• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.333-344
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• 2019

Various genetic and environmental factors are known to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We identified COPD-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using 189 samples accompanying either adenocarcinoma (AC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SC), comprising 91 normal and 98 COPD samples. DEGs were obtained from the intersection of two DEG sets separately identified for AC and SC to exclude the influence of different cancer backgrounds co-occurring with COPD. We also measured patient samples named group 'I', which were unable to be determined as normal or COPD based on alterations in gene expression. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed significant alterations in the expression of genes categorized with the 'cell adhesion', 'inflammatory response', and 'mitochondrial functions', i.e., well-known functions related to COPD, in samples from patients with COPD. Multi-omics data were subsequently integrated to decipher the upstream regulatory changes linked to the gene expression alterations in COPD. COPD-associated expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) were located at the upstream regulatory regions of 96 DEGs. Additionally, 45 previously identified COPD-related miRNAs were predicted to target 66 of the DEGs. The eQTLs and miRNAs might affect the expression of 'respiratory electron transport chain' genes and 'cell proliferation' genes, respectively, while both eQTLs and miRNAs might affect the expression of 'apoptosis' genes. We think that our present study will contribute to our understanding of the molecular etiology of COPD accompanying lung cancer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1999.06a
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• pp.53-53
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• 1999

We have investigated whether alterations in the expression levels of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) $Ca^{2＋}$ regulatory proteins in heart and mesenteric arteries from different models of hypertension would occur. Nephrectomied diabetic-hypertensive rats (DM-HT) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used as models of hypertension.(omitted)

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.23-56
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• 1994

Recent criticisms of the conduct and use of risk assessment by regulatory agencies have led to a wide range of proposed remedies, including changes in regulatory statutes and the development of new methods for assessing risk. The mandate to this Committee was more limited. Our objective was to examine whether alterations in institutional arrangements or procedures, particularly the organizational separation of risk assessment from regulatory decision-making and the use of uniform guidelines for inferring risk from available scientific information, can improve federal risk assessment activities. Before undertaking to determine whether organizational and procedural reforms could improve the performance and use of risk assessment in the federal government, the Committee examined the state of risk assessment and the regulatory environment in which it is performed. In this chapter, we define risk assessment and differentiate it from other elements in the regulatory process, analyze the types of judgments made in risk assessment, and examine its current government context. Because one chronic health hazard, cancer, was highlighted in the Committee's congressional mandate and has dominated public concern about public health risks in recent years, most of our report focuses on it. Furthermore, because activities in four agencies--the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)--have given rise to many of the proposals for changes in risk assessment practices, our review focuses on these four agencies. The conclusions of this report, although directed primarily at risk assessment of potential carcinogens as performed by these four agencies, may be applicable to other federal programs to reduce health risks.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.247-253
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• 2023

Revolutionary advancements, such as the reduction in DNA sequencing costs and genome editing, have transformed biotechnology, fostering progress in manipulating biomolecules, engineering cells, and computational biology. Agriculture and food production have significantly benefited from tools like high-throughput microarrays, accelerating the selection of desired traits. Genetic engineering, especially utilizing genome editing, facilitates precise alterations in plants and animals, harnessing microbiomes and fostering lab-grown meat production to alleviate environmental pressures. The emergence of new biotechnologies, notably genome editing, underscores the necessity for regulatory frameworks governing LM (living modified) organisms. Global regulations overseeing genetically engineered or genome-edited (GE) organisms, encompassing animals, exhibit considerable diversity. Nonetheless, prevailing international regulatory trends typically exclude genomeedited plants and animals, employing novel biotechnological techniques, from GMO/ LMO classification if they lack foreign genes and originate through natural mutations or traditional breeding programs. This comprehensive review scrutinizes ongoing risk and safety assessment cases, such as genome-edited beef cattle and fish in the USA and Japan. Furthermore, it investigates the limitations of existing regulations related to genome editing in Korea and evaluates newly proposed legislation, offering insights into the future trajectory of regulatory frameworks.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Environmental toxicants such as toxic metals can alter epigenetic regulatory features such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA expression. Heavy metals influence gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms and by directly binding to various metal response elements in the target gene promoters. Given the role of epigenetic alterations in regulating genes, there is potential for the integration of toxic metal-induced epigenetic alterations as informative factors in the risk assessment process. Here, we focus on recent advances in understanding epigenetic changes, gene expression, and biological effects induced by toxic metals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.67-67
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• 2001

Our previous studies showed that the relaxation defect of diabetic heart was due to the changes in the expressional levels of SR $Ca^{2＋}$-ATPase and PLB. In the diabetic heart contractile abnormalities were also observed, and one of the mechanisms for these changes could include alterations in the expression and/or activity levels of various $Ca^{2＋}$ regulatory proteins involving cardiac contraction.(omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2265-2268
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• 2013

