• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.154-161
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• 2024

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron disorder that causes progressive paralysis. L-Citrulline is a nonessential neutral amino acid produced by L-arginine via nitric oxide synthase (NOS). According to previous studies, the pathogenesis of ALS entails glutamate toxicity, oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and neurofilament disruption. In addition, L-citrulline prevents neuronal cell death in brain ischemia; therefore, we investigated the change in the transport of L-citrulline under various pathological conditions in a cell line model of ALS. We examined the uptake of [¹⁴C]L-citrulline in wild-type (hSOD1wt/WT) and mutant NSC-34/ SOD1^G93A (MT) cell lines. The cell viability was determined via MTT assay. A transport study was performed to determine the uptake of [¹⁴C]L-citrulline. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed to determine the expression levels of rat large neutral amino acid transported 1 (rLAT1) in ALS cell lines. Nitric oxide (NO) assay was performed using Griess reagent. L-Citrulline had a restorative effect on glutamate induced cell death, and increased [¹⁴C]L-citrulline uptake and mRNA levels of the large neutral amino acid transporter (LAT1) in the glutamate-treated ALS disease model (MT). NO levels increased significantly when MT cells were pretreated with glutamate for 24 h and restored by co-treatment with L-citrulline. Co-treatment of MT cells with L-arginine, an NO donor, increased NO levels. NSC-34 cells exposed to high glucose conditions showed a significant increase in [¹⁴C]L-citrulline uptake and LAT1 mRNA expression levels, which were restored to normal levels upon co-treatment with unlabeled L-citrulline. In contrast, exposure of the MT cell line to tumor necrosis factor alpha, lipopolysaccharides, and hypertonic condition decreased the uptake significantly which was restored to the normal level by co-treating with unlabeled L-citrulline. L-Citrulline can restore NO levels and cellular uptake in ALS-affected cells with glutamate cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory cytokines, or other pathological states, suggesting that L-citrulline supplementation in ALS may play a key role in providing neuroprotection.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2018

The biopolymer (BP) used in this study is mainly composed of xanthan gum and ${\beta}$-glucan derived from microorganism and has been introduced as a novel material for soil stabilization. However, the broad applicability of BP has been suggested in the field of geotechnical engineering while little information is available about the effects of BP on the vegetation. The goal of this study is to find the BP effects on the growth of Camelina sativa L. (Camelina) under drought condition. For more thorough evaluation of BP effects on the plant growth, we examined not only morphological but also physiological traits and gene expression patterns. After 25 days of drought treatment from germination in the soil amended with 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1% BP, we observed that the BP concentration was strongly correlated the growth of Camelina. When plants were grown under drought stress, Camelina in 0.5% BP mixture showed better physiological parameters of the leaf stomatal conductance, electrolyte leakage and relative water content compared to those in control soil without BP. Plant recovery rate after re-watering was higher and the development of lateral root was lower in BP amended soil. RNA expression of Camelina leaf treated with/without drought for 7 and 10 days showed that aquaporin genes transporting solutes at bio-membrane, CsPIP1;4, 2;1, 2;6 and TIP1;2, 2;1, were induced more in the plants with BP amendment and drought treatment. These results suggest that the soil amended with BP has a positive effect on the transport of nutrients and waters into Camelina by improving water retention in soil under drought condition.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2014

With Single Comb White Leghorn (WL) and Korean Native Chicken (KNC) breeds, we compared the stress response with chicken breeds that were subjected to a high stocking density. Stress response was analyzed by the quantity of telomeric DNA, the rate of DNA damage and the expression levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and hydroxyl-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) genes on tissues and blood. The telomere length and telomere shortening rates were analyzed by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization on the nuclei of lymphocytes and tissues. The DNA damage rate of lymphocytes was quantified by the comet assay. The expression levels of HSP70, HSP90-${\alpha}$, HSP90-${\beta}$ and HMGCR genes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in lymphocytes. There was no significant difference between KNC and WL in body weight, weight gain, telomere shortening rate and DNA damage rate. However, the growth rate significantly decreased in chickens raised under high stocking density conditions, as compared to the control group. The telomere-shortening rate, DNA damage and HSPs expression of the lymphocytes were significantly higher in the high stocking density group than the control. The stress condition and breeds had a significant effect on the expressions of HSP70, HSP90-${\alpha}$ and HSP90-${\beta}$ in lymphocytes, except HMGCR. The stress response of WL was higher than that of KNC, as analyzed to the expression of HSP70 and HSP90-${\alpha}$. Therefore, we concluded that the chickens which were exposed to a high stocking density had increased the individual physiological stress response regardless of breeds, and White Leghorns are more susceptible to stress condition than Korean Native Chickens.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted to establish the production conditions through optimization of the production process of beverages using Aspergillus oryzae CF1001, and to analyze volatile compounds and antidiabetic activity. Methods: The optimum condition was selected using the response surface methodology (RSM), through a regression analysis with the following independent variables gelatinization temperature (GT, $X_1$), saccharogenic time (ST, $X_2$), and dependent variable; ${\Delta}E$ value (y). The condition with the lowest ${\Delta}E$ value occurred with combined 45 min ST and $50^{\circ}C$ GT. The volatile compounds were analyzed quantitatively by GC-MS. Results: Assessment of antidiabetic activity of saccharogenic mixed grain beverage (SMGB) was determined by measurement of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition activity, and glucose uptake activity and glucose metabolic protein expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis. Results of volatile compounds analysis, 62 kinds of volatile compounds were detected in SMGB. Palmitic acid (9.534% ratio), benzaldehyde (8.948% ratio), benzyl ethyl ether (8.792% ratio), ethyl alcohol (8.35% ratio), and 2-amyl furan (4.826% ratio) were abundant in SMGB. We confirmed that ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition activity, glucose uptake activity, and glucose-metabolic proteins were upregulated by SMGB treatment with concentration dependent manner. Conclusion: Saccharogenic mixed grain beverage (SMGB) showed potential antidiabetic activity. Further studies will be needed in order to improve the taste and functionality of SMGB.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.530-535
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• 2005

