• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2020

Diesel particulate matter (DPM) induces inflammatory cytokines in HaCaT and stimulates XRE promoter activity through AhR binding. Thus, it increases CYP gene family expression. In this study, we have elucidated inhibitory effect of LG Herbal Medicine Complex (LG-HMC) on DPM-induced XRE promoter activity and inflammatory cytokine expression. First of all, the XRE promoter activity was overexpressed by DPM treatment and the LG-HMC abrogated the XRE promoter activity. Morus alba bark extract, Scutellaria baicalensis root extract and constituents of LG-HMC, were found to be main effecters against DPM induced XRE promoter activation. We also found that DPM treatment elevated inflammatory cytokines in HaCaT and the treatment of LG-HMC, Morus alba bark extract and Scutellaria baicalensis root extract down-regulated the DPM induced inflammatory cytokine expression. Additionally, Morus alba bark extract and Scutellaria baicalensis root extract were found to act as free radical scavengers. In conclusion, we confirmed skin protective effect of LG-HMC and uncovered two components, Morus alba bark extract and Scutellaria baicalensis root extract, that play major role in protecting epidermal kertinocytes from damage.

• Journal of Breast Disease
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.60-72
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• 2018

Purpose: According to American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guidelines, breast cancer is human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive if there is HER2 protein overexpression at a 3+ level on immunohistochemistry (IHC 3+) or gene amplification (more than six copies per nucleus) on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH+). However, there have been few reports on whether outcomes differ based on diagnosis by these two techniques. In this study, we compared outcomes based on the two methods in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of HER2-positive breast cancer in 18,304 patients, including 14,652 IHC 3+ patients and 3,652 FISH+ patients from the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry. We compared breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival based on IHC 3+ and FISH+ status with or without trastuzumab. Results: Breast cancer-specific survival was significantly different between the IHC 3+ and FISH+ groups, with 5-year cumulative survival rates of 95.0% for IHC 3+ and 98.5% for FISH+ patients who did not receive trastuzumab (p=0.001) in Kaplan-Meier methods. However, there were no significant differences in breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival between IHC 3+ and FISH+ groups regardless of trastuzumab treatment in Cox proportional hazards models. Conclusion: The survival outcomes were not affected by the different two diagnostic methods of HER2-positive breast cancer. Further research to evaluate differences in prognosis and other characteristics according to the diagnostic methods of HER2 positivity is needed in the future.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.12
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• pp.403-406
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• 2018

Floating-Harbor syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder associated with SRCAP mutation. To date, approximately 50 cases of Floating-Harbor syndrome have been reported, but none have been reported in Korea yet. Floating-Harbor syndrome is characterized by delayed bony maturation, unique facial features, and language impairment. Here, we present a 6-year-old boy with a triangular face, deep-set protruding eyes, low-set ears, wide nose with narrow nasal bridge, short philtrum, long thin lips, clinodactyly, and developmental delay that was transferred to our pediatric clinic for genetic evaluation. He showed progressive delay in the area of language and cognition-adaption as he grew. He had previously undergone chromosomal analysis at another hospital due to his language delay, but his karyotype was normal. We performed targeted exome sequencing, considering several syndromes with similar phenotypes. Library preparation was performed with the TruSight One sequencing panel, which enriches the sample for about 4,800 genes of clinical relevance. Massively parallel sequencing was conducted with NextSeq. An identified variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing of the patient and his parents. Finally, the patient was confirmed as the first Korean case of Floating-Harbor syndrome with a novel SRCAP (Snf2 related CREBBP activator protein) mutation (c.7732dupT, p.Ser2578Phefs*6), resulting in early termination of the protein; it was not found in either of his healthy parents or a control population. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe a boy with Floating-Harbor syndrome with a novel SRCAP mutation diagnosed by targeted exome sequencing in Korea.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.248-255
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• 2019

