• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.110-114
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• 2015

Purpose: Growth and differentiation factor (GDF)-11 is a transforming growth factor-${\beta}$ family member that plays important regulatory roles in development of multiple tissues which include axial skeletal patterning, palatal closure, and tooth formation. Proteins that have been identified as GDF-11 inhibitors include GDF-associated serum protein (GASP)-1 and GASP-2. Recently, we found that mice genetically engineered to lack both Gasp1 and Gdf11 have an increased frequency of cleft palate. The goal of this study was to investigate the roles of GDF-11 and its inhibitors, GASP-1 and GASP-2, during dental and craniofacial development and growth. Methods: Mouse genetic studies were used in this study. Homozygous knockout mice for Gasp1 ($Gasp1^{-/-}$) and Gasp2 ($Gasp2^{-/-}$) were viable and fertile, but Gdf11 homozygous knockout ($Gdf11^{-/-}$) mice died within 24 hours after birth. The effect of either Gasp1 or Gasp2 deletion in $Gdf11^{-/-}$ mice during embryogenesis was evaluated in $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ mouse embryos at 18.5 days post-coitum (E18.5). For the analysis of adult tissues, we used $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{+/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice to evaluate the potential haploinsufficiency of Gdf11 in $Gasp1^{-/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$ mice. Results: Although Gasp2 expression decreased after E10.5, Gasp1 expression was readily detected in various ectodermal tissues at E17.5, including hair follicles, epithelium in nasal cavity, retina, and developing tooth buds. Interestingly, $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ mice had abnormal formation of lower incisors: tooth buds for lower incisors were under-developed or missing. Although $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice were viable and had mild transformations of the axial skeleton, no specific defects in the craniofacial development have been observed in $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice. However, loss of Gasp1 in $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice occasionally resulted in small and abnormally shaped auricles. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both GASP-1 and GDF-11 play important roles in dental and craniofacial development both during embryogenesis and in adult tissues.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.230-237
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• 2015

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Chronic gut inflammation is recognized as a risk factor for tumor development, including CRC. American ginseng is a very commonly used ginseng species in the West. Methods: A genetically engineered $Apc^{Min/+}$ mouse model was used in this study. We analyzed the saponin composition of American ginseng used in this project, and evaluated its effects on the progression of high-fat-diet-enhanced CRC carcinogenesis. Results: After oral ginseng administration (10-20 mg/kg/d for up to 32 wk), experimental data showed that, compared with the untreated mice, ginseng very significantly reduced tumor initiation and progression in both the small intestine (including the proximal end, middle end, and distal end) and the colon (all p < 0.01). This tumor number reduction was more obvious in those mice treated with a low dose of ginseng. The tumor multiplicity data were supported by body weight changes and gut tissue histology examinations. In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that compared with the untreated group, ginseng very significantly reduced the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-$1{\alpha}$ (IL-$1{\alpha}$), IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in both the small intestine and the colon (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Further studies are needed to link our observed effects to the actions of the gut microbiome in converting the parent ginsenosides to bioactive ginseng metabolites. Our data suggest that American ginseng may have potential value in CRC chemoprevention.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.26.1-26.14
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• 2020

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a lethal cancer type that is associated with multiple gene mutations in somatic cells. Genetically engineered mouse is hardly applicable for developing a pancreatic cancer model, and the xenograft model poses a limitation in the reflection of early stage pancreatic cancer. Thus, in vivo somatic cell gene engineering with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats is drawing increasing attention for generating an animal model of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we selected Kras, Trp53, Ink4a, Smad4, and Brca2 as target genes, and applied Campylobacter jejuni Cas9 (CjCas9) and Streptococcus pyogens Cas9 (SpCas9) for developing pancreatic cancer using adeno associated virus (AAV) transduction. After confirming multifocal and diffuse transduction of AAV2, we generated SpCas9 overexpression mice, which exhibited high double-strand DNA breakage (DSB) in target genes and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesions with two AAV transductions; however, wild-type (WT) mice with three AAV transductions did not develop PanIN. Furthermore, small-sized Cjcas9 was applied to WT mice with two AAV system, which, in addition, developed high extensive DSB and PanIN lesions. Histological changes and expression of cancer markers such as Ki67, cytokeratin, Mucin5a, alpha smooth muscle actin in duct and islet cells were observed. In addition, the study revealed several findings such as 1) multiple DSB potential of AAV-CjCas9, 2) peri-ductal lymphocyte infiltration, 3) multi-focal cancer marker expression, and 4) requirement of > 12 months for initiation of PanIN in AAV mediated targeting. In this study, we present a useful tool for in vivo cancer modeling that would be applicable for other disease models as well.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제32권7호
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• pp.532-541
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• 2022

고지방식이(High fat diet, HFD)에 의해 유발되는 비만은 정상적인 마우스에서는 연구되지 않았지만 여러 유전자변형마우스의 전립선암(Prostate cancer)에 대한 강력한 위험인자 및 예후인자로 검증되었다. HFD-유도 비만이 정상적인 마우스에서 전립선암의 발생 및 진행에 영향을 미칠 수 있는지 여부를 조사하기 위해, 16주 동안 60% HFD 식이를 급여한 비만 C57BL/6N 마우스에서 전립선의 무게 및 조직학적 구조 변화와 암관련 단백질 발현을 분석하였다. 첫째, HFD 식이를 급여한 C57BL/6N 마우스는 체중, 장기의 무게, 지방축적, 혈청지질 수치의 증가 등을 포함한 비만증상을 성공적으로 유도되었다. 전립선의 무게는 No그룹에 비해 HFD-유도 비만마우스에서 유의미하게 증가하였다. 전립선의 4가지 엽들 중 외측전립선(Dorsolateral prostate, DLP)과 정낭(Seminal vesicle, SV)의 무게는 유의적인 변화가 없었지만, 복부전립선(Ventral prostate, VP)과 전방전립선(Anterior prostate, AP)의 무게는 No그룹보다 HFD-유도 비만마우스에서 증가하였다. 또한, 전립선의 조직학적 구조에서 과형성(Hyperplasia) 및 비호지킨림프종(Non-hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL)의 발생률은 HFD-유도 비만마우스에서 유의미하게 증가하였으며, 같은 그룹에서 AP의 상피두께도 증가하였다. HFD-유도 비만마우스에서 AKT (Protein kinase B) 신호경로에서 주요 단백질의 인산화수준이 유의미하게 증가했다. 따라서 이러한 결과는 HFD-유도 비만은 C57BL/6N 마우스에서 전립선암의 발생과 진행을 촉진할 수 있음을 시사한다.