• Title/Summary/Keyword: phenotypic

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Cytomegalovirus Infection and Memory T Cell Inflation

  • Kim, Jihye;Kim, A-Reum;Shin, Eui-Cheol
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.186-190
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    • 2015
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in healthy individuals is usually asymptomatic and results in latent infection. CMV reactivation occasionally occurs in healthy individuals according to their immune status over time. T cell responses to CMV are restricted to a limited number of immunodominant epitopes, as compared to responses to other chronic or persistent viruses. This response results in progressive, prolonged expansion of CMV-specific $CD8^+$ T cells, termed 'memory inflation'. The expanded CMV-specific $CD8^+$ T cell population is extraordinarily large and is more prominent in the elderly. CMV-specific $CD8^+$ T cells possess rather similar phenotypic and functional features to those of replicative senescent T cells. In this review, we discuss the general features of CMV-specific inflationary memory T cells and the factors involved in memory inflation.

Regulation of BDNF release in dopaminergic neurons

  • Jeon, Hong-Seong
    • 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2003.04a
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    • pp.743-746
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    • 2003
  • The major pathological lesion in Parkinson's disease(PD) is selective degeneration and loss of pigmented dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra (SN). Although the initial cause and subsequent molecular signaling mechanisms leading to the dopaminergic cell death underlying the PD process is elusive, the potent neurotrophic factors (NTFs), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), are known to exert dopaminergic neuroprotection both in vivo and in vitro models of PD employing the neurotoxin, MPTP. BDNF and its receptor, trkB are expressed in SN dopaminergic neurons and their innervation target. Thus, neurotrophins may have autocrine, paracrine and retrograde transport effects on the SN dopaminergic neurons. This study determined the BDNF secretion from SN dopaminergic neurons by ELISA. Regulation of BDNF synthesis/release and changes in signaling pathways are monitored in the presence of free radical donor, NO donor and mitochondrial inhibitors. Also, this study shows that BDNF is able to promote survival and phenotypic differentiation of SN dopaminergic neurons in culture and protect them against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity via MAP kinase pathway.

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Proteomic Identification of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Arabidopsis Mutant ntm1-D with Disturbed Cell Division

  • Lee, Kyung Hyeon;Kim, Youn-Sung;Park, Chung-Mo;Kim, Hie-Joon
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.70-77
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    • 2008
  • Proteome analysis was performed to identify proteins differentially expressed in an Arabidopsis mutant, ntm1-D. In this mutant the NAC transcription factor NTM1 is constitutively expressed and the resultant phenotypic changes include dwarfism, serrated leaves, and altered floral structures, probably due to reduced cell division. Marked elevation of proteins mediating environmental stress responses, including annexin, vegetative storage proteins, beta-glucosidase homolog 1, and glutathione transferases was observed. Overexpression of annexin was confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. These observations suggest that the reduced growth observed in the ntm1-D mutant is caused by enhancement of its stress responses, possibly resulting in a cost in fitness.

Utilization of Polypeptide Growth Factors to Improve Animal Reproductive Performance

  • Ko, Y.
    • Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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    • v.23 no.4
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    • pp.371-380
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    • 1999
  • Animal reproductive performance could be affected by several regulatory factors, including nutritional, environmental, and genetic factors. Particularly, during the last half of this century, animal reproductive performance has been remarkably successful in improving the efficiency of livestock production. For some traits efficiency gains have been achieved with little or no knowledge of the genes underlying the traits. And, they have depended upon the phenotypic selection by statistical methods to estimate the genetic parameters of some reproductive traits. In spite of these successes, it is clear that recent advances in both developmental biology and molecular biology are set to revolutionize he practice of animal reproductive performance n the 21th century. (omitted)

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Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich Syndrome: A Mini-review

  • Lee, Jiwon M.
    • Childhood Kidney Diseases
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.12-16
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    • 2018
  • Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich (HWW) syndrome is a rare congenital malformation syndrome that is characterized by a triad of uterine didelphys, blind hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. There is a wide variety of phenotypic presentation which is recognized as a spectrum of disease rather than a separate entity. The exact incidence and pathogenesis of HWW syndrome are yet to be investigated. While this disease typically involves adolescent girls who present with abdominal pain or a pelvic mass that is secondary to hematocolpos, nowadays, a majority of potential patients with HWW are being prenatally screened for renal anomalies. Therefore, it is recommended to search for uterovaginal anomalies whenever a multicystic dysplastic kidney or the absence of a kidney is noted in a newborn female, and the role of pediatric nephrologists has become ever more important for early recognition of the disease.

