• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2001.12a
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• pp.61-68
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• 2001

Soybean, rice and nuts are the staple foods in South East Asia. In order to clarify the function of these foods in relation to coronary heart diseases, we have done a series of experiments using animals and humans. Soybean protein preparations (SPI) in comparison with an animal protein, casein (CAS), resulted in reducing atherosclerotic lesion development in apolipoprotein (apo) E deficient mice that develop an advanced lesion similar to that in humans. This action was attributed to the protein, since the ethanol-extracted SPI (EE-SPI), from which isoflavones and saponins removed, lowered the lesion development in apo E-deficient mice. However, The EE-SPI, compared to the SPI, resulted in a decrease of mRNA for key proteins of cholesterol metabolism (low density lipoprotein receptor and cholesterol 7$\alpha$-hydroxylase) in hypercholesterolemic rats, followed by an elevation of the serum cholesterol level, indicating a contribution of isoflavones to the serum cholesterol level. Rice protein (RPI) was also effective to lower the lesion development in apo E deficient mice. Both the SPI and RPI led to an increased level of the serum NOiN03, metabolites of NO. This effect appeared to be attributed to their high content of arginine. Besides, C57BL/6J mice fed a diet containing whole grain rice had an elevation of the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Furthermore, rice bran oil and the unsaponifiable fraction that is rich in plant sterols were effective to lower serum cholesterol levels in hypercholeserolemic rats. Finally, we tested if walnuts consumption would be hypocholesterolemic for Japanese. A diet containing walnuts effectively lowered the serum total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in Japanese men and women. These animal and human experiments would be relevant to advocate publics to keep consuming diets including soybean, rice and nuts for their healthful life.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.127-134
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• 2015

Castration induces the accumulation of body fat and deposition of intramuscular fat in Korean cattle, resulting in improved beef quality. However, little is known about the metabolic adaptations in the liver following castration. To understand changes in lipid metabolism following castration, hepatic expression levels of lipid metabolism genes were compared between Korean bulls and steers. Steers had higher (p<0.001) hepatic lipids contents and higher (p<0.01) mRNA levels of lipogenic acetyl-CoA carboxylase. This differential gene expression may, in part, contribute to increased hepatic lipid content following the castration of bulls. However, we found no differences in the hepatic expression levels of genes related to triglyceride synthesis (mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 and 2) and fatty acid (FA) oxidation (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, C-4 to C-12 straight chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase) between bulls and steers. No differences in gene expression for very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion, including apolipoprotein B mRNA and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) protein, were observed in the liver although MTTP mRNA levels were higher in steers compared to bulls. In conclusion, FA synthesis may contribute to increased hepatic lipid deposition in steers following castration. However, hepatic lipid metabolism, including triglyceride synthesis, FA oxidation, and VLDL secretion, was not significantly altered by castration. Our results suggest that hepatic lipid metabolism does not significantly contribute to increased body fat deposition in steers following castration.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.7.1-7.12
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• 2018

Recent findings from The Cancer Genome Atlas project have provided a comprehensive map of genomic alterations that occur in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including unexpected mutations in apolipoprotein B (APOB). We aimed to determine the clinical significance of this non-oncogenetic mutation in HCC. An Apob gene signature was derived from genes that differed between control mice and mice treated with siRNA specific for Apob (1.5-fold difference; P < 0.005). Human gene expression data were collected from four independent HCC cohorts (n = 941). A prediction model was constructed using Bayesian compound covariate prediction, and the robustness of the APOB gene signature was validated in HCC cohorts. The correlation of the APOB signature with previously validated gene signatures was performed, and network analysis was conducted using ingenuity pathway analysis. APOB inactivation was associated with poor prognosis when the APOB gene signature was applied in all human HCC cohorts. Poor prognosis with APOB inactivation was consistently observed through cross-validation with previously reported gene signatures (NCIP A, HS, high-recurrence SNUR, and high RS subtypes). Knowledge-based gene network analysis using genes that differed between low-APOB and high-APOB groups in all four cohorts revealed that low-APOB activity was associated with upregulation of oncogenic and metastatic regulators, such as HGF, MTIF, ERBB2, FOXM1, and CD44, and inhibition of tumor suppressors, such as TP53 and PTEN. In conclusion, APOB inactivation is associated with poor outcome in patients with HCC, and APOB may play a role in regulating multiple genes involved in HCC development.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2009

