• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.153-164
• /
• 2017

Gene silencing using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) has been widely used in functional genomics in biological organisms. Its principle stems from RNA interference (RNAi), a post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Suppression of specific gene expression using dsRNA may give significant lethal effect. Insect pest control exploits this molecular process to develop novel insecticides using specific dsRNAs. This review explains core principles of RNAi using dsRNA. Then it illustrates various examples to control insect pests using dsRNAs. It also discusses limitations to control insect pests using dsRNAs. Finally, it provides several breakthroughs to develop dsRNA insecticides.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.10
• /
• pp.1085-1091
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of selenate on adipocyte differentiation and to identify genes involved in the modulation of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. To test the effect of selenate on adipocyte differentiation, adipogenesis was induced in cells using various concentrations ($0-100{\mu}M$) of selenate. Various phases of adipogenesis were induced: postconfluent (PC), early phase (EP, d0-d2), postmitotic growth arrest (PM, d2-d4), and all period (AP). The PC cells exposed to selenate for 24 h displayed dose-dependent inhibition of intracellular lipid droplet accumulation on day 6 of adipogenesis. Two days of selenate treatment at EP or AP inhibited adipogenesis, with an approximately 20-80% reduction in lipid accumulation compared to that of a control (p<0.05). When preadipocytes were exposed to selenate during the PM period, the antiadipogenic effect of selenate was attenuated. Two types of selenoprotein genes (Seps1 and Sepp1) were up-regulated by the selenate treatment during mitotic clonal expansion, whereas these genes were down-regulated during PM growth arrest (p<0.05). The findings demonstrate the antiadipogenic function of selenate and the possible involvement of Sepp1 and Seps1 genes in selenate-inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.375-383
• /
• 2014

This study aimed to investigate the effects of 50% ethanol extract of ripe black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis, RBR) on hypertension in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and activation of nitric oxide production by endothelial nitric oxide synthase were significantly regulated by RBR in HUVEC cells. Moreover, the SHR showed significantly higher levels of blood pressure, ACE, renin, endothelin-1, and interleukin-6 than Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). However, treatment with captopril and RBR decreased the levels of these hypertension-related events in the SHR. The renal arteriole showed greater media thickness/lumen diameter (%) in the SHR than in the WKY. However, media thickness/lumen diameter (%) was reduced in SHR by treatment with captopril and RBR. In addition, the number of eosinophilic cardiac muscle cells was decreased in the heart muscles after treatment with captopril and RBR. Therefore, this study suggests that 50% ethanol extract of RBR may be useful for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.77-83
• /
• 2003

Aggressive fibromatosis is a rare soft tissue tumor with locally invasive and infiltrative characteristics. The mechanism of this invasive nature was not reported until now. Mutations or reduction of PTEN, tumor suppressor gene, in cancer tissues, have been found to be associated with invasiveness and metastatic properties of cancer cells. To know the pattern of expression of PTEN in aggressive fibromatosis, we analysed the expression of PTEN with immunohistochemical stain and immunoblotting. PTEN was homogeneously expressed in the normal musculoaponeurotic tissues, but absent or very faint in tissues of patients with aggressive fibromatosis as evidenced by western blot analysis and immunohistochemical examinations. Although the meaning of decreased PTEN expression in aggressive fibromatosis is not certain, it might be involved in the growth of the aggressive fibromatosis, and associated with phenotype of aggressive fibromatosis.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.433-441
• /
• 1995

Mammary tissue-specificity of the caprine $\beta$-lactoglobulin promoter appears to be secured by repression in non-expressing cells. In order to identify the mechanism of the negative regulation, the upstream promoter sequence of the caprine $\beta$-lactoglobulin gene was analyzed in detail. The repression was mediated by the upstream flanking sequence from -47O to -205. The sequence could repress the promoter activity of $\beta$-lactoglobulin in either orientation. The effect of the putative negative regulation element of caprine $\beta$-lactoglobulin on heterlogous promoters, however, varied: the promoter activity of herpes simplex virus thimidine kinase was either repressed or activated by the sequence depending on its orientation, while the SV4O early promoter was activated rather than repressed. The regulatory sequence involving the putative negative regulatory element was strongly shifted with the nuclear extract from non-mammary HeLa and CV-1 cells, while only weak shift was observed with that of mammary HC11 cells. Such correlation between repression and factor binding suggests that the protected regions in foot-printing assay may be the negative regulatory elements of $\beta$-lactoalobulin that serve tissue-specific repression.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.235-241
• /
• 2003

We have previously demonstrated that intracellular expression of an RNA aptamer termed RRE40, which was selected in vitro to bind HIV Rev 10-fold much tighter than wild-type RRE, efficiently protected human CD4+ T cell line, CEM, from HIV-1. In this study, to evaluate the efficacy of the RRE40 RNA in clinical settings, polyclonal CD4+ peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were transduced with retroviral vectors expressing RRE40 decoy RNA and then challenged with clinical isolates of HIV-1. In contrast to the control cells transduced with vectors expressing control tRNA, intracellular expression of RRE40 RNA more effectively inhibited HIV-1 replication in CD4+ PBLs. However, transient and diminished inhibition, rather than complete inhibition, of HIV-1 replication in PBLs expressing RRE40 decoys have been observed. These results suggest that RRE40 decoy RNA would be useful to inhibit HIV-1 replication in cells. However, development of more efficient gene transfer protocols and/or more effective decoy RNAs would be needed to apply RNA decoy to modulate HIV-1 patient.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.874-881
• /
• 2004

