• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1757-1760
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• 2012

Breast cancer is a major cause of death in women worldwide. Mammary tissue expressing xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes metabolically activate or detoxify potential genotoxic breast carcinogens. Deregulation of these xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes is considered to be a major contributory factor to breast cancer. The present study is focused on the expression of the xenobiotic metabolizing gene, CYP1A1, in breast cancer and its possible relationships with different risk factors. Twenty five tumors and twenty five control breast tissue samples were collected from patients undergoing planned surgery or biopsy from different hospitals. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western-blotting were used to investigate the expression of CYP1A1 in breast cancer control and disease samples. mRNA expression of CYP1A1 was down-regulated in 40% of breast tumor samples. Down-regulation was also observed at the protein level. Significnat relations were noted with marital status and tumour grade but not histopathological type. In conclusion, CYP1A1 protein expression was markedly reduced in tumor breast tissues samples as compared to paired control tissue samples.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.39-45
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• 2008

Background: Down regulation of major histocompatibility complex class II transactivator (CIITA) has been identified as a major factor of immunosuppression in sepsis and the level of CIITA expression inversely correlates with the degree of severity. However, it has not been fully elucidated whether the lower expression of CIITA is a cause of disease process or a just associated sign. Here we determined whether the CIITA deficiency decreased survival rate using murine sepsis model. Methods: Major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) deficient, CIITA deficient and wild type B6 mice were subjected to cecal ligation puncture (CLP) surgery. CIITA and recombination activation gene (RAG)-1 double deficient mice were generated to test the role of lymphocytes in CIITA-associated sepsis progression. Results: Sepsis mortality was enhanced in CIITA deficient mice, not by impaired bacterial clearance resulted from CD4 T cell depletion, but hyper-inflammatory response such as excessive release of a pro-inflammatory cytokine, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that CIITA deficiency affects the course of sepsis via the unexpected function of CIITA, regulation of cytokine release.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.367-368
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• 2015

It has long been thought that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) functions as a DNA-binding transcription factor in response to its ligand (a glucocorticoid) and thus regulates various cellular and physiological processes. It is also known that GR can bind not only to DNA but also to mRNA; this observation points to the possible role of GR in mRNA metabolism. Recent data revealed a molecular mechanism by which binding of GR to target mRNA elicits rapid mRNA degradation. GR binds to specific RNA sequences regardless of the presence of a ligand. In the presence of a ligand, however, the mRNA-associated GR can recruit PNRC2 and UPF1, both of which are specific factors involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). PNRC2 then recruits the decapping complex, consequently promoting mRNA degradation. This mode of mRNA decay is termed "GR-mediated mRNA decay" (GMD). Further research demonstrated that GMD plays a critical role in chemotaxis of immune cells by targeting CCL2 mRNA. All these observations provide molecular insights into a previously unappreciated function of GR in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(7): 367-368]

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.253-262
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• 2000

Aspergillus is considered to be an attractive host for heterologous protein production because of its safety and ability to secrete large amounts of proteins. In order to obtain high productivity, thus far promoters of amylases have been most widely used in A. oryzae. Recent progress in cloning and expression analysis, including EST sequencing, revealed that glycolytic genes represent some of those most strongly expressed in A. oryzae. Therefore, promoters of glycolytic genes could be important alternatives to promoters of amylases because lower amounts of proteases are produced in the presence of glucose. Several A. oryzae transcription factors responsible for the induction and/or maximum expression of many industrially important genes encoding amylases and proteases have been cloned and characterized. In addition to the transcriptional regulatory factors, the gene encoding the largest subunit of RNa polymerase II, constituting the basic transcription machinery, has also been cloned from A. oryzae. This recently acquired understanding of the details of transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and factors will facilitate engineering flexible controls for the expression of proteins important for the fermentation industries.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.108-118
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• 2002

Objective : Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to prevent and treat cerebrovascular accident, such as stroke, and many studies of acupuncture and moxibustion concerning stroke have been undertaken in humans and various animals. However, the protective effect of the electroacupuncture (EA) of Huan-do (GB30) on the transient forebrain ischemia injury has not been published. Methods : The nenroprotective effects of EA (2 ms, 10 Hz, and 1 - 2 mA) of GB30 on the transient forebrain ischemia injury were investigated by immunohistochemistry of c-Fos-like protein in Sprague-Dawley rats. Results : The transient forebrain ischemia injury resulted in increased expression of c-Fos-like protein (cFL) in the dentate gyms (DG) and CAl for 6 hrs after ischemia, and EA increased significantly expression of cFL in the CAl and DG. For 48 hrs after, there was delayed expression of cFL at the CAl and DG, representing the sign of neuronal cell death, but EA decreased the delayed expression of cFL, significantly. Conclusion : These results suggest that the nenroprotective effects of EA on transient forebrain ischemia injury may be related to excitatory regulation of cFL at the early stage and inhibitory regulation in the long term.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.48-59
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• 2005

