• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.103-109
• /
• 2003

Background: As all HLA class II genes, the DQ genes show their polymorphic variation mainly in the second exon, which encodes the first extracellular domain of the molecule. PCR-SSOP (Polymerase chain reaction-Sequence specific oligonucleotide probe) techniques were frequently used for HLA-DQA1 and DQB1 typing but certain alleles, $DQA1^*0101/0104/0105$, $^*302/0303$, $*0501/0505$ and $DQB1^*0201/^*0202$ which differ from each other in segment other than exon 2, could not be unequivocally assigned. Methods: To overcome this problem, we applied additional PCR-SSP (PCR-Sequence specific primer) method to analyze DQA1 exons 1, 3 and 4 and DQB1 exon 3. And we investigated the distributions and haplotypes of HLA-DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 alleles in 406 unrelated Korean healthy individuals. Results: Using this method the indistinguishable alleles of DQA1 and DQB1 in PCR-SSOP were typed definitively. We also found several important associations between DQA1 and DQB1 alleles in the Korean population; $DQA1^*0101-DQB1^*0501$, $DQA1^*0104-DQB1^*0502$ or $-^*0503$, $DQA1^*0105-DQB1^*0501$, $DQA1^*0302-DQB1^*0303$, $DQA1^*0303-DQB1^*0401$ or $-^*0402$, $DQA1^*0501-DQB1^*0201$, $DQA1^*0505-DQB1^*0301$, and $DQA1^*0201-DQB1^*0202$. The haplotypes of DRB1-DQA1-DQB1 associated with $DQA1^*01$, $^*03$, $^*05$, and $DQB1^*02$ subtypes were investigated. Several haplotypes associated with these alleles were observed in the Korean population. Conclusion: Our results can be helpful to find potential unrelated donors for bone marrow registries and study the HLA-associated disease and anthropology at high-resolution allelic level.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.60-66
• /
• 2012

Human skin is the first line of defense for the protection of the internal organs of the body from different stimuli. Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation induces skin damage and inflammation through the secretion of various cytokines, which are immune regulators produced by cells. To prevent the initiation of skin inflammation, keratinocytes that have been irreversibly damaged by radiation must be removed through the apoptotic mechanism. Ixeris dentata (family: Asteraceae) is a perennial medicinal herb indigenous to Korea. It has been used in Korea, China, and Japan to treat in digestion, pneumonia, diabetes, hepatitis, and tumors. To gain insight into the anti-inflammatory effects of I. dentata, we examined its influence on UVB-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), by observing cells that were stimulated with UVB in the presence or absence of I. dentata. In the present study, pro-inflammatory cytokine production was determined by performing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis to measure the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs). I. dentata inhibited UVBinduced production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 in a dose-dependent manner. Further, I. dentata inhibited the UVB-induced expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. Furthermore, I. dentata inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and p38 MAPKs, suggesting that it inhibits the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, and COX-2 expression, by blocking MAPK phosphorylation. These results suggest that I. dentate can potentially protect against UVB-induced skin inflammation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.8
• /
• pp.1089-1095
• /
• 2012

Neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) gene encodes a receptor that binds the Fc region of monomeric immunoglobulin G (IgG) and is responsible for IgG transport and stabilization. In this report, the 8,900 bp porcine FcRn genomic DNA structure was identified and putative FcRn protein included 356 amino acids. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the porcine FcRn amino acid sequences with their homologies of other species showed high identity. Tissues expression of FcRn mRNA was detected by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR), the results revealed FcRn expressed widely in ten analyzed tissues. One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (HQ026019:g.8526 C>T) in exon6 region of porcine FcRn gene was demonstrated by DNA sequencing analysis. A further analysis of SNP genotypes associated with serum Classical Swine Fever Virus antibody (anti-CSFV) concentration was performed in three pig populations including Large White, Landrace and Songliao Black pig (a Chinese indigenous breed). Our results of statistical analysis showed that the SNP had a highly significant association with the level of anti-CSFV antibody (At d 20; At d 35) in serum (p = 0.008; p = 0.0001). Investigation of expression and polymorphisms of the porcine FcRn gene will help us in further understanding the molecular basis of the antibody regulation pathway in the porcine immune response. All these results indicate that FcRn gene might be regarded as a molecular marker for genetic selection of anti-CSFV antibody level in pig disease resistance breeding programmes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.13
• /
• pp.5117-5121
• /
• 2014

