem to be involved causing spermatogenic failure. We suggest that HSP70B plays an important role in spermatogenesis and it is one of factors induced sperm maturation in human.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2199-2202
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• 2015

The aim of the present study was to determine whether endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms play a role in development of bladder cancer in the Turkish population. The study was performed on 75 patients (64 men, 11 women) with bladder cancer and 143 healthy individuals (107 men, 36 women) with any kind of cancer history. Three eNOS gene polymorphisms (T-786C promoter region, G894T and intron 4 VNTR 4a/b) were determined with polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment lenght polymorphism methods. In our study, GT and TT genotypes for eNOS G894T polymorphism were found to significantly vary among patients with bladder cancer and control group (OR: 0.185, CI: 0.078-0.439, p=0.0001 and OR: 0.324, CI: 0.106-0.990, p=0.026). Also, the frequency of the 894T allele was significantly higher in patients with bladder cancer (51%). No association was identified for eNOS T-786C and intron 4 VNTR 4a/b polymorphisms between patients with bladder cancer and control groups in our Turkish population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1255-1262
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• 2014

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate any associations between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the VDR gene (FokI, BsmI, ApaI and Taq${\alpha}$I loci) and the CYP17 gene (MspA1I locus), as well as TA repeat polymorphism in SRD5A2 gene among Lebanese men. Materials and Methods: DNA extracted from blood of 68 subjects with confirmed BPH and 79 age-matched controls was subjected to PCR/PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The odds ra=tio (OR) of having a genotype and the relative risk (RR) of developing BPH for having the genotype were calculated and the alleles were designated risk-bearing or protective. Results: Our data indicated that the A and B alleles of the VDR ApaI and BsmI SNPs were highly associated with increased risk of BPH (p=0.0168 and 0.0002, respectively). Moreover, 63% of the controls compared to 43% of the subjects with BPH were homozygous for none of the risk-bearing alleles (p=0.0123) whereas 60% of the controls and 28% of the subjects with BPH were homozygous for two or more protective alleles (p<0.0001). Conclusions: For the first time, our study demonstrated that ApaI and BsmI of the VDR gene are associated with risk of BPH among Lebanese men. Our study also indicated that overall polymorphism profile of all the genes involved in prostate physiology could be a better predictor of BPH risk.

• Kosin Medical Journal
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.446-453
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• 2018

Pheochromocytomas might be sporadic or genetic. Genetic pheochromocytoma is associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A, MEN type 2B, and von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. RET mutations are identified in more than 90% of index cases of MEN2 and familial medullary thyroid cancer and in about 4-12% of apparent sporadic cases. Here, we report a 54-year-old man presenting with pheochromocytoma and renal cell carcinoma, who was identified as having a novel missense RET mutation.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.108-115
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• 2010

Hypertension is the most prevalent disease worldwide and is itself a risk factor for cerebral, cardiac, and renal diseases. The inconsistency of candidate genes suggested by previous genomewide association studies (GWASs) may be due to not only differences in study design and genetic or environmental background but also the difference in the power of analysis between continuous traits and discrete traits. We analyzed 352,228 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8842 unrelated Koreans obtained from Ansan and Ansung cohorts. We performed a series of GWA analyses using three different phenotype models; young hypertensive cases (278 subjects) versus elderly normotensive controls (680 subjects); the upper 25% (2211 hypertensive cases) versus the lower 25% of the SBP distribution (2211 hypotensive controls); and finally SBP and DBP as continuous traits (8842 subjects). The numbers of young hypertensive cases and elderly normotensive controls were not large enough to achieve genomewide significance. The model comparing the upper 25% subjects to the lower 25% of subjects showed a power that was approximate to that of QTL analysis. Two neighboring SNPs of the ATP2B1 gene, rs17249754 (SBP, p=$2.53^{-10}$; DBP, p=$1.28{\times}10^{-8}$) and rs7136259 (SBP, p=$1.30{\times}10^{-9}$; DBP, p=$6.41{\times}10^{-8}$), were associated with both SBP and DBP. Interestingly, a SNP of the RPL6 gene, rs11066280, revealed a significant genomewide association with SBP in men only (p=$3.85{\times}10^{-8}$), and four SNPs located near the MAN2A1 gene showed a strong association with DBP only in elderly men aged 60-70 years (e.g., rs6421827, p=$4.86{\times}10^{-8}$). However, we did not observe any gene variant attaining genomewide significance consistently in the three phenotype models except for the ATP2B1 gene variants. In general, the association signal with blood pressure was stronger in women than in men. Genes identified in GWASs are expected to open the way for prevention, early diagnosis, and personalized treatment of hypertension.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1997.11a
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• pp.50.2-51
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• 1997

