• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.14
• /
• pp.5601-5605
• /
• 2014

Background: Agrocybe aegerita Lectin (AAL) has been identified to have high affinity for sulfated and ${\alpha}2$-3-linked sialic acid glycoconjugates, especially the sulfated and sialyl TF (Thomsen-Friedenreich) disaccharide. This study was conducted to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of AAL in identifying aberrant glycosylation in colorectal cancer (CRC). Materials and Methods: Glycoconjugate expression in 59 CRC tissues were detected using AAL-histochemistry. Clinicopathological associates of expression were analyzed with chisquare test or Fisher's exact test. Relationships between expression and the various clinicopathological parameters was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression models. Results: AAL specific glycoconjugate expression was significantly higher in tumor than corresponding normal tissues (66.1% and 46.1%, respectively, p=0.037), correlating with depth of invasion (p=0.015) and TNM stage (p=0.024). Patients with lower expression levels had a significantly higher survival rate than those with higher expression (p=0.046 by log rank test and p=0.047 by Breslow test for overall survival; p=0.054 by log rank test and P=0.038 by Breslow test for progress free survival). A marginally significant association was found between AAL specific glycoconjugate expression and overall survival by univariate Cox regression analysis (p=0.059). Conclusions: Lower AAL specific glycoconjugate expression is a significant favorable prognostic factor for overall and progress free survival in CRC. This is the first report about the employment of AAL for histochemical analysis of cancer tissues. The binding characteristics of AAL means it has potential to become a powerful tool for the glycan investigation and clinical application.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
• /
• v.50 no.12
• /
• pp.9.1-9.12
• /
• 2018

Endometriosis is a disease characterized by implants of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and is strongly associated with infertility. Focal adhesion of endometrial tissue to the peritoneum is an indication of incipient endometriosis. In this study, we examined the effect of various cytokines that are known to be involved in the pathology of endometriosis on endometrial cell adhesion. Among the investigated cytokines, transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ ($TGF-{\beta}1$) increased adhesion of endometrial cells to the mesothelium through induction of ${\alpha}2-6$ sialylation. The expression levels of ${\beta}$-galactoside ${\alpha}2-6$ sialyltransferase (ST6Gal) 1 and ST6Gal2 were increased through activation of $TGF-{\beta}RI/SMAD2/3$ signaling in endometrial cells. In addition, we discovered that terminal sialic acid glycan epitopes of endometrial cells engage with sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-9 expressed on mesothelial cell surfaces. Interestingly, in an in vivo mouse endometriosis model, inhibition of endogenous sialic acid binding by a $NeuAc{\alpha}2-6Gal{\beta}1$-4GlcNAc injection diminished $TGF-{\beta}1$-induced formation of endometriosis lesions. Based on these results, we suggest that increased sialylation of endometrial cells by $TGF-{\beta}1$ promotes the attachment of endometrium to the peritoneum, encouraging endometriosis outbreaks.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.429-440
• /
• 2019

Several studies have attempted to identify factors associated with longevity and maintenance of health in centenarians. In this study, we analyzed and compared the gut microbiota of centenarians in longevity villages with the elderly and adults in the same region and urbanized towns. Fecal samples were collected from centenarians, elderly, and young adults in longevity villages, and the gut microbiota sequences of elderly and young adults in urbanized towns of Korea were obtained from public databases. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was found to be considerably higher in subjects from longevity villages than those from urbanized towns, whereas Bacteroidetes was lower. Age-related rearrangement of gut microbiota was observed in centenarians, such as reduced proportions of Faecalibacterium and Prevotella, and increased proportion of Escherichia, along with higher abundances of Akkermansia, Clostridium, Collinsella, and uncultured Christensenellaceae. Gut microbiota of centenarians in rehabilitation hospitals were also different to those residing at home. These differences could be due to differences in diet patterns and living environments. In addition, phosphatidylinositol signaling system, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, and various types of N-glycan biosynthesis were predicted to be higher in the gut microbiota of centenarians (corrected p < 0.05). These three metabolic pathways of gut microbiota can be associated with the immune status and healthy gut environment of centenarians. Although further studies are necessary to validate the function of microbiota between groups, this study provides valuable information on centenarians' gut microbiota.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.46.1-46.10
• /
• 2023

