• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.778-783
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• 2008

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by toxigenic strains of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. To identify the mitochondrial proteins that are expressed differently in murine macrophages infected with spores of B. anthracis Sterne, proteomic and MALDI-TOF/MS analyses of uninfected and infected macrophages were conducted. As a result, 13 mitochondrial proteins with different expression patterns were discovered in the infected murine macrophages, and some were identified as ATP5b, NIAP-5, ras-related GTP binding protein B isoform CRAa, along with several unnamed proteins. Among these proteins, ATP5b is related to energy production and cytoskeletal rearrangement, whereas NIAP-5 causes apoptosis of host cells due to binding with caspase-9. Therefore, this paper focused on ATP5b, which was found to be down regulated following infection. The downregulated ATP5b also reduced ATP production in the murine macrophages infected with B. anthracis spores. Consequently, this study represents the first mitochondrial proteome analysis of infected macrophages.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.116-121
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• 2016

Although proteomic analyses have revealed the presence of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins in the plasma membrane, there have been no in-depth evaluations of the presence or function of OXPHOS I-V in the plasma membrane. Here, we demonstrate the in situ localization of OXPHOS I-V complexes to the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. A portion of the OXPHOS I-V complex proteins was not co-stained with MitoTracker but co-localized with caveolin-3 in the sarcolemma of mouse gastrocnemius. Mitochondrial matrix-facing OXPHOS complex subunits were ectopically expressed in the sarcolemma of the non-permeabilized muscle fibers and C2C12 myotubes. The sarcolemmal localization of cytochrome c was also observed from mouse gastrocnemius muscles and C2C12 myotubes, as determined by confocal and total internal resonance fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. Based on these data, we conclude that a portion of OXPHOS complexes is localized in the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle and may have non-canonical functions.

• Mycobiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.302-309
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• 2010

Formic acid is a representative carboxylic acid that inhibits bacterial cell growth, and thus it is generally considered to constitute an obstacle to the reuse of renewable biomass. In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to elucidate changes in protein levels in response to formic acid. Fifty-seven differentially expressed proteins in response to formic acid toxicity in S. cerevisiae were identified by 1D-PAGE and nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS) analyses. Among the 28 proteins increased in expression, four were involved in the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway and one in the oxidative stress-induced pathway. A dramatic increase was observed in the number of ion transporters related to maintenance of acid-base balance. Regarding the 29 proteins decreased in expression, they were found to participate in transcription during cell division. Heat shock protein 70, glutathione reductase, and cytochrome c oxidase were measured by LC-MS/MS analysis. Taken together, the inhibitory action of formic acid on S. cerevisiae cells might disrupt the acidbase balance across the cell membrane and generate oxidative stress, leading to repressed cell division and death. S. cerevisiae also induced expression of ion transporters, which may be required to maintain the acid-base balance when yeast cells are exposed to high concentrations of formic acid in growth medium.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2018

Hypoxic culture is widely recognized as a method to efficiently expand human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) without loss of stem cell properties. However, the molecular basis of how hypoxia priming benefits MSC expansion remains unclear. In this report, our systemic quantitative proteomic and RT-PCR analyses revealed the involvement of hypoxic conditioning activated genes in the signaling process of the mitotic cell cycle. Introduction of screened two mitotic cyclins, CCNA2 and CCNB1, significantly extended the proliferation lifespan of MSCs in normoxic condition. Our results provide important molecular evidence that multipotency of human MSCs by hypoxic conditioning is determined by the mitotic cell cycle duration. Thus, the activation of mitotic cyclins could be a potential strategy to the application of stem cell therapy.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.3071-3076
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• 2014

Proteomic analyses of the excretory/secretory proteins from the RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii have been performed to understand their functions in the host-parasite interaction. A total of 34 proteins were identified from LC/MS/MS analysis and their abundance was estimated by spectral counting methods. Among them, 8 species of micronemal proteins (MICs), 2 species of rhoptry proteins (ROPs), and 6 species of dense granular proteins (GRAs) were confirmed. Besides these, 18 species of protein were newly identified, and their cellular functions were estimated from sequence analysis. The three most abundant of the 34 identified extractor/secretory proteins-GRA1, GRA7 and GRA2-were confirmed to be highly expressed in T. gondii using the spectral count method. This phenomenon is another demonstration of the importance of GRA proteins for the penetration and survival of T. gondii.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.163-168
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• 2023

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.]) is a globally important root crop cultivated for food and industrial processes. The crop is susceptible to the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita, a major plant-parasitic RKN that reduces the yield and quality of sweetpotato. Previous transcriptomic and proteomic analyses identified several genes that displayed differential expression patterns in susceptible and resistant cultivars in response to M. incognita infection. Among these, several sporamin genes were identified for RKN resilience. Sporamin is a storage protein primarily found in sweetpotato and morning glory (Ipomoea nil). In this study, transcriptional analysis was employed to investigate the role of sporamin genes in the defense response of sweetpotato against RKN infection in three susceptible and three resistant cultivars. Twenty-three sporamin genes were identified in sweetpotato and classified as group A or group B sporamin genes based on comparisons with characterized sweetpotato and Japanese morning glory sporamins. Two group A sporamin genes showed significantly elevated levels of expression in resistant but not in susceptible cultivars. These results suggest that the elevated expression of specific sporamin genes may play a crucial role in protecting sweetpotato roots from RKN infection.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.576-581
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• 2020

