• BMB Reports
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• 제49권10호
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• pp.554-559
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• 2016

Mycobacterium abscessus, a member of the group of non-tuberculous mycobacteria, has been identified as an emerging pulmonary pathogen in humans. However, little is known about the protective immune response of antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs), which guard against M. abscessus infection. The M. abscessus gene MAB1843 encodes ᴅ-alanyl-ᴅ-alanine dipeptidase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of ᴅ-alanyl-ᴅ-alanine dipeptide. We investigated whether MAB1843 is able to interact with DCs to enhance the effectiveness of the host's immune response. MAB1843 was found to induce DC maturation via toll-like receptor 4 and its downstream signaling pathways, such as the mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor kappa B pathways. In addition, MAB1843-treated DCs stimulated the proliferation of T cells and promoted Th1 polarization. Our results indicate that MAB1843 could potentially regulate the immune response to M. abscessus, making it important in the development of an effective vaccine against this mycobacterium.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.140-146
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• 2000

Recently, we reported that immunostimulation of primary rat cortical astrocyte caused stimulation of glucose deprivation induced apoptotic cell death. To enhance the understanding of the mechanism of the potentiated cell death of clucose-deprived astrocyte by immunostimulation, we investigated the effect of immunostimulation on the glucose deprivation induced cell death of rat C6 glioma cells. Co-treatment of C6 glioma cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, $1\;{\mu}\textrm{g}/ml$) and interferon ${\gamma}(IFN{\gamma},\;100U/ml)$ is serum free condition caused marked elevationo f nitric oxide production ($>50\;{\mu}M$). In this condition, glucose deprivation caused significant release of lactate dehdrogenase (LDH) from C6 glioma cells while control cells did not show LDH release. To investigate whether elevated level of nitric oxide is responsible for the enhanced LDH release in glucose-deprived condition, C6 glioma cells were treated with 3-morphorinosydnonimine (SIN-1) and it was observed that SIN-1 caused increase in LDH release from glucose-deprived C6 glioma cells. Treatment of C6 glioma cells with $25\;{\mu}M$ of pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) which inhibit Nuclear factor kB (NF-kB) activation, caused complete inhibition of nitric oxide production. Treatment of C6 glioma cells with NO synthase inhibitors, $N^{G}$-nitro-L-arginine (NNA) or L-$N{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), caused inhibition of nitric oxide production and also glucose deprivation induced cell death of cytokine-stimulated C6 glioma cells. In addition, diaminohydroxypyrimidine (DAHP, 5 mM) which inhibits the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterine (BH4), one of essential cofactors for iNOS activity, caused complete inhibition of NO production from immunostimulated C6 glioma cells. The results from the present study suggest that immunostimulation causes potentiation of glucose deprivation induced death of C6 glioma cells which is mediated at least in part by the increased production of nitric oxide. The vulnerability of immunostimulated C6 glioma cells to hypoglycemic insults may implicate that the elevated level of cytokines in various ischemic and neurodegenerative diseases may play a role in their pathogenesis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.533-541
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• 1999

연구배경: 45세 이하의 약년자에서 발생하는 폐암은 전체 폐암의 6% 미만이지만 진행속도가 빠르고 이미 진행된 상태에서 발견되는 경우가 많아 예후가 좋지 않은 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 약년자 폐암의 이와 같은 원인에 대해서는 현재까지도 잘 규명되어 있지 않다. 정상적인 p53 유전자는 종양억제유전자로 작용하지만 돌연변이 등에 의한 p53 유전자 변이는 폐암의 예후에 나쁜 영향을 미친다. 저자들은 약년자 폐암이 노년자 폐암보다 예후가 나쁜 원인을 알아보고자 45세 이하의 약년자 폐암 환자와 55세 이상의 노년자 폐암환자에서 p53 유전자 변이에 의한 비정상적 p53 단백질의 발현율과 발현정도를 알아보기 위하여 이 연구를 하였다. 방 법: 1990년 1월부터 1998년 8월까지 영남의대 부속병원에서 조직생검에 의하여 폐암으로 진단된 45세 이하의 폐암 25례와 대조군으로 p53에 대한 면역조직화학염색을 실시하였던 55세 이상의 폐암환자 26례를 대상으로 비정상적 p53에 대한 발현율과 발현정도를 비교하였다. 결 과: 비정상적 p53 발현율은 약년자 폐암 25례 중 19례(76.0%), 55세 이상의 폐암 26례 중 20례(76.9%)에서 양성이었으며 양 군에서 유의한 차이는 없었다. p53 발헌정도는 45세 이하환자 19례 중 score 1이 6례, score 2가 13례였으며, 55세 이상 환자 20례 중 score 1이 4례, score 2가 16례로 두 군 사이에 의미 있는 차이가 없었다. 두 군 사이에 p53 발현율과 폐암의 조직학적 형태, 병기와도 유의한 차이가 없었다. 결 론: 45세 이하의 약년자 폐암 환자와 55세 이상의 노년자 폐암 환자에서 비정상적 p53 단백질의 발현율과 발현정도 사이는 유의한 차이가 없었다.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.655-663
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• 2002

