• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1052-1059
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• 2006

The heat shock response is induced by environmental stress, pathophysiological state and non-stress conditions and wide spread from bacteria to human. Although translations of most proteins are stopped under a heat shock response, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are produced to protect cell from stress. When heat shock response is induced, conformation of HSF1 was changed from monomer to trimer and HSF1 specifically binds to DNA, which was called a heat shock element(HSE) within the promoter of the heat shock genes. Human HSF1(hHSFl) contains five cysteine(Cys) residues. A thiol group(R-SH) of Cys is a strong nucleophile, the most readily oxidized and nitrosylated in amino acid chain. This consideration suggests that Cys residues may regulate the change of conformation and the activity of hHSF1 through a redox-dependent thiol/disulfide exchange reaction. We want to construct role of five Cys residues of hHSF by redox reagents. According to two studies, Cys residues are related to trimer formation of hHSF1. In this study, we want to demonstrate the correlation between structural change and DNA-binding activity of HSF1 through forming disulfide bond and trimerization. In this results, we could deduce that DNA binding activity of DNA binding domain wasn't affected by redox for always expose outside to easily bind to DNA. DNA binding activity of wild-type HSF's DNA binding domain was affected by conformational change, as conformational structure change (trimerization) caused DNA binding domain.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.167-173
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• 2007

To study the transcriptional mechanisms by which expression of the murine glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor inducible transcription factor (mGIF) gene is regulated, a murine genomic clone was iso-lated using a mGIF cDNA as probe. A 13-kb genomic fragment, which comprises 4-kb upstream of the transcription initiation site was sequenced. The promoter region lacks a TATA box and CAAT box, is rich in G+C content, and has multiple putative binding sites for the transcription factor Spl. The mGIF gene also has consensus sequences for AP2 binding sites. The transcriptional activity of five deletion mutants of a 2.1-kb fragment was analyzed by modulating transcription of the heterologous luciferase gene in the promoterless plasmid pGL2-Basic. All mutants showed significant transcriptional activity in the murine neuroblastoma cell line NB41A3. Transient expression assays suggested the presence of a positive regulator between -213 and -129 while a negative regulator was found in the region between -806 and -214. Relatively strong transcriptional activity was observed in neuronal NB41A3, glial C6 cells and hepatic HepG2, but very weak activity in skeletal muscle C2C12 cells. These findings confirm the tissue-specific activity of the mGIF promoter and suggest that this gene shares structural and functional similarities with the dopamine receptor genes that it regulates.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2016

Perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) is an emerging pollutant detected in surface water, soil, and groundwater. Previous studies provided experimental evidence of autotrophic ClO₄⁻ removal with elemental sulfur (S⁰) particles and activated sludge, which are inexpensive and easily available, respectively. In addition, ClO₄⁻ removal efficiency was shown to increase when an enrichment culture was used as an inoculum instead of activated sludge. PCR-DGGE was employed in the present study to investigate the microbial community in the enrichment culture that removed ClO₄⁻ autotrophically. Microorganisms in the enrichment culture showed 99.71% or more ClO₄⁻ removal efficiency after a 7-day incubation when the initial concentration was approximately 120 mg ClO₄⁻/l. Genomic DNA was isolated from the enriched culture and its inoculum (activated sludge), and used for PCR-DGGE analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Microbial compositions of the enrichment culture and the activated sludge were different, as determined by their different DGGE profiles. The difference in DGGE banding patterns suggests that environmental conditions of the enrichment culture caused a change in the microbial community composition of the inoculated activated sludge. Dominant DGGE bands in the enrichment culture sample were affiliated with the classes β-Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes. Further investigation is warranted to reveal the metabolic roles of the dominant populations in the ClO₄⁻ degradation process, along with their isolation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.825-830
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• 2010

Two diallelic markers at candidate gene loci, the prolactin receptor 3 (PRLR3) gene and the retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) gene were evaluated for their association with growth and litter size traits in Berkshire. Genetic evaluation was conducted for 5,919 pigs with pedigree information, which included 3,480 growth performance records and 775 litter size records of 224 sows. From the same herd, genotyping was carried out on 144 and 156 animals for PRLR3 and RBP4, respectively. After assigning a genotype to subjects in which both parents had a homozygous genotype, numbers of genotyped animals increased to 474 and 338, for the PRLR3 gene and RBP4 gene, respectively. The genotype effects of two markers were estimated with breeding values of the genotyped animals. The additive effects of total number of piglets born and number of piglets born alive in the PRLR3 locus were -0.28 and -0.13, respectively. The dominance effect of the RBP4 locus on average daily gain was -10.58 g. However, the polymorphism of the RBP4 locus in total number of piglets born and number of piglets born alive has shown -0.34 and -0.33 of the additive genetic effects. In view of the results, MAS (marker-assisted selection) favoring B alleles of RBP4 and PRLR3 loci could potentially accelerate the rate of the genetic improvement in the litter size traits.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1104-1110
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• 2017

