• Proceedings of the Korean Aquaculture Society Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.43-43
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• 2003

EST analysis was performed to identify stress-responsive and immune-related genes from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). cDNA libraries were constructed with liver and randomly chosen 624 clones were subjected to automated sequence analysis. Of 624 clones sequenced in total, approximately 15% of ESTs was novel sequences (no match to GenBank) or sequences with high homology to hypothetical/unknown genes. The bioinforamtic sequence analysis including functional clustering, homology grouping, contig assembly with electronic northern and organism matches were carried out. Several potential stress-responsive biomarker and/or immune-related genes were identified in all the tissues examined. It included lectins, ferritins, CP450, proteinase, proteinase inhibitors, anti-oxidant enzymes, various heat-shock proteins, warm temperature acclimation protein, complements, methyltransferase, zinc finger proteins, lysozymes, macrophage maturation associated protein, and others. This information will offer new possibilities as fundamental baseline data for understanding and addressing their molecular mechanism involved in host defense and immune systems of this species.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2008

PG has been well studied about effects of stress resistance. Although ZJ has been known that it had stress resistance effect since ancient times, its pharmacological properties and clinical applications have not been studied and reported until recently. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine whether effects of stress hormones, mechanism of stress protein could be induced by PG and ZJ of herb extract ingestion during stress exposure. In addition, this study identified expression of apoptosis factors related to stress. 1) Bcl-2 expression of the stressed rats decreased in comparison with the unstressed rats in heart and stomach. Bcl-2 expression of rats administered to PG was higher than the stressed rats in heart and that of rats administered to ZJ was higher than the stressed rats in stomach. 2) Stressed rats were decreased in p53 protein expression than normal rats. Thus, the results suggest stress-induced apoptosis is p53-independent apoptosis. And these results demonstrated that PG or ZJ administration helped to return from stress state to normal. 3) Clusterin expressed markedly in only salivary gland, but that of expression was no difference among four groups in tissues. Clusterin expression has no relation of stress-induced apoptosis.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.77-87
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examined the scanning electron microscopic feature, protein marker expression and osteoinductive activity of demineralized dentin matrix (DDM) from human for nude mice. Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy nude mice, weighing about 20 g were used for study. DDM from Human was prepared and implanted into the dorsal portion of nude mouse. Before implantation, DDM was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nude mice were sacrificed at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after DDM grafting and evaluated histologically by H-E, MT staining. And also immunohistochemistry analysis (ostecalcin, osteopontin) was performed. Result: Dentinal tubules and collagen fibers were observed by SEM of dentin surface of DDM. The DDM induced bone and cartilage independently in soft tissues. And, the histological findings showed bone forming cells like osteoblasts, fibroblasts at 2, 4 and 8 weeks. On immunohistochemistry analysis, osteocalcin and osteopontin positive bone forming cells were observed. Conclusion: This results showed that the DDM from human has osteoinductive ability and is a good alternative to autogenous bone graft materials.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.427-432
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• 2012

Primary cilia, single hair-like appendage on the surface of the most mammalian cells, were once considered to be vestigial cellular organelles for a past century because of their tiny structure and unknown function. Although they lack ancestral motility function of cilia or flagella, they share common ground with multiciliated motile cilia and flagella on internal structure such as microtubule based nine outer doublets nucleated from the base of mother centrioles called basal body. Making cilia, ciliogenesis, in cells depends on the cell cycle stage due to reuse of centrioles for cell division forming mitotic spindle pole (M phase) and assembling cilia from basal body (starting G1 phase and maintaining most of interphase). Ciliary assembly required two conflicting processes such as assembly and disassembly and balance between these two processes determines the length of cilia. Both process required highly conserved transport system to supply needed substance to grow tip of cilia and bring ciliary turnover product back to the base of cilia using motor protein, kinesin and dynein, and transport protein complex, IFT particles. Disruption of ciliary structure or function causes multiple human disorder called ciliopathies affecting disease of diverse ciliated tissues ranging from eye, kidney, respiratory tract and brain. Recent explosion of research on the primary cilia and their involvement on animal development and disease attracts scientific interest on how extensively the function of cilia related to specific cell physiology and signaling pathway. In this review, I introduce general features of primary cilia and recent progress in understanding of the ciliary length control and signaling pathways transduced through primary cilia in vertebrates.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.279-283
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• 2010

Polydnavirus genome is segmented and dispersed on host wasp chromosome. After replication, the segments form double- stranded circular DNAs and embedded in viral coat proteins. These viral particles are delivered into a parasitized host along with parasitoid eggs. A serine-rich protein (SRP) is predicted in a polydnavirus, Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV), genome in its segment no. 33 (CpBV-S33), creating CpBV-SRP1. This study explored its expression and physiological function in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, larvae parasitized by C. plutellae. CpBV-SRP1 encodes 122 amino acids with 26 serines and several predicted phosphorylation sites. It is persistently expressed in all tested tissues of parasitized P. xylostella including hemocyte, fat body, and gut. Its physiological function was analyzed by injecting CpBV-S33 and inducing its expression in nonparasitized P. xylostella by a technique called SERI (segment expression and RNA interference). The expression of CpBV-SRP1 significantly impaired the spreading behavior and total cell count of hemocytes of treated larvae. Subsequent RNA interference of CpBV-SRP1 rescued the immunosuppressive response. This study reports the persistent expression of CpBV-SRP1 in a parasitized host and its parasitic role in suppressing the host immune response by altering hemocyte behavior and survival.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2013

