• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2010

During normal early embryonic development in mammals, the global pattern of genomic DNA methylation undergoes marked. changes. The level of methylation is high in male and female gametes. Thus, we cloned the cDNA of the porcine DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) gene to promote the efficiency of the generation of porcine clones. In this study, porcine Dnmt1 cDNA was sequenced, and Dnmt1 mRNA expression was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) in porcine tissues during embryonic development. The porcine Dnmt1 cDNA sequence showed more homology with that of bovine than human, mouse, and rat. The complete sequence of porcine Dnmt1 cDNA was 4,774-bp long and consisted of an open reading frame encoding a protein of 1611 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of porcine DNMT1 showed significant homology with those of bovine (91%), human (88%), rat (76%), and mouse (75%) Dnmt1. The expression of porcine Dnmt1 mRNA was detected during porcine embryogenesis. The mRNA was detected at stages of porcine preimplantation development (1-cell, 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages). It was also abundantly expressed in tissues (lung, ovary, kidney and somatic cells). Further investigations are necessary to understand the complex links between methyltransferase 1 and the transcriptional activity in cloned porcine tissues.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.21-29
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• 2002

To evaluate the antitumor activity and antimetastatic effects of Polygoni Orientalis Fructus(POF), studies were done experimentally. The results were obtained as follows : 1. In cytotoxicity against A549, and XF498 cell concentration inhibiting cell growth up to below 30% of control was recognized at $200{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ of POF. Also POF inhibited cell growth up to below 30% of control against SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, HCT15 and MCF-7 cell at $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. 2. The concentration inhibiting adhesion of A549 and SK-OV-3 to complex extracellular matrix up to below 70% of control was recognized at $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ of POF. 3. In pumonary colonization assay, a number of colonies in the lungs were decreased significantly in POF treated group as compared with control group. These results suggested that POF extracts might be usefully applied for prevention and treatment of cancer.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2016

The serine/threonine kinase mTOR is essential for the phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) signaling pathway, and regulates the development and function of immune cells. Aberrant activation of mTOR signaling pathway is associated with many cancers including leukemia. Here, we report the contributions of mTOR signaling to growth of human leukemic cell lines and mouse T-cell acute leukemia (T-ALL) cells. Torin, an ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor, was found to have both cytotoxic and cytostatic effects on U-937, THP-1, and RPMI-8226 cells, but not on Jurkat or K-562 cells. All cells were relatively resistant to rapamycin even with suppressed activity of mTOR complex 1. Growth of T-ALL cells induced by Notch1 was profoundly affected by torin partially due to increased expression of Bcl2l11 and Bbc3. Of note, activation of Akt or knockdown of FoxO1 mitigated the effect of mTOR inhibition on T-ALL cells. Our data provide insight on the effect of mTOR inhibitors on the survival and proliferation of leukemic cells, thus further improving our understanding on cell-context-dependent impacts of mTOR signaling. [BMB Reports 2016; 49(1): 63-68]

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.65-71
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• 2016

Cell-free nucleic acids (cf-NAs) originate in trophoblasts and are detected in the maternal plasma. Using innovative bioinformatic technologies such as next-generation sequencing, cf-NAs in the maternal plasma have been rapidly applied in prenatal genetic screening for fetal aneuploidy. Amniotic fluid is a complex and dynamic fluid that provides growth factors and protection to the fetus. In 2001, the presence of cf-NA in amniotic fluid was reported. Amniotic fluid is in direct contact with the fetus and is derived from fetal urine and maternal and fetal plasma. Therefore, these genetic materials have been suggested to reflect fetal health and provide real-time genetic information regarding fetal development. Recently, several studies evaluated the global gene expression changes of amniotic fluid cell-free RNA according to gestational age. In addition, by analyzing the transcriptome in the amniotic fluid of fetal aneuploidy, potential key pathways and novel biomarkers for fetal chromosomal aneuploidy were identified. Here, we review the current knowledge of cell-free RNA in amniotic fluid and suggest future research directions.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2004

The ultrastructure of the gills of Oplegnathus fasciatus was examined by means of light and transmission electron microscopes. The gills have primary and secondary filaments (lamellae). The following cells are identified and described : epithelial cell, pillar cell, chloride cell and mucose cell. The simple epithelial layer consists of squamous epithelium containing a large nucleus and the surface is covered with some of microridges. The lamella pillar structures are characterized by axial microtubules and lateral membrane interdigitations. Chloride cells contain a lot of mitochondria and specifically developed tubular systems. The rough endoplasimic reticulum and golgi complex, and some of mucous granules were observed in immature mucous cells. The mature mucous cells were AB-PAS positive, globular in shape, and had mucous granules of similar size with various electron densities.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2011