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been reported to interfere with estrogen signaling. Exposure to these chemicals decreases the immune response and causes a wide range of diseases in animals and humans. Recently, many studies showed that licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root extract (LRE) commonly called "gamcho" in Korea exhibits antioxidative, chemoprotective, and detoxifying properties. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of LRE and to determine if and how LRE can alleviate the toxicity of EDCs. LRE was prepared by vacuum evaporation and freeze-drying after homogenization of licorice root powder that was soaked in 80% ethanol for 72 h. We used 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as an EDC, which is known to induce tumors or cancers; MCF-7 breast cancer cells were used as a tumorigenic model. These were treated with TCDD and various concentrations of LRE (0, 50, 100, 200, $400{\mu}g/mL$) for 24, 48, and 72 h. As a result, TCDD stimulated MCF-7 cell proliferation, but LRE significantly inhibited TCDD-induced MCF-7 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Expression of TCDD toxicity-related genes, i.e., aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), AhR nuclear translocator, and cytochrome P450 1A1, were subsequently down-regulated by LRE in a dose-dependent manner. Analysis of cell cycle distribution after treatment of MCF-7 cells with TCDD and various concentrations of LRE showed that LRE inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells via G2/M phase arrest. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses also revealed that LRE dose-dependently increased the expression of the tumor suppressor genes p53 and p27 and down-regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes. These data suggest that LRE can mitigate the tumorigenic effects of TCDD in breast cancer cells by suppression of AhR expression and cell cycle arrest. Thus, LRE can be used as a potential toxicity-alleviating agent against EDC-mediated disease.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.43-51
• /
• 2006

Background: The DR-$70^{TM}$ immunoassay is a newly developed cancer diagnostic test which quantifies the serum fibrin degradation products (FDP), produced during fibrinolysis, by antibody reaction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of DR-$70^{TM}$ Immunoassay in screening malignant tumor. Methods: Sample subjects were 4,169 adults, both male and female, who visited the health promotion center of a general hospital from March 2004 to April 2005 and underwent the DR-$70^{TM}$ immunoassay test and other tests for cancer diagnosis. The patient group was defined as 42 adults out of the sample subjects who were newly diagnosed with cancer during the same time period when the DR-$70^{TM}$ immunoassay test was performed. Final confirmation of a malignant tumor was made by pathological analysis. Results: The mean DR-$70^{TM}$ level was $0.83{\pm}0.65{\mu}g/ml$ (range: 0.00 (0.0001)${\sim}7.42{\mu}g/ml)$ in the control group (n=4,127) as opposed to $2.70{\pm}2.33{\mu}g/ml$ (range: $0.12{\sim}9.30{\mu}g/ml)$ in the cancer group (n=42), and statistical significance was established (p<0.0001, Student t-test). When categorized by the type of malignant tumor, all cancer patients with the exception of the subgroups of colon and rectal cancer showed significantly higher mean DR-$70^{TM}$ levels compared with the control group (p<0.0001, Kruscal-Wallis test). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed ${\geq}1.091{\mu}g/ml$ as the best cut-off value. Using this cut-off value, the DR-$70^{TM}$ immunoassay produced a sensitivity of 71.4%, a specificity of 70.1%, a positive predictability of 69.4%, and a negative predictability of 69.2% (1). Conclusion: A significant increase in the mean DR-$70^{TM}$ value was observed in the cancer group (thyroidal, gastric, breast, hepatic and ovarian) com pared with the control group. In particular, the specificity and sensitivity of the DR-$70^{TM}$ immunoassay was relatively high in the subgroups of breast, gastric, and thyroidal cancer patients. There is need for further studies on a large number of malignant tumor patients to see how the DR-$70^{TM}$ level might be changed according to the differentiation grade and postoperative prognosis of the malignant tumor.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.5
• /
• pp.387-394
• /
• 2009