Asthma is associated with increased levels of eosinophils in tissues, body fluids, and bone marrow. Elevated levels of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) have been noted in asthma patients. Higher levels of EDN and ECP are also associated with exacerbated asthmatic conditions. Thus, EDN, along with ECP, may aid the diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. Several groups have suggested that EDN is more useful than ECP in evaluating disease severity. This may partially be because of the recoverability of EDN (not sticky, 100% recovery rate), as ECP is a sticky and more highly charged protein. In terms of clinical utility, EDN level is a more accurate biomarker than ECP when analyzing the underlying pathophysiology of asthma. As a monitoring tool, EDN has shown good results in children with asthma as well as other allergic diseases. In children too young to fully participate in lung function tests, EDN levels may be useful as an alter native measurement of eosinophilic inflammation. EDN can also be used in adult patients and in multiple specimen types (e.g., serum, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and nasal lavage fluid). These results are repeatable and reproducible. In conclusion, EDN may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of asthma/allergic disease.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.633-638
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• 2005

Biosynthesis of prostanoids is regulated by three sequential enzymatic steps, namely phospholipase $A_2$ enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, and various lineage-specific terminal prostanoid synthases. Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES), which isomerizes COX-derived $PGH_2$ specifically to $PGE_2$, occurs in multiple forms with distinct enzymatic properties, expressions, localizations and functions. Two of them are membrane-bound enzymes and have been designated as mPGES-1 and mPGES-2. mPGES-1 is a perinuclear protein that is markedly induced by proinflammatory stimuli, is down-regulated by anti inflammatory glucocorticoids, and is functionally coupled with COX-2 in marked preference to COX-1. Recent gene targeting studies of mPGES-1 have revealed that this enzyme represents a novel target for anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs. mPGES-2 is synthesized as a Golgi membrane-associated protein, and the proteolytic removal of the N-terminal hydrophobic domain leads to the formation of a mature cytosolic enzyme. This enzyme is rather constitutively expressed in various cells and tissues and is functionally coupled with both COX-1 and COX-2. Cytosolic PGES (cPGES) is constitutively expressed in a wide variety of cells and is functionally linked to COX-1 to promote immediate $PGE_2$ production. This review highlights the latest understanding of the expression, regulation and functions of these three PGES enzymes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1333-1337
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• 2004

Oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide are powerful inducers of cell damage, ageing, and apoptosis. Since clusterin, a 75-80 kDa mammalian glycoprotein, is frequently found to be inducible in apoptotic cells and tissues, this study inquired into whether this would be a protective mechanism against further cell death. The aim was to find out whether overexpression of clusterin could protect cells from oxidant­induced stress and apoptosis. To clarify this issue, we generated and analyzed stable cell lines expressing fusion proteins of a rat clusterin with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). When treated with varying concentrations of hydrogen peroxides, clusterin transfectants indeed showed increased resistance to apoptosis and exhibited a much higher survival rate than mock-transfected cells. On the other hand, neither intracellular re-distribution nor local concentration of clusterin-EGFP was observed, which leaves the question open about its anti-apoptotic mechanism. In conclusion, the overexpression of clusterin provides a means for protecting cells against oxidative stress and subsequent cell death.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2009

Fish oil and shortening have been suggested to have opposite effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated the effect of shortening and fish oil on CVD risk factors and aorta histopathology, and the association between risk factors and aorta histopathology. Male Wister rats (n=30) were fed an AIN-93G diet containing 20% fat in the form of fish oil, shortening, or soybean oil for 4 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC), triacylglyceride (TG), and C-reactive protein levels were significantly (P<0.001) lower in the fish oil than in soybean oil and shortening groups. HDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly different (P<0.001) between groups. In addition, LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly (P<0.001) lower in the fish oil and shortening groups than in the soybean oil group. Insulin and glucose concentrations did not differ among groups. Effect of dietary fat on tissue fatty acid composition significantly differed in abdominal fat and brain compared with RBC, heart, kidney and liver. The aortic wall was significantly (P=0.02) thinner in the fish oil group than in the soybean oil and shortening groups. The aortic wall thickness was positively correlated with TG and TC, but negatively with EPA + DHA levels of all tissues. These results suggested that fish oil had protective effects on aorta histopathology by hypolipidemic action in this rat model.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2012

We characterized the cytoskeletal beta-actin (${\beta}$-ACT) gene (actb) and its 5'-upstream regulatory region in the Javanese ricefish Oryzias javanicus. The gene and protein structures were deduced from amino acid sequences of the actb gene and conserved in the teleost lineage. The O. javanicus actb gene has common transcription factor binding motifs in its regulatory region found in teleostean orthologues. Following quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, actb gene transcripts were detected in all tissues examined; however, the basal expression levels were different. During early development, O. javanicus actb mRNA levels showed a gradual increase and peaked between late somitogenesis and the heartbeat stage. Microinjection of O. javanicus embryos with the actb gene promoter-driven red fluorescent protein (RFP) gene reporter vector showed a ubiquitous distribution of RFP signals, although most exhibited a mosaic pattern of transgene expression. A small number of microinjected embryos displayed a wide distribution of RFP signals over their entire body, which resembled the expression pattern of endogenous actb. Data from this study provide a basis to develop a transgenic system with ubiquitous expression of foreign genes in O. javanicus.