The induced resistance of cucumber leaves treated with oligochitosan to the infection of the cucumber powdery mildew, Sphaerotheca fuliginea, was investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that when the plants were treated with oligochitosan and challenged with inoculum, a significant decrease of the disease occurred. The mycelial development in the treated leaves was markedly inhibited. The cytoplasm of the powdery mildew mycelium was aggregated, with its organelles disintegrated and the cytoplasm collapsed. The protoplasm in haustoria became electron-dense. Haustoria became malformed, their organelles disintegrated, the hausterial wall thickened and eventually the whole complex necrotized. The host cells produced defence structures and materials associated with infection and a hypersensitive response. The host cell wall was thickened and deeply stained; several layers of papilla structure were produced under the cell wall; dark materials were deposited between the cell wall and plasmalemma; extrahaustorial plasmalemma was deeply stained and extrahaustorial matrix appositions had large deposits of electron-dense material; the cytoplasm was disordered, host organelles disintegrated and eventually the whole host cell disintegrated and necrotized.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2243-2257
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• 2019

A heterogeneous cellular network (HCN) is useful to increase the spectral and energy efficiency of wireless networks and to reduce the traffic load from the macro cell. The performance of the secondary user equipment (SUE) is affected by interference from the eNodeB (eNB) in a macro cell. To decrease the interference between the macro cell and the small cell, allocating resources properly is essential to an HCN. This study considers the scenario of a software-defined heterogeneous cellular network and performs the resource allocation process. First, we show the system model of HCN and formulate the optimization problem. The optimization problem is a complex process including power and frequency resource allocation, which imposes an extremely high complexity to the HCN. Therefore, a hierarchical resource allocation scheme is proposed, which including subchannel selection and a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based power allocation algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed hierarchical scheme is effective in improving the system capacity and energy efficiency.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.101-115
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• 2019

The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria is biologically complex and involves multi-factorial mechanisms such as microvascular congestion, immunopathology by the pro-inflammatory cytokine and endothelial dysfunction. Recent data have suggested that a pleiotropic T-cell immunomodulatory protein (TIP) could effectively mediate inflammatory cytokines of mammalian immune response against acute graft-versus-host disease in animal models. In this study, we identified a conserved homologue of TIP in Plasmodium berghei (PbTIP) as a membrane protein in Plasmodium asexual stage. Compared with PBS control group, the pathology of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) in rPbTIP intravenous injection (i.v.) group was alleviated by the downregulation of pro-inflammatory responses, and rPbTIP i.v. group elicited an expansion of regulatory T-cell response. Therefore, rPbTIP i.v. group displayed less severe brain pathology and feverish mice in rPbTIP i.v. group died from ECM. This study suggested that PbTIP may be a novel promising target to alleviate the severity of ECM.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.103-113
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• 2019

Purpose: Anatomical variations of the external nasal wall are highly important, since they play a role in obstruction or drainage of the ostiomeatal complex and ventilation and can consequently elevate the risk of pathological sinus conditions. This study aimed to assess anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and ethmoidal sinuses and their correlations on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated CBCT scans of 250 patients, including 107 males and 143 females, to determine the prevalence of anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and ethmoidal sinuses. All images were taken using a New Tom 3G scanner. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann-Whitney test. Results: The most common anatomical variations were found to be nasal septal deviation (90.4%), agger nasi air cell (53.6%), superior orbital cell(47.6%), pneumatized nasal septum(40%), and Onodi air cell(37.2%). Correlations were found between nasal septal deviation and the presence of a pneumatized nasal septum, nasal spur, and Haller cell. No significant associations were noted between the age or sex of patients and the presence of anatomical variations (P>0.05). Conclusion: Radiologists and surgeons must pay close attention to the anatomical variations of the sinonasal region in the preoperative assessment to prevent perioperative complications.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.646-651
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• 2020

Bone resorption is linked to bone formation via temporal and spatial coupling within the remodeling cycle. Several lines of evidence point to the critical role of coupling factors derived from pre-osteoclasts (POCs) during the regulation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs). However, the role of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in BMMSCs is not completely understood. Herein, we demonstrate the role of POC-derived GDNF in regulating the migration and osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs. RNA sequencing revealed GDNF upregulation in POCs compared with monocytes/macrophages. Specifically, BMMSC migration was inhibited by a neutralizing antibody against GDNF in pre-osteoclast-conditioned medium (POC-CM), whereas treatment with a recombinant GDNF enhanced migration and osteogenic differentiation. In addition, POC-CM derived from GDNF knock-downed bone marrow macrophages suppressed BMMSC migration and osteogenic differentiation. SPP86, a small molecule inhibitor, inhibits BMMSC migration and osteogenic differentiation by targeting the receptor tyrosine kinase RET, which is recruited by GDNF into the GFRα1 complex. Overall, this study highlights the role of POC-derived GDNF in BMMSC migration and osteogenic differentiation, suggesting that GDNF regulates bone metabolism.