Background and Aims : Cigarette smoking induces an inflammatory response in the airways, which may play a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of the cytokines that plays an important role in inducing bronchial inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine if the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Interleukin-6, is increased when the bronchial epithelial cells are exposed to a cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and an extract from stop smoking-aiding cigarettes, and examined the safety of these commercially available stop smoking-aiding cigarettes. Method : Bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to CSE from cigarette and stop smoking-aiding cigarettes for 24 hours. ELISA was used to measure the IL-6 levels in the supernatant from each condition. The IL-6 mRNA levels were measured by Taqman Real time RT-PCR. N-acetyl-L-cysteine(NAC) was added to each condition to determine if NAC can inhibit the release of IL-6 from the bronchial epithelial cells when they are exposed to CSE from cigarette and stop smoking-aiding cigarettes. Result : When bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to a CSE from cigarettes and stop smoking-aiding cigarettes, each type of CSE stimulated IL-6 production from the bronchial epithelial cells. The IL-6 mRNA level in the Bronchial epithelial cells was also elevated and NAC was found to inhibit the release of IL-6 from bronchial epithelial cells when they were exposed to the CSE from cigarettes and stop smoking-aiding cigarettes. Conclusion : Commercially available stop smoking-aiding cigarette can induce bronchial inflammation and can be harmful to smokers. Therefore, the safety of these cigarettes for smoking cessation should be evaluated.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2008

Because demineralized bone particle (DBP) contains various bioactive molecules such as cytokines, it is widely used biomaterials in the field of tissue engineering. In this study, we investigated the effect of 2-dimensional DBP/PLGA hybrid films on adhesion, proliferation and phenotype maintenance of intervertebral disc cells. PLGA films incorporated with different amount (0, 10, 20, 40 and 80 wt%) of DBP were prepared by the solvent evaporation method and characterized by scanning election microscopy (SEM). PLGA film has a flat and smooth surface. According to the increase of content of DBP, the surface of DBP/PLGA film exhibited few agglomerates and increased the roughness of the surface. Annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were cultured on PLGA and DBP/PLGA film surface, and then examined the cell adhesion and proliferation by the cell count and SEM observation. The result of cell count and SEM observation revealed that 10 and 20% DBP in DBP/PLGA films were superior to adhesion and proliferation of both AF and NP cells. We confirmed that specific gene expression of disc cells on DBP/PLGA film based on the cell count result. Disc cells seeded on 20% DBP/PLGA film expressed the gene of type I and II collagen continuously. Therefore, pertinent content of biomaterials could provide more appropriate condition on adhesion and proliferation of cell. And this results may be used as a basic data for the intervertebral disc regeneration using tissue engineering.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.355-362
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• 2016

The phosphomannomutase/phosphoglucomutase gene (pmm/pgm) of Vibrio anguillarum (the causative agent of fish vibriosis) was cloned, and the open reading frame corresponded to a protein with 446 amino acids. The pmm/pgm gene showed a significant degree of sequence homology with the previously reported genes from V. mimicus, V. vulnificus, V. splendidus, and V. harveyi, with 92.3%, 91.4%, 89.9%, and 89.9% amino acid identity, respectively. By reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we found that the pmm/pgm gene was upregulated under cold stress condition. The PMM/PGM protein is known to catalyze the interconversion between mannose-1-phosphate and mannose-6-phosphate or glucose-1-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate, which are important intermediates for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis. To confirm the role of PMM/PGM in the LPS biosynthetic pathway, we constructed a knock out mutant by homologous recombination. The respective LPSs were isolated from the V. anguillarum wild-type and mutant strains, and changes were compared by subjecting them to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Based on the different patterns of the LPSs, we expect the pmm/pgm gene to have an important role in LPS biosynthesis. The pmm/pgm-deficient mutant of V. anguillarum will contribute to further studies about the role of LPS in V. anguillarum pathogenesis.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2007

Objective: This study was performed to compare the expression of osteopontin (OPN) mRNA and protein in the eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues in women with endometriosis and endometrial tissues in women without endometriosis. Methods: A total of 32 women with histologically confirmed endometriosis were recruited for study group. For controls, 34 women undergoing operative treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or benign gynecologic condition other than endometriosis were recruited. At the time of laparoscopy or laparotomy, a biopsy specimen was taken from the endometrial cavity and peritoneal endometrial implant or endometrioma whenever appropriate. We employed real time quantitative RT-PCR to quantify OPN mRNA expression of these tissues and performed western blot analysis to measure the quantity of OPN. Results: The expression of OPN mRNA was significantly higher in both eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues of women with endometriosis than in endometrial tissues of controls during both proliferative and secretory phase. In the eutopic endometrial tissue of women with endometriosis, OPN mRNA expression significantly increased during the secretory phase compared to the proliferative phase in women with endometriosis as well as controls. However, in the ectopic endometrial tissue, OPN mRNA expression significantly decreased during the secretory phase compared to the proliferative phase. The expression of OPN protein was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in controls. Conclusion: This study shows the marked expression of OPN mRNA and protein in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues in women with endometriosis may be associated with the adhesion and invasion of endometrial explants.