• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.562-567
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• 2008

To develop human risk assessment protocols, we explored housekeeping gene and cytokine expression in mouse spleen cells using Rt-PCR. We normalized housekeeping gene expression by RT-PCR; gene expression was highly uniform in potato leafs and mouse spleen cells. We measured the expression of frequently used housekeeping genes, such as those encoding APRT, $\beta$-tubulin, Actin, Hsp 20.2, Cyclophilin, 18S RNA, Efla, Tbp, GAPDH, $\beta$-actin, Tuba2, Hprt, Cyclophlin A, Tfrc, and RPL13A in mice fed GM or non-GM potatoes. Housekeeping gene expression did not show any significant differences between GM and non-GM potato-fed mice. The murine model of potato-fed mice did not express IL-4 and IL-13 at a significant levels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.921-927
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• 2001

This study was performed to investigated the effects on the cytotoxicity and antigenotoxicity of Cordyceps militaris extracts on the human cancer cell lines. The ethanol extract and five fractions which were hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and aqueous were screened for crytotoxicity on human lung carcinoma(A549). human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) human epitheloid carcinoma(HeLa), human fibrosarcoma(HT1080) human hepatocellular carcinoma(Hep3B), human gastric carcinoma(KATOIII) and chronic myelogenous leukemia(K562) cell by SRB and MTT assays. The results showed that growth inhibition rates of the human cancer cell in the presence of Cordyceps militaris were inhibited with increasing concentration of the extract. The ethanol extract from Cordyceps militaris had strong inhibitory effects in1 mg/mL treatment by SRB assay , showing 89.4%, 85.7%, 72.9% and 65.5% inhibition in HT1080, HeLa, Hep3B and A549, respectively. The treatment of 1 mg/mL hexane fraction by SRB assay had the strongest cytotoxicity with 97.0% on HT1080 followed by MCF-7(92.9%) and HeLA(90.3%). The inhibition ration on KATOIII by MTT assay was much higher in the butanol (83.7%) and aqueous (80.4%) than in the ethanol extract (61.5%) And also, K562 showed similar tendency with KATOIII. The effects of Cordyceps militaris extracts on the frequencies of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) induced by N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidime(MNNG) were investigated in the bone-marrow cells of ICR male mice. The amount of 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg of each extract were administered to animals immediately after injection of MNNG, and the exposure time was 36 hours. Significant reductions(p<0.05) with 39.7%, 52.7%, 71.4% and 83.9% were observed in the frequencies of MNPCE when 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg of the hexane fraction of Coryceps militarus extracts were given to the mice.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.125-131
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• 2007

von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a multimeric glycoprotein which functions within the coagulation system. It colocalizes with factor VIII (FVIII) by non-covalent interaction and alters its intracellular trafficking. vWF is also instrumental in maintaining the stability of secreted FVIII. The principal objective of this study was to generate a lentivirus-based vWF expression vector for gene therapy of hemophilia A. We inserted a vWF of 8.8 Kb into a lentiviral vector thereby producing VSV-G-pseudotyped vEx52. However, its titer was quite low, presumably because the length of vWF gene exceeds the size limit of the lentiviral vector. In order to overcome the low-titer, we concentrated the vEx52 and thus increased the efficiency of transduction approximately 6-fold with $1/100^{th}$ of the volume. However, as concentration requires an additional laborious step, we attempted to enhance the transduction efficiency by deleting exons 24-46 and 29-46 in pRex52 to construct pRex23 and pRex28, and in pvEx52, yielding pvEx23 and pvEx28, respectively. The transfected pRex52 had a profound effect on the activity of secreted FVIII, and this activity declined as domains of vWF were deleted. However, when the domain-deleted vWF-lentiviruses were transduced into K562 cells, the vEx28 increased the activity of the secreted FVIII compared to what was observed with vEx52. This result is probably due to higher efficiencies of transduction and expression while retaining the essential domains required for proper interaction with FVIII.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.539-562
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• 2006

The clarification of spatial-temporal patterns of phytoplankton from southern coastal waters during the period of March to November in 2004 was carried out. Total cell numbers were shown in 5,286 cells $ml^{-1}$ on March and reached to encounter a peak of 27,775 cells $ml^{-1}$ on July. Mean cell number was also shown in maximum of 1,587 cells $ml^{-1}$ on July, which recorded approximately two times higher than on June. The cell number of phytoplankton from southmiddle waters attained an abundance of ${\geq}35%$ regardless of months, which was the highest the abundance of phytoplankton in 2004 than any other waters in this study. Southwestern waters were lower the cell number of 2-5 times than those of southmiddle and southeastern waters. In particular, Prorocentrum occurred in southeastern waters on June and the highest cell number of 8,200 cells $ml^{-1}$ around Tongyeong region on July, which was recorded to occupy the value of 60.9% in southeast waters. The abundance of Skeletonema costatum as a dominant taxa in southwest was shown in ${\geq}60%$ on March, July, September, and October, whereas was also recorded to achieve the abundance of above 80% in southmiddle waters on March, July, and September. The majority of the taxa in southeastern waters was diatom: Eucampia zoodiacus, and Chaetoceros spp.. They occupied above 45%. On November, most of southern waters were abundant to Chaetoceros spp. On the basis of cluster analysis using SPSS ver 10.0, phytoplankton occurring on March showed somewhat no correlation with all of southern waters. In contrast to on March, the relationship between southwestern and southmiddle waters was shown on August and November, indicating a distinction from southeastern waters. However, the distance between southwestern/middle and southeastern waters appeared to be less than 5. Consequently, the abundance of phytoplankton in southern waters showed much fluctuations in temporal and spatial assays. In particular, southwestern and southmiddle waters during the periods of summer and winter appeared to be a similar to environmental characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.554-562
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• 2008

