• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.298-305
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• 2018

Rhomboid family member 2 gene (Rhbdf2) is an inactive homologue lacking essential catalytic residues of rhomboid intramembrane serine proteases. The protein is necessary for maturation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) converting enzyme, which is the molecule responsible for the release of $TNF-{\alpha}$. In this study, Rhbdf2 knockout (KO) mice were produced by CRISPR/CAS9. To see the effects of the failure of $TNF-{\alpha}$ release induced by Rhbdf2 gene KO, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), which is the representative $TNF-{\alpha}$ related disease, was induced in the Rhbdf2 mutant mouse using chicken collagen type II. The severity of the CIA was measured by traditional clinical scores and histopathological analysis of hind limb joints. A rota-rod test and grip strength test were employed to evaluate the severity of CIA based on losses of physical functions. The results indicated that Rhbdf2 mutant mice showed clear alleviation of the clinical severity of CIA as demonstrated by the significantly lower severity indexes. Moreover, a grip strength test was shown to be useful for the evaluation of physical functional losses by CIA. Overall, the results showed that the Rhbdf2 gene has a significant effect on the induction of CIA, which is related to $TNF-{\alpha}$.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.207-212
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• 2004

Purpose: Invasion and metastasis in solid tumors require the action of tumor-associated proteases. The serine protease urokinase-type plasminogen (uPA) and receptor (uPAR) appear to have a major function in these processes. Expression of the uPAR is elevated in breast and colon carcinomas, and this is often associated with invasiveness and poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the expression of the uPAR gene correlates with clinico-pathological parameters in human gastric carcinomas. Materials and Methods: We examined the expression of uPAR mRNA by using northern blot analysis and RT-PCR in 35 gastric carcinomas and the surrounding normal mucosa. Macroscopic and histopathological tumor findings and survival rates were obtained from the patient records and from endoscopic, surgical, and pathological reports. Results: The expression of uPAR and was higher in most neoplasms than in the corresponding normal mucosal tissue. uPAR mRNA expression in tumors correlated well with lymph-node metastasis (P<0.02) and tumor stage (P<0.01). The survival rate of patients with tumors displaying high uPAR expression levels was significantly lower (P<0.04) than that of patients without uPAR expression, but IL-8 showed only the tendency of survival difference. Conclusion: These results suggest that uPAR may be an important prognostic factor in human gastric carcinomas.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.273-288
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• 1991

To elucidate the physiological and biochemical differences between chondrichthyes and osteichthyes, the properties of the specific digestive enzymes in cat-shark, Cephaloscyllium umbratile, and mackerel, Scomber japonicus, were studied. Homogenous trypsin proved through the disc-electrophoresis, SDS-PAG electrophoresis and gel filtration was obtained from the pancreas of cat-shark by $50-70\%$ saturated ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography, benzamidine-Sepharose 6B affinity chromatography and Sephadex G-75-120 gel filtration. Two types of trypsins were also obtained from the pyloric caeca of mackerel by $30-70\%$ saturated ammonium sulphate fractionation and the slightly modified procedure from the method adopted in the purification of cat-shark trypsin. The two trypsins, designated trypsin A and B, were proved their homogeneity by disc- and SDS-PAG electrophoresis and gel filtration. The molecular weights of the trypsins were estimated to be 31,700 for cat-shark trypsin, 30,000 for mackerel trypsin A and 29,000 for mackerel trypsin B by SDS-PAG electrophoresis, but those were estimated to be 21,500 for cat-shark trypsin, 23,700 for mackerel trypsin A and 21,500 for mackerel trypsin B by gel filtration. The trypsins exhibited their optimum conditions at pH 9.0 and on temperature ranged from $45^{\circ}C\;to\;50^{\circ}C$ for cat-shark, and at pH 8.0 and a temperature of $50^{\circ}C$ for mackerel trypsin A and B, respectively. The cat-shark trypsin was stable at pH 10.0 and the temperature below $10^{\circ}C$, whereas the mackerel trypsin A and B, were stable in the range over pH 7.0 to pH 9.0 below $10^{\circ}C$ and at pH 8.0 below $35^{\circ}C$, respectively. The mackerel trypsins were severely inhibited by some heavy metal ions such as $Ag^{2+},\;Cu^{2+}\;and\;Hg^{2+}$ compared to cat-shark trypsin. All of the enzymes were also inhibited by antipain, leupeptin, TLCK(tosyllysine chloromethyl ketone) and SBTI(soybean trypsin inhibitor) remarkably. The inhibitory effects of PMSF(phenylmethane sulphonylfluoride), DFP(diisopropyl fluorophosphate) and benzamidine were indicated that these enzymes belong to serine-proteases.