• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.130-142
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• 2006

Lab-on-a-chip technology is attracting great interest because the miniaturization of reaction systems offers practical advantages over classical bench-top chemical systems. Rapid mixing of the fluids flowing through a microchannel is very important for various applications of microfluidic systems. In addition, highly sensitive on-chip detection techniques are essential for the in situ monitoring of chemical reactions because the detection volume in a channel is extremely small. Recently, a confocal surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) technique, for the highly sensitive biological analysis in a microfluidic sensor, has been developed in our research group. Here, a highly precise quantitative measurement can be obtained if continuous flow and homogeneous mixing condition between analytes and silver nano-colloids are maintained. Recently, we also reported a new analytical method of DNA hybridization involving a PDMS microfluidic sensor using fluorescence energy transfer (FRET). This method overcomes many of the drawbacks of microarray chips, such as long hybridization times and inconvenient immobilization procedures. In this paper, our recent applications of the confocal Raman/fluorescence microscopic technology to a highly sensitive lab-on-a-chip detection will be reviewed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.50-56
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• 2008

As one way to approach to cold defense mechanism in plants, we previously identified the gene for protein-tyrosine phosphatase (CaTPP1) from hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) using cDNA microarray analysis coupled with Northern blot analysis. We showed that the CaTPP1 gene was strongly induced by cold, drought, salt and ABA stresses. The CaTPP1 gene was engineered under control of CaMV 35S promoter for constitutive expression in transgenic tobacco plants by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The resulting CaTPP1 transgenic tobacco plants showed significantly increased cold stress resistance. It also appeared that some of the transgenic tobacco plants showed increased drought tolerance. The CaTPP1 transgenic plants showed no visible phenotypic alteration compared to wild type plants. These results showed the involvement of protein tyrosine phosphatase in tolerance of abiotic stresses including cold and drought stress.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.322-327
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• 2008

In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of non-syndromic hyperplastic dental follicle (HDF) fibroblasts and normal dental follicle (NDF) fibroblasts using cDNA micro-arrays, quantitative PCR, and immunohistochemical staining. Microarray analysis showed that several collagens genes were upregulated in the HDF's, including collagen types I, IV, VIII, and XI and TIMP-1, -3, and -4 (fold ratio > 2.0). In contrast, the expression of MMP-1, -3, -10, and -16 together with IL-8 was more than two fold downregulated. The differential expression of the genes encoding alkaline phosphatase, MMP-1, -3, -8, and IL-8 was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR, while that of 24 HDFs and 18 NDFs was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. However, HDFs showed stronger expression of MMP-3 than NDFs (P < 0.001). Collectively, these results indicate that defective regulation of MMPs mediating connective tissue remodeling may be responsible for abnormal tooth eruption.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.9
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• pp.599-603
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• 2010

Troglitazone is an anti-diabetic agent that improves hyperglycemia by reducing peripheral insulin resistance in type II diabetic patients. Troglitazone has been shown to cause growth inhibition of various normal and cancerous cells. However, the molecular mechanism by which troglitazone affects the growth of these cancer cells remains unclear. Here, we report that troglitazone treatment of Hep 3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells resulted in dose-dependent growth inhibition. Analysis of cell cycle distribution by flow cytometry showed that the number of apoptotic cells was increased in a dose-dependent manner in response to troglitazone treatment. cDNA microarray analysis showed a number of differentially expressed genes in response to troglitazone. Among the upregulated genes, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)-responsive RTP801 was induced in a dose-dependent manner. We also observed HIF-1 accumulation by immnocytochemistry after troglitazone treatment. These results strongly suggest that RTP801 might be involved in troglitazone-induced apoptosis in Hep 3B cells.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.27
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• pp.11.1-11.8
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• 2012

Objectives: Hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen has been widely studied. However, the adverse effects on the heart have not been sufficiently evaluated. This study was performed to investigate cytotoxicity and alterations of gene expression in cultured cardiomyocytes ($H_9C_2$ cells) after exposure to acetaminophen. Methods: $H_9C_2$ cells were incubated in a 10 mM concentration of acetaminophen for the designated times (6, 12, and 24 hours), and cytotoxicity was determined by the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method. Alteration of gene expression was observed by microarray analysis, and RT-PCR was performed for the three representative oxidative stress-related genes at 24 hours after treatment. Results: It revealed that acetaminophen was toxic to cardiomyocytes, and numerous critical genes were affected. Induced genes included those associated with oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis. Repressed genes included those associated with cell proliferation, myocardial contraction, and cell shape control. Conclusions: These findings provide the evidences of acetaminophen-induced cytotoxicity and changes in gene expression in cultured cardiomyocytes of $H_9C_2$ cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2006