This study was carried out to screen and identify the chitinase and chitosanase producing microorganisms from the feces of calves medicated DFM sincluding chitin in order to do the immune fortification of Korean Native calves. Ten isolates were grown in the medium containing chitin and chitosan that had more than $10^5$ cfu/g in feces. Among these 10 strains, 2 strains (HANDI 110 and HANDI 309) had the chitinase activities and 2 strains (HANWOO and HANYOO) had the chitosanase activities in calves' feces. They showed no reaction in hemolysis tests by utilizing chitin and chitosan. The results from morphological, physicochemical and genetical identification indicated the HANDI 110 as a strain of Escherichia fergusonii, HANDI 309 was identified as a strain of Acinetobacter parvus, HANWOO was identified as a strain of Comamonas koreensis, and HANYOO as a strain of Chryseobacterium indologenes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.12-24
• /
• 2008

Background and Objective : Chungsangboha-tang (CSBHT) has analgesic, sedative, anti-convulsive and anti-histamine effects, so it alleviates the symptoms of asthma. For the comparison of anti-inflammatory effect(s) on CSBHT, PD098059 was used as a negative control. Materials and Methods : This study emphasized THP-1 cells, which had been well characterized as a human monocytic leukemic cell line. The cells resemble monocytes with respect to several criteria and can be differentiated into macrophage-like cells by treatment with PMA. By using the MTS assay, it was possible to prove the safety of CSBHT. Results : Results shows that the CSBHT did not affected cell survival within $10^{1}$ ng/ml to $10^{5}$ ng/ml. Especially, $10^{5}$ ng/ml CSBHT treated cells show 70% deduction of $TNF-{\alpha}$ gene expression against that of LPS treated group. Furthermore, $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ levels are down-regulated when treated with CSBHT with concentrations up to 100 ug/ml on monocyte-derived macrophages. Interestingly, CSBHT-treated samples showed that overall transcriptional activities were down-regulated to 20% of that of PD098059 ($TNF-{\alpha}$ inhibitor). At protein level, the expression of $TNF-{\alpha}$ showed similar results as that of transcriptional activity. Results show that the protein level decreased more in the CSBHT-treated group (487 ${\pm}$ 87 pg/ml) than in the LPS-treated group (703 ${\pm}$ 103 pg/ml). In addition, the protein level of IL-8 in the CSBHT treated-group (9.84 ${\pm}$ 3.28 ng/ml) decreased similar as the expression of the control and PD098059-treated groups. Conclusion : CSBHT affects immune response, especially allergic responses and suppression of inflammatory reaction. The results provide us an alternative way to care for clinical inflammatory diseases, not only asthma but also the other possible general inflammatory and allergic diseases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.175-185
• /
• 2007

This study was carried out to investigate the pathogenesis and pathogenicity of the porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) Korean isolate from weaned pigs. Twenty four weaned pigs, PCV2, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) antibodies free, were allocated to 4 groups (n = 6). Six pigs were inoculated intranasally with PCV2 alone, 6 with PCV2 and PRRSV, 6 with the combined PCV2/PRRSV/PPV inoculum, and 6 were remained as a uninoculated negative control. Pigs were killed 3 and 6 weeks after inoculation and tissue samples examined for gross and microscopic lesions and for the presence of PCV2 antigens and nucleic acids. Experimentally inoculated pigs were evaluated for 3 considerations: 1. development of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), 2. distribution of viral antigens by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and 3. cytokine mRNA levels in lymph nodes. Pigs inoculated with PCV2/PRRSV/PPV showed typical clinical signs, gross findings, and histopathologic characteristics of PMWS. In the PCV2/PRRSV/PPV inoculated group, the PCV2 antigen was widely distributed in various parenchymal organs such as brain, spinal cord, tonsil, lymph nodes, lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and peyer's patch. Lymph node mRNA expression of IL-$1{\alpha}$, IL-2R and IL-8 was determined by real-time PCR. The pigs of PCV2/PRRSV and PCV2/PRRSV/PPV inoculation group, the mRNA expression was characterized by a decrease of IL-$1{\alpha}$, IL-2R and IL-8. The decrease of cytokine mRNA represent the state of T cell immuno-suppression in pig, and nicely support the evidence for the impairment of immune system in pigs with PMWS. In conclusion, PCV2 infection and some additional infectious causes such as PRRSV and/or PPV are warranted for the presence of PMWS in weaned pigs in Korea.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.1808-1814
• /
• 2009

