• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.261-265
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• 2003

Tumor necrosis facto-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a recently identified member of the tumor necrosis factor cytokine superfamily. TRAIL has been shown to induce apoptosis in a number of tumor cells whereas cells from most of normal tissues are highly resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These observations have raised considerable interest in the use of TRAIL in tumor therapy. In this study we report the biodistribution fates and serum expression pattern of plasmid DNA encoding TRAIL (pTRAIL) delivered in erythrocyte ghosts (EG). pTRAIL was loaded into EG by electroportion in a hypotonic medium The mRNA expression of pTRAIL was prolonged following delivery in EG-encapsulated forms. EG containing pTRAIL showed significant levels of mRNA expression in the blood over 9 days. The organ expression patterns of pTRAIL delivered via EG, however, did not significantly differ from those of naked pTRAIL, indicating that the expression-enhancing effect of EG containing pTRAIL was localized to the blood. These results suggest that pTRAIL-loaded EG might be of potential use in the treatment of hematological diseases such as TRAIL-sensitive leukemia.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2016

Plant-derived triterpenoids commonly possesses biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-viral and anti-cancer. Luvunga scandens is one of the plant that produced triterpenoids. The aims of the study was to analyze cell cycle profile and to determine the expression of p53 unregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), caspase-8 and caspase-9 genes at mRNA level in MCF-7 cell line treated with two triterpenoids, flindissol (1) and 3-oxotirucalla-7,24-dien-21-oic-acid (2) isolated from L. scandens. The compounds were tested for cell cycle analysis using flow cytometer and mRNA expression level using quantitative RT-PCR. The number of MCF-7 cells population which distributed in Sub G1 phase after treated with compound 1 and 2 were 7.7 and 9.3% respectively. The evaluation of the expression of genes showed that both compounds exhibited high level of expression of PUMA, caspase-8 and caspase-9 as normalized to ${\beta}-actin$ via activation of those genes. In summary, the isolated compounds of L. scandens plant showed promising anticancer properties in MCF-7 cell lines.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2008

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known as the causative agent of blood transmitted hepatitis. Two viral proteins, E2 and NS5A, are known to exert interferon resistance of HCV via PKR pathway. Here, we report a third protein, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5B) of HCV, induced interferon resistance inhibiting p56 pathway. p56 was shown to interact with p48 subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3). This interaction inhibited formation of ternary complex in translation initiation. Using dual reporter assay system, we observed that the translation decreased when interferon alpha was added to the culture. But, in the presence of HCV NS5B, the translation partly recovered. NS5B and p48 subunit of eIF3 were shown to interact. This interaction seems to inhibit the interaction between p48 and p56. This is the first report that a virus exerts interferon resistance via p56 pathway.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.290-297
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• 2018

We aimed to understand the molecular changes in host cells that accompany infection by the seasonal influenza A H1N1 virus because the initial response rapidly changes owing to the fact that the virus has a robust initial propagation phase. Human epithelial alveolar A549 cells were infected and total RNA was extracted at 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h post infection (h.p.i.). The differentially expressed host genes were clustered into two distinct sets of genes as the infection progressed over time. The patterns of expression were significantly different at the early stages of infection. One of the responses showed roles similar to those associated with the enrichment gene sets to known 'gp120 pathway in HIV.' This gene set contains genes known to play roles in preventing the progress of apoptosis, which infected cells undergo as a response to viral infection. The other gene set showed enrichment of 'Drug Metabolism Enzymes (DMEs).' The identification of two distinct gene sets indicates that the virus regulates the cell's mechanisms to create a favorable environment for its stable replication and protection of gene metabolites within 8 h.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.454-459
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• 2013

The Potexvirus Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV) has multifunctional triple gene block (TGB) proteins, among which our studies have focused on the properties of the TGB1 protein. The TGB1 of AltMV has functions including RNA binding, RNA silencing suppression, and cell-to-cell movement, and is known to form homologous interactions. The helicase domains of AltMV TGB1 were separately mutated to identify which regions are involved in homologous TGB1 interactions. The yeast two hybrid system and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) in planta were utilized to examine homologous interactions of the mutants. Helicase motif I of AltMV TGB1 was found to be critical to maintain homologous interactions. Mutations in the remaining helicase motifs did not inhibit TGB1 homologous interactions. In the absence of homologous interaction of TGB1, subcellular localization of helicase domain I mutants showed distinctively different patterns from that of WT TGB1. These results provide important information to study viral movement and replication of AltMV.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.632-637
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• 2007

A cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV) was isolated from the larvae of Thaumetopoea pityocampa and shown to cause an infection of midgut cells. This viral infection revealed several important diagnostic symptoms, including discoloration of the posterior midgut, reduced feeding, and extended development time of the larvae. The virus infection is lethal to Thaumetopoea pityocampa, and with the increasing doses kills the larvae within 4-5 days post infection. Electron microscopy studies showed typical cytoplasmic polyhedral inclusion bodies that are icosahedral, and ranged from 2.4 to $5.3{\mu}m$ in diameter. Electrophoretic analysis of the RNA genome showed that the virus has a genome composed of 10 equimolar RNA segments with the sizes of 3,907, 3,716, 3,628, 3,249, 2,726, 1,914, 1,815, 1,256, 1,058, and 899 bp, respectively. Based on morphology and nucleic acid analysis, this virus was named Thaumetopoea pityocampa cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (TpCPV), and belongs to the genus Cypovirus, family Reoviridae.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 1995

During 1993 and 1994, some mortalities of flounder(Paralichthy olivaceus) fry were recorded in several fish farms and viruses were isolated from 3 of the farms. Electron microscopic examination revealed that the virus particles were hexagonal and unenveloped with an average diameter of 50 to 55nm. Serological and molecular properties of these isolates were examined. The viral RNA and polypeptides patterns on electrophoresis, as well as neutralization test results, showed that these isolates were birnaviruses and two were closely related to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus(IPNV) serotype AB and one was to IPNV serotype SP. This is the first isolation of birnaviruses from marine fish in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.610-615
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• 2009

As a provirus, polydnavirus has a segmented DNA genome on chromosome(s) of host wasp. It contains several genes in each segment that presumably play critical roles in regulating physiological processes of target insect parasitized by the wasp. A cysteine-rich protein 1 (CRP1) is present in the polydnavirus Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV) genome, but its expression and physiological function in Plutella xylostella parasitized by the viral host C. plutellae is not known. This CpBV-CRP1 encoding 189 amino acids with a putative signal peptide (20 residues) was persistently expressed in parasitized P. xylostella with gradual decrease at the late parasitization period. Expression of CpBV-CRP1 was tissue-specific in the fat body/epidermis and hemocyte, but not in the gut. Its physiological function was analyzed by inducing transient expression of a CpBV segment containing CpBV-CRP1 and its promoter, which caused significant reduction in hemocyte -spreading and delayed larval development. When the treated larvae were co-injected with double-stranded RNA of CpBV-CRP1, the expression of CpBV-CRP1 disappeared, whereas other genes encoded in the CpBV segment was expressed. These co-injected larvae significantly recovered the hemocyte-spreading capacity and larval development rate. This study reports that CpBV-CRP1 is expressed in P. xylostella parasitized by C. plutellae and its physiological function is to alter the host immune and developmental processes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.243-250
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• 2009

Recent studies suggest a novel role of $HIF-1{\alpha}$ under nonhypoxic conditions, including antibacterial and antiviral innate immune responses. However, the identity of the pathogen-associated molecular pattern which triggers $HIF-1{\alpha}$ activation during the antiviral response remains to be identified. Here, we demonstrate that cellular administration of double-stranded nucleic acids, the molecular mimics of viral genomes, results in the induction of $HIF-1{\alpha}$ protein level as well as the increase in $HIF-1{\alpha}$ target gene expression. Whole-genome DNA microarray analysis revealed that double-stranded nucleic acid treatment triggers induction of a number of hypoxia-inducible genes, and induction of these genes are compromised upon siRNA-mediated $HIF-1{\alpha}$ knock-down. Interestingly, $HIF-1{\alpha}$ knock-down also resulted in down-regulation of a number of genes involved in antiviral innate immune responses. Our study demonstrates that $HIF-1{\alpha}$ activation upon nucleic acid-triggered antiviral innate immune responses plays an important role in regulation of genes involved in not only hypoxic response, but also immune response.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.301-307
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• 2002

Graft transmission and cytopathological studies of a severe pear disease, pear black necrotic leafspot（PBNLS), were carried out to determine the causal agent of the disease. No evidence was found that a fungal or bacterial pathogen could be the causal agent of the disease. Attempts to transmit the agent by sap-inoculation to other plants including herbaceous hosts failed. How-ever, the pathogen was readily graft-transmitted from symptomatic diseased pears to healthy pears. Graft transmission of the pathogen was also demonstrated by using an indicator plant, PS-95, developed in the laboratory through various grafting methods. Ultrastructural study of the disease revealed the consistent presence of flexuous rod-shaped virus-like particles (VLP) in the symptomatic leaves of both Niitaka cultivar and indicator pear, PS-95. The particles, approximately 12 nm in diameter with undetermined length, occurred in the cytoplasm of mesophyll parenchyma cells. Cells with VLPs also contained fibril-containing vesicles, which are common in cells infected with plant viruses with ssRNA genome. The vesicles were formed at the tonoplast. Based on the symptomatology, the presence of fibril-containing vesicles, and graft-transmissibility, it is believed that the VLPs that occurred on symptomatic leaves of black necrotic leafspot of pear are viral in nature, possibly those of a capillovirus.