• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.457-470
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of kinesin superfamily member 15 (KIF15) in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis (NPC) and explore its underlying mechanisms. We employed various assays, including the CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, the Transwell and scratch assay, Western blotting, and nude mice transplantation tumor, to investigate the impact of KIF15 on NPC. Our findings demonstrate that KIF15 plays a critical role in the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of NPC cells. Furthermore, we discovered that silencing KIF15 inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while promoting apoptosis, and that KIF15's effect on NPC cell growth is mediated through the PI3K/AKT and P53 signaling pathways. Additionally, we showed that KIF15 promotes nasopharyngeal cancer cell growth in vivo. Our study sheds light on the significance of KIF15 in NPC by revealing that KIF15 knockdown inhibits NPC cell growth through the regulation of AKT-related signaling pathways. These findings suggest that KIF15 represents a promising therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of NPC.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.161-167
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• 2009

Objectives : Maekmoondong-tang (MMDT), a Korean herbal medicine, has been used to treat severe dry cough in patients with bronchitis and pharyngitis. MMDT has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, immunomodulatory, secretory-modulating, and metabolic regulatory actions. However, there are no evidence in regard to the effects of MMDT on carcinogenesis and metastasis. Here, we investigated the effects of 70% ethanol extract of MMDT on cell viability, apoptosis, and motility in human hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells. Methods : Cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 assay, and the apoptosis induction was evaluated by caspase-3 activity. To detect apoptotic features, the cells treated with MMDT were stained with 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). Cell motility was examined by Boyden chamber assay and Real-time Cell Index of Migration assay. Gelatin zymography also performed to measure matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/9 activity. Results : We found that MMDT significantly inhibited cell proliferation and increased caspase-3 activity in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Apoptotic features such as chromatin condensation and apoptotic bodies were observed in MMDT-treated cells by DAPI staining. MMDT also suppressed PMA-induced cell motility and activities of MMP-2/9. Conclusions : Our results exhibited that MMDT possess the anti-carcinogenetic and anti-metastatic activities via caspase-3 activation and down-regulation of cell motility and invasion in HepG2 cells. Therefore, these findings suggest that MMDT could be potentially applied to the prevention and treatment of cancer.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제36권9호
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• pp.1336-1349
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• 2023

Objective: The study was conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in sows at early pregnancy by high-throughput sequencing and explore its mechanism of action on embryo implantation. Methods: The blood serum of pregnant and non-pregnant Landrace×Yorkshire sows were collected 14 days after artificial insemination, and exosomal miRNAs were purified for high throughput miRNA sequencing. The expression patterns of 10 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR quantified the abundance of serum exosomal miR-192 in pregnant and control sows, and the diagnostic power was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted with bioinformatics software, and the functional and pathway enrichment analysis was performed on gene ontology and the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes terms. Furthermore, a luciferase reporter system was used to identify the target relation between miR-192 and integrin alpha 4 (ITGA4), a gene influencing embryo implantation in pigs. Finally, the expression levels of miRNAs and the target gene ITGA4 were analyzed by qRT-PCR, and western blot, with the proliferation of BeWo cells detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Results: A total of 221 known miRNAs were detected in the libraries of the pregnant and non-pregnant sows, of which 55 were up-regulated and 67 were down-regulated in the pregnant individuals compared with the non-pregnant controls. From these, the expression patterns of 10 DE miRNAs were validated. The qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed a significantly higher expression of miR-192 in the serum exosomes extracted from pregnant sows, when compared to controls. The ROC analysis revealed that miR-192 provided excellent diagnostic accuracy for pregnancy (area under the ROC curve [AUC]=0.843; p>0.001). The dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-192 directly targeted ITGA4. The protein expression of ITGA4 was reduced in cells that overexpressed miR-192. Overexpression of miR-192 resulted in the decreased proliferation of BeWo cells and regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes. Conclusion: Serum exosomal miR-192 could serve as a potential biomarker for early pregnancy in pigs. miR-192 targeted ITGA4 gene directly, and miR-192 can regulate cellular proliferation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권6호
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• pp.743-754
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• 2023