Liver fibrosis is a prepathological state wherein damaged liver tissues in chronic liver diseases, such as hepatitis, are not repaired to normal tissues, but converted to fibrous tissue. 5-(2-Pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiol-3-thione (oltipraz), a cancer chemopreventive agent, is effective against a wide variety of chemical carcinogens. Recently, we reported that oltipraz inhibits liver fibrogenesis (Kang et al., 2002). In the present study, the effects of oltipraz in combination with dimethyl-4,4'-dimethoxy-5,6,5',6'-dimethylene dioxybiphenyl-2,2'-dicarboxylate (DDb) on dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrogenesis were assessed in rats. Oltipraz (30 mg/kg body weight, po, 3 times per week for 4 weeks) was found to inhibit the increases in plasma ALT, AST and bilirubin by DMN, whereas DDB (30 mg/kg body weight, po, 3 times per week for 4 weeks) attenuated the increases in the plasma ALT and bilirubin. The lowered plasma protein and albumin contents in DMN-treated rats were completely restored by oltipraz, but not by DDB. DDB decreases liver cell injury and inflammation through inhibition of nuclear factor-kB. DMN increased the accumulation of liver collagen, as indicated by the increase in the 4-hydroxyproline content in liver homogenates, which was reduced by treatment with oltipraz, but not by DDB. Given the differential effect between oltipraz and DDB, the potential enhancement of antifibrotic efficacy by the drugs was assessed in the animal model. Despite the minimal effect of DDB on DMN-induced fibrogenesis, DDB (5-25 mg/kg), administered together with oltipraz (25-5 mg/kg), showed an additive protective effect against hepatotoxicity and fibrosis induced by DMN, which was shown by the blood chemistry parameters and histopathological analysis. The adequate composition ratio of oltipraz to DDB was 5:1. These results provide information on the pharmaceutical composition, comprising of oltipraz and DDB as the active components, for the treatment and/or prevention of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.421-431
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• 2016

Recently, poly-γ-glutamic acid synthetase A (pgsA) has been applied to display exogenous proteins on the surface of Lactobacillus casei or Lactococcus lactis, which results in a surface-displayed component of bacteria. However, the ability of carrying genes encoded by plasmids and the expression efficiency of recombinant bacteria can be somewhat affected by the longer gene length of pgsA (1,143 bp); therefore, a truncated gene, pgsA, was generated based on the characteristics of pgsA by computational analysis. Using murine IL-10 as an exogenous gene, recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum was constructed and the capacity of the surface-displayed protein and functional differences between exogenous proteins expressed by these strains were evaluated. Surface expression of IL-10 on both recombinant bacteria with anchorins and the higher expression levels in L. plantarum-pgsA'-IL-10 were confirmed by western blot assay. Most importantly, up-regulation of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and the nuclear transcription factor NF-κB p65 in RAW264.7 cells after stimulation with Poly(I:C) or LPS was exacerbated after co-culture with L. plantarum-pgsA. By contrast, IL-10 expressed by these recombinant strains could reduce these factors, and the expression of these factors was associated with recombinant strains that expressed anchorin (especially in L. plantarum-pgsA'-IL-10) and was significantly lower compared with the anchorin-free strains. These findings indicated that exogenous proteins could be successfully displayed on the surface of L. plantarum by pgsA or pgsA', and the expression of recombinant bacteria with pgsA' was superior compared with bacteria with pgsA.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.378-384
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• 2012

