• Toxicological Research
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to detect cell death in the liver of mice treated with thioacetamide (TAA) using fluorescence bioimaging and compare this outcome with that using conventional histopathological examination. At 6 weeks of age, 24 mice were randomly divided into three groups: group 1 (G1), control group; group 2 (G2), fluorescence probe control group; group 3 (G3), TAA-treated group. G3 mice were treated with TAA. Twenty-two hours after TAA treatment, G2 and G3 mice were treated with Annexin-Vivo 750. Fluorescence in vivo bioimaging was performed by fluorescence molecular tomography at two hours after Annexin-Vivo 750 treatment, and fluorescence ex vivo bioimaging of the liver was performed. Liver damage was validated by histopathological examination. In vivo bioimaging showed that the fluorescence intensity was increased in the right upper part of G3 mice compared with that in G2 mice, whereas G1 mice showed no signal. Additionally ex vivo bioimaging showed that the fluorescence intensity was significantly increased in the livers of G3 mice compared with those in G1 or G2 mice (p < 0.05). Histopathological examination of the liver showed no cell death in G1 and G2 mice. However, in G3 mice, there was destruction of hepatocytes and increased cell death. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining confirmed many cell death features in the liver of G3 mice, whereas no pathological findings were observed in the liver of G1 and G2 mice. Taken together, fluorescence bioimaging in this study showed the detection of cell death and made it possible to quantify the level of cell death in male mice. The outcome was correlated with conventional biomedical examination. As it was difficult to differentiate histological location by fluorescent bioimaging, it is necessary to develop specific fluorescent dyes for monitoring hepatic disease progression and to exploit new bioimaging techniques without dye-labeling.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.53-58
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• 2013

Background: The autophagy is the major route for lysosomal degradation of misfolded protein aggregates and oxidative cell components. We hypothesized that rapamycin (autophagy enhancer) would prolong the survival of motor neuron and suppress the disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: A total of 24 transgenic mice harboring the human G93A mutated SOD1 gene were used. The clinical status involving rotarod test and survival, and biochemical study of ALS mice model were evaluated. Results: The onset of symptoms was significantly delayed in the rapamycin administration group compared with the control group. However, after the clinical symptom developed, the rapamycin exacerbated the disease progression and shortened the survival of ALS mice model, and apoptosis signals were up-regulated compared with control group. Conclusions: Even though further detailed studies on the relevancy between autophagy and ALS will be needed, our results revealed that the rapamycin administration was not effective for being novel promising therapeutic strategy in ALS transgenic mice and exacerbated the apoptosis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권9호
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• pp.621-631
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• 2017

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) and VRK3 are members of the VRK family of serine/threonine kinases and are principally localized in the nucleus. Despite the crucial roles of VRK1/VRK3 in physiology and disease, the molecular and functional interactions of VRK1/VRK3 are poorly understood. Here, we identified over 200 unreported VRK1/VRK3-interacting candidate proteins by affinity purification and LC-MS/MS. The networks of VRK1 and VRK3 interactomes were found to be associated with important biological processes such as the cell cycle, DNA repair, chromatin assembly, and RNA processing. Interactions of interacting proteins with VRK1/VRK3 were confirmed by biochemical assays. We also found that phosphorylations of XRCC5 were regulated by both VRK1/VRK3, and that of CCNB1 was regulated by VRK3. In liver cancer cells and tissues, VRK1/VRK3 were highly upregulated and its depletion affected cell cycle progression in the different phases. VRK3 seemed to affect S phase progression and G2 or M phase entry and exit, whereas VRK1 affects G1/S transition in the liver cancer, which could be explained by different interacting candidate proteins. Thus, this study not only provides a resource for investigating the unidentified functions of VRK1/VRK3, but also an insight into the regulatory roles of VRK1/VRK3 in biological processes.