Angiogenesis has been implicated in progression of inflammation, arthritis, psoriasis, atherosclerosis as well as tumor growth and metastasis. Intensive studies have been carried out to develop a strategy for cancer treatment by blocking angiogenesis. During angiogenesis, endothelial proliferation and migration essentially occurs upon activation. In this study, we compared the expression profiles of human umbilical endothelial cells activated by incubating in vitro in the rich medium containing several growth factors, and non-activated ones. cDNA targets derived from total RNAs of HUVEC activated for 13 h in M199 medium containing endothelial cell growth supplement, 20% fetal bovine serum, and heparin, after reaching 70～80% confluency, or non-activated, were hybridized onto oligonucleotide microarrays containing 1,8864 genetic elements. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis resulted in two subgroups on dendrogram exhibiting activated and non-activated HUVECs. We then extracted 122 outlier genes which were shown to be up-regulated or under-expressed by at least 2-folds in activated HUVECs. Among these, 32 annotated genes were up-regulated and 38 were down-regulated in activated HUVECs. Interestingly, genes involved in cell proliferation, motility, and inflammation/ immune response were up-regulated in activated HUVEC, whereas genes for cell adhesion or vessel morphogenesis/function were down-regulated. Unexpectedly, the expression of genes well-characterized as angiogenesis markers was not changed except Eph-B4, which was down-regulated about 4 folds. 52 unknown genes were also up- or down-regulated. Therefore, these results could provide an opportunity to targeting new vascular molecules for the development of anti-angiogenic molecules.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.57-64
• /
• 2008

The fsrA gene in Bacillus subtilis has an analogous role of ryhB in E. coli and is controlled under fur, the iron regulator gene. At high concentration of iron the transcription of ryhB is repressed by fur and ryhB is transcribed under low concentration of iron. To spare iron produced ryhB small RNA represses the expression of sdhCDAB (succinate dehydrogenase). This study shows the growth rate of Bacillus subtilis strain of fur and fur/fsrA deletion mutants using organic acids of TCA cycle as carbon source. Mutant strain of fur does not grow well with succinate carbon source, but further deletion of fsrA regain to the growth of wild type strain. Also, nearly same results were observed with citrate and fumarate. These results are consistent to those of E. coli system. But fur and fur/fsrA deletion mutants grow well as much as the growth of wild type with malate carbon source. These results showed that upstream genes of succinate of TCA cycle are repressed by fsrA, but downstream of succinate are not repressed by fsrA.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.69-77
• /
• 2020

The tumor suppressor gene, p53, is inactivated in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cells line, Hep3B. Berberine has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. This study examined whether apoptosis was induced in berberine-treated Hep3B cells and observed the association between apoptosis and the expression of p53 and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT). The cell viability was measured using an MTT assay. Apoptosis of Hep3B was measured using annexin V flow cytometry. Berberine-treated cells were examined for their DNMT enzymatic activity, mRNA expression, and protein synthesis. The p53 levels were examined by Western blot analysis. The berberine treatment resulted in increased Hep3B cell death and apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The DNMT3b activity, mRNA expression, and protein levels all decreased after the berberine treatment. In contrast, the p53 protein levels increased with a concomitant decrease in DNMT3b. No change in the expression of ERK was observed, but the P-ERK levels decreased in a dose dependent manner. These results indicate that a treatment of Hep3B cells with berberine can reduce the expression of DNMT3b, leading to an increase in the tumor suppressant gene p53 and an increase in cell apoptosis. This shows that berberine can effectively suppress the proliferation of liver cancer cells.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.49-54
• /
• 1995

본 연구자들은 근원세포를 면역시켜 얻은 hybidoma들을 검색하여. 계배 근원세포의 분화와 관련된 단백질을 인지하여 분화를 억제하는 대과가 있는 monoclonal antibody 3H35를 선별하여 그 항원을 확인한 바 있다(Kim et af.. (1992), Korean J. Zool 35 29-36) 본 연구에서는 λZAP에 cloning된 chicken muscle CDNA library들을 lacZ fusion protein으로 발현시켜 항체 3H35로 검색하여 그 유전자를 찾아내었다. 선별한 CDNA clone 중 C59의 삽입 절편은 1.6 kb이었고, 발현시킨 facE fusion protein 은 60 kDa로, f-galactosidase에 대한 항체에 반응하며 3H35와도 반응함을 immunoaffinitv adsorbant와 immunoblot으로 확인하였다 Clone C59의 삽입 절편의 염기서열을 분석한 결과, 실제 유전자는 1.6 kb 이상이며, 알려진 어느 다른 유전자와도 관련이 없는 새로운 근특이 유전자로 판단되었다. 아미노산으로 전환시켰을 때 31개의 특이한 서열이 7차례 반복된 부분이 나타났으며 이 서열의 23개가 일정하게 보존되어있고 나머지 서열의 아미노산의 polarity도 매우 유사하게 효존되어있다. 이들의 보존성이 극히 높은 것으로 보아 독특한 기능을 수행하는 domain으로 추정된다.