• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.271-279
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• 2005

Although macrophages are an important first line of cellular defense, they are unable to effectively kill phagocytosed C. albicans. To determine the physiological basis of this inability, we investigated the alterations of macrophage proteins caused by C. albicans infection. Since the formation of C. albicans hyphae caused cell death, proteins were prepared 3 h after infection and examined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The most prominent changes were in glycolytic enzymes, which could have caused energy depletion of the infected cells. Also changed were proteins involved in maintenance of cellular integrity and NO production. Treatment of the macrophages with either cytochalasin D or taxol did not alter their inability to kill C. albicans. Our results indicate that multiple factors contribute to cell death as the pathogenic form of C. albicans becomes fully active inside macrophage cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.197-205
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• 2006

We used cDNA microarrays to monitor the transcriptome of ozone stress-regulated genes (ORGs) in two pepper cultivars [Capsicum annuum cv. Dabotop (ozone-sensitive) and Capsicum annuum cv. Buchon (ozone-tolerant)]. Ozone stress up- or down-regulated 180 genes more than three-fold. Transcripts of 84 of these ORGs increased, transcripts of 88 others diminished, and those of eight either accumulated or diminished at different time points in the two cultivars or changed in only one of the cultivars. 67% (120) of the ORGs were regulated differently in ozone-sensitive and ozone-tolerant peppers, most being specifically up-regulated in the ozone-sensitive cultivar. Many were also represented in the plant defense transcriptome against non-host pathogen infection, and some in the transcriptomes for cold, drought, and salinity stresses.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.275-285
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• 2014

Macrophages, found in circulating blood as well as integrated into several tissues and organs throughout the body, represent an important first line of defense against disease and a necessary component of healthy tissue homeostasis. Additionally, macrophages that arise from the differentiation of monocytes recruited from the blood to inflamed tissues play a central role in regulating local inflammation. Studies of macrophage activation in the last decade or so have revealed that these cells adopt a staggering range of phenotypes that are finely tuned responses to a variety of different stimuli, and that the resulting subsets of activated macrophages play critical roles in both progression and resolution of disease. This review summarizes the current understanding of the contributions of differentially polarized macrophages to various infectious and inflammatory diseases and the ongoing effort to develop novel therapies that target this key aspect of macrophage biology.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.163-168
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• 2017

Microglia are the primary resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). They are the first line of defense of the brain's innate immune response against infection, injury, and diseases. Microglia respond to extracellular signals and engulf unwanted neuronal debris by phagocytosis, thereby maintaining normal cellular homeostasis in the CNS. Pathological stimuli such as neuronal injury induce transformation and activation of resting microglia with ramified morphology into a motile amoeboid form and activated microglia chemotax toward lesion site. This review outlines the current research on microglial activation and chemotaxis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제43권9호
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• pp.774-783
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• 2020

The lung has a vital function in gas exchange between the blood and the external atmosphere. It also has a critical role in the immune defense against external pathogens and environmental factors. While the lung is classified as a relatively quiescent organ with little homeostatic turnover, it shows robust regenerative capacity in response to injury, mediated by the resident stem/progenitor cells. During regeneration, regionally distinct epithelial cell populations with specific functions are generated from several different types of stem/progenitor cells localized within four histologically distinguished regions: trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. WNT signaling is one of the key signaling pathways involved in regulating many types of stem/progenitor cells in various organs. In addition to its developmental role in the embryonic and fetal lung, WNT signaling is critical for lung homeostasis and regeneration. In this minireview, we summarize and discuss recent advances in the understanding of the role of WNT signaling in lung regeneration with an emphasis on stem/progenitor cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권5호
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• pp.301-309
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• 2021

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the most recently discovered family of innate immune cells. ILCs can be categorized into three groups on the basis of the transcription factors that direct their functions and the cytokines they produce. Notably, these functions parallel the effector functions of T lymphocytes. ILCs play a frontline role in host defense and tissue homeostasis by responding rapidly to environmental factors, conducting effector responses in a tissue-specific manner, and interacting with hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells throughout the body. Moreover, recent studies reveal that ILCs are involved in development of various inflammatory diseases, such as respiratory diseases, autoimmune diseases, or cancer. In this review, we discuss the recent findings regarding the biology of ILCs in health and inflammatory diseases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.377-383
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• 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To understand the identity, functional characteristics and therapeutic targets of the virus and the diseases, appropriate infection models that recapitulate the in vivo pathophysiology of the viral infection are necessary. This article reviews the various infection models, including Vero cells, human cell lines, organoids, and animal models, and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. This knowledge will be helpful for establishing an efficient system for defense against emerging infectious diseases.

• 분석과학
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.430-435
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• 2015

메틸나이트로이미다졸계 유도체들에 관한 화약 성능과 충격감도 간의 이차원 분석이 이들 물질의 효용성을 판단하기 위해 진행되었다. 화약 성능은 Cheetah 프로그램으로 계산되었으며, 충격감도는 인공신경망 연구로 예측했다. 연속적인 나이트로기의 치환이 분자들을 민감하게 하지만 메틸트라이나이트 이미다졸까지도 비교적 안전한 상태를 유지하는 것으로 예측된다. 최근에 국방과학연구소에서는 성능과 감도를 X, Y축에 도시하고 신규화약물질의 유용성을 전체적으로 분석하는 방안을 개발하였다. 이들 성능-감도 이차원 그래프에 따르면 메틸다이나이트로이미다졸계 유도체들은 둔감화약조성에 사용이 가능할 것으로 판단되고, 반면 메틸트라이나이트로이미다졸은 고폭화약조성에 사용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.113-121
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• 2011

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a severe vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals including domesticated ruminants and pigs. Acute clinical signs may be mild in sheep and goats but are associated with lameness in pigs and mouth lesions with vesicles in cattle. The required condition for a successful pathogen appears to be the ability to counteract both the host innate and adaptive immune response. FMD virus (FMDV) inhibits the induction of antiviral molecules and interferes with the secretory pathway in the infected cell. The surface expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules is reduced in infected cells. Thus, the ability of the host to recognize and eliminate virus infected cells is decreased. Furthermore, FMDV infection results in a rapid, but transient lymphopenia, reducing the number of T and B cells, and affecting T cell function. The virus appears to premature apoptosis-mediated cell death because it has a very short replication cycle and is able to rapidly produce large amounts of virus. FMDV engages the host protective response at multiple steps to ensure its effective replication and pathogenesis. This review describes the recent pathological and immunological studies to overcome the powerful abilities of FMDV to counteract defense mechanism of host.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.277-283
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• 2012

Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble nutrient which primarily exerts its effect on host defense mechanisms and immune homeostasis, but the mechanism related to immune-potentiation is poorly understood. Since dendritic cells (DCs) are known as a potent antigen presenting cell (APC) that could enhance the antigen specific immune responses, we investigate the effects of vitamin C on activation of DCs and its related mechanism by using dendritic cell lines, DC-1. First, we found that there was no damage on DC-1 by 2.5 mM of vitamin C. In the presence of vitamin C, the expression of CD80, CD86, and MHC molecules was increased, but it was decreased by the pre-treatment of SB203580, p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor. We confirmed the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was increased by the treatment of vitamin C. Taken together, these results suggest that vitamin C could enhance the activity of dendritic cells via the up-regulation of the expression of CD80, CD86, and MHC molecules and the activation of p38 MAPK is related to this process.