This research confirmed the diversity and characterization of gut microorganisms isolated from the intestinal organs of Muraenesox cinereus, collected on the Samcheonpo Coast and Seocheon Coast in South Korea. To isolate strains, Marine agar medium was basically used and cultivated at $37^{\circ}C$ and pH7 for several days aerobically. After single colony isolation, totally 49 pure single-colonies were isolated and phylogenetic analysis was carried out based on the result of 16S rRNA gene DNA sequencing, indicating that isolated strains were divided into 3 phyla, 13 families, 15 genera, 34 species and 49 strains. Proteobacteria phylum, the main phyletic group, comprised 83.7% with 8 families, 8 genera and 26 species of Aeromonadaceae, Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Shewanellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Morganellaceae, Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Vibrionaceae. To confirm whether isolated strain can produce industrially useful enzyme or not, amylase, lipase, and protease enzyme assays were performed individually, showing that 39 strains possessed at least one enzyme activity. Especially the Aeromonas sp. strains showed all enzyme activity tested. This result indicated that isolated strains have shown the possibility of the industrial application. Therefore, this study has contributed for securing domestic genetic resources and the expansion of scientific knowledge of the gut microbial community in Muraenesox cinereus of South Korea.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.455-462
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• 2020

Leuconostoc mesenteroides CJNU 0705 was isolated from a breast milk sample and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and confirmed by its ability to produce dextran from tryptic soy agar plates supplemented with 2% sucrose. This strain can absorb various heavy metals including lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) which are both found in fine dust and have been shown to be harmful to human skin. In addition, Leu. mesenteroides CJNU 0705 has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against Propionibacterium acnes, the primary causative agent of acne. Given these traits it was natural to evaluate the use of this strain in the fermentation of several natural extracts from green tea, carrot, annual wormwood, parsley, broccoli, and corn silk, which are known to improve skin health, to see if it could increase their dextran content when supplemented with no sucrose, 2% sucrose, or 2% sucrose and 3% yeast extract. The extracts supplemented with both yeast and sucrose were found to produce the most dextran, which was confirmed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. These results suggest that Leu. mesenteroides CJNU 0705 and its fermented natural extracts could be used as functional materials for improving human skin health.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.295-304
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• 2021

Background: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a hematopoietic malignancy driven by promyelocytic leukemia-retinoic acid receptor A (PML-RARA) fusion gene. The therapeutic drugs currently used to treat APL have adverse effects. 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) is an anticancer medicine with high effectiveness and low toxicity. However, the underlying anticancer mechanisms of GRh2-induced PML-RARA degradation and apoptosis in human APL cell line (NB4 cells) remain unclear. Methods: Apoptosis-related indicators and PML-RARA expression were determined to investigate the effect of GRh2 on NB4 cells. Z-VAD-FMK, LY294002, and C 87, as inhibitors of caspase, and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) pathways were used to clarify the relationship between GRh2-induced apoptosis and PML-RARA degradation. Results: GRh2 dose- and time-dependently decreased NB4 cell viability. GRh2-induced apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and caspase3, caspase8, and caspase9 activation in NB4 cells after a 12-hour treatment. GRh2-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells was accompanied by massive production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial damage and upregulated Bax/Bcl-2 expression. GRh2 also induced PML/PML-RARA degradation, PML nuclear bodies formation, and activation of the downstream p53 pathway in NB4 cells. Z-VAD-FMK inhibited caspase activation and significantly reversed GRh2-induced apoptosis and PML-RARA degradation. GRh2 also upregulated TNF-α expression and inhibited Akt phosphorylation. LY294002, an inhibitor of the PI3K pathway, enhanced the antitumor effects of GRh2, and C 87, an inhibitor of the TNF-α pathway, reversed NB4 cell viability, and GRh2-mediated apoptosis in a caspase-8-dependent manner. Conclusion: GRh2 induced caspase-dependent PML-RARA degradation and apoptosis in NB4 cells via the Akt/Bax/caspase9 and TNF-α/caspase8 pathways.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.34-43
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• 2021

Targeted genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system is a ground-breaking technology that is being widely used to produce plants with useful traits. However, for woody plants, only a few successful attempts have been reported. These successes have used Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, which has been reported to be very efficient at producing genetically modified trees. Nonetheless, there are unresolved problems with plasmid sequences that remain in the plant genome. In this study, we demonstrated a DNA-free genome editing technique in which purified CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) are delivered directly to the protoplasts of a hybrid poplar (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa). We designed three single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to target the stress-associated protein 1 gene (PagSAP1) in the hybrid poplar. Deep sequencing results showed that pre-assembled RNPs had a more efficient target mutagenesis insertion and deletion (indel) frequency than did non-assembled RNPs. Moreover, the RNP of sgRNA3 had a significantly higher editing efficacy than those of sgRNA1 and sgRNA2. Our results suggest that the CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein-mediated transfection approach is useful for the production of transgene-free genome-edited tree plants.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.7-11
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• 2013