• Mycobiology
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• 제51권5호
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• pp.372-378
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• 2023

Lkh1, a LAMMER kinase homolog in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, acts as a negative regulator of filamentous growth and flocculation. It is also involved in the response to oxidative stress. The lkh1-deletion mutant displays slower cell growth, shorter cell size, and abnormal DNA content compared to the wild type. These phenotypes suggest that Lkh1 controls cell size and cell cycle progression. When we performed microarray analysis using the lkh1-deletion mutant, we found that only four of the up-regulated genes in the lkh1-deletion were associated with the cell cycle. Interestingly, all of these genes are regulated by the Mlu1 cell cycle box binding factor (MBF), which is a transcription complex responsible for regulating the expression of cell cycle genes during the G1/S phase. Transcription analyses of the MBF-dependent cell-cycle genes, including negative feedback regulators, confirmed the up-regulation of these genes by the deletion of lkh1. Pull-down assay confirmed the interaction between Lkh1 and Yox1, which is a negative feedback regulator of MBF. This result supports the involvement of LAMMER kinase in cell cycle regulation by modulating MBF activity. In vitro kinase assay and NetPhosK 2.0 analysis with the Yox1T40,41A mutant allele revealed that T40 and T41 residues are the phosphorylation sites mediated by Lkh1. These sites affect the G1/S cell cycle progression of fission yeast by modulating the activity of the MBF complex.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.167-175
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• 2018

Sarcopenia, a common clinical syndrome in older adults, is defined as decreased muscle mass, strength, and physical performance. Since sarcopenia is associated with the incidence of functional decline, falls, and even mortality in older adults, researchers and health care providers have been keen to accumulate clinical evidence to advocate the screening and prevention of sarcopenia progression in older adults. The factors that may accelerate the loss of muscle mass and function include chronic diseases, inactivity, and deficiency in appropriate nutritional support. Among these, nutritional support is considered an initial step to delay the progression of muscle wasting and improve physical performance in community-dwelling older adults. However, a nationwide study suggested that most Korean older adults do not consume sufficient dietary protein to maintain their muscle mass. Furthermore, considering age-associated anabolic resistance to dietary protein, higher protein intake should be emphasized in older adults than in younger people. To develop a dietary protein recommendation for older adults in Korea, we reviewed the relevant literature, including interventional studies from Korea. From these, we recommend that older adults consume at least 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day (g/kg/day) to delay the progression of muscle wasting. The amount we recommend (1.2 g/kg/day) is 31.4% higher than the previously suggested recommended daily allowance (i.e., 0.91 g/kg/day) for the general population of Korea. Also, evidence to date suggests that the combination of exercise and nutritional support may enhance the beneficial effects of protein intake in older adults in Korea. We found that the current studies are insufficient to build population-based guidelines for older adults, and we call for further researches in Korea.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.640-644
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• 1998

AT cells exhibit defective cell cycle regulation following DNA damage. Previous studies have shown that induction of p53 and p2i proteins are delayed in response to ionizing rad iation, resulting in the failure of G1/S checkpoint in AT cells. In this study, further investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying G1/S phase progression in AT cells was conducted. Exponentially growing normal and AT cells were exposed to 2 Gly of ionizing radiation and the expression levels and functional activities of Rb and E2F-1 proteins were determined. We observed overexpression of hyperphosphorylated Rb and E2F-1 proteins in AT cells, which was unaffected post-irradiation. Furthermore, gel shift assays showed that E2F-1-DNA binding was constitutive in AT cells, whereas it was inhibited in control cells following exposure to ionizing radiation. The data suggests that abnormalities in the function of Rb and E2F-1 proteins may also be responsible for the failure of AT cells to arrest in the G1/S checkpoint in response to DNA damage.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.648-658
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• 1995

The present study has been performed to evaluate the clinical, microbiological, biochemical and immunological parameters associated with the periodontal disease activity in adolescent periodontitis. 21 young adolescents with evidences of periodontal attachment loss participated in the study for upto 3 years of examination. Probing pocket depths and attachment levels of whole dentitions were annually recorded and 4 deepest pockets, with initial probing depth ${\geq}$ 4mm, were selected as the representative experimental sites of a patient. Sites experiencing attachment loss ${\geq}$ 1mm during the 3-year experimental period were designated as the active sites and these sites were examined for the microbiological and biochemical profiles at the time when attachment loss occurred. Microbiological assay included cultural studies and PerioScan for monitoring BANA(+) organisms(e.g. Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Bacteriodes forsythus). Biochemical assay has been performed for monitoring GCF levels of neutral protease. Serum IgG and IgG2 titers against Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 were determined of a patients at the beginning and the end of the study, respectively for patient-based analysis. The results indicated that the parameters consisting of microbiological cultures and GCF neutral protease exhibited low association with the periodontal disease activity in adolescents. However, the specificity for microbiological culture of the selected periodontopathic organisms(Aa,Pg,Pi) were considerably high. Moreover, the clinical pameters such as bleeding on probing and presence of plaque as well as IgG levels against Pg at the baseline exminations were closely associated with the subsequent evidences of attachment loss during the whole experimental period(3-year).