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is the predominant type of colorectal cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the prognosis of COAD patients. Anoctamin 7 (ANO7), an anion channel protein, has been implicated in prostate cancer and other types of cancer. In this study, we analyzed the expression of ANO7 and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics among COAD patients using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham CANcer (UALCAN) databases. The GEPIA2, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and the Survival Genie platform were employed for survival analysis. The co-expression network and potential function of ANO7 in COAD were analyzed using GeneFriends, the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), GeneMANIA, and Pathway Studio. Our data analysis revealed a significant reduction in ANO7 expression levels within COAD tissues compared to normal tissues. Additionally, ANO7 expression was found to be associated with race and histological subtype. The COAD patients exhibiting low ANO7 expression had lower survival rates compared to those with high ANO7 expression. The genes correlated with ANO7 were significantly enriched in proteolysis and mucin type O-glycan biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, ANO7 demonstrated a direct interaction and a positive co-expression correlation with mucin 2 (MUC2). In conclusion, our findings suggest that ANO7 might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and potentially plays a role in proteolysis and mucin biosynthesis in the context of COAD.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.275-281
• /
• 2016

Glycan modification is important in pharmaceutical industry. Especially, sialic acid affects the bioactivity and stability of medicine. Milk of pig has been used as bioreactor to produce various pharmaceutical proteins. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the glycan chain in pig mammary grand. β-1,4-N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase A (pMGAT4A) is one of the essential enzymes for increase of sialic acid content, but pig MGAT4A is unclear. In this study, the pMGAT4A was identified and characterized. The pMGAT4A has 1638 nucleotides encoding 535 amino acids and type II membrane topology, which is one of the common features in many glycosyltransferases. The gene was strongly expressed in liver and mammary gland, whereas was weakly expressed in small intestine, stomach and bladder. For functional test, HA-tagged MGAT4A was over-expressed in porcine kidney (PK-15) cell line. Forced expression of pMGAT4A gene was identified by qPCR, and we identified that pMGAT4A is located in Golgi complex by co- staining with HA antibody and BODIPY TR ceramide. In addition, we identified the increase of mannose-β-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine structure by ELISA and immunofluorescence using Datura stramonium agglutinin (DSA), which recognizes mannose-β-1,4-Nacetylglucosamine. Through the specific activity analysis, we showed that pMGAT4A modified bi-antennary to tri-antennary. This event affects sialic acid content. Therefore, we thought that over-expression of pMGAT4A will be necessary in pig mammary grand for improved medicine.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.165-172
• /
• 2018

Due to the recent economic development, the diet style has become more and more westernized in Korea, which increased the concern of our well-beings. Our well-beings are also associated with the gut microbiota which vary depending on the dietary intake. In this study, we compared gut microbiome shifted by two diets: high-fat diets (HFD) and low-fiber diet (LFD) based on 16S rRNA gene sequences using MiSeq. Compared to the control diet, LFD and HFD treatments significantly decreased species richness, while there was no difference in species evenness. Both diet treatments significantly increased the relative abundance of the Proteobacteria (p<0.05), especially the genus Sutterella. Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in HFD groups, where the family S24-7 was decreased most. On the other hand, significant difference between HFD and LFD was seen among Firmicutes, where the abundance of family Lachnospiraceae was lower in LFD groups (p<0.05). PICRUSt-based metabolic difference analyses showed LFD treatment significantly decreased metabolisms of amino acid, carbohydrate and methane (p<0.01). In contrast, HFD significantly increased amino acid metabolism (p<0.05). Glycan biosynthesis and metabolism were significantly increased in both treatment groups (p<0.01). Our results suggest that long-term unbalanced dietary intakes induce gut dysbiosis, leading to metabolic and colonic disorders.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.167-173
• /
• 2001