Objective: In the previous study, we complied the differentially expressed genes during early folliculogenesis. Objective of the present study was to identify downstream target genes of transcription factors (TFs) using bioinformatics for selecting the target TFs among the gene lists for further functional analysis. Materials & Methods: By using bioinformatics tools, constituent domains were identified from database searches using Gene Ontology, MGI, and Entrez Gene. Downstream target proteins/genes of each TF were identified from database searches using TF database ($TRANSFAC^{(R)}$ 6.0) and eukaryotic promoter database (EPD). Results: DNA binding and trans-activation domains of all TFs listed previously were identified, and the list of downstream target proteins/genes was obtained from searches of TF database and promoter database. Based on the known function of identified downstream genes and the domains, 3 (HNF4, PPARg, and TBX2) out of 26 TFs were selected for further functional analysis. The genes of wee1-like protein kinase and p21WAF1 (cdk inhibitor) were identified as potential downstream target genes of HNF4 and TBX2, respectively. PPARg, through protein-protein interaction with other protein partners, acts as a transcription regulator of genes of EGFR, p21WAF1, cycD1, p53, and VEGF. Among the selected 3 TFs, further study is in progress for HNF4 and TBX2, since wee1-like protein kinase and cdk inhibitor may involved in regulating maturation promoting factor (MPF) activity during early folliculogenesis. Conclusions: Approach used in the present study, in silico analysis of downstream target genes, was useful for analyzing list of TFs obtained from high-throughput cDNA microarray study. To verify its binding and functions of the selected TFs in early folliculogenesis, EMSA and further relevant characterizations are under investigation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.213-218
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• 2010

In the present study, we investigated anti-proliferative activities of capsaicin and gene expression changes in response to capsaicin treatment in human colorectal HCT116 cells. The results showed that capsaicin decreased cell viabilities in a dose dependent manner and induced global gene expression changes. We found that 103 genes were up-regulated more than twofold, whereas 153 genes were down-regulated more than twofold by $100\;{\mu}M$ capsaicin treatment. Among the up-regulated genes, we selected 4 genes (NAG-1, DDIT3, GADD45A and PCK2) and performed RT-PCR to confirm the microarray data. We found that $100\;{\mu}M$ of capsaicin increased tumor suppressor p53 gene expression. In addition, the results showed that NAG-1, DDIT3 and GADD45A expressions were not dependent on p53 presence, whereas PCK2 expression. The results of this study may help to increase our understandings of the molecular mechanism of anti-proliferative activity mediated by capsaicin in human colorectal cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1137-1152
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• 2016

Cells sense, respond, and adapt to a low oxygen environment called hypoxia, which is widely involved in a variety of human diseases. Adaptation to low oxygen concentrations includes gene expression changes by inducing hypoxic genes and reducing aerobic genes. Recently, the mitochondrial respiratory chain has been implicated in the control of these oxygen-regulated genes when cells experience hypoxia. In order to obtain an insight into an effect of the mitochondrial respiratory chain on cellular response to hyxpoxia, we here examined whole genome transcript signatures of respiration-proficient and respiration-deficient budding yeasts exposed to hypoxia using DNA microarrays. By comparing whole transcriptomes to hypoxia in respiration-proficient and respiration-deficient yeasts, we found that there are several classes of oxygen-regulated genes. Some of them require the mitochondrial respiratory chain for their expression under hypoxia while others do not. We found that the majority of hypoxic genes and aerobic genes need the mitochondrial respiratory chain for their expression under hypoxia. However, we also found that there are some hypoxic and aerobic genes whose expression under hypoxia is independent of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. These results indicate a key involvement of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in oxygen-regulated gene expression and multiple mechanisms for controlling oxygen-regulated gene expression. In addition, we provided gene ontology analyses and computational promoter analyses for hypoxic genes identified in the study. Together with differentially regulated genes under hypoxia, these post-analysis data will be useful resources for understanding the biology of response to hypoxia.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.197-207
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• 2010

Using a variety of data-mining methods on high-throughput cDNA microarray data, the level of gene expression in two different tissues can be compared, and DEG(Differentially Expressed Gene) genes in between normal cell and tumor cell can be detected. Diagnosis can be made with these genes, and also treatment strategy can be determined according to the cancer stages. Existing cancer classification methods using machine learning select the marker genes which are differential expressed in normal and tumor samples, and build a classifier using those marker genes. However, in addition to the differences in gene expression levels, the difference in gene-gene correlations between two conditions could be a good marker in disease diagnosis. In this study, we identify gene pairs with a big correlation difference in two sets of samples, build gene classification modules using these gene pairs. This cancer classification method using gene modules achieves higher accuracy than current methods. The implementing clinical kit can be considered since the number of genes in classification module is small. For future study, Authors plan to identify novel cancer-related genes with functionality analysis on the genes in a classification module through GO(Gene Ontology) enrichment validation, and to extend the classification module into gene regulatory networks.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.967-972
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• 2014

In the present study, we prepared eighty-five different kinds of lees extracts and their solvent fractions and investigated their anti-proliferative activities against human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. HCT116 cells were treated with eighty-five solvent fractions of lees extracts and then cell viability was measured using MTS assay. Among the treated solvent fractions, three solvent fractions (KSD-E1-3, KSD-E2-3, and KSD-E4-3) were selected based on cell viability assay. In addition, we performed an oligo DNA microarray analysis to analyze the gene expression changes by treatment of KSD-E1-3 in HCT116 cells. Among the upregulated genes, we selected 4 genes (NAG-1, ATF3, p21, and DDIT3) and performed RT-PCR using gene-specific primers. Among the treated solvent fractions, KSD-E1-3 dramatically induced the expressions of the four selected genes. In addition, we investigated whether the upregulations of those genes were dependent on the transcription factor p53's presence using p53 null HCT116 cells. The results indicate that the upregulations of NAG-1, ATF3, and DDIT3 are not dependent on the p53 presence, whereas p21 is dependent on the p53 presence. These findings may help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the anti-proliferative activity mediated by rice wine lees in human colorectal cancer cells.