To evaluate the limitation for epiphytic and planktonic algal growth, acid extractable inorganic phosphorus (AP), implying the luxury uptake phosphorus, was measured in five reed zones of Lake Biwa. The AP in epiphytic substances was 0.7 to 1.4 mg P surface stem $m^{-2}$ in summer and 1.2 to 2.8 mg P $m^{-2}$ in winter. On the other hand, the amount in planktonic substances was 1.4 to 5.7 mg P m -3 and 0.8 to 5.4 mg P $m^{-3}$ in both seasons. Contribution of AP in the epiphytic and planktonic phosphorus was 23 to 31% and 8 to 27% in summer, and 17 to 22% and 9 to 17% in winter. It suggests that in summer both epiphytic and planktonic algae had been luxuriously taken up phosphate into cells. The weight ratios of C : N : P were averaged 79 : 20 : 1 for the epiphytic substances and 81 : 12 : 1 for the particulate substances. On the other hand, the ratios without the luxurious phosphorus were 93 : 24 : 1 and 103 : 15 : 1, showing much higher values than the Redfield ratio. High ratio in the epiphytic substances indicates that the phosphorus is the limiting parameter, rather than nitrogen, regulating the growth of epiphytic algal populations.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.410-417
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• 2021

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a high-throughput technique for sequencing large numbers of DNA fragments that are prepared from a genome. This sequencing technique has been used to elucidate whole genome sequences of living organisms and to analyze complementary DNA (cDNA) or chromatin immunoprecipitated DNA (ChIPed DNA) at the genome level. After NGS, the use of proper tools is important for processing and analyzing data with reasonable parameters. However, handling large-scale sequencing data and programing for data analysis can be difficult. The Galaxy platform, a public web service system, provides many different tools for NGS data analysis, and it allows researchers to analyze their data on a web browser with no deep knowledge about bioinformatics and/or programing. In this study, we explain the procedure for preparing chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) libraries and steps for analyzing ChIP-seq data using the Galaxy platform. The data analysis steps include the NGS data upload to Galaxy, quality check of the NGS data, premapping processes, read mapping, the post-mapping process, peak-calling and visualization by window view, heatmaps, average profile, and correlation analysis. Analysis of our histone H3K4me1 ChIP-seq data in K562 cells shows that it correlates with public data. Thus, NGS data analysis using the Galaxy platform can provide an easy approach to bioinformatics.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.562-570
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• 2018

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In this study, we used a bioactivity-guided isolation technique to identify constituents of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) with antiproliferative activity against human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Methods: Bioactivity-guided fractionation and preparative/semipreparative HPLC purification were used with LC/MS analysis to separate the bioactive constituents. Cell viability and apoptosis in human lung cancer cell lines (A549, H1264, H1299, and Calu-6) after treatment with KRG extract fractions and constituents thereof were assessed using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Caspase activation was assessed by detecting its surrogate marker, cleaved poly adenosine diphosphate (ADP-ribose) polymerase, using an immunoblot assay. The expression and subcellular localization of apoptosis-inducing factor were assessed using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, respectively. Results and conclusion: Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the KRG extract revealed that its ethyl acetate-soluble fraction exerts significant cytotoxic activity against all human lung cancer cell lines tested by inducing apoptosis. Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetatesoluble fraction led to the isolation of six ginsenosides, including ginsenoside Rb1 (1), ginsenoside Rb2 (2), ginsenoside Rc (3), ginsenoside Rd (4), ginsenoside Rg1 (5), and ginsenoside Rg3 (6). Among the isolated ginsenosides, ginsenoside Rg3 exhibited the most cytotoxic activity against all human lung cancer cell lines examined, with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from $161.1{\mu}M$ to $264.6{\mu}M$. The cytotoxicity of ginsenoside Rg3 was found to be mediated by induction of apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner. These findings provide experimental evidence for a novel biological activity of ginsenoside Rg3 against human lung cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.760-771
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• 2012