In aquatic invertebrates, particularly marine gastropods, organotin compounds induce irreversible sexual abnormality in females, which is termed imposex, at very low concentrations. Organotin compounds are agonists for nuclear receptors such as RXRs and $PPAR{\gamma}$. However, the imposex phenomenon has not been reported to act as an antagonist on estrogen receptors in other species, including vertebrates and invertebrates. In order to gain insights into the antagonistic activity of organotin compounds on estrogen receptors (ERs), we examined the inhibitive effect of these compounds on estradiol-dependent ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity using the yeast two-hybrid detection system consisting of a combination of the human estrogen receptor ($hER{\beta}$) ligand-binding domain and the co-activator steroid receptor co-activator-1 (SRC1). Tributyltin-hydroxide (TBT-OH) and triphenyltin-chlorine (TPT-Cl) exhibited an inhibitive effect on $E_2$-dependent transcriptional activity, similar to antagonistic chemicals such as 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT) or ICI 182,780, at a very low concentration of $10^{-14}$ M TBT or $10^{-10}$ M TPT, respectively. The yeast growth and transcriptional activity with transcriptional factor GAL4 did not exhibit any effect at the tested concentration of TBT or TPT. Moreover, the yeast two-hybrid system using the interaction between p53 and the T antigen of SV40 large did not describe any effect at the tested concentration of OHT or ICI 182,780. However, the interaction between p53 and T antigen was inhibited at a TBT or TPT concentration of $10^{-9}$ M, respectively. These results indicate that TBT and TPT act as inhibitors of ER-dependent reporter gene transcriptional activation and of the interaction between $hER{\beta}$ LBD and the co-activator SRC1 in the yeast two-hybrid system. Consequently, our data could partly explain the occurrence of organotin compound-induced imposex on the endocrine system of mammals, including humans.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.475-480
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• 2009

The transcription of soybean (Glycine max) calmodulin isoform-4 (GmCaM-4) is dramatically induced within 0.5 h of exposure to pathogen or NaCl. Core cis-acting elements that regulate the expression of the GmCaM-4 gene in response to pathogen and salt stress were previously identified, between -1,207 and -1,128 bp, and between -858 and -728 bp, in the GmCaM-4 promoter. Here, we characterized the properties of the DNA-binding complexes that form at the two core cis-acting elements of the GmCaM-4 promoter in pathogen-treated nuclear extracts. We generated GUS reporter constructs harboring various deletions of approximately 1.3-kb GmCaM-4 promoter, and analyzed GUS expression in tobacco plants transformed with these constructs. The GUS expression analysis suggested that the two previously identified core regions are involved in inducing GmCaM-4 expression in the heterologous system. Finally, a transient expression assay of Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that the GmCaM-4 promoter produced greater levels of GUS activity than did the CaMV35S promoter after pathogen or NaCl treatments, suggesting that the GmCaM-4 promoter may be useful in the production of conditional gene expression systems.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.798-806
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. The spleen is the largest organ of the lymphatic system and has an important role in immunity. Obesity-induced inflammatory responses are triggered by Toll-like receptor (TLR)-myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) pathway signaling. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), major dietary glucosinolates present in cruciferous vegetables, have been reported to produce anti-inflammatory effects on various diseases. However, the effects of PEITC and DIM on the obesity-induced inflammatory response in the spleen are unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of PEITC and DIM on the spleen and their mechanism in high fat/cholesterol diet (HFCD)-fed C57BL/6 mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: We established an animal model of HFCD-induced obesity using C57BL/6 mice. The mice were divided into six groups: normal diet with AIN-93G diet (CON), high fat diet (60% calories from fat) with 1% cholesterol (HFCD), HFCD with PEITC 30 mg/kg/day or 75 mg/kg/day (HFCD+P30, HFCD+P75), and HFCD with DIM 1.5 mg/kg/day or 7.5 mg/kg/day (HFCD+D1.5, HFCD+D7.5). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Western blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to analyze protein and mRNA levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, interleukin 6 (IL-6), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88 in spleen tissue. RESULTS: Serum IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the HFCD group than in groups fed a HFCD with PEITC or DIM. Levels of NF-κB p65 protein and TLR2/4, MyD88, NF-κB p65, IL-6, and COX-2 mRNA were significantly higher in the HFCD group than in the CON group and were reduced by the PEITC and DIM supplements. CONCLUSIONS: PEITC- and DIM-supplemented diets improved splenic inflammation by modulating the TLR2/4-MyD88 pathway in HFCD-fed mice. We suggest that dietary glucosinolates may at least partially improve obesity-induced inflammation of the spleen.