To characterize the difference in glycoconjugates of mouse epididymis, lectin labeling of the tissue section was conducted using Ulex europaeus agglutinin I(UEA I), succinylated wheat germ agglutinin(sWGA), and Griffonia simplicifolia lectin-I(GSL-I). UEA I which binds to outer $\alpha$-L-fucose residue that is a terminal sugar of the side chain branched from oligosaccharide chain gave the labeling in the proximal caput epithelia exclusively. Lumen was commonly labeled in all of the organ. It suggested that the glycoconjugates bearing outer $\alpha$ -L-fucose residue were largely expressed in the initial segments ot epididymis and subjected to secretion. GSL-I which binds to terminal $\alpha$ -D-galactosyl residue of glycoconjugates gave the labeling in the cytoplasm of clear cells and basal cells, and cilia in corpus and cauda regions but not in the caput region. There was no vast difference in labeling pattern by sWGA which binds to N-acetyl-glucosamine residue among the epididymal regions. Clear cells in corpus and cauda epithelia showed more intense labeling by sWGA compared to principal cells, suggesting the functional specialization of this type of cells. The labeling intensities of luminal content by UEA I and sWGA decreased in cauda region compared to corpus region suggesting the presence of enzymatic activities responsible for processing the $\alpha$-L-fucose and N-acetyl-glucosamine residues from secreted glycoconjugates. In summary, the difference in glycoconjugates bearing the $\alpha$-L-fucose, $\alpha$-D-galactose, and N-acetyl-glucosamine residues according to the type of epithelial cells and epididymal segments suggests functional specialization and different roles of each segment in the processing of sperm surface antigens during the epididymal transit.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.234-238
• /
• 2007

We used electrospary ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-IT tandem MS) to structural elucidation of three different biantennary-type glycans having zero, one, two galactoses (G0, G1, G2). The highest fragment ion in the MS/MS spectra of three glycans was produced by 0,2-ring cleavage of fucose-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in reducing end. The fragment ions both from precursor ions and 0,2-ring cleaved ions ($^{0.2}An$; n=5 for G0, n=6 for G1 and G2) were not overlapped each other. As results of $MS^n$ analyses, tandem fragmentation trees of each glycans were generated and 2,4-ring cleavages ($^{2.4}A_6$) were occurred in GlcNAc linked to reducing end GlcNAc. This structural elucidation and fragmentation study of N-linked glycans by tandem mass spectrometry can be applied to structural analysis of more complicated glycans.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.44 no.7
• /
• pp.993-999
• /
• 2015

For the purpose of investigating the in vitro antidiabetic activity of a medicinal herb and herb mixture extracts prepared through traditional antidiabetic prescription, this study examined ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Tyrosinase, a type I membrane glycoprotein, is synthesized and glycosylated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. The enzyme is subsequently transported to melanosomes, where it participates in melanogenesis. Previous studies showed that disruption of early ER N-glycan processing by an ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor suppresses tyrosinase enzymatic activity and melanogenesis. According to the results, most oriental medicinal herbal extracts were stronger than acarbose and N-butyldeoxynojirimycin, known as an ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor. Interestingly, ethyl acetate layer of enzyme hydrolyzed Cheongsimyeonjaeum had an inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis in B16F1 cells, although it did not inhibit tyrosinase activity directly. Together, ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition activity could be used to evaluate anti-melanogenesis, although cross-checking with melanin inhibitory assay is recommended.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.343-352
• /
• 2006

Sialic acid is a sugar typically found at the N-glycan termini of glycoproteins in mammalian cells. Lec3 CHO cell mutants are deficient in epimerase activity, due to a defect in the gene that encodes a bifunctional UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase/ManNAc kinase (GNE). Sialic acid modification on the cell surface is partially affected in these cells. We have mutagenized Lec3 CHO cells and isolated six mutants (termed C2m) deficient in the cell surface expression of polysialic acid (PSA). Mutant C2m9 was partially defective in expression of cell-surface PSA and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) binding, while in the other five mutants, both cell-surface PSA and WGA binding were undetectable. PSA expression was restored by complementation with the gene encoding the CMP-sialic acid transporter (CST), indicating that CST mutations were responsible for the phenotypes of the C2m cells. We characterized the CST mutations in these cells by Northern blotting and RT-PCR. C2m9 and C2m45 carried missense mutations resulting in glycine to glutamate substitutions at amino acids 217 (G217E) and 256 (G256E), respectively. C2m13, C2m39 and C2m31 had nonsense mutations that resulted in decreased CST mRNA stability, and C2m34 carried a putative splice site mutation. PSA and CD15s expression in CST-deficient Lec2 cells were partially rescued by G217E CST, but not by G256E CST, although both proteins were expressed at similar levels, and localized to the Golgi. These results indicate that the novel missense mutations isolated in this study affect CST activity.