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.883-898
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Probiotics have been suggested as potent modulators of age-related disorders in immunological functions, yet little is known about sex-dependent effects of probiotic supplements. Therefore, we aimed to investigate sex-dependent effects of probiotics on profiles of the gut microbiota and peripheral immune cells in healthy older adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, healthy elderly individuals ≥ 65 yrs old were administered probiotic capsules (or placebo) for 12 wk. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. Peripheral immune cells were profiled using flow cytometry for lymphocytes (natural killer, B, CD4⁺ T, and CD8⁺ T cells), dendritic cells, monocytes, and their subpopulations. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, phylum Firmicutes was significantly reduced in the probiotic group in women, but not in men. At the genus level, sex-specific responses included reductions in the relative abundances of pro-inflammatory gut microbes, including Catabacter and unclassified_Coriobacteriales, and Burkholderia and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae, in men and women, respectively. Peripheral immune cell profiling analysis revealed that in men, probiotics significantly reduced the proportions of dendritic cells and CD14⁺ CD16^- monocytes; however, these effects were not observed in women. In contrast, the proportion of total CD4⁺ T cells was significantly reduced in women in the probiotic group. Additionally, serum lipopolysaccharide-binding protein levels showed a decreasing tendency that were positively associated with changes in gut bacteria, including Catabacter (ρ = 0.678, P < 0.05) and Burkholderia (ρ = 0.673, P < 0.05) in men and women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that probiotic supplementation may reduce the incidence of inflammation-related diseases by regulating the profiles of the gut microbiota and peripheral immune cells in healthy elders in a sex-specific manner.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2395-2399
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• 2016

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cytokines play an important role in the regulation of immune responses and defense against viral infections. Human interleukin 6 (IL6) is a multifunctional cytokine that participates in these processes. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the IL6-174 gene polymorphism in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as compared with healthy controls in an Iranian population. Materials and Methods: Totals of 297 HBV patients and 368 control individuals were evaluated. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the SSP-PCR (sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction) method was applied for genotyping. Results: The frequencies of genotypes C/C, G/G and C/G in HBV cases were 4.7%, 34.3%, 60.9% and in controls were 12.8%, 39.7% and 47.6%, respectively. The frequencies of G and C allele in patients and controls were 78.1%, 21.9% and 67.4%, 32.6 % respectively. There was a significant difference in the frequencies of G/G genotype (CI=1.8-7.1, OR=3.47, P=0.00001) and G allele (CI=1.34-2.23, OR=1.72, P=0.0001) between HBV patients and the control group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the IL6-174 C/G genotype and the G allele are strongly associated with susceptibility to HBV infection. Demographic information showed that most of the subjects were male (74.4%). According to high frequency of G/G genotype in male participants (63.1%) men probably are more susceptible to hepatitis than women.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.205-210
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• 2016

Interleukin-10 (IL10) plays an important role in initiating and maintaining an appropriate immune response to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Previous studies have revealed that the transcription of IL10 mRNA and its protein expression may be infl uenced by several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter and intron regions, including rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872. However, the impact of polymorphisms of the IL10 gene on NHL prognosis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the association between IL10 polymorphisms and NHL prognosis. This study involved 112 NHL patients treated at the National Cancer Center, Korea. The median age was 57 years, and 70 patients (62.5%) were men. Clinical characteristics, including age, performance status, stage, and extra-nodal involvement, as well as cell lineage and International Prognostic Index (IPI), were evaluated. A total of four polymorphisms in IL10 with heterozygous alleles were analyzed for hazard ratios of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common histologic type (n = 83), followed by T-cell lymphoma (n = 18), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 6), and others (n = 5). Cell lineage, IPI, and extra-nodal involvement were predictors of prognosis. In the additive genetic model results for each IL10 polymorphism, the rs1800871 and rs1800872 polymorphisms represented a marginal association with OS (p = 0.09 and p = 0.06) and PFS (p = 0.05 and p = 0.08) in B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). These findings suggest that IL10 polymorphisms might be prognostic indicators for patients with B-cell NHL treated with R-CHOP.