Familial chylomicronemia syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by severe hypertriglyceridemia and fasting chylomicronemia. Causes of the syndrome include lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency, apolipoprotein C-II deficiency, or the presence of inhibitors to LPL. We managed a 3-month-old girl who had recurrent acute pancreatitis caused by chylomicronemia. We report the first case of familial chylomicronemia in Korea caused by LPL deficiency in an infant with recurrent acute pancreatitis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1592-1597
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• 2001

Sixteen pigs from 2 distinct genetic lines (LGAH and VFIL) obtained after eight generations of divergent selection for high (H) and low (L) lean tissue growth rate with ad-libitum feeding (LGA) and voluntary feed intake (VF1), respectively, were used in this study. The objectives of this investigation were to establish appropriate working conditions for the postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase (LPL) assay and to study relationships between fat deposition and plasma lipids, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) lipids, VLDL-subfractions and postheparin plasma LPL activity in growing pigs. Four preliminary experiments were performed to determine the appropriate working conditions for the postheparin plasma LPL assays. Postheparin plasma preincubated with SDS (20-50 mM) at $26^{\circ}C$ for 45 minutes inhibited hepatic lipase activity. A total of $2{\mu}l$ VLDL/assay produced maximum stimulation of LPL activity. Postheparin plasma protein and increasing incubation time contributed an optimum response. LGAH pigs had a significantly higher proportion subtraction 2 than VFIL pigs. No differences were observed in postheparin plasma LPL activity and backfat thickness for two lines of pigs. There were positive correlations between backfat thickness and proportion of subtractions 2 and postheparin plasma LPL activity but the results were not statistically significant. Backfat thickness was not statistically correlated with proportion of subtraction 2 and postheparin plasma LPL activity in a multiple regression analysis. It is believed that the apolipoprotein E, which is present in higher quantities in VLDL-subfraction 2 plays an important role for clearing VLDL triacylglycerol into adipose tissue. LPL activity of pigs can be measured by using postheparin plasma technique. If the relationships of backfat thickness and VLDL-subfraction 2 and postheparin plasma LPL activity can be established, it suggests that these parameters could be used as indicators in selection programmes. Further experiments need to be conducted by using larger sample size and different breed of pigs with greater differences in backfat thicknesses to confirm these trends.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.230-232
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• 2005

The formation of insoluble aggregation of the recombinant kringle fragment of human apolipoprotein(a), rhLK8, in endoplasmic reticulum was identified as the rate-limiting step in the rhLK8 secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To analyze the protein secretion pathway, some of yeast genes closely related to protein secretion was rationally selected and their oligomer DNA were arrayed on the chip. The expression profiling of these genes during the induction of rhLK8 in fermentor fed-batch cultures revealed that several foldases including pdi1 gene were up-regulated in the early induction phase, whereas protein transport-related genes were up-regulated in the late induction phase. The coexpression of pdi1 gene increased rhLK8-folding capacity. Hence, the secretion efficiency of rhLK8 in the strain overexpressing pdi1 gene increased by 2-fold comparing in its parental strain. The oligomer DNA chip arrayed with minimum number of the genes selected in this study could be generally applicable to the monitoring system for the heterologous protein secretion and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. With the optimization of fed-batch culture conditions and the alteration of genetic background of host, we obtained extracellular rhLK8 at higher yields than with Pichia pastoris systems, which was a 25-fold increased secretion level of rhLK8 compared to the secretion level at the initiation of this study.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.551-557
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• 2014

In this study, we demonstrated multimodal nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopy integrated simultaneously with two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF), second-harmonic generation (SHG), and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) in order to obtain targeted cellular and label-free images in an immunofluorescence assay of the atherosclerotic aorta from apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. The multimodal NLO microscope used two laser systems: picosecond (ps) and femtosecond (fs) pulsed lasers. A pair of ps-pulsed lights served for CARS (817 nm and 1064 nm) and SHG (817 nm) images; light from the fs-pulsed laser with the center wavelength of 720 nm was incident into the sample to obtain autofluorescence and targeted molecular TPEF images for high efficiency of fluorescence intensity without cross-talk. For multicolor-targeted TPEF imaging, we stained smooth-muscle cells and macrophages with fluorescent dyes (Alexa Fluor 350 and Alexa Fluor 594) for an immunofluorescence assay. Each depth-sectioned image consisted of $512{\times}512$ pixels with a field of view of $250{\times}250{\mu}m^2$, a lateral resolution of $0.4{\mu}m$, and an axial resolution of $1.3{\mu}m$. We obtained composite multicolor images with conventional label-free NLO images and targeted TPEF images in atherosclerotic-plaque samples. Multicolor 3-D imaging of atherosclerotic-plaque structural and functional composition will be helpful for understanding the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.218-227
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• 2019