Marine triterpene glycosides are physiologically active natural compounds isolated from sea cucumbers(holothurians). It was demonstrated that they have a wide range of biological activities, including antifungal, cytotoxic, and antitumor effects. A previous study showed that stichoposide C (STC) isolated from Thelenota anax induces apoptosis through generation of ceramide by activation of acid sphingomyelinase (SMase) and neutral SMase in human leukemia cells. In this study, we investigated whether STD, a structural analog of STC, can induce apoptosis and examined the molecular mechanisms for its activity. It was found that STC and STD induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner and lead to the activation of caspase-8, mitochondrial damage, activation of caspase-9, and activation of caspase-3 in K562 and HL-60 cells. STC activates acid SMase and neutral SMase, which results in the generation of ceramide. Specific inhibition of acid SMase or neutral SMase partially blocked STC-induced apoptosis, but not STD-induced apoptosis. In contrast, STD generates ceramide through the activation of ceramide synthase. Specific inhibition of ceramide synthase partially blocked STD-induced apoptosis, but not STC-induced apoptosis. Moreover, STC and STD markedly reduced tumor growth of HL-60 xenograft tumors and increased ceramide generation in vivo. These results indicate that STC and STD can induce apoptosis and have antitumor activity through the different molecular mechanisms, because they have a different sugar residue attached to aglycones. Thus, these results suggest that their actions are affected by a sugar residue attached to aglycones and they can be used as anticancer agents in the treatment of leukemia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2219-2225
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• 2015

SHP1 negatively regulates the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK2/STAT) signaling pathway, which is constitutively activated in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and leukemia. Promoter hypermethylation resulting in epigenetic inactivation of SHP1 has been reported in myelomas, leukemias and other cancers. However, whether SHP1 hypermethylation occurs in MPNs, especially in Chinese patients, has remained unclear. Here, we report that aberrant hypermethylation of SHP1 was observed in several leukemic cell lines and bone marrow mononuclear cells from MPN patients. About 51 of 118 (43.2%) MPN patients including 23 of 50 (46%) polycythaemia vera patients, 20 of 50 (40%) essential thrombocythaemia and 8 of 18 (44.4%) idiopathic myelofibrosis showed hypermethylation by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. However, SHP1 methylation was not measured in 20 healthy volunteers. Hypermethylation of SHP1 was found in MPN patients with both positive (34/81, 42%) and negative (17/37, 45.9%) JAK2V617F mutation. The levels of SHP1 mRNA were significantly lower in hypermethylated samples than unmethylated samples, suggesting SHP1 may be epigenetically inactivated in MPN patients. Furthermore, treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA) in K562 cells showing hypermethylation of SHP1 led to progressive demethylation of SHP1, with consequently increased reexpression of SHP1. Meanwhile, phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT3 were progressively reduced. Finally, AZA increased the expression of SHP1 in primary MPN cells with hypermethylation of SHP1. Therefore, our data suggest that epigenetic inactivation of SHP1 contributes to the constitutive activation of JAK2/STAT signaling. Restoration of SHP1 expression by AZA may contribute to clinical treatment for MPN patients.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.425-441
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• 1997

The neuropeptide substance P(SP) has been implicated in the mediation of inflammation and immune-mediated disease such as arthritis. Recently, it was reported that SP was markedly increased around the blood vessels in inflamed gingiva as well as in close association with the inflammatory cell infiltrate. These results support that SP may contribute to the pathophysiology of neuronal inflammation in human periodontal tissues. SP may regulate inflammatory/immune responses by stimulating the proliferation of human T cells, differentiation and antibody-secreting potential of B cells, macrophage respiratory burst, connective tissue proliferation, and the secretion of cytokines from monocytes and T cells. Here, I studied potential role of SP as a costimulatory chemical signal in inflammatory/immune responses, by determining the released proinflammatory cytokines such as $MIP-1{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$, and IL-6 from culture supernatants of homogeneous immune cell lines. Serum free cell supernatants were concentrated with TCA precipitation, fractionated with SDS-PAGE, and subjected into western blot analysis. Among 15 cell lines tested, macrophage/monocyte cell line RAW264.7 and WRl9m.1 showed the highest level of induction of $MIP-1{\alpha}$ when stimulated with LPS. Discrete IL-6 bands with multiple forms of molecular mass were detected from supernatants of B cell lines A20(32kDa), Daudi(32, 35kDa), and SKW6.4(29kDa), which were expressed constitutively. $IL-1{\beta}$ could not be detected by the method of western blot analysis from supernatants of all cell lines tested except RAW264.7, WRl9m.1, and erythroid cell line K562 which showed the least amount of $IL-{\beta}$ secretion. SP $10^{-9}M$ with suboptimal dose of LPS treatment showed synergistic induction of $MIP-1{\alpha}$ release from RAW264.7 or WR19m.1, and also IL-6 release from A20, but this synergism is not the case in costimulation of RAW264.7 or WRl9m.1 with SP $10^{-9}M$ and TPA. Although treatment of T cell line CTLL-R8 with SP $10^{-7}M$ or PHA+TPA induced modest level of $MIP-1{\alpha}$ secretion, synergism was not observed when they are applied together. These findings all together suggest the possibility of a regulatory role of SP in inflammatory/immune reaction through differential modulation of bioactivities of other chemical cosignals.