• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.47-53
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• 1999

Gastrodia elata (GE) is an oriental medicinal herb which has been used traditionally for the treatment of various brain diseases including convulsion and epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to determine pharmacokinetic parameters of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMBA) and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (PHBA), constituents of GE, in rats. Male rats were cannulated in the femoral vein, femoral artery, bile duct and ureter. They received a single i.v. bolus dose of either HMBA or PHBA through the femoral vein. The concentration of HMBA or PHBA in plasma, bile and urine samples were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC. HMBA and PHBA have very short half-lives, i.e. 4.03 and 2.26 minutes respectively. Most of HMBA and PHBA were thought to be eliminated through metabolism as the metabolized fraction approaches unity. Derivatives of HMBA or PHBA with longer biological half-lives should be designed to develop better anticonvulsants and more complete qualitative and quantitative understanding of the overall pharmacokinetic fate of these compounds awaits further investigation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제58권4호
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• pp.117-122
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• 2015

Global developmental delay (GDD) is a relatively common early-onset chronic neurological condition, which may have prenatal, perinatal, postnatal, or undetermined causes. Family history, physical and neurological examinations, and detailed history of environmental risk factors might suggest a specific disease. However, diagnostic laboratory tests, brain imaging, and other evidence-based evaluations are necessary in most cases to elucidate the causes. Diagnosis of GDD has recently improved because of remarkable advances in genetic technology, but this is an exhaustive and expensive evaluation that may not lead to therapeutic benefits in the majority of GDD patients. Inborn metabolic errors are one of the main targets for the treatment of GDD, although only a small proportion of GDD patients have this type of error. Nevertheless, diagnosis is often challenging because the phenotypes of many genetic or metabolic diseases often overlap, and their clinical spectra are much broader than currently known. Appropriate and cost-effective strategies including up-to-date information for the early identification of the "treatable" causes of GDD are needed for the development of well-timed therapeutic applications with the potential to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.43-47
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• 2015

Sirtuin proteins are evolutionary conserved Sir2-related $NAD^+$-dependent deacetylases and regulate many of cellular processes such as metabolism, inflammation, transcription, and aging. Sirtuin contains activity of either ADP-ribosyltransferase or deacetyltranfease and their activity is dependent on the localization in cells. However, the expression pattern of Sirtuins has not been well studied. To examine the expression levels of Sirtuins, RT-PCR was performed using total RNAs from various tissues including liver, small intestine, heart, brain, kidney, lung, spleen, stomach, uterus, ovary, and testis. Sirtuins were highly expressed in most of tissues including the testis. Immunostaining assay showed that Sirt1 and Sirt6 were mainly located in the nucleus of germ cells, spermatocytes, and spermatids in the seminiferous tubules, whereas Sirt2 and Sirt5 were exclusively present in the cytoplasm of germ cells and spermatocytes. Our results indicate that Sirtuins may function as regulators of spermatogenesis and their activities might be dependent on their location in the seminiferous tubules.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.101-107
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• 2011

Aging in females is associated with a reduced metabolic function, increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive dysfunction, as a result of loss in gonadal function. The change can alter the states of phosphorylation on the proteins, which cause dramatic changes in the cellular location or activity of the proteins. In this study, the differential phosphorylation of the proteins responsible for the functions related to cognition was studied using the ovariectomized adult rats. Phosphoproteomic analysis using the cerebral and hippocampal tissues could identify 51 differentially phosphorylated proteins including 12 proteins for energy metabolism, 8 cytoskeletal proteins, 6 signaling proteins, and other functional proteins in the ovariectomized rats. Further, anti-oxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase and peroxiredoxin-2, which are known to be inactivated by phosphorylation, were found to be differentially phosphorylated in the cerebellum and hippocampus of the ovariectomized rats, respectively. Many of the deactivated proteins by differential phosphorylation identified in this study were overlapped to those of Alzheimer's disease cases. These results will provide information for neurodegenerative learning and memory impairments in women as brought about by menopause.

• 한국생물정보학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물정보시스템생물학회 2001년도 제2회 생물정보 워크샵 (DNA Chip Bioinformatics)
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• pp.45-60
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• 2001

. Mediator of transcriptional regulation is the evolutionary conserved coactivator complex that plays He central role in the integration and recruitment of diverse regulatory signals and transcription machinery to certain promoters. In yeast, each Mediator subunit is required for transcriptional regulation of a distinct group of genes. In order to decipher the mechanistic roles of Mediator proteins in regulating developmental specific gene expression, we isolated, and analyzed a multiprotein complex containing Drosophila Mediate. homologs (dMediato.). dMediato. interacts with several sequence-sperific transcription factors and basal transcription machinery, and is critical for activated transcription in response to diverse transcriptional activators. In order to elucidate the function of Mediator in metazoan development, we isolated mutants of a conserved Mediate. subunit, Drosophila Med6 (dMed6). dMed6 null homozygotes failed to pupate and died in the third larval instar. Larval mitotic cells and most imaginal discs showed severe defects in proliferation, but no apparent morphological defect was observed in other larval tissues. Clonal analysis of dMed6 mutant cells revealed that dMed6 is essential for cell viability and proliferation of most adult cell types. Drosophila cDNA microarray, quantitative RT-PCR, and in situ expression analyses of developmentally regulated genes in dMed6 mutants showed that transcriptional activation of a subset of genes involved in neuroblast proliferation in the larval brain were most affected. Our results suggest that dMed6 is required in most for transcriptional regulation of a subset of genes important for cell proliferation and metabolism.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.206-212
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• 1996

