• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.1 s.246
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• pp.38-43
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• 2005

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is a class of proteolytic enzymes that digest collagen type IV and other components of the basement membrane. It plays a key role in the local invasion and the formation of distant metastases by various malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of MMP-2 and its significance as a prognostic marker in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Material and Method: In this study we obtained fresh-frozen samples of tumor and non-tumor tissues from 34 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent resection without preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy. After the extraction of total protein from tissue samples, MMP-2 activities were assessed by gelatin-substrate-zymography. The activities were divided into the higher or lower groups. Result: The MMP-2 activities were higher in tumor tissues than in non-tumor tissues. The MMP-2 activity of non-tumor tissues in recurrent group was higher than in non-recurrent group (p<0.01). Also the patients with higher MMP-2 activity of non-tumor tissues showed poor 5 year survival (p<0.01). Conclusion: This result indicates that the higher level of MMP-2 activity in the non-tumor tissue is associated with the recurrence and survival after the resection of stage I NSCLC. Therefore, MMP-2 activity in the non-tumor tissue could be used as a potential prognostic marker for the resected stage I-NSCLC.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.163-174
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• 2009

Objectives: Members of the immortalization-upregulated protein (IMUP) family are nuclear proteins implicated in SV40-mediated immortalization and cellular proliferation, but the mechanisms by which their expression is regulated are still unknown in placenta. To investigate to expression and functions of IMUPs in placenta, we conducted to compare IMUPs expression in normal and preeclamptic placenta tissues and analyzed the function of IMUP-2 in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells after IMUP-2 gene transfection. Methods: The expression of IMUPs was analyzed in placental tissues from the following groups of patients (none underwent labor): 1) term normal placenta (n=15); 2) term with preeclamptic placeneta (n=15); and 3) pre-term with preeclamptic placenta (n=11) using semi-quantitative RT-PCR, RNA in situ hybiridization, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. In order to evaluate the function of IMUP-2 in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells, IMUP-2 plasmids were transfected into HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells for 24 hours. Results: We observed that IMUPs are mainly expressed in the syncytiotrophoblasts and syncytial knot of placental villi. The expression of IMUP-1 was not differences between normal and preeclamptic placenta tissues. However, IMUP-2 expression was significantly higher in preterm preeclamptic placenta tissues than in normal placenta tissues without labor (p<0.001). Furthermore, we confirmed overexpression of IMUP-2 induced apoptosis in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells through up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins. Conclusions: These results suggest that the expression of IMUP-2 is involved in placental development as well as increased IMUP-2 expression is associated with preeclampsia through the inducing of trophoblast apoptosis.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2000