This study was designed to determine the effects of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) disruption in a murine abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) model. After injection of PVT1-silencing lentiviruses, AAA was induced in Apolipoprotein E-deficient ($ApoE^{-/-}$) male mice by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion for four weeks. After Ang II infusion, mouse serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were analysed, and aortic tissues were isolated for histological, RNA, and protein analysis. Our results also showed that PVT1 expression was significantly upregulated in abdominal aortic tissues from AAA patients compared with that in controls. Additionally, Ang II treatment significantly increased PVT1 expression, both in cultured mouse VSMCs and in AAA murine abdominal aortic tissues. Of note, the effects of Ang II in facilitating cell apoptosis, increasing matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, reducing tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, and promoting switching from the contractile to synthetic phenotype in cultured VSMCs were enhanced by overexpression of PVT1 but attenuated by knockdown of PVT1. Furthermore, knockdown of PVT1 reversed Ang II-induced AAA-associated alterations in mice, as evidenced by attenuation of aortic diameter dilation, marked adventitial thickening, loss of elastin in the aorta, enhanced aortic cell apoptosis, elevated MMP-2 and MMP-9, reduced TIMP-1, and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that knockdown of lncRNA PVT1 suppresses VSMC apoptosis, ECM disruption, and serum pro-inflammatory cytokines in a murine Ang II-induced AAA model.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.165-176
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• 2013

Objective : The purpose of this study was to establish the simultaneous analysis for six compounds in Gumiganghwal-tang (GMGHT, Jiuweiqianghuo-tang) and to investigate the anti-atherosclerotic effects of GMGHT in vitro. Methods : The column for separation of six compounds was used Luna $C_{18}$ column and maintained at $40^{\circ}C$. The mobile phase for gradient elution consisted of two solvent systems, 1.0% acetic acid in water and 1.0% acetic acid in acetonitrile. The analysis was carried out at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with pothodiode array (PDA) detection at 254, 280, and 320 nm. The injection volume was 10 ${\mu}L$. The antioxidant activities of GMGHT were evaluated by measuring free radical scavenging activities on 2,2'-Azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The inhibitory effects on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation were evaluated by the formation of thiobarbituric acid relative substances (TBARS), relative electrophoretic mobility (REM), and fragmentation of apolipoprotein B (ApoB)-100. Results : Calibration curves were acquired with $r^2{\geq}0.9998$. The contents of liquiritin, ferulic acid, baicalin, baicalein, glycyrrhizin, and wogonin in GMGHT were 1.784, 1.693, 37.899, 0.258, 1.869, and 0.034 mg/g, respectively. The GMGHT showed the radical scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration required for 50% reduction ($RC_{50}$) against ABTS and DPPH radicals were 72.51 ${\mu}g/mL$ and 128.49 ${\mu}g/mL$. Furthermore, GMGHT reduced the oxidation properties of LDL induced by $CuSO_4$. Conclusion : HPLC-PDA is considered as an available and convenient method for quality control and standardization of GMGH and GMGHT has potentials on anti-atherosclerosis by anti-oxidative effect and suppressive effect on LDL oxidation.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2007

Increasing industrial development in the Masan Bay area of Korea over the past decades increased the risk for the survival of marine organisms in the bay area by the deterioration of the water quality. Since living organisms have the ability to adapt contamination-associated stimuli by the alteration of gene expression, changes in proteins can be used as an important criterion for assessing the levels of environmental conditions. In this study, therefore, alterations of the expression of proteins in the muscle of Limanda yokohamae from Dukdong and Dotsum in the bay area were surveyed and characterized as compared with Haegumgang, which served as a control site. The results demonstrated that the twenty spots detected from Dukdong and Dotsum were similar to each other. Fifteen proteins were found to be predicted or undefined proteins, while five proteins were identified as heavy polypeptide 11 of myosin, apolipoprotein A-I, fibroblast growth factor 17b precursor, G protein-coupled receptor kinase 1 b and bonnie and clyde. These data suggest that local fish in the bay area have dysfunction in muscle physiology including contraction, lipid metabolism, proliferation and differentiation and nervous system.