This study was to see if pregnant rats fed a pantothenic acid(PA) deficient diet for whole 3 weeks gestation would produce pups comparable to the normal controls, at the cost of maternal tissue PA concentration ([PA]) or coenzyme A content ([Co A]). Compared to the controls, dams fed a PA deficient diet tended to decrease weight gain, and produced pups with lower body, liver and brain weight (p<0.05). Postpartum dam's blood [PA] decreased more in PA deficient group than control (p<0.05, PA deficient : 2.52$\pm$0.66 to 0.77$\pm$0.23uM, control : 2.58$\pm$0.52 to 1.45$\pm$0.68uM), although Hb concentration did not differ between two groups. Pup's blood [PA] at birth was lower in PA deficient group than control group(1.75$\pm$0.27uM vs. 3.90$\pm$0.76uM, respectively, p<0.05) and 2-3 times that of postpartum dams in both two groups. [Co A] and [PA] in pup's tissues were 23-68% of dams in both groups, in spite of the higher [PA] in pups. These data suggest that Co A metabolism differs between pups and dams ; the pups were more adversely affected than dams by the dietary PA deficiency of dams during gestation.

• 한국발생생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국발생생물학회 1998년도 제4차 학술발표대회 및 정기총회
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• pp.50-51
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• 1998

guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) catalyzes the last step of creatine biosynthesis in mammals. Creatine plays an important role in cellular energy metabolism in variety of tissues including brain and male reproductive tract. Congenital deficiency of the enzyme leads to a neurologic disorder in humans. We used an interspecific backcross DNA panel to map Gamt to the central region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 10 near the locus of hesitant mutation affecting male fertility. We assigned the human GAMT gene to Chr 19 by PCR analysis of a human/rodent somatic hybrid cell line DNA panel, and further localized the human gene to Chr 19 at band p13.3 by PCR analysis of a human radiation hybrid DNA panel. Human chr 19p13.3 is homologous to the central part of mouse Chr 10 where mouse Gamt is located. Furthermore, this part of mouse Chr 10 contains mutant loci the phenotype of which is similar to the GAMT deficiency in human.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.291-301
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• 2013

The genomic organization, tissue distribution, and developmental expression of two paralogous GAPDH isoforms were characterized in the mud loach Misgurnus mizolepis (Cypriniformes). The mud loach gapdh isoform genes (mlgapdh-1 and mlgapdh-2) had different exon-intron organizations: 12 exons in mlgapdh-1 (spanning to 4.88 kb) and 11 in mlgapdh-2 (11.78 kb), including a non-translated exon 1 in each isoform. Southern blot hybridization suggested that the mud loach might possess the two copies of mlgapdh-1 and a single copy of mlgapdh-2. The mlgapdh-1 transcript levels are high in tissues requiring high energy flow, such as skeletal muscle and heart, whereas mlgapdh-2 is expressed abundantly in the brain. Both isoforms are differentially regulated during embryonic and larval development, during which their expression is upregulated with the progress of development. Lipopolysaccharide challenge preferentially induced mlgapdh-2 transcripts in the liver. Therefore, the two isoforms have diversified functionally; mlgapdh-1 is associated more closely with energy metabolism, while mlgapdh-2 is related more to stress/immune responses, in the mud loach.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.137-141
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• 2002

Taurine, amino acid, chemically known as 2-amino ethane sulphonic acid was discovered more than two hundred years ago from ox bile. it is widely distributed in both mammals and nonmammals. It is found in considerably high amount in hUl11an: a normal adult of 70 kgs contains about 70 grams of taurine. Taurine with this much concentration, is involved in almost all life processes. Its deficiency causes several abnormalities in major organs like brain, eye and heart. Taurine-bone interaction is latest addition to its long list of actions. In bone cells, taurine is also found in high concentration. Taurine is found to help in enhancing the bone tissue formation which is evidenced by increased matrix formation and collagen synthesis. Besides stimulating the bone tissue formation, it also inhibits the bone loss through inhibiting the bone resorption and osteoclast formation. Thus, taurine acts as a double agent. In addition to these two major actions of taurine in bone, it also has beneficial effect in wound healing mld bone repair. Taurine possess radioprotective properties, too. As it is a naturally available molecule, it can be used as a preventive agent. Taurine has a potential to replace bisphosphonates which are currently in use for the inhibition of bone loss but this needs in depth study. As taurine is involved in bone formation and inhibition of bone loss, a detailed study can make it a single marker of bone metabolism. All these taurine-bone interaction is a symbol of their deep involvement but still require further extension to make taurine as a choice for tile sound bone health.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.203-210
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• 2015

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of energy metabolism. Previous studies have shown that activation of AMPK results in suppression of cardiac myocyte hypertrophy via inhibition of the p70S6 kinase (p70S6K) and eukaryotic elongation factor-2 (eEF2) signaling pathways. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol found in green tea, possesses multiple protective effects on the cardiovascular system including cardiac hypertrophy. However, the molecular mechanisms has not been well investigated. In this study, we found that EGCG could significantly reduce natriuretic peptides type A (Nppa), brain natriuretic polypeptide (BNP) mRNA expression and decrease cell surface area in H9C2 cardiomyocytes stimulated with phenylephrine (PE). Moreover, we showed that AMPK is activated in H9C2 cardiomyocytes by EGCG, and AMPK-dependent pathway participates in the inhibitory effects of EGCG on cardiac hypertrophy. Taken together, our findings provide the first evidence that the effect of EGCG against cardiac hypertrophy may be attributed to its activation on AMPK-dependent signaling pathway, suggesting the therapeutic potential of EGCG on the prevention of cardiac remodeling in patients with pressure overload hypertrophy.