Several lines of evidence indicate that cancer is a multistep process. To survey the mechanisms involving gene alteration and miRNAs in adrenocortical cancer, we focused on transcriptional factors as a point of penetration to build a regulatory network. We derived three level networks: differentially expressed; related; and global. A topology network ws then set up for development of adrenocortical cancer. In this network, we found that some pathways with differentially expressed elements (genetic and miRNA) showed some self-adaption relations, such as EGFR. The differentially expressed elements partially uncovered mechanistic changes for adrenocortical cancer which should guide medical researchers to further achieve pertinent research.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 1999

Alterations of cardiovascular function associated with various thyroid states have been studied. In hyperthyroidism left ventricular contractility and relaxation velocity were increased, whereas these parameters were decreased in hypothyroidism. The mechanisms for these changes have been suggested to include alterations in the expression and/or activity levels of various proteins; ${\alpha}-myosin$ heavy chain, ${\beta}-myosin$ heavy chain, ${\beta}-receptors,$ the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein, and the sarcolemmal $Ca^{2+}-ATPase.$ All these cellular alterations may be associated with changes in the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. The most important regulator of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration is the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), which serves as a $Ca^{2+}$ sink during relaxation and as a $Ca^{2+}$ source during contraction. The $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban are the most important proteins in the SR membrane for muscle relaxation. The dephosphorylated phospholamban inhibits the SR $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ through a direct interaction, and phosphorylation of phospholamban relieves the inhibition. In the present study, quantitative changes of $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban expression and the functional consequences of these changes in various thyroid states were investigated. The effects of thyroid hormones on (1) SR $Ca^{2+}$ uptake, (2) phosphorylation levels of phospholamban, (3) SR $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban protein levels, (4) phospholamban mRNA levels were examined. Our findings indicate that hyperthyroidism is associated with increases in $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and decreases in phospholamban levels whereas opposite changes in these proteins occur in hypothyroidism.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-41
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• 2011

The discovery of microRNA (miRNA) is one of the major scientific breakthroughs in recent years and has revolutionized current cell biology and medical science. miRNAs are small (19~25nt) noncoding RNA molecules that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by targeting the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for degradation of translation repression. Genetic ablation of the miRNA machinery, as well as loss or degradation of certain individual miRNAs, severely compromises immune development and response, and can lead to immune disorders. Several sophisticated regulatory mechanisms are used to maintain immune homeostasis. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for maintaining peripheral tolerance, preventing autoimmune diseases and limiting chronic inflammatory diseases. Recent publications have provided compelling evidence that miRNAs are highly expressed in Treg cells, that the expression of Foxp3 is controlled by miRNAs and that a range of miRNAs are involved in the regulation of immunity. A large number of studies have reported links between alterations of miRNA homeostasis and pathological conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as psychiatric and neurological diseases. Although it is still unclear how miRNA controls Treg cell development and function, recent studies certainly indicate that this topic will be the subject of further research. The specific circulating miRNA species may also be useful for the diagnosis, classification, prognosis of diseases and prediction of the therapeutic response. An explosive literature has focussed on the role of miRNA. In this review, I briefly summarize the current studies about the role of miRNAs in Treg cells and in the regulation of the innate and adaptive immune response. I also review the explosive current studies about clinical application of miRNA.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.381-389
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• 2018

ARF is a tumor suppressor protein that has a pivotal role in the prevention of cancer development through regulating cell proliferation, senescence, and apoptosis. As a factor that induces senescence, the role of ARF as a tumor suppressor is closely linked to the p53-MDM2 axis, which is a key process that restrains tumor formation. Thus, many cancer cells either lack a functional ARF or p53, which enables them to evade cell oncogenic stress-mediated cycle arrest, senescence, or apoptosis. In particular, the ARF gene is a frequent target of genetic and epigenetic alterations including promoter hyper-methylation or gene deletion. However, as many cancer cells still express ARF, pathways that negatively modulate transcriptional or post-translational regulation of ARF could be potentially important means for cancer cells to induce cellular proliferation. These recent findings of regulators affecting ARF protein stability along with its low levels in numerous human cancers indicate the significance of an ARF post-translational mechanism in cancers. Novel findings of regulators stimulating or suppressing ARF function would provide new therapeutic targets to manage cancer- and senescence-related diseases. In this review, we present the current knowledge on the regulation and alterations of ARF expression in human cancers, and indicate the importance of regulators of ARF as a prognostic marker and in potential therapeutic strategies.