• 대한한의학방제학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.199-208
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• 2015

Objectives : In the present study, we investigated the effects of ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis (EESB) on the progression of cell cycle in human renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cells. Methods : The effects of EESB on cell growth and apoptosis induction were evaluated by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results : It was found that EESB treatment on Caki-1 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death as detected by Annexin V-FITC staining. The flow cytometric analysis indicated that EESB resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with the down-regulation of cyclin A expression. Our results also revealed that treatment with EESB increased the mRNA and proteins expression of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), without any noticeable changes in cyclin B1, Cdk2 and Cdc2. In addition, the incubation of cells with EESB resulted in a significant increase in the binding of p21 and Cdk2 and Cdc2. These findings suggest that EESB-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in Caki-1 cells is mediated through the p53-mediated upregulation of Cdk inhibitor p21. Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that EESB may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent and further studies will be needed to identify the biological active compounds that confer the anti-cancer activity of S. baicalensis.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2004

Three D-type cyelins (D1, D2, and D3) are expressed in G1 phase of the cell cyele and have been implicated in cell transformation and neoplasia in human and mouse. Cyclin D1 overexpression or amplification was described in various human cancers. However, there is controversy about the role of cyclin D2 in cell cyele progression and human carcinogenesis. Specially, loss of cyelin D2 is involved in a vital tumor suppressor function in normal breast tissue, and that its loss may be related to tumorigenesis. The author examined to effect over-expression of cyclin D2 on the cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle using cyclin D2 transfected stable T47D breast cancer cells to investigate whether cyclinD2 functions as a positive regulator or negative regulator in cell proliferation. Overexpression of cyclin D2 led to the suppression of cell growth in cyclin D2 transfected T47D in both in its expression level and a time dependent manner with up to 50% reduction of cell growth at 72 hours. Therefore, the authors performed the cell cycle phase analysis using the flow cytometry to investigate the effect of cyclin D2 on the cell cycle phase in cyclin D2 transfected stable T47D cells. The flow cytometry analysis revealed increased sub G0 phase in cyclin D2 transfeted cells up to 23% at 72 hours. To confirm these results induced by overexpression of cyclinD2, the apoptotic bodies were counted in control and cyclin D2 transfected T47 cells. There are markedly increases of apoptotic bodies in cyclin D2-transfected cells up to 18%. These results suggested that Cyclin D2 suppresses the cell proliferation in breast cancers cells via the induction of apotosis.

• 센서학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.71-76
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• 2011

To characterize the relationship between the stage of hepatic fibrosis and bioimpedance, several electric parameters were estimated in rats with $CCl_4$-induced liver fibrosis. Thirty three Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with a $CCl_4$-mineral oil mixture (1:1, 0.2 mL/100 g) twice a week for 8 weeks. The resistance(R), reactance(X), impedance(Z), and dissipation factor(D) between 1 kHz and 100 kHz were then evaluated in the livers of the rats under pentobarbital anesthesia using an HP4294A Impedance Analyzer. The rats were killed 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks later, and their livers were classified in accordance with Ishak's scoring system. R, X, and Z changed in accordance with the progression of hepatic fibrosis and the changes were greater at lower frequencies than at higher frequencies. In comparison, the D spectrum was biphasic; D increased initially then decreased with increasing frequency. All of the parameters(R, X, Z, and D) changed in accordance with the stage of fibrosis in the livers, but D changed specifically with the progression of fibrosis. These results indicate that hepatic fibrosis may be evaluated by determining the changes in D.