Snailfish usually lives at the bottom of the sea and showed typical retrogressive change with specialized tissue structures of skin and skeletons. In order to obtain the specific genes of snailfish, highly expressed in the body, we made subtracted cDNA library and analyzed 200 clones. Totally 200 clones were obtained and sequenced, and among them 62 clones were turned out to be homologous to the known gene, i.e., thioesterase (9), myosin (8), creatine kinase (7), skeletal alpha-actin (6), parvalbumin b (5), ribosomal protein (5), type I collagen (3), muscle troponin (3), dopamine receptor (2), histatin (2), and heat shock protein (2), cystatin (1), lectin (1), statherin (1), secretory carrier membrane protein (1), keratin type I (1), desmin (1), chloroplast (1), muscle tropomyosin (1), reticulum calcium ATPase (1), ribonucleoprotein (1). The remaining 138 clones were low homologous or non-redundant genes through Genbank search. Especially 5 clones were novel and specifically expressed in the body tissues of Snailfish by in situ hybridization. Therefore, we analysed these 5 clones to identify the C-terminal protein structures and motifs, and partly defined the roles of these proteins in comparison with the expression patterns by in situ hybridization. C9O-77, about 5000 bp, was supposed to be a matrix protein expressed strongly positive in epithelium, myxoid tissue, fibrous tissue and collagenous tissue. C9O-116, about 1500 bp, was supposed to be a transmembrane protein which was weakly expressed in the fibrous tissue, epithelium tissue, and myxoid tissue, but strong in muscle tissue. C9O-130, about 1200 bp, was supposed to be an intracytoplasmic molecule usually in the epithelial cells. C9O-161, about 2000 bp, was weakly expressed in epithelium, muscle tissue and myxoid tissue, but specially strong in epithelium. C9O-171, about 1000 bp, was supposed to be a transcription factor containing zinc finger like domain, which was intensely expressed in the epithelium, muscle tissue, fibrous tissue, and in collagenous tissue.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the expression of Heat shock protein70 (HSP70), Raf-1 and Bcl-2-associated athanogene-1 (BAG1) protein in diffuse type gastric carcinoma and examine association of HSP70, Raf-1 and BAG1 expression with various clinic-pathological factors and survival. Heat shock protein70 is induced in the cells in response to various stress conditions, including carcinogens. Overexpression of heat shock protein 70 has been observed in many types of cancer. The proto-oncoprotein Raf is pivotal for mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, and its aberrant activation has been implicated in multiple human cancers. Overexpression of BAG1 protein has been documented in some type of human cancer. BAG1 has been reported to interact with protein involved with a variety of signal pathway, and regulation of cell differentiation, survival and apoptosis. These interaction partners include HSP70 and Raf-1. The percentage of tumors exhibiting HSP70 positivity was significantly in cases of positive lymph node metastasis (64.9%) compared to cases without lymph node metastasis (35.1%, p=0.007). HS70 expression was correlated with pathological N-stage (p=0.006). Expression of BAG1 was detected in the majority of diffuse type gastric carcinoma tissues (71.7%), especially in younger patients (80% vs 52.6%, p=0.035). Furthermore BAG1 expression was correlated with tumor size (p=0.020). Raf-1 expression was found to be significantly associated with tumor size (p=0.005). The result indicate that HSP70 was significantly correlated the progression of diffuse type gastric cancer. Expression of BAG1 and Raf-1 may be used as diagnostic markers for gastric carcinoma.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.307-312
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• 1984

The dried pure shells deprived of soft tissues were subjected to analysis of chitin-protein complexes from 5 species of marine crustaceans, including 2 species of crabs and 3 species of shrimps. The protein fractions were obtained from chitin-protein complexes under the varying conditions of extractions and the crude chitin was prepared from the shells by the sulfurous acid process. The crude chitin was purified through the extraction with several organic solvents such as dimethyl-acetamide, N-methylpyrrolidone. The purified chitin was also examined using the phase contrast microscope. Total protein contents of the shells were diverse, showing 9.6% for Portunus trituberculatus, 3.1%, Charybdis bimaculata, 9.4%, Penaeus japonicus, 10.9%, Metapenaeus intermedius and 5.8%, Squilla oratoria. Covalently bound protein varied with species from 2.1% for Charybdis bimaculata to 9.9% for Metapenaeus intermedius. The puified chitin contents of the shells were shown to 21.1% for Portunus tritube rculatus, 6.2%, Charybdis bimaculata, 20.2%, Penaeus japonicus, 27.1%, Metapenaeus intermedius and 25.5%, Squilla oratoria. Exceptionally low analytical value obtained with Charybdis bimaculata are supposed to be due to the very young subjects. The ratios of chitin to covalently bound protein in the shells were various such as 2.7 to 1 for Portunus trituberculatus, Penaeus japonicus and Metapenaeus intermedius, 3.1 to 1, Charybdis bimaculata and 6.1 to 1, Squilla oratoria. The microscope finding of the purified chitin showed the filamentous form in all the specimen.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.205-208
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• 2002

Nitric oxide (NO) is a newly described transmitter involved with cell to cell communication that is generated in biologic tissues by specific types of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which metabolize L-arginine and molecular oxygen to citrulline and nitric oxide. In the skin. NO has been reported to play an important role in such diseases as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis, as well as act as an important modulator in UVB-induced erythema. Ultraviolet B irradiation to the skin evokes an increase in NO production in the epidermis through two pathways; induction of inducible NOS, mediated by inflammatory cytokines, and elevation of constitutive neuronal NOS activity. In a cell culture system, it has been demonstrated that NO functions as a melanogen after being produced in keratinocytes in response to UVB-irradiation. NO-stimulated melanogenesis in melanocytes is mediated by the cGMP/PKG pathway. In this study, up-regulation of tyrosinase gene expression by NO-stimulation and the involvement of NO in UVB-induced pigmentation were examined. In NO-induced melanogenesis, protein synthesis and tyrosinase activity increased along with an up-regulation of tyrosinase gene expression. In an animal model, UVB-induced pigmentation in skin was suppressed by sequential daily treatments with a specific inhibitor of NOS. Thus, NO plays an important role in UVB-induced pigmentation, where its function as a melanogen is considered to be one of the mechanisms. Together with its role in the development of erythema, NO contributes to the total protective response of skin against UVB-irradiation.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.298-302
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• 2009