SET1A is a histone H3K4 methyltransferase that catalyzes di- and trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4). Mono-, di-, and trimethylations on H3K4 (H3K4me1, H3K4me2, and H3K4me3, respectively) are generally correlated with gene activation. Although H3K4 methylation is associated with the stimulation of adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, it remains unknown whether SET1A plays a role in the regulation of adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Here, we investigated whether SET1A regulates 3T3-L1 preadipocytes' adipogenesis and characterized the mechanism involved in this regulation. SET1A expression increased during 3T3-L1 preadipocytes' adipogenesis. Consistent with the increased SET1A expression, the global H3K4me3 level had also increased on day 2 after the induction of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. SET1A knockdown using siRNA in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes inhibited 3T3-L1 preadipocytes' adipogenesis, as assessed by Oil Red O staining and the expression of adipogenic genes, indicating that SET1A stimulates the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. SET1A knockdown inhibited the cell proliferation of 3T3-L1 cells during mitotic clonal expansion (MCE) via down-regulation of the cell cycle gene cyclin E1, as well as the DNA synthesis gene, dihydrofolate reductase. Furthermore, SET1A knockdown repressed peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) expression during the late stage of adipogenesis. These results indicate that SET1A stimulates MCE and $PPAR{\gamma}$ expression, which leads to the promotion of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes' adipogenesis.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.207-216
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• 2005

Mutans streptococci have been reported to be implicated in dental caries. Of these streptococcal species, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are most commonly found in human dental caries. Prevalence of these bacterial species in dental caries is found to be varied in different races and countries. Therefore, importance of these bacteria in dental caries remains to be determined. The present study was peformed to detect S. mutans and S. sobrinus in 52 Korean children with dental caries between 2 to 6 years of age. For the study, plaque samples were collected from caries-active(CA) and caries-free(CF) teeth of each subject. DNA was extracted from the plaques and amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) using primers corresponding to dex and gtf genes. The results obtained from the study were as follows: 1. Of 52 children, 37 children (71.2%) were found to harbor S. mutans and/or S. sobrinus. 2. Of the MS-infected 37 children, 3 children (5.8%) harbored S. mutans and/or S. sobrinus in the CF plaques only, 22 children (42.3%) in the CA plaques only and 12 children (23.1%) in both CF and CA plaques. 3. S mutans and/or S. sobrinus were detected in 34 CA plaques (65.4%), while 15 in CF plaques (28.8%) 4. In the case of CF plaques, 8 plaques (15.4%) were observed to harbor S. mutans only, 6 plaques (11.5%) to harbor S. sobrinus only and 1 plaque (1.9%) to harbor both species. 5. Of CA plaques, 24 plaques (46.2%) were detected to have S. mutans only, 2 plaques (3.8%) to have S. sobrinus only and 8 plaques (15.4%) to have both species. 6. In comparison with the efficiency of two different primers for PCR, it was found that the primer based on gtf gene was more effective in detecting S. mutans, while the primer corresponding to dex gene was better for S. sobrinus. Overall results suggest that MS appears to be important in dental caries of the Korean children, and S. mutans is more closely associated with than dental caries as compared to S. sobrinus.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.367-377
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• 2003

Background : It is well known that only 10% of those infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis actually develop clinical disease, indicating the existence of host genetic factors regulating disease expression. In this study, we investigated HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 gene polymorphisms in Korean patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Methods : HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 gene polymorphisms were investigated in 67 PTB patients without previous treatment history, 38 drug-sensitive (DS) and 29 multidrug-resistant (MDR) cases, and 200 healthy controls. HLA-DRB1 typing was done using reverse SSO (sequence specific oligonucleotide) and PCR-SSCP (single strand conformational polymorphism) methods and DQB1 typing was done using PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), PCR-SSCP and PCR-SSP (sequence specific primer) methods. Results : Among the PTB patients, MDR-TB cases showed frequencies of DRB1*0701 and *08032 increased by about two-fold compared to those of normal controls, and likewise for their associated DQB1 alleles, DQB1*0202 and *0601 (15.5% vs. 34.5%, p=0.01). The frequency of HLA-DQB1*0609 was significantly increased in PTB patients (4.0% vs. 14.9%, p=0.004), showing similar increases in both DS and MDR cases. There was also an association of HLA alleles with the clinical severity of the disease according to the extent of lung lesion. Significantly increased frequencies of DRB1*08032 (4.2% vs. 32.6%, p=0.007) and DQB1*0601 (12.5% vs. 34.9%, p=0.047) were observed in more advanced (moderately & far advanced/DS and far advanced/MDR), compared with less advanced (minimal/DS and moderately advanced/MDR) lung lesions. Although DRB1*0701, DQB1*0202 and DQB1*0609 showed significant increases in different subsets of the disease, these HLA alleles did not show consistent association with disease severity. Conclusion : HLA-DRB1*08032 and DQB1*0601 alleles were associated with genetic susceptibility to MDR-TB in Korean patients, and also with disease severity and progression of PTB.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.891-897
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• 2017