Objectives : Seungmagalgeun-tang (SMGGT) is traditional medicine widely used for inflammatory disease and flu. But SMGGT exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity with an unknown mechanism. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of SMGGT water extract on pharmacological and biochemical actions in inflammation, we examined the effect of SMGGT on pro-inflammatory mediators in Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)+A23187-stimulated mast cells. Methods : In the present study, pro-inflammatory cytokine production was determined by performing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and western blot analysis to measure the activation of MAPKs. Cells were treated with SMGGT 1 h prior to the addition of 50 nM of PMA and $1{\mu}M$ of A23187. Cell viability was measured by MTS assay. The investigation focused on whether SMGGT inhibited the expressions of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in PMA+A23187-stimulated mast cells. Results : SMGGT has no cytotoxicity at examined concentration (100, 250, and $500{\mu}g/ml$). Also, gene expression of IL-6 and IL-8 in HMC-1 cells stimulated by PMA+A23187 was down regulated by SMGGT. Furthermore, SMGGT suppressed the PMA+A23187-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-jun N-terminal Kinase(JNK). But, SMGGT could not regulate phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. Conclusions : These results suggest that SMGGT has inhibitory effects on PMA+A23187-induced IL-6 and IL-8 production. These inhibitory effects occur through blockades on the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.541-549
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• 2022

Potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is a destructive disease in Korea. To elucidate the genomic variation of the mitochondrial (mt) genome, we assembled its complete mt genome and compared its sequence among different haplotypes. The mt genome sequences of four Korean P. infestans isolates were revealed by Illumina HiSeq. The size of the circular mt genome of the four major genotypes, KR_1_A1, KR_2_A2, SIB-1, and US-11, was 39,872, 39,836, 39,872, and 39,840 bp, respectively. All genotypes contained the same 61 genes in the same order, comprising two RNA-encoding genes, 16 ribosomal genes, 25 transfer RNA, 17 genes encoding electron transport and ATP synthesis, 11 open reading frames of unknown function, and one protein import-related gene, tatC. The coding region comprised 91% of the genome, and GC content was 22.3%. The haplotypes were further analyzed based on sequence polymorphism at two hypervariable regions (HVRi), carrying a 2 kb insertion/deletion sequence, and HVRii, carrying 36 bp variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs). All four genotypes carried the 2 kb insertion/deletion sequence in HVRi, whereas HVRii had two VNTRs in KR_1_A1 and SIB-1 but three VNTRs in US-11 and KR_2_A2. Minimal spanning network and phylogenetic analysis based on 5,814 bp of mtDNA sequences from five loci, KR_1_A1 and SIB-1 were classified as IIa-6 haplotype, and isolates KR_1_A2 and US-11 as haplotypes IIa-5 and IIb-2, respectively. mtDNA sequences of KR_1_A1 and SIB-1 shared 100% sequence identity, and both were 99.9% similar to those of KR_2_A2 and US-11.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.404-416
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• 2023

Objective: Daweizi (DWZ) is a famous indigenous pig breed in China and characterized by tender meat and high fat percentage. However, the expression profiles and functions of transcripts in DWZ pigs is still in infancy. The object of this study was to depict the transcript profiles in DWZ pigs and screen the potential pathway influence adipogenesis and fat deposition, Methods: Histological analysis of backfat tissue was firstly performed between DWZ and lean-type Yorkshire pigs, and then RNA sequencing technology was utilized to explore miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs profiles in backfat tissue. 18 differentially expressed (DE) transcripts were randomly selected for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) to validate the reliability of the sequencing results. Finally, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were conducted to investigate the potential pathways influence adipocyte differentiation, adipogenesis and lipid metabolism, and a schematic model was further proposed. Results: A total of 1,625 differentially expressed transcripts were identified in DWZ pigs, including 27 upregulated and 45 downregulated miRNAs, 64 upregulated and 119 down-regulated lncRNA, 814 upregulated and 556 downregulated mRNAs. QPCR analysis exhibited strong consistency with the sequencing data. GO and KEGG analysis elucidated that the differentially expressed transcripts were mainly associated with cell growth and death, signal transduction, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), PI3K-Akt, adipocytokine and foxo signaling pathways, all of which are strongly involved in cell development, lipid metabolism and adipogenesis. Further analysis indicated that the BGIR9823_87926/miR-194a-5p/AQP7 network may be effective in the process of adipocyte differentiation or adipogenesis. Conclusion: Our study provides comprehensive insights into the regulatory network of backfat deposition and lipid metabolism in pigs from the point of view of miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs.