• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.519-527
• /
• 2010

Paclitaxel is known as a potent inhibitor of microtubule depolymerization. It leads to mitotic arrest and cell death by stabilizing the spindle in various cell types. Here, we investigated the effects of paclitaxel on the proliferation and cell death of rabbit articular chondrocytes. Paclitaxel inhibited proliferation in a dose- and time- dependent manner, determined by MTT assay in rabbit articular chondrocytes. We also established paclitaxel-induced G2/M arrest by fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis. Paclitaxel increased expression of cyclin B, p53 and p21, while reducing expression of cdc2 and cdc25C in chondrocytes, as detected by Western blot analysis. Interestingly, paclitaxel showed the mitotic catastrophe that leads to abnormal nucleus division and cell death without DNA fragmentation through activation of caspase. Cell death by mitotic catastrophe in cells treated with paclitaxel was suppressed by inhibiting G1/S arrest with 2 mM thymidine. These results demonstrate that paclitaxel induces cell death via mitotic catastrophe without activation of casepase in rabbit articular chondrocytes.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.314-319
• /
• 2004

Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) Immunoglobulins (Igs) were purified from the serum of mouse IgG-immunized flounder by using affinity chromatography. Under denaturing conditions in SDS-PAGE, the flounder Igs appeared to be composed of 2 heavy (H) chains (72 and 77 kDa) and two light (L) chains (26 and 28 kDa). Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were produced by the fusion of myeloma cells (SP2/0) with Balb/c mouse spleen cells that were previously sensitized against affinity-purified flounder Igs. In a Western blot analysis, the produced MAbs, FIM511, FIM519, and FIM562 recognized both the 72 and 77 kDa H chains, 26 kDa, and 28 kDa L chain, respectively. Mouse antiserum against flounder Igs reacted more strongly with the L chain of 28 kDa than with 26 kDa, suggesting that the 28 kDa molecule is more immunogenic than the 26 kDa L chain molecule. In a FACS analysis, the ratios of the Ig+ cell population in the flounder head kidney and spleen cells were 49% and 24%, respectively. Unexpectedly, however, the ratios of the Ig+ B-like cell population in the flounder were not significantly augmented, even after the immunization of an immunogenic antigen. This suggests that the humoral immune response in fish could be considerably different from that in mammals. The produced MAbs in this study would be useful in characterizing flounder Ig+ B-like cells and in developing flounder Ig detecting an immunoassay system.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.169-178
• /
• 2013

Objectives : Many cancers acquired resistance to chemotherapy, thus limiting its anticancer efficacy. It is known that Glutathione (GSH) is related to the development of drug resistance. The expression of GSH synthesizing glutamylcysteine ligase (GCL) was controlled by nuclear factor-E2-related factor(Nrf2). Previous studies showed that pharmacological depletion of GSH results in ROS increase, apoptotic response, and sensitization to oxidizing stimuli. In the current study, we examined Saussurea Lappa (SL) have the inhibitory effect on Nrf2 activity using human lung cancer A549 cells overexpressing Nrf2. Methods : Cell viability of A549 cells on SL treatment was determined by MTT assay. To detect the apeptosis in SL-treated A549 cells, sub-G1 population was measured by flow cytometry analysis (FACS). The level ROS was determined by FACS and fluorescence microscopy. To investigate whether SL have effect the suppression on Nrf2, we performed western blotting analysis. The GSH content was measured since GSH plays an important role in response to oxidative stress and was regulated by Nrf2. Results : A549 cells treated with an SL extract showed a substantial decrease in cell viability, along with a concomitant increase in apoptosis compared to untreated cells. Treatment of the SL extract led to increased Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and a suppression of Nrf2. In addition, the antioxidant NAC attenuated SL-induced ROS generation, Nrf2 inhibition, and apoptosis. Taken together, these data show that the SL extract induced the production of ROS, and the inhibition of Nrf2, consequently resulting in A549 cell death. Conclusions : These results suggest that SL might be an effective agent to enhance anticancer drug sensitivity via Nrf2 inhibition.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.459-465
• /
• 2011

The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) protein induces transcriptions of cytokine genes including IL-2 for T-cell activation. Normally activation of NFAT is important to induce immune responses but excessive NFAT activation provokes immunopathological reactions such as autoimmunity, transplant rejection, and inflammation. Thus, for the treatment of autoimmune diseases drugs repressing the activation of NFAT have been searched. In this study, immnunosuppressive effects of Rosa chinensis Jacq. extracts identified as a potent NFAT inhibitor from a natural product library were examined. NFAT reporter assay, MTS assay, real time PCR, IL-2 ELISA, MLR, and FACS (Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting) were used to measure inhibitory immunocyte activities of Rosa chinensis Jacq. The variety of natural products have been screened and some were found to show inhibitory activities against the NFAT transcription factor. Among them, extract of Rosa chinensis Jacq. showed an strong inhibitory effect on the activation of NFAT without affecting cell viability. Levels of IL-2 transcripts as well as IL-2 protein were decreased with treatment of Rosa chinensis Jacq. extract. In addition, immunosuppressive activity of Rosa chinensis Jacq. extract was exhibited in the mixed leukocytes reaction. The increasement of CD4+CD25+ (Treg) immunocyte was also detected in the analysis using FACS after applying Rosa chinensis Jacq. extract. Immunosuppressive effects of the Rosa chinensis Jacq. extracts were clearly demonstrated in the present study. In addition, Rosa chinensis Jacq. extract also positively affected regulatory T cell induction. Further investigations in particular on purification of single substance responsible for the immunosuppressive effects from the extract and analysis on possible actions of the extract in interfering cell signaling and cytokine production will be needed.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.157-166
• /
• 2004

In order to understand the anti-carcinogenic effects of Boo-jung-bae-bon-bang(扶正培本方)-B1), Hwal-hyul-hwa-eo-bang(活血化瘀方-B2), Cheong-youl-hae-dok-bang(淸熱解毒方-B3), prescriptions of individual B1, B2, and B3 treatments or combined treatments (B4; B1+B2, B5; B1+B3, B6; B1+B2+83, B7; B2+83) were applied to cultured cancer cell lines. The major findings on their anti-cardnogenic effects in terms of mechanism and synergistic interactions are summarized below. Results of cytokine gene expression analyses are summarized as follows; IL-2 gene expression was increased by B1 and B6 treatments, IFN-v gene expression increased by B3, B1, B6, and 85, and CD28 gene expression increased by B1 and B5. IL-4 expression was not affected by any treatments. In the FACS analysis, increases in numbers of immunoreactive CD3/sup +//CD25/sup +/ T cells by B1 and B5 treatment, CD3/sup +//CD69/sup +/ T cells by B1, B3, B5, and B6 treatments, CD19/sup +//CD44/sup +/ B cells by B1 and B6 treatments were observed when compared to the corresponding non-treated control groups.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.18-33
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The research is to investigate the effect of TFE on apoptosis of human-derived breast cancer cells, to find out the relationship with apoptosis. Methods: Human-derived breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7 cells were treated by TFE with various concentration. The inducement effect of TFE on cell apoptosis was observed with MTT assay and the relationship between the treatment and apoptosis was investigated with FACS analysis, TUNEL assay and DNA laddering assay and the change in the protein levels of PARP and caspase-3 activities were also observed. The release of cytochrome-c was observed to find out the pathway of apoptosis induced by TFE. Results: The cell apoptosis was significantly induced in MCF-7 cells treated with TFE in concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. It was verified by FACS analysis, TUNEL assay, DNA laddering assay that cell-death was caused not by necrosis but by apoptosis. The activity of PARP and caspase were increased concentration-dependently. The release of cytocrome-c was decreased in proportion to the concentration of the fruit extract. It therefore demonstrated that mitochondria were involved in apoptosis induced by TFE. The appearance of Bcl-2 protein was decreased concentration-dependently. Conclusion: The treatment by TFE induced apoptosis of human breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7. It seems likely that cell-death was caused by apoptosis and mitochondria were involved in it. The mechanism of protein change causing apoptosis seems related to the inhibition of Bcl-2 protein, the promotion of inversion from cytochrome-c into cytosol, the activation of caspase and the promotion of PARP cleavage.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.199-205
• /
• 2019

Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) technique has been used to study protein-protein interactions, but its application particularly to a large-scale analysis of protein interaction networks, is limited by the fact that the technique is labor-intensive, based on scoring colonies on plate. Here, we develop a new reporter for the measurement of the protein-protein interactions by flow cytometry. The yeast harboring interacting proteins can also be enriched by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) or magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). When two interacting proteins are present in the same yeast cell, a reporter protein containing 10 tandem repeats of c-myc epitope becomes localized on the surface of the cell wall, without affecting cell growth. We successful measured the surface display of c-myc epitope upon interacting p53 with SV40 T antigen by flow cytometry. Thus, the newly developed Y2H assay based on the display of c-myc repeat on yeast cell wall could be used to the simultaneous analysis of multiple protein-protein interactions without laborious counting colonies on plate.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.2
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 2021

The computer vision diagnostic approach currently generates several malaria diagnostic tools. It enhances the accessible and straightforward diagnostics that necessary for clinics and health centers in malaria-endemic areas. A new computer malaria diagnostics tool called the malaria scanner was used to investigate living malaria parasites with easy sample preparation, fast and user-friendly. The cultured Plasmodium parasites were used to confirm the sensitivity of this technique then compared to fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and light microscopic examination. The measured percentage of parasitemia by the malaria scanner revealed higher precision than microscopy and was similar to FACS. The coefficients of variation of this technique were 1.2-6.7% for Plasmodium knowlesi and 0.3-4.8% for P. falciparum. It allowed determining parasitemia levels of 0.1% or higher, with coefficient of variation smaller than 10%. In terms of the precision range of parasitemia, both high and low ranges showed similar precision results. Pearson's correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation data coming from all methods. A strong correlation of measured parasitemia (r²=0.99, P<0.05) was observed between each method. The parasitemia analysis using this new diagnostic tool needs technical improvement, particularly in the differentiation of malaria species.

• Design Convergence Study
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.137-152
• /
• 2017

This research aims to develop the companion robot experience design for elderly in korea based on needs-function deploy matrix of robot and emotion expression research of robot in multimodal interaction. First, Elder users' main needs were categorized into 4 groups based on ethnographic research. Second, the functional elements and physical actuators of robot were mapped to user needs in function- needs deploy matrix. The final UX design prototype was implemented with a robot type that has a verbal non-touch multi modal interface with emotional facial expression based on Ekman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS). The proposed robot prototype was validated through a user test session to analyze the influence of the robot interaction on the cognition and emotion of users by Story Recall Test and face emotion analysis software; Emotion API when the robot changes facial expression corresponds to the emotion of the delivered information by the robot and when the robot initiated interaction cycle voluntarily. The group with emotional robot showed a relatively high recall rate in the delayed recall test and In the facial expression analysis, the facial expression and the interaction initiation of the robot affected on emotion and preference of the elderly participants.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.38 no.4 s.249
• /
• pp.263-270
• /
• 2005

In recent years, a combination of two demographic phenomena, an increased number of older people in the population and an increase in the incidence of lung cancer with age, has made it mandatory to develop therapeutic modalities with less toxicity for the treatment of inoperable elderly patients with lung cancer. Therefore, we investigated the correlation between COX-2 expression and cytotoxicity of Nimesulide, a specific COX-2 inhibitor. Material and Method: Immunohistochemical staining of COX-2 was performed. After exposure of Nimesulide, XTT analysis, FACS analysis and Hoechst staining were carried out. Result: COX-2 protein was expressed in non-treated A549 cells strongly, but not in H1299. Cytotoxicity of Nimesulide against A549 cell and H1299 cell were similar and $IC_{50}$ of Nimesulide in both cell lines were $70.9{\mu}M$ in A549 cell line and $56.5{\mu}M$ in H1299 cell line respectively. FACS analysis showed $G_0/G_1$ arrest in both cell lines and the S phase cell fraction was decreased. Morphologic assessment of apoptosis by Hoechst 33258 staining, many apoptotic cells were detected in both cell lines. Conclusion: Selective COX-2 inhibitor, Nimesulide, can inhibit the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in vitro. Inhibitory effect of Nimesulide are induction of apoptosis and $G_0/G_1$ arrest. There is no correlation between COX-2 expression and cytotoxicity of Nimesulide, a specific COX-2 inhibitor. Therefore, highly selective COX-2 inhibitors such as Nimesulide can be expected to lead to even greater efficacy of their use as adjuncts to various anticancer angents and radiation therapy for the treatment of high-risk patients.