• 한국전산구조공학회논문집
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.17-27
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• 2019

본 논문에서는 지진 하중 하에서 파이핑 시스템의 내진성능향상을 위하여 TMD의 적용성을 검토하였다. 이를 위하여 대상 파이프라인의 모드해석을 수행하였고, 이 중 방향별 질량참여율이 비교적 큰 1, 2 및 4번째 모드를 TMD 설치 위치로 선정하였다. 선정된 위치에 TMD 설계를 위하여 각각의 해당 모드를 단자유도 감쇠모델로 치환하고, TMD를 단자유도 감쇠모델로 고려하여 해당 파이프라인을 2자유도 시스템으로 변환하였다. 다음으로, 조화 지반 가진을 받는 변환된 2자유도 시스템의 응답증폭계수를 최소화할 수 있는 TMD의 강성 및 감쇠계수 값을 GA 최적화 방법을 통해 도출하였다. 이렇게 도출된 TMD 최적 설계 값을 파이프라인 수치모델에 적용하여 TMD 설치 유무에 따른 내진성능을 분석하였다. 수치해석 결과, TMD 설치 구간 배관부에서 방향 별 가속도 응답이 18%~51% 가량 감소함을 확인할 수 있었다. 배관부에 발생할 수 있는 최대 수직응력의 크기는 TMD 설치로 인하여 41%의 응력 감소가 있음을 확인할 수 있었다. 파이프라인 시스템의 최하단 앵커지점의 방향 별 반력은 원래의 최대 반력 세기에서 각각 37%, 34%, 43% 감소됨을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 연구 결과는 향후 목표로 하는 원전의 주요 파이핑 시스템의 내진성능향상과 관련한 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.50-56
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• 2010

목 적: 제 3기관에 의해 독립적으로 수행된 방사선 치료 빔의 흡수 선량을 외부 감사의 결과로 보고 한다. 이를 위해 쉽고 편리하게 설치 가능 한 고체 팬텀을 이용하여 흡수 선량을 측정하는 방법을 개발했다. 대상 및 방법: 2008년 12개 방사선 치료 시설에서 외부 감사 프로그램에 참여하였고 47개의 광자선과 전자선의 제 3기관에 의해 American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) task group (TG)-51 프로토콜을 사용하여 독립적으로 교정되었다. AAPM TG-51 프로토콜은 물에서의 측정을 권고 하고 있지만 팬텀으로 물은 바쁜 병원 상황에선 몇 가지 단점이 있다. 설치와 수송이 편리하고 재현성이 있는 고체 팬텀을 사용하였다. 광자선과 전자선에 대한 물과 고체 팬텀 사이의 선량 보정인자는 스케일링 방법과 실험적 측정에 의해 결정되었다. 결 과: 대부분의 빔은(74%) 제3기관의 프로토콜로 측정한 결과 2%의 편차 이내였다. 그러나 20개 중 2개의 광자선과 27개 중 3개의 전자선은 허용범위(3%)를 초과 하였다. 특히 그중 2개의 빔은 10% 이상의 편차를 보여주고 있다. 6 MV 초과의 고에너지 광자선은 보정인자가 없었다. 6 MV 광자선의 경우 고체 팬텀에서의 흡수선량은 물에서의 흡수 선량보다 0.4% 작게 나타났다. 전자선에 대한 보정인자도 결정되었는데 전자선의 에너지가 증가함에 따라 보정인자는 작아지는 경향을 보여준다. 고체팬텀을 사용한 TG-51 프로토콜의 측정 오차는 ${\pm}1.22%$로 나타났다. 결 론: 개발된 방법은 다기관 임상 연구의 인증 프로그램에 참여할 수 있는 외부 감사 기관 프로그램에 성공적으로 적용되었다. 이 선량측정은 선량을 측정하기 위한 시간을 줄이고 물을 설치할 때의 생길 수 있는 측정오차를 감소시킨다.