Background: Myocardial fibrosis post-myocardial infarction (MI) can induce maladaptive cardiac remodeling as well as heart failure. Although 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) has been applied to cardiovascular diseases, its efficacy and specific molecular mechanism in myocardial fibrosis are largely unknown. Herein, we aimed to explore whether TGFBR1 signaling was involved in Rg3's anti-fibrotic effect post-MI. Methods: Left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation-induced MI mice and TGF-β1-stimulated primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were adopted. Echocardiography, hematoxlin-eosin and Masson staining, Western-blot and immunohistochemistry, CCK8 and Edu were used to study the effects of Rg3 on myocardial fibrosis and TGFBR1 signaling. The combination mechanism of Rg3 and TGFBR1 was explored by surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi). Moreover, myocardial Tgfbr1-deficient mice and TGFBR1 adenovirus were adopted to confirm the pharmacological mechanism of Rg3. Results: In vivo experiments, Rg3 ameliorated myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy and enhanced cardiac function. Rg3-TGFBR1 had the 1.78×10^-7 M equilibrium dissociation constant based on SPRi analysis, and Rg3 inhibited the activation of TGFBR1/Smads signaling dose-dependently. Cardiac-specific Tgfbr1 knockdown abolished Rg3's protection against myocardial fibrosis post-MI. In addition, Rg3 downregulated the TGF-β1-mediated CFs growth together with collagen production in vitro through TGFBR1 signaling. Moreover, TGFBR1 adenovirus partially blocked the inhibitory effect of Rg3. Conclusion: Rg3 improves myocardial fibrosis and cardiac function through suppressing CFs proliferation along with collagen deposition by inactivation of TGFBR1 pathway.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.509-521
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• 2024

Objective: It was shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in milk protein synthesis. However, the post-transcriptional regulation of casein expression by exogenous miRNA (xeno-miRNAs) in ruminants remains unclear. This study explores the regulatory roles of alfalfa xeno-miR162 on casein synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). Methods: The effects of alfalfa xenomiR-162 and G protein subunit gamma 11 (GNG11) on proliferation and milk protein metabolism of bMECs were detected by 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, flow cytometry, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162. Results: Results showed that over-expression of xenomiR-162 inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis, which also up-regulated the expression of several casein coding genes, including CSN1S1, CSN1S2, and CSN3, while decreasing the expression of CSN2. Furthermore, the targeting relationship between GNG11 and xenomiR-162 was determined, and it was confirmed that GNG11 silencing also inhibited cell proliferation but promoted apoptosis and reduced the expression of casein coding genes and genes related to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Conclusion: Alfalfa xenomiR-162 appears to regulate bMECs proliferation and milk protein synthesis via GNG11 in the mTOR pathway, suggesting that this xeno-miRNA could be harnessed to modulate CSN3 expression in dairy cows, and increase κ-casein contents in milk.

• 대한소아치과학회지
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.149-164
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• 2024

This study compared the solubility, water absorption, dimensional stability, release of various ions (hydroxyl, calcium, sulfur, strontium, and silicon), and cytotoxicity of light-cured resin-modified pulp-capping materials. Resin-modified calcium hydroxide (Ultra-blend^TM plus, UBP), light-cured resin-modified calcium silicate (TheraCal LC^TM, TLC), and dual-cure resin-modified calcium silicate (TheraCal PT^TM, TPT) were used. Each material was polymerized; solubility, 24-hour water absorption, and 30- day dimensional stability experiments were conducted to test its physical properties. Solubility was assessed according to the ISO 6876 standard, and 24 hours of water absorption, 30 days of dimensional stability were assessed by referring to the previous protocol respectively. Eluates at 3 and 24 hours and on 7, 14, and 28 days were analyzed according to the ISO 10993-12 standard. And the pH, Ion-releasing ability, cell proliferation rate, and cell viability were assessed using the eluates to evaluate biochemical characteristics. pH was measured with a pH meter and Ion-releasing ability was assessed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Cell proliferation rate and cell viability were assessed using human dental pulp cells (hDPCs). The former was assessed by an absorbance assay using the CCK-8 solution, and the latter was assessed by Live and Dead staining. TPT exhibited lower solubility and water absorption than TLC. UBP and TPT demonstrated higher stability than TLC. The release of sulfur, strontium, calcium, and hydroxyl ions was higher for TLC and TPT than for UBP. The 28-day release of hydroxyl and silicon ions was similar for TLC and TPT. TLC alone exhibited a lower cell proliferation rate compared to the control group at a dilution ratio of 1 : 2 in cell proliferation and dead cells from Live and Dead assay evaluation. Thus, when using light-cure resin-modified pulp-capping materials, calcium silicate-based materials can be considered alternatives to calcium hydroxide-based materials. Moreover, when comparing physical and biochemical properties, TPT could be prioritized over TLC as the first choice.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.920-929
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• 2024