In our previous study, a new herbal preparation (HemoHIM) was developed as a functional food for the radioprotection and immunomodulatory agents. In order elucidate the mechanism involved, we examined the effect of HemoHIM on the compound 48/80-induced histamine release, and on the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/calcium ionophore (A23187)-induced inflammatory cytokine secretion in HMC-1. The cell culture supernatants were harvested, and the cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-$\alpha$, GM-CSF) in the supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The total RNA of the cells was extracted, and the cytokines or c-kit/tryptase/Fc$\varepsilon$RI's messenger RNA expressions were examined using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Under low concentrations, HemoHIM inhibited histamine release in HMC-1 stimulated compound 48/80. Furthermore HemoHIM inhibited PMA/A23187-induced inflammatory cytokines' secreation or mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. But IL-8 secretion was not inhibited by low concentrayion of HemoHIM, respectively. The mRNA expression of c-kit and Fc$\varepsilon$RI were also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Tryptase mRNA expression was only inhibited by low concentration of HemoHIM. These results indicated that HemoHIM might be an useful agent for protection against allergy as well as immune modulation, especially since it is a relatively nontoxic natural product.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.385-392
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The most effective methods of harvesting, preparing, and injecting autologous fat grafts have been inconsistent and conflicting. With its limitation as resorption in fat grafting, handling various techniques affect adipocyte survival, and is crucial to optimizing its long-term survival. To improve graft survival, re-implantation of cryopreserved adipocytes was developed. In addition, adipocytes do not induce immune rejection in response to non-self lymphocytes in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes in cryopreserved adipocytes so as to determine the most efficient long-term storage period, and to analyze the changes in cryopreserved allografted adipocytes so as to determine the efficacy of cryopreserved adipocytes allografting. Methods: Fat tissues were harvested from the inguinal and retroperitoneal fat pad of mice. After the centrifugation of the harvested fat tissues, they were disintegrated with collagenase. The adipocytes were obtained by centrifugation of the disintegrated fat tissues. The adipocytes were treated as follows: (1) They were examined for weight and then frozen at $-20^{\circ}C$(n=25). For four months, each five frozen samples were taken and examined for weight and histologic changes in the 1st week, the 1st month, the 2nd month, the 3rd month, and the 4th month, respectively. (2) The adipocytes were immediately frozen at $-20^{\circ}C$(n=125). For four months, five frozen samples were taken, and allografted in the same time period as above. Finally, for four months, five cryopreserved allografted adipocytes were taken and examined for histologic changes in the same time period as above. Results: (1) Significant weight changes and histologic findings with inflammatory and destructive changes were observed in the cryopreserved adipocytes in three months. (2) Significant fat necrotic changes in the histologic changes with Hematoxylin and eosin stain were observed in the cryopreserved allografted adipocytes since the first week, independent of the freezing period. Conclusion: The study results show that the adipocytes that were cryopreserved for more than three months underwent obvious weight reductions and necrotic changes, and the adipocytes that were allografted without freezing were viable for four months, but the cryopreserved allografted adipocytes had obvious necrotic changes since the first week regardless of the freezing period.