• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.944-953
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• 2021

Lignin is a complex phenylpropanoid polymer abundant in the cell walls of vascular plants. It is mainly presented in conducting and supporting tissues, assisting in water transport and mechanical strength. Lignification is also utilized as a defense mechanism against pathogen infection or wounding to protect plant tissues. The monolignol precursors of lignin are synthesized by cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). CAD catalyzes cinnamaldehydes to cinnamyl alcohols, such as p-coumaryl, coniferyl, and sinapyl alcohols. CAD exists as a multigenic family in angiosperms, and CAD isoforms with different functions have been identified in different plant species. Multiple isoforms of CAD genes are differentially expressed during development and upon environmental cues. CAD enzymes having different functions have been found so far, showing that one of its isoforms may be involved in developmental lignification, whereas others may affect the composition of defensive lignins and other wall-bound phenolics. Substrate specificity appears differently depending on the CAD isoform, which contributes to revealing the biochemical properties of CAD proteins that regulate lignin synthesis. In this review, details regarding the expression and regulation of the CAD family in lignin biosynthesis are discussed. The isoforms of the CAD multigenic family have complex genetic regulation, and the signaling pathway and stress responses of plant development are closely linked. The synthesis of monolignol by CAD genes is likely to be regulated by development and environmental cues as well.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.809-816
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• 2019

The ubiquitous plant metabolite p-coumaric acid (p-CA) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its anti-cancer activity has not been established in gastric cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated the effects of p-CA on the proliferation and transcriptome profile of SNU16 gastric cancer cells. Treatment with p-CA induced apoptosis of the SNU-16 cells by regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins, such as Bcl-2, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), Bax, procaspase-3, and cleaved-caspase-3. The genes differentially expressed in response to p-CA treatment of the SNU-16 cells were identified by RNA sequencing analysis. Genes regulated by p-CA were involved mainly in the inflammatory response, apoptotic processes, cell cycle, and immune response. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-Akt and cancer signaling pathways were altered by p-CA. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis also revealed that p-CA treatment was correlated with differential expression of genes associated with the inflammatory response and cancer. Collectively, these results suggest that p-CA has potential utility in gastric cancer prevention.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.245-253
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• 2019

Pathogen-associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) are highly conserved structural motifs that are recognized by Pathogen Recognition receptors (PRRs) to initiate immune responses. Infection by these pathogens and the immune response to PAMPS such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Peptidoglycan (PGN), bacterial oligodeoxynucleotides [CpG oligodeoxynucleotides 2006 (CpG ODN2006) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides 2216 (CpG ODN2216)], and viral RNA Polyinosinic-Polycytidylic Acid (Poly I:C), are associated with infectious and metabolic diseases in animals impacting health and production. It is established that PAMPs mediate the production of cytokines by binding to PRRs such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) on immune cells. Galectins (Gal) are carbohydrate-binding proteins that when expressed play essential roles in the resolution of infectious and metabolic diseases. Thus it is important to determine if the expression of galectin gene (LGALS) and Gal secretion in blood are affected by exposure to LPS and PGN, PolyI:C and bacterial CpG ODNs. LPS increased transcription of LGALS4 and 12 (2.5 and 2.02 folds respectively) and decreased secretion of Gal 4 (p < 0.05). PGN increased transcription of LGALS-1, -2, -3, -4, -7, and -12 (3.0, 2.3, 2.0, 4.1, 3.3, and 2.4 folds respectively) and secretion of Gal-8 and Gal-9 (p < 0.05). Poly I:C tended to increase the transcription of LGALS1, LGALS4, and LGALS8 (1.78, 1.88, and 1.73 folds respectively). Secretion of Gal-1, -3, -8 and nine were significantly increased in treated samples compared to control (p < 0.05). CpG ODN2006 did not cause any significant fold changes in LGALS transcription (FC < 2) but increased secretion of Gal-1, and-3 (p < 0.05) in plasma compared to control. Gal-4 was however reduced in plasma (p < 0.05). CpG ODN2216 increased transcription of LGALS1 and LGALS3 (3.8 and 1.6 folds respectively), but reduced LGALS2, LGALS4, LGALS7, and LGALS12 (-1.9, -2.0, -2.0 and; -2.7 folds respectively). Secretion of Gal-2 and -3 in plasma was increased compared to control (p < 0.05). Gal-4 secretion was reduced in plasma (p < 0.05). The results demonstrate that PAMPs differentially modulate galectin transcription and translation of galectins in cow blood.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1942-1949
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• 2019

Objective: Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is associated with several physiological processes including inflammation, tumorigenesis, and natural killer T cell generation. Chicken LECT2 (chLECT2) gene was originally identified as one of the differentially expressed genes in chicken kidney tissue, where the chickens were fed with different calcium doses. In this study, the molecular characteristics and gene expression of chLECT2 were analyzed under the stimulation of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) ligand to understand the involvement of chLECT2 expression in chicken metabolic disorders. Methods: Amino acid sequence of LECT2 proteins from various species including fowl, fish, and mammal were retrieved from the Ensembl database and subjected to Insilco analyses. In addition, the time- and dose-dependent expression of chLECT2 was examined in DF-1 cells which were stimulated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly [I:C]), a TLR3 ligand. Further, to explore the transcription factors required for the transcription of chLECT2, DF-1 cells were treated with poly (I:C) in the presence or absence of the nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF{\kappa}B$) and activated protein 1 (AP-1) inhibitors. Results: The amino acid sequence prediction of chLECT2 protein revealed that along with duck LECT2 (duLECT2), it has unique signal peptide different from other vertebrate orthologs, and only chLECT2 and duLECT2 have an additional 157 and 161 amino acids on their carboxyl terminus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that chLECT2 is evolved from a common ancestor along with the actinopterygii hence, more closely related than to the mammals. Our quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that, the expression of chLECT2 was up-regulated significantly in DF-1 cells under the stimulation of poly (I:C) (p<0.05). However, in the presence of $NF{\kappa}B$ or AP-1 inhibitors, the expression of chLECT2 is suppressed suggesting that both $NF{\kappa}B$ and AP-1 transcription factors are required for the induction of chLECT2 expression. Conclusion: The present results suggest that chLECT2 gene might be a target gene of TLR3 signaling. For the future, the expression pattern or molecular mechanism of chLECT2 under stimulation of other innate immune receptors shall be studied. The protein function of chLECT2 will be more clearly understood if further investigation about the mechanism of LECT2 in TLR pathways is conducted.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.596-603
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• 2003

Cells respond to an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by increasing transcription of genes encoding molecular chaperones and folding enzymes. The information is transmitted from the ER lumen to the nucleus by intracellular signaling pathway, called the unfolded protein response (UPR). To obtain genes related to UPR from B. mori, the cDNA library was constructed with mRNA isolated from Bm5 cell lines in which N-glycosylation was inhibited by tunicamycin treatment. From the cDNA library, we selected 40 clones that differentially expressed when cells were treated with tunicamycin. Among these clones, we have isolated ATFC gene showing similarity with Hac1p, encoding a bZIP transcription factor of 5. cerevisiae. Basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) domain in amino acid sequences of ATFC shared homology with yeast Hac1p. Also, ATFC is up-regulated by accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER through the treatment of ER stress drugs. Therefore we suggest that ATFC represents a major component of the putative transcription factor responsible for the UPR leading to the induction of ER-localized stress proteins.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2012

Lysine is the first limiting essential amino acid in cereals for humans and monogastric animals, although its content is generally low. A chemically induced high-lysine barley mutant, M98, has an agronomically undesirable shrunken endosperm trait. In order to obtain detailed insight into the atypical traits of M98 grains, we characterized amino acid composition and protein profiles of M98 and its parent cultivar Chalssalbori. Among a total of 16 amino acids, the percentage of each of the 7 amino acids, including lysine, was 1.2~1.8 times higher in M98, comparing to Chalssalbori. The percentage of proline and its precursor, glutamic acid, in M98 was about the half of that of the amino acids in Chalssalbori, but arginine synthesized from glutamic acid was 1.8 times higher in M98, compared that in the parent cultivar. Theses results indicated that the mutation in M98 grains might alter the proportion of amino acids linked to each other in a biosynthetic pathway. A comparison of grain proteome profiles between Chalssalbori and M98 revealed 70 differentially expressed protein spots, where 45 protein spots were up-regulated and 25 protein spots down-regulated in M98 compared to those in Chalssalbori. Of these changed protein spots, 53 were identified using nano-electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Most of these identified proteins were involved in various biological processes. In particular, 28 protein spots such as ${\beta}$-amylase, serpins and B3-hordein were identified as proteins associated with the atypical traits of M98. It was thought that a genetic study on the unique protein profile of M98 would be needed to develop an agronomically feasible barley cultivar with high-lysine trait.

• 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.