Mycoflora and Enzymatic Characterization of Fungal Isolates in Commercial Meju, Starter for a Korean Traditional Fermented Soybean Product

  • Baek, Jin-Ho;So, Kum-Kang;Ko, Yo-Han;Kim, Jung-Mi;Kim, Dae-Hyuk
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.42 no.3
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    • pp.291-295
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    • 2014
  • Mycoflora was assessed in the commercial meju from four well-separated geographic origins. A total of 112 fungal isolates were identified by phenotypic characteristics and molecular taxonomy using sequencing the internal transcribed spacer of the rDNA and revealed 19 species from 13 genera. Enzymatic characteristics of protease and amylase, and mycotoxin production were analyzed.

Geographical Patterns of Morphological Variation in Soybean Germplasm

  • Yoon, Mun-Sup;Ahn, Jong-Woong;Park, Sei-Joon;Baek, Hyung-Jin;Park, Nam-Kyu;Rho, Young-Deok
    • KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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    • v.45 no.4
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    • pp.267-271
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    • 2000
  • A total of 1,830 soybean collections were grown in the field and characterized for 10 morphological traits to determine the diversity and relationship within and among geographical regions. Phenotypic variation was found within all regions for most characters. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index ranged from 0.49 to 0.62 across regions, and 0.09 to 1.00 across characters. Canonical discriminant analysis and clustering of the canonical means delineated 3 regional clusters: (ⅰ) Kyunggi, Chungchong, Kangwon, Chulla, and Kyungsang; (ⅱ) Heilongjiang; and (ⅲ) Jilin, Manchuria, central China, south China, Others (China), Hokkaido, Honshu, and Others (Japan).

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Identification and Functional Characterization of a Cryptococcus neoformans UPC2 Homolog

  • Kim, Nam-Kyun;Han, Kyung-Hwan;Jung, Won-Hee
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.38 no.3
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    • pp.215-218
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    • 2010
  • Azoles are currently the most widely used class of antifungal drugs clinically, and are effective for treating fungal infections. Target site of azoles is ergosterol biosynthesis in fungal cell membrane, which is absent in the mammalian host. However, the development of resistance to azole treatments in the fungal pathogen has become a significant challenge. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of a UPC2 homolog in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. UPC2 plays roles in ergosterol biosynthesis, which is also affected by the availability of iron in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. C. neoformans mutants lacking UPC2 were constructed, and a number of phenotypic characteristics, including antifungal susceptibility and iron utilization, were analyzed. No differences were found between the mutant phenotypes and wild type, suggesting that the role of C. neoformans UPC2 homolog may be different from those in S. cerevisiae and C. albicans, and that the gene may have a yet unknown function.

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma : Clinical Features, Molecular Genetics, and Novel Targeted Therapeutics

  • Mathew, Ryan K.;Rutka, James T.
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.61 no.3
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    • pp.343-351
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    • 2018
  • Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a deadly paediatric brain cancer. Transient response to radiation, ineffective chemotherapeutic agents and aggressive biology result in rapid progression of symptoms and a dismal prognosis. Increased availability of tumour tissue has enabled the identification of histone gene aberrations, genetic driver mutations and methylation changes, which have resulted in molecular and phenotypic subgrouping. However, many of the underlying mechanisms of DIPG oncogenesis remain unexplained. It is hoped that more representative in vitro and preclinical models-using both xenografted material and genetically engineered mice-will enable the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents and strategies for targeted drug delivery. This review provides a clinical overview of DIPG, the barriers to progress in developing effective treatment, updates on drug development and preclinical models, and an introduction to new technologies aimed at enhancing drug delivery.