Apple (Malus domestica) is a climacteric fruit because of its high respiration and ethylene production. Ethylene affects the fruit by decreasing its quality and storability. Md-ACS1 and Md-ACO1 genes are involved in ethylene biosynthesis in apple; the Md-ACS1-2 and Md-ACO1-1 alleles are associated with low ethylene production. We conducted an analysis to study Md-ACS1 and Md-ACO1, and to examine ethylene production and softening rate of fruit at room temperature ($20^{\circ}C$) storage in 'Fuji (FJ)', 'Golden Supreme (GS)', and 5 cultivars of Korean apples ('RubyS (RS)', 'Hongro (HR)', 'Arisoo (AS)', 'Summer King (SK)', 'Greenball (GB)'). The result showed that an increase in the number of the alleles (ACS1-2, ACO1-1) decreased the ethylene production and softening rate. The presence of ACS1-1/1, ACO1-1/2 was confirmed in GS and the highest ethylene production and softening rate was observed. Ethylene production and softening rate of SK and GB expressing ACS1-1/2, ACO1-1/2 were higher than that of HR and AS, expressing ACS1-2/2, ACO1-1/2, but lower than GS. FJ with ACS1-2/2, ACO1-1/1 showed the lowest ethylene production and softening rate among all cultivars except RS. The Md-ACS1 and Md-ACO1 DNA markers could potentially be used to estimate storability and applied in marker assisted selection the improve the efficiency of apple breeding.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.890-898
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper is to investigate potential anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Tenebrio molitor. Macrophage cell response by outside stimulation leads expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), and trigger expression of genes which are affected by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), resulting in formation of inflammatory factors like nitric oxide (NO) and Prostaglandin $E_2$ (PGE2). Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. In order to investigate anti-inflammatory agents, the inhibitory effects on the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO in RAW 264.7 cells were examined. T. Molitor significantly decreased the production of NO in a dose-dependent manner, and also reduced the expression of iNOS, a COX-2 protein. As a result, the levels of protein such as $PGE_2$, iNOS, COX-2 and MARKs were significantly reduced compared to non-treated group in T. Molitor water extract (TDW) treated group. Also, antioxidant effect of T. Molitor were investigated using DPPH, ABTS+ and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity tests in cell-free system. Antioxidant activity of T. molitor was found low in the DPPH radical scavenging test while high in the ABTS+ and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity tests. These results show that TDW could be an effective anti-pro-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agent.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.367-377
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• 2009

Halitosis is a generally accepted marker of diseases in the oral cavity and of systemic and gastrointestinal disorders. Based on these authors' previous findings (that (1) there is a close association between H. pylori infection and halitosis; (2) Korea red ginseng may suppress the colonization of H. pylori, fight H. pylori-induced cytotoxicity, and impose significant anti-inflammatory actions in patients with chronic gastritis; and (3) H. pylori infection is linked with the generation of significant levels of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), and the levels of VSCs correlate significantly with H. pylori-associated mucosal damages), in the current study, the authors documented the molecular mechanisms of Korea red ginseng's efficacy in ameliorating halitosis. When the RAW 264.7 cells were treated with the $H_2S$ releasing compound NaHS, the mRNA expression of cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase (CSE), IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS were more significantly induced compared with the vehicle-treated group. The cytoskeletal components of ezrin's and moesin's mRNA expressions were elevated by NaHS treatment accompanied by the activation of MAPK, p38, and ERK. Korea red ginseng pretreatment reduced both the NaHS-induced CSE expression and the proinflammatory genes (e.g., IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS) in a concentration-dependent manner. The ERM expression and the phosphorylation of p38 were also significantly reduced by Korea-red-ginseng pretreatment. Overall, Korea red ginseng pretreatment imposed significant anti-inflammatory effects through the downregulation of the NaHS-triggered proinflammatory gene expression, CSE, and ERM mRNA expression. Korea red ginseng could thus be said to be a key remedy of halitosis and to be effective in relieving gastric inflammation.