We investigated the anti-obesity effect of berberine in mice fed a high fat diet and focused on the analysis of adipogenesis in epdidymal adipose tissue. Male C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups, which were fed either a normal diet (Nor), a high fat diet (HFD), or a high fat diet plus orally administered berberine (0.2 g /kg body weight) (HFD+B) for 8 weeks. Relative to mice in the HFD group, mice in the HFD+B group showed significant reductions in weight gain and adipose tissue weight. Serum triglyceride levels in mice from the HFD+B group were significantly lower than those of the HFD mice, as were the levels of serum insulin and leptin. An effect of berberine to reduce epididymal adipose mass was revealed by H&E staining. Berberine inhibited the high fat diet-induced increase in levels of the proteins CD36 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein $\alpha$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$) observed in epididymal adipose tissues of mice from the HFD group. These results suggest that berberine has an anti-obesity effect in mice and that the effect is mediated by inhibition of adipogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 2009

This study was conducted to identify the PERV (Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus) integration sites and their characterizations using the porcine genomic sequence information. Total 114 Mb (4.2%) sequence of the 2.7 Gb pig genome was investigated for the PERV sequences. As the results, 8 PERV sequences were identified and their genomic structures were deduced from the BLAST searches against previously known PERV genes. Seven PERVs have internal deletions in the protein coding region and they will not be functional. The other one also has internal deletions in the gag and env genes, indicating this PERV is also defective. Even though we could not identify the functional PERVs in this study, the results presented here can be used for the fundamental research materials for controlling PERV infections in relation to xenotransplantation using porcine organs and tissues.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1057-1064
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• 2013

p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6K) can integrate nutrient and growth factor signals to promote cell growth and survival. We report our molecular characterization of the complementary DNA (cDNA) that encodes the goat p70S6K gene 40S ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) (GenBank accession GU144017) and its 3' noncoding sequence in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats (Capra hircus). Goat S6K1 cDNA was 2,272 bp and include an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,578 bp, corresponding to a polypeptide of 525 amino acids, and a 694-residue 3' noncoding sequence with a polyadenylation signal at nucleotides 2,218 to 2,223. The relative abundance of S6K1 mRNA was measured by real-time PCR in 6 tissues, and p70S6K expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in heart and testis. The phosphorylation of p70S6K is regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in fetal fibroblasts.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.642-650
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• 1999

Options available for utilization of animal wastes include sources of plant nutrients, feed ingredients for farm animals, substrate for methane generation, and substrate for microbial and insect protein synthesis. The wastes have the most economic value for use as animal feed. Performance of animals fed diets containing animal wastes is similar to that of animals fed conventional diets. Processing of animal wastes to be used as animal feed is necessary for destruction of pathogens, improvement of handling and storage characteristics, and maintenance or enhancement of palatability. Feeding of animal waste has not adversely affected the quality and taste of animal products. In the USA copper toxicity has been reported in sheep fed high-copper poultry litter, but this is not a serious problem with cattle. Potential pathogenic microorganisms in animal wastes are destroyed by processing such as heat treatment, ensiling and deep stacking. Incidents of botulism, caused by Clostridium botulinum, have been reported in cattle in some countries, and this problem was caused by the presence of poultry carcasses in litter. This problem has not occurred in the USA. With appropriate withdrawal, heavy metal, pesticide or medicinal drug accumulation in edible tissues of animals fed animal wastes is not a problem. Feeding of animal wastes is regulated by individual states in the USA. The practice is regulated in Canada, also. With good management, animal wastes can be used safely as animal feed.