As a pivotal defensive line against multitudinous malignant tumors, natural killer (NK) cells exist in the tumor microenvironment (TME). RAD18 E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase (RAD18) has been reported to foster the malignant progression of multiple cancers, but its effect on NK function has not been mined. Here, the study was designed to mine the mechanism by which RAD18 regulates the killing effect of NK cells on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Expression of E2F Transcription Factor 7 (E2F7) and RAD18 in CRC tissues, their correlation, binding sites, and RAD18 enrichment pathway were analyzed by bioinformatics. Expression of E2F7 and RAD18 in cells was assayed by qRT-PCR and western blot. Dual-luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay verified the regulatory relationship between E2F7 and RAD18. CCK-8 assay was utilized to assay cell viability, colony formation assay to detect cell proliferation, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test to assay NK cell cytotoxicity, ELISA to assay levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and immunofluorescence to detect expression of toxic molecules perforin and granzyme B. High expression of RAD18 and E2F7 was found in CRC tissues and cells. Silencing RAD18 could hamper the proliferation of CRC cells, foster viability and cytotoxicity of NK cells, and increase the secretion of GM-CSF, TNF-α, IFN-γ as well as the expression of perforin and granzyme B. Additionally, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assay ascertained the binding relationship between RAD18 promoter region and E2F7. E2F7 could activate the transcription of RAD18, and silencing RAD18 reversed the inhibitory effect of E2F7 overexpression on NK cell killing. This work clarified the inhibitory effect of the E2F7/RAD18 axis on NK cell killing in CRC, and proffered a new direction for immunotherapy of CRC in targeted immune microenvironment.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.100-107
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 염생식물인 칠면초와 세발나물의 인슐린 저항성을 개선하는 효과를 조사하였다. 본 실험에 사용한 OLETF쥐는 CCK-1 수용체의 결함으로 인해 인슐린 저항성을 걸쳐 제 2형 당뇨병이 유발되는데, 인슐린 저항성이 진행되는 10주령부터 28주령이 될 때까지 칠면초와 세발나물을 18주 동안 섭취시켰다. 염생식물식이군들의 체중이나 공복혈당 변화는 식이기간 동안 전반적으로 대조군과 유의적인 차이를 보이지 않았다. Oral glucose tolerance test에서 염생식물 섭취가 당 내성을 개선하는 효과를 보였으나 그 혈당 변화를 면적으로 환산하였을 때 각 식이군들 간의 유의적인 차이는 관찰되지 않았다. 혈중 insulin 및 HbA1c 수치는 유의하게 낮은 수치를 보였으며, adiponectin 수치는 높고 leptin과 ghrelin 수치는 낮았으나 현저한 차이는 관찰되지 않았다. 세발나물식이군의 혈중 중성지질과 총 cholesterol 수치는 대조군에 비해 유의적으로 더 낮았다. 혈중 지질산화물 함량은 각 식이군 간 유의차가 관찰되지 않았으나 염생식물식이군에서 더 낮은 경향을 보였으며, NF-${\kappa}B$ p65는 지방조직에서 유의적으로 낮은 발현량을 보였다. 또한 두 염생식물식이군에서 인슐린 신호전달의 negative regulator인 $pIRS1^{Ser307}$의 발현량은 대조군에 비해 더 낮음을 확인하였다. 그러므로 칠면초와 세발나물은 생후 성장하면서 인슐린 저항성이 생기는 OLETF쥐의 인슐린 저항성을 현저하게 줄여주지는 못하였으나 그 개선 효과는 있는 것으로 시사되며, 두 염생식물의 급여 기간을 늘려 제 2형 당뇨병을 예방하는 효과에 대한 섬세한 검토가 보완되어야 할 것으로 사료된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권18호
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• pp.7849-7855
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• 2014