Dimethylation of the histone H3 protein at lysine residue 9 (H3K9) is mediated by euchromatin histone methyltransferase II (EHMT2) and results in transcriptional repression of target genes. Recently, chemical inhibition of EHMT2 was shown to induce various physiological outcomes, including endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated genes transcription in cancer cells. To identify genes that are transcriptionally repressed by EHMT2 during apoptosis, and cell stress responses, we screened genes that are upregulated by BIX-01294, a chemical inhibitor of EHMT2. RNA sequencing analyses revealed 77 genes that were upregulated by BIX-01294 in all four hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. These included genes that have been implicated in apoptosis, the unfolded protein response (UPR), and others. Among these genes, the one encoding the stress-response protein Ras-related GTPase C (RRAGC) was upregulated in all BIX-01294-treated HCC cell lines. We confirmed the regulatory roles of EHMT2 in RRAGC expression in HCC cell lines using proteomic analyses, chromatin immune precipitation (ChIP) assay, and small guide RNA-mediated loss-of-function experiments. Upregulation of RRAGC was limited by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), suggesting that ROS are involved in EHMT2-mediated transcriptional regulation of stress-response genes in HCC cells. Finally, combined treatment of cells with BIX-01294 and 5-Aza-cytidine induced greater upregulation of RRAGC protein expression. These findings suggest that EHMT2 suppresses expression of the RRAGC gene in a ROS-dependent manner and imply that EHMT2 is a key regulator of stress-responsive gene expression in liver cancer cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.179-187
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• 2018

Proteomic analysis of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from biological fluid is a powerful approach to discover potential biomarkers for human diseases including cancers, as EV secreted to biological fluids are originated from the affected tissue. In order to investigate significant molecules related to the pathogenesis of bladder cancer, EVs were isolated from patient urine which was analyzed by mass spectrometry based proteomics. Comparison of the EV proteome to the whole urine proteome demonstrated an increased number of protein identification in EV. Comparative MS analyses of urinary EV from control subjects and bladder cancer patients identified a total of 1,222 proteins. Statistical analyses provided 56 proteins significantly increased in bladder cancer urine, including proteins for which expression levels varied by cancer stage (P-value < 0.05). While urine represents a valuable, non-invasive specimen for biomarker discovery in urologic cancers, there is a high degree of intra- and inter-individual variability in urine samples. The enrichment of urinary EV demonstrated its capability and applicability of providing a focused identification of biologically relevant proteins in urological diseases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.571-576
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• 2022

Advancements in the field of proteomics have provided opportunities to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against various diseases. About half of the world's population remains at risk of malaria. Caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is one of the oldest and largest risk factors responsible for the global burden of infectious diseases with an estimated 3.2 billion persons at risk of infection. For epidemiological surveillance and appropriate treatment of individuals infected with Plasmodium spp., timely detection is critical. In this study, we used combinations of depletion of abundant plasma proteins, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), image analysis, LC-MS/MS and western blot analysis on the plasma of healthy donors (100 individuals) and vivax and falciparum malaria patients (100 vivax malaria patients and 8 falciparum malaria patients). These analyses revealed that α1-antichymotrypsin (AACT) protein levels were elevated in vivax malaria patient plasma samples (mean fold-change ± standard error: 2.83 ± 0.11, based on band intensities), but not in plasma from patients with other mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The results of AACT immunoblot analyses showed that AACT protein was significantly elevated in vivax and falciparum malaria patient plasma samples (≥ 2-fold) compared to healthy control donor plasma samples, which has not been previously reported.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.302-310
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• 2023

Background: The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), is marked by the formation of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques. The impairments of axons and synapses appear in the process of Aβ plaques formation, and this damage could cause neurodegeneration. We previously reported that non-saponin fraction with rich polysaccharide (NFP) from Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) showed neuroprotective effects in AD. However, precise molecular mechanism of the therapeutic effects of NFP from KRG in AD still remains elusive. Methods: To investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of NFP from KRG on AD, we conducted proteomic analysis for frontal cortex from vehicle-treated wild-type, vehicle-treated 5XFAD mice, and NFP-treated 5XFAD mice by using nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS. Metabolic network analysis was additionally performed as the effects of NFP appeared to be associated with metabolism according to the proteome analysis. Results: Starting from 5,470 proteins, 2,636 proteins were selected for hierarchical clustering analysis, and finally 111 proteins were further selected for protein-protein interaction network analysis. A series of these analyses revealed that proteins associated with synapse and mitochondria might be linked to the therapeutic mechanism of NFP. Subsequent metabolic network analysis via genome-scale metabolic models that represent the three mouse groups showed that there were significant changes in metabolic fluxes of mitochondrial carnitine shuttle pathway and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the therapeutic effects of NFP on AD were associated with synaptic- and mitochondrial-related pathways, and they provided targets for further rigorous studies on precise understanding of the molecular mechanism of NFP.