Objectives : The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of WS on HepG2 cell cycle and expression of related genes. Methods : The MTT assay, Cell counting analysis, $[^3H]-Thymidine$ Incorporation Assay, Flow cytometric analysis, Quantitative RT-PCR were studied. Results : WS inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation in low concentration$(1-10\;{\mu]g/ml)$ which did not cause direct cytotoxicity, with dose-dependant manner. WS in-hibited DNA synthesis as well. Flow cytometric analysis on the HepG2 cell showed G2/M phase arrest. Conclusion : These results suggest that WS inhibits HepG2 cell proliferation not by the gene regulation but by G2/M phase arrest in the cell cycle. Thus further studies on the effect of WS in G2/M phase regulation are thought to be needed.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2003

A promoter that is inducible by paraquat and menadione, the superoxide generators, independently of soxRS has been found in front of the sufABCDSE operon in Escherichia coli. Based on the observation that SufA is a holomog of IscA that functions in the assembly of iron sulfur cluster and the sufA promoter (sufAp) contains a putative Fur-binding consensus, we investigated whether this gene is regulated by Fur, a ferric uptake regulator, When examined in several sufAp-lacZ chromosomal fusion strains, sufAp was induced by EDTA, an iron chelator and a well-known Fur-inducer, The basal level of sufA expression increased dramatically in fur mutant, suggesting repression of sufAp by Fur. The derepression in fur mutant and EDTA-induction of sufA expression required nucleotides up to -61, where a putative Fur box is located. Purified Fur protein bound to the DNA fragment containing the putative Fur box between -35 and -10 promoter elements. The regulation by Fur and menadione induction of sufAp acted independently. The rpoS mutation increased sufA induction by menadione, suggesting that the stationary sigma factor RpoS acts negatively on sufA induction.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2006

Heterotrimeric G proteins (G proteins) are conserved in all eukaryotes and are crucial components sensing and relaying external cues into the cells to elicit appropriate physiological and biochemical responses. Basic units of the heterotrimeric G protein signaling system include a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), a G protein composed of ${\alpha},\;{\beta},\;and\;{\gamma}$ subunits, and variety of effectors. Sequential sensitization and activation of these G protein elements translates external signals into gene expression changes, resulting in appropriate cellular behaviors. Regulators of G protein signaling (RGSs) constitute a crucial element of appropriate control of the intensity and duration of G protein signaling. For the past decade, G protein signaling and its regulation have been intensively studied in a number of model and/or pathogenic fungi and outcomes of the studies provided better understanding on the upstream regulation of vegetative growth, mating, development, virulence/pathogenicity establishment, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in fungi. This review focuses on the characteristics of the basic upstream G protein components and RGS proteins, and their roles controlling various aspects of biological processes in the model filamentous ascomycete fungus Aspergillus nidulans. In particular, their functions in controlling hyphal proliferation, asexual spore formation, sexual fruiting, and the mycotoxin sterigmatocystin production are discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1624-1629
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• 2010

Bacterial cell-to-cell communication, termed quorum sensing (QS), leads to coordinated group behavior in a cell-density-dependent fashion and controls a variety of physiological processes including virulence gene expression. The repressor of the lsr operon, LsrR, is the only known regulator of LuxS/AI-2-mediated QS in Salmonella. Although lack of lsrR did not result in noticeable differences in Salmonella survival, the down-regulation of QS as a result of lsrR overexpression decreased Salmonella survival within macrophages. We found that impaired growth of Salmonella overexpressing lsrR within macrophages was due largely to its hypersensitivity to NADPH-dependent oxidative stress. This, in turn, was a result of decreased expression of genes involved in the oxidative stress response, such as sodA, sodCI, and sodCII, when lsrR was overexpressed. These results suggest that down-regulation of QS by excess LsrR can lower Salmonella virulence by hampering Salmonella evasion from oxidative killing within macrophages.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.52-52
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• 2003

Junctate is a newly identified integral ER/SR membrane $Ca^{2+}$ binding protein, which is an alternative splicing form of the same gene generating aspartyl $\square$-hydroxylase and junctin. To elucidate the functional role of junctate in heart, transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing mouse cardiac junctate-1 under the control of mouse $\square$$^{~}$ myosin heavy chain promoter were generated. Overexpression of junctate in mouse heart resulted in cardiac hypertrophy, increased fibrosis, bradycardia, arrhythmias and impaired contractility. Overexpression of junctate also led to down-regulation of SERCA2, calsequestrin, calreticulin and RyR, but to up-regulation of NCX and PMCA. The SR $Ca^{2+}$ content decreased and the L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current density and the action potential durations increased in TG cardiomyocytes, which could be the cause for the bradycardia in TG heart. The present work has provided an important example of pathogenesis leading to cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmia, which was caused by impaired $Ca^{2+}$ handling by overexpression of junctate in heart.n heart.