Purpose: To investigate the effect of deacetylase inhibitory trichostatin A (TSA) on anti HepG2 liver carcinoma cells and explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells exposed to different concentrations of TSA for 24, 48, or 72h were examined for cell growth inhibition using CCK8, changes in cell cycle distribution with flow cytometry, cell apoptosis with annexin V-FTIC/PI double staining, and cell morphology changes under an inverted microscope. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1, HDAC3, H3K9, CyclinD1 and Bax proteins was tested by Western blotting. Gene expression for ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1and HDAC3 was tested by q-PCR. ${\beta}$-catenin and H3K9 proteins were also tested by immunofluorescence. Activity of Renilla luciferase (pTCF/LEF-luc) was assessed using the Luciferase Reporter Assay system reagent. The activity of total HDACs was detected with a HDACs colorimetric kit. Results: Exposure to TSA caused significant dose-and time-dependent inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation (p<0.05) and resulted in increased cell percentages in G0/G1 and G2/M phases and decrease in the S phase. The apoptotic index in the control group was $6.22{\pm}0.25%$, which increased to $7.17{\pm}0.20%$ and $18.1{\pm}0.42%$ in the treatment group. Exposure to 250 and 500nmol/L TSA also caused cell morphology changes with numerous floating cells. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, H3K9and Bax proteins was significantly increased, expression levels of CyclinD1, HDAC1, HDAC3 were decreased. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin at the genetic level was significantly increased, with no significant difference in HDAC1and HDAC3 genes. In the cytoplasm, expression of ${\beta}$-catenin fluorescence protein was not obvious changed and in the nucleus, small amounts of green fluorescence were observed. H3K9 fluorescence protein were increased. Expression levels of the transcription factor TCF werealso increased in HepG2 cells following induction by TSA, whikle the activity of total HDACs was decreased. Conclusions: TSA inhibits HDAC activity, promotes histone acetylation, and activates Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to inhibit proliferation of HepG2 cell, arrest cell cycling and induce apoptosis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.221-228
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• 2014

본 연구는 유자씨유 (Citron seed oil, CSO)의 지방산분포와 생리활성 효과를 세포수준에서 확인함으로서 기능성 식용유 소재로서의 CSO의 활용가능성을 제시하고자 하였다. 그 결과 oleic acid 32%, linoleic acid 34%, palmitic acid 19.2%, stearic acid 3.8%, linolenic acid 2.0%, palmitoleic acid 0.6%, arachidic acid 0.3%를 함유하고 있었다. 세포독성실험을 통해 0.2 mg/ml 농도까지 독성이 관찰되지 않음을 확인하였으며 그 이상의 농도에서는 용매 DMSO에 의한 독성이 관찰되어 CSO의 독성 유무를 확인할 수 없었다. HUVECs과 3T3-L1 세포에서 생리활성을 확인하기위해 nitric oxide 생성, Oil Red O 염색을 이용한 지방적형성, leptin 분비를 관찰하였다. CSO는 HUVEC에서 TNF-${\alpha}$의 처리에 의해 통계적으로 유의한 수준으로 감소된 nitric oxide를 농도 의존적으로 증가시켜 0.1 mg/ml에서 control 수준까지 nitric oxide 분비량을 회복시키는 것으로 관찰되었다. 또한, CSO는 MDI solution (0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), $1{\mu}M$ dexamethasone, $10{\mu}g/ml$ insulin) 처리를 통해 분화가 유도된 3T3-L1 adipocyte에서 control (100%) 대비 0.05 mg/ml에서 약 27.5%, 0.1 mg/ml에서 약 15.1%의 지방적 (lipid droplet) 형성 억제효과를 확인하였으며 이는 CSO가 항비만 활성에 잠재적으로 기능을 할 수 있음을 의미한다. 또한 leptin 방출이 control군 (100%)대비 CSO 0.05 mg/ml에서 144.5%, 0.1 mg/ml에서 138.3%로 증가하여 식욕억제작용을 유도할 수 있음을 시사한다. 연구결과를 종합해보면 CSO는 불포화지방산이 다량 함유된 우수한 식물성유지이며 몇 가지 생리활성효과를 가지는 우수한 소재임을 확인하였으므로 이를 이용한 기능성 식품 및